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For the past four years, I have been teaching children how to play the piano. I must say that I have seen amazing results. I have taught children from six to twelve years old and I find there is an interest in the early years. Six years old is a perfect time for children to learn to play the piano, as their fingers are more dexterous than a five year old child.

Most of the children who have come to me are eager to learn and it is amazing to me that they can remember where middle C is!. The ones who are truly interested in playing songs will continue with the lessons because they want to be able to play songs for their friends and family. I have gone into community centers and offered lessons to the members. Now for many of these children, access to a piano is not a possibility other than the occasional discussion of the piano in their music classes at school. It's a real treat for them to be able to play on a piano.

If the children do have a talent such as playing the piano, many are not encouraged at home because there is no extra money to spend on developing the talent. Therefore, having access to the piano at a community center is beneficial for the children. It is very interesting to see the various levels of talent in the children. It is also wonderful to see their temperaments change. Music has a way of calming children down. One child came to me with a very belligerent attitude. After she had been taking lessons for several weeks, she stopped hanging out with the tough kids and spent more time practicing her piano. She became very joyful and enthusiastic. Later, I discovered that both her mother and grandmother played the piano, but neither of them had ever taught her how to play. From then on, she was asking to spend time playing her grandmother's piano and her mother became involved with her lessons.

After about three weeks, the number of children enrolled in the program had dwindled. This is because the newness of the program attracted many of the children, but most found that it was not something they wanted to pursue. The ones who really had talent for the piano ended up staying with the program. I was pleased when they told me they had showed their music teachers at school the many songs that I had taught them. After awhile, the music teacher got accustomed to hearing my name and began asking the children if I taught them the songs.

The first year I taught piano at a local community center, they held an awards dinner to recognize the achievements of the students at one of the hotels. Two of my students were given the opportunity to play the piano for the guests who attended the dinner. The next year, we held a recital for the parents. The children were very excited and nervous about performing for their parents, but they did very well. Not one of them made a mistake!

The only drawback to offering this program at a community center is that they often want to replace the program with something that more of the children will participate in. I had less than twelve children who were regular attendees. Unfortunately for the children, the directors discontinued the program and the children either sought a private teacher or stopped playing the piano. Nevertheless, the experience was good for the children because they gained confidence in themselves.

Learn more about this author, Gail Cavanaugh.
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