Piano Guidance
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Can a 4 year old start the piano?

The "right" age to begin piano lessons varies from child to child. A good first test is the age when your child can tie their shoes. Many four year olds can achieve great success with piano lessons. It's important for these early lessons to be based around fun, and plenty of off the piano activities and games.

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The "right" age to begin piano lessons varies from child to child. A good first test is the age when your child can tie their shoes. Many four year olds can achieve great success with piano lessons. It's important for these early lessons to be based around fun, and plenty of off the piano activities and games. Below are the skills you can expect your 4-year-old to gain in their first few months of lessons. Begin teaching 4-year-olds with finger numbers. Books like WunderKeys, Faber Piano Adventures, and Alfred 1A Lesson Book, all have great pre-reading pieces. See more fun songs below.

Build Finger Dexterity

In the early days of piano lesson, 4-year-olds can gradually build finger strength with fun games and stories. Practicing separating each finger from the other will help build grace and confidence at the piano.

Identify Notes and Patterns

Start teaching notes by identifying the patterns of black keys on the piano (try using Seeing Black Key Patterns). Then slowly introduce one note at a time.

Learn Rhythmic Patterns

I love using the stick rhythm method to teach young students. This technique uses words for each rhythm instead of numbers. This is particularly helpful for children who haven't yet learned math.

Improvise

I love to start the first lesson with young students by playing an Eb blues scale, and encouraging them to improvise by only playing black keys.

Compose

Four-year-olds can start composing at their first lesson. Encourage your student to start by using only two notes and write the pattern on one of the composing templates below.

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How do you pronounce æ?

To make the /æ/ sound: Position your tongue low in your mouth, and shift it toward the front. The muscles of your lips and mouth should be relaxed. Vibrate your vocal cords with your mouth in this position. This vowel is made lower in the mouth than the /ɛ/ vowel.

tfcs.baruch.cuny.edu - /æ/ - Tools for Clear Speech

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Use the record and play buttons above to compare your pronunciation to the words below:

Problems with playback may be resolved by refreshing the page.

In Words

The /æ/ sound plays an important role in the difference between the paired words below. Listen to each pair, paying attention to how the first word differs from the second.

bet | bat budge | badge lake | lack trek | track

Record yourself repeating the words, making sure to focus on the pronunciation of /æ/. Then, compare it to the model recording. If you need help, check out the animated video to see exactly how to pronounce the sound. Repeat this exercise several times a day. As with any skill, improving takes repetition and practice. Here are several common words that include /æ/. It’s a good idea to be comfortable with their pronunciation. Listen to how each word is pronounced, focusing on /æ/. Notice how /æ/ can appear at the beginning, middle, or end of a word.

match sample matter ask sad advertise

Record yourself repeating the words, making sure to focus on the pronunciation of /æ/. Compare your recording to the model recording.

Repeat this exercise several times a day.

See the “What’s next?” section below for more practice tips.

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