Customer Reviews

Teaching Little Fingers to Play: A Book for the Earliest Beginner (John Thompsons Modern Course for The Piano)

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

One of my sons just loves playing these songs as a supplement to his Suzuki instruction. They are catchy and progress very gradually--much more gradually than the Suzuki repetoire. Then, his twin brother, whom I've tried for years to interest in music, thought the songs from this book were so cool that he has started playing them and now wants music lessons, too! I'm so thrilled. I think he has always found the Suzuki progression to be too intimidating and fast. This one takes it slower and has much cuter pictures.

Despite what the title says, "A Book For The Earliest Beginner", I feel that it's not for the kids younger than 6 or 7. Requiring to read the music notes on the lines right from the beginning is too much for the kids who barely know alphabets. This book could be fine for older kids or for supplementing other courses. Try Alfred's books which I found much easier and gradual on very young children. If they are under 5, you could try Alfred's Prep Course.

My 6 yo daughter loves this book. We bought three beginner books from here and this is her favorite and she "plays' all the time. I like that it is easier to use than some of the others. It is very easy to teach from, but she can figure alot of it out herself. It is written towards a childs prespective.

I began teaching beginner piano students in January of this year. Wanting to give unfamiliar methods a try, I chose this book for one of my 6 year old beginners. She seemed to really enjoy the songs...and it wasn't until about 2/3 of the way through it that I realized she was not learning to read the notes. I finally noticed why - EVERY note for every song in the entire book has a finger number under it, and my student was just reading the finger numbers rather than memorizing what the notes looked like. I was wondering why my supplemental note-training was not sticking! I do not recommend this method at all if you want your students to learn to read music, and I am disappointed for the temporary set-back in my student's training. I have switched to Alfred, and it has been perfect for all my young beginners.

My 4 yr. old daughter is enrolled in a Yamaha music school class for 4-5 yr. olds. I bought this book to give us some supplementary songs to practice. The songs in this book are extremely musical and enjoyable; I would have given the book 5 stars except for the use of the superlative "earliest" in the title, as the pace and level of the book is much faster and higher than what she gets from the music school (which I believe is generally what Yamaha has discovered over many years is readily doable for the youngest beginners). This book is actually nice for an adult beginner.

i just started teaching piano and found this book. i love it and so does the student. the songs are in just the right order of difficulty and each has something new to learn. the duets are a lot of fun!!! i'm going to order the next book in this series very soon. i wish i had started with this book as a child. it is sooo cool. best wishes, Liz

Beyond the simple enjoyment of playing a song, learning to play music is a catalyst for discovery and learning in life. Rudiments such as fractions are learned by understanding the key signature. Motor skills are developed in both hands. Processing of symbols into piano keys and then piano keys into musical tones that, when played together, create a song. We often forget this as adults, or never learned it. The key with teaching these things effectively to kids is to make it fun, keep the lessons to a reasonable length and to get involved as a parent or teacher.

Teaching Little Fingers To Play is perfect for introducing children to the joy of playing a piano. It provides short, fun songs that kids can sing along to as they develop their skills playing. My daughter finds so much enjoyment in practicing and can't wait to "figure out" the next song. The skills and knowledge are added little by little in such a way that they build on what is already developed, rather than overwhelming the child. The notes to the teacher are also helpful, particularly when the teacher is simply a parent who isn't a piano virtuoso.

The price is VERY affordable and the book simply works well, particularly for my child. I'd recommend this book for any child under the age of 10. I don't think you'll be disappointed if you buy this book. I certainly wasn't.

Good first book for learning piano, but our teacher requested we get another book to accompany this, since this one moves a little too fast for our kindergartener.

I bought this book a few months ago based on the Amazon reviews, so I felt compelled to review it myself. This book, while full of wonderful pictures, isn't the best book for a child younger than six or seven. It doesn't teach how to read music, and instead creates its own alternative method for reading music, which has not held my younger students' attention. Unfurtunately, it doesn't provide enough instruction geared towards that age group. I will keep this book on the shelf and try again with older beginning students.

Just as I remember from years ago in modern version. Very user friendly and perfect for any age to learn to play piano.