• Home
  • Piano Teachers
    • Piano Music Reviews
  • Piano Parents
  • Piano Learners
  • Our Courses
  • Store

Very Piano

August 14, 2017 · Leave a Comment

5 Goals Of Preschool Music Class

For Parents· Preschool Music· Teach Piano

I’ve recently written about the benefits of a preschool music class and how vastly different teaching preschoolers is from teaching older students. (Spoiler: I used to think preschoolers were mini elementary piano students who could sit on a piano bench for long periods of time!)

Related: Need preschool music lesson plans? Head to my shop on TeacherPayTeachers!

Once I became more enlightened about how to work with preschoolers, it became very clear that teaching preschoolers is an entirely different task than teaching elementary, middle and high school students.

So naturally, the goals of a preschool music class are going to look quite different from the goals that you would set for a beginning piano student.

For a beginning piano student, the goals you set will probably be very piano-centric: being able to play certain songs, learning how to read music, working through books, etc.

On the other hand, preschoolers have plenty of time to master those goals when they are older. For now, though, they have their own goals to work through.

Support In Reaching Child Development Milestones

Consider all of the skills that a child is going to need in order to be successful at the piano – coordination, fine motor skills, creativity, cognitive skills, listening, just to name a few. By the time a student is ready for piano lessons, these skills are already mastered, or at least practiced regularly. A preschool music class serves the purpose of helping children to develop these skills.

Every activity of a preschool music class should hone in on at least one child development need and address it. For example, movement-based activities help children develop coordination, gross and fine motor skills and become increasingly more complex as a child grows. Language and literacy activities support active listening and developing cognitive skills.

Visit my other site, Teach Preschool Music, for tons of preschool music class activities and ideas.

Music Appreciation

This may seem obvious, but a preschool music class should help families learn to love and enjoy music. If children learn to love music in their preschool music class, they will be eager to continue their music education when they are older.

Exposure to Musical Concepts

Most children in preschool music classes don’t have the fine motor skills and attention span needed to sit at the piano and focus on learning music in a traditional format. However, they are completely capable of learning many musical concepts that will transfer to piano lessons when they are older.

A few examples are:

  • High and Low Pitches
  • Notes Moving Up, Down or Repeating
  • Rhythm
  • Steady Beat
  • Loud and Soft
  • Fast and Slow

If children are taught these concepts in the context of music, they will naturally apply them.

My daughter Sophie began attending my preschool music class when she was a baby. She had always been exposed to many different musical concepts. Shortly after she turned 2, we began learning the musical concepts in the song Hot Cross Buns. We practiced these concepts every week in music class, and one day, without prompting, Sophie sat down at the piano played the whole song.

It’s important to note that even though I’m a piano teacher, I had never sat down with her outside of class to show her how to play the song. She learned and applied the concepts on her own.

It has been so exciting for me to see this in action with all of my preschool music students. I wanted to share my process with other piano teachers. You can find simple instructions on how to break down the musical concepts of Hot Cross Buns in this free course. It teaches you 6 steps to follow with young children to help them learn music effectively.

Socializing and Relationship Building

Preschool music class might be a child’s first experience learning about a student/teacher relationship. This is key because it will help the students understand that a music teacher has authority, even if it very gentle and nurturing. They will learn their role as a student as they discover how to listen and follow directions.

Preschool music class is also a time for children to socialize and interact with other children and adults.

Creativity and Self Expression

Finally, preschool music class is a place for children to learn to be creative and express themselves. For many older students, playing the piano becomes an outlet for their creativity. It is a part of their identity. Young children will begin to get a taste for this in preschool music class.

If you’re craving more information on preschool music classes, click here to receive a free checklist: Components of a Successful Preschool Music Class.

If you’re just getting started teaching music to preschoolers, my course Teach Preschool Music is just for you! It is a comprehensive course that gives you everything you need to get your own preschool music program off the ground.

Other Articles You May Enjoy:

  • 14 Benefits of Preschool Music Class
  • Make Your Own Musical Sand Blocks
  • Stories About Music For Children
  • 10 Ways To Sing Row Row Row Your Boat With Kids
  • An Easy Hello Song For Preschoolers
Previous Post: « Free Music Interval Images
Next Post: Piano Player Emojis »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

About

FocusTree-66_2

Hi, and thanks for visiting Very Piano! I’m Megan, a piano teacher in Tulsa, Oklahoma. If you’re a piano student, piano teacher, piano parent, or piano lover, I hope you’ll drop by often and join the piano chatter!

Click here to read more about me.

Let’s Connect

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube

Online Piano Lessons For Kids

Check out SmartKidsPiano, my library of interactive piano tutorials for kids!

Check Out My Ebooks!

Always wanted to play piano?



Join my online course for an easy and fun way to learn piano at home and on your own schedule! Learn more here.


Check out these preschool music curriculum courses and resources for piano teachers!

  • Teach Preschool Music – the course
  • Preschool Music Lesson Plan Crash Course
  • Storybook Lesson Plans
  • My Teachers Pay Teachers Store

Don’t Miss A Beat

Receive an exclusive monthly email with free music, resources and all the latest scoop from Pianissimo.

Amazon Associates Disclosure

Pianissimo, A Very Piano Blog is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com

lettuceturnipthatbeet

#familyjam for St. Nickโ€™s day! ๐ŸŽ…๐Ÿป #familyjam for St. Nickโ€™s day! ๐ŸŽ…๐Ÿป
Tiny cellist! Tiny cellist!
๐Ÿ’œ๐Ÿฆƒ๐Ÿฝ๐Ÿ #happythanksgiving2020 ๐Ÿ’œ๐Ÿฆƒ๐Ÿฝ๐Ÿ #happythanksgiving2020
Heโ€™s SO proud of his new art skills, thanks to @ Heโ€™s SO proud of his new art skills, thanks to @artforkidshub!
#distancelearners #distancelearners
Look whooooo has been visiting our backyard lately Look whooooo has been visiting our backyard lately!
Load More... Follow on Instagram
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Learn Piano Online
  • Store
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2021 · Captivating Theme theme by Restored 316

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.OkPrivacy policy