Article published in Music Teacher
March 2007
Colour Scheme
In the following article Sharon Goodey herself explains why she believes her approach can be successful.
Piano teachers frequently struggle with the dilemma of what age to start formal piano lessons
with young children. Whilst many 5 and 6 year old beginners learn with ease, some children of
this age clearly struggle during the first year or two of lessons. One solution is to follow some
kind of selection procedure. However this implies that children must be rejected. An alternative
solution is to refuse to take all 5 and 6 year olds. But this solution neglects to cater for many
musical young beginners who would gain a great deal from music lessons at this age.
It is also clear that children who are successful at a very young age are generally those who
receive a great deal of help and support at home. However, many parents experience all kinds
of problems when trying to help their children with their practice. Therefore, for a teacher to
attempt to insist on such support is often impractical.
As a teacher with more than thirty years experience I had found myself in the position where I
was specialising in this age range. This included teaching such young beginners at the
Guildhall School of Music and two large public schools. The question tha t I asked myself was ‘Why do younger children need so much additional help from their parents in order to practice?
When I teach older children, all that I expect from parents is their support and encouragement.
Is it possible to teach these younger children without requiring so much additional help at
home?’
The answer to these questions was that traditional methods of teaching notation were not
serving the needs of younger children. These children did not have a problem learning to ‘play’
but many struggled with learning to ‘read’ music. It was clear that many children were
struggling with note reading and were incorrectly assuming that they were struggling with their
playing. This often led to disillusionment and loss of motivation. My subsequent research into
this problem has resulted in the publication of the piano tutor books Playing With Colour.
How does it work?
Playing With Colour offers a simplified system of notation that children feel instantly
comfortable with. Each finger is represented by no tes of a particular colour.
Pictures of the right and left hand are used, initially, instead of clefs.
These ‘finger colours’ remain constant when the hands move to different positions.
The lines of the stave are given numbers so that line counting is not necessary.
The process of note finding is also simplified. Initially it is not necessary for a child to know
that (for example) the second treble line is G. It is much easier to teach them how to locate this
note and to refer to it as ‘line 2’. The traditional method for learning by letter names is taught
at a later stage (book 3) when the child is much more able to understand and to put the
procedure into practice.
This particular change has made the most dramatic difference to my teaching. Children find
this method very simple to understand and will put it into practice with ease and confidence. It
is such a delight to see such young children, when presented with a new piece, immediately
place Middle C and then step up or down to the correct positions for each hand.
How do children progress to conventional notation?
Whilst the learning of new pieces (using the coloured notation) enables the child’s playing to progress with greater ease, conventional notation is taught from the earliest stages of the first book as a separate exercise.
In this way note reading can be taught in a slower, structured and progressive way and progress in playing is not hindered by the rate of progress in note reading. By the end of Book 3 children have developed a thorough grounding in note reading and are confident to play without the aid of the coloured notes.
When using conventional methods children have to learn theory as a separate exercise. What happens in these books is that the theory is learnt at the keyboard with notes and sounds instead of pencil and paper. Therefore the child understands very clearly the value of the exercises and that the overriding aim is to be playing without the help of the colours.
How well does it work?
This method has proved to be highly successful with young beginners. It is especially good for children who use their own tactics for avoiding note-reading such as memorising and following finger numbers. These children find the colours easy to follow and are able to take time to understand how to read without the colours in a way that is far less daunting than traditional methods. Very bright, musical children sail through the books and progress at a faster rate than they would otherwise. Sight-reading skills develop with a greater sense of security and confidence in both groups of children.
In a survey of 55 children who had been taught by more than 20 different teachers it was found that motivation levels were significantly higher in six and seven year olds who had been using Playing With Colour rather than conventional methods.
What is the value of this method?
- The youngest children can understand everything that is presented and will not feel bombarded by too much information.
- New pieces are learnt with greater ease, practice is more enjoyable and motivation levels remain higher.
- The focus of lessons shifts as less time is spent on note learning and more time can be spent pla ying music.
- Children follow the music more attentively and this becomes a habit that improves sight-reading and general observance.
- Children do not feel the need to use strategies such as instantly memorising their music, following finger numbers or constantly asking a parent for help.
- Parents’ role is reduced to support and encouragement only.
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