How to Start Beginners

Welcome to the "Starting Beginners" page! Remember, it takes LOTS of experience to be a good, quality piano teacher, but I hope this will help get your own students on the right foot. I'll list things as you need.

Lesson 1:


Once the studio policy is signed, I have the student bring their metronome (purchase it for them if they don't have one so they get the correct one), 3-ring binder with plastic slips in front and back (1.5 inch) and sturdy notebook. You can then get started!

For the very first lesson, this is what I ALWAYS do (in order):

1) How to sit at the piano:

• Footstool (if they can't reach the pedals)
• Knees to the bench (for a young child--otherwise it will be halfway through the thigh for an older child)
• Back straight (but leaning in for weight into the piano)
• Elbows out (pinky rule! Remember the pinky should be out farther than the elbow)
• Straight imaginary line from wrist to third knuckle on hands (essentially your arms make a diamond shape)
• Straight line from wrist to elbow
• Wrists and arms level to the ground (put a pencil on their wrist to see if it can lay flat)

2) Hand position is like holding onto your knee (put hand on knee and lift it up to the piano--perfect!). Check for the "c" position and thumb at an angle

3) How to use fingers (See worksheet below. Make your own or print and use, with my permission)

Finger Numbers
Finger Number Mix-Up

• 12345 RH
• 54321 LH 
• Have them show everyone in their first master class how they can do this 

4) For master class, play the keyboard for everyone. Play the 2 black keys (either hand) this way:

• Low to high
• High to low
• Middle to high
• Middle to low

5) Mississippi Hot Dog (First Suzuki book). Teach by rote (meaning "by ear"). They love it. 

RH: 14544321

Play: CGAGFEDC

LH: 52122345

Play: CGAGFEDC

6) Know all your finger numbers (See worksheet below. Make your own or print and use, with my permission)

7) Know all the notes on the piano (play and say the musical alphabet. They should be able to say the alphabet forwards and backwards for the first 7 notes).

8) Tell the story of "Piano Street" (See worksheet below. Make your own or print and use, with my permission)

Piano Street 1

Piano Street 2

9) Tell everyone about the staff (count the lines, spaces).  (See worksheet below. Make your own or print and use, with my permission)

Treble Clef Worksheet

Bass Clef Worksheet

10) Start whatever method book you need to. Better yet--make your own. I've been taught that we should be able to teach a 5-year-old without any help of a method book until their entrance at any university (piano or not). Be creative!

Lesson 2:

1) Start Down Curved, Relax, Straight up IMMEDIATELY (slow and fast way). Many will not be able to do it with mm. 60 (first step hands alone) so do it without until they have all steps absolutely perfectly. Get those fingers curved, curved, curved but also make sure they are relaxed from their back, shoulders, elbows, wrists--down. If you do this, you'll be ahead of the majority of piano teachers who cannot get fingers curved in their studios. Teach this to everyone you know. It's incredible.

2) Continue with your method.

3) Have them continue drawing clefs and then starting with "Landmark" notes like Middle C, High C, Low C, G and F. Quiz, quiz, quiz. Have them draw it in their staff book. They need to learn their notes solid. Start adding intervals (seconds, thirds, fourths above and below to the landmarks so they learn by INTERVAL and not by "All Cows Eat Grass" or any other saying. This is the worst way you can teach reading.

4) For counting, use "Ta" for quarters, "Ti-Ti" for eighths and "Ta-a" for half notes, etc. The less numbers you use at the beginning, the better. As soon as they have the counting solid, move them to numbers as soon as they are ready.

5) Teach them how to practice using FERN in their pieces immediately as well. This is the best way they can practice and it gets in their reps every day.