Getting younger children to use the correct finger position and keeping hands

Teaching kids piano

When we have young learners trying to read music, their first pieces provide many challenges to recall all the information required to do this well.
I spend a lot of time correcting students on where to put their fingers when playing the notes.

Although in simpler pieces, the number of the finger to be used is written above the note, it seems that from the time we originally discuss the finger positions with students, they often forget when applying it to the piece.

As we know, the thumb is 1 and the index finger 2, and so on. I thought that, as part of every class, it might be a good idea to put thumbs back on middle C at the beginning of the class and go from C to G in the right hand and C to F in the left, pointing out the number of the fingering used.
We are often so worried as teachers about our students reading the note’s name correctly we forget this simple exercise can help learners consolidate the importance of fingering. These fingerings help plan which fingers to use so as to execute a particular musical passage most efficiently and comfortably.

Simultaneously, one can take the opportunity to correct hand posture in this exercise, arching the hands and using a child-like analogy of making room for a little mouse to live in the cave-like the hand structure is making over the keyboard. Also, the learner can practise moving his/her fingers independently from this position, addressing another difficulty for beginners.

All in all, the importance of this whilst using beginner’s pieces creates the necessary foundation of solid playing and can be taught with all the necessary repetition. It will be worth it in the long run!

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