What to Teach a New Adult Piano Student

[@AnneWillicombe]

A great first lesson plan for new adult students, and your husband's proud smile after his fabulous improvisation!!!

[@ColourfulKeys]

He's a cutie! :D

[@ChristinewithaC]

Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful advice. I play piano at my church and a lady asked me to teach her how to play. I agreed to, but wasn’t sure where to start. I searched KZbin and fortunately, found your videos. Thank you thank you thank you!

[@ColourfulKeys]

You’re very welcome!

[@richard135b7]

You're an excellent teacher. When I was starting out years ago my piano teacher had me learning silly songs like On Top of Old Smokey never cool songs like Let It Be and next to no time on chords and chord progressions.

[@ColourfulKeys]

Thank you :)

[@pianowithpri9123]

Love the improv at the end. Thanks to you and your husband doing this! Very helpful

[@ColourfulKeys]

You’re welcome!

[@KandMe1]

Hi I am an adult learner on piano. And have been playing other instruments all sorts of them since my 20's before that almost zero music but found it came naturally though lacked music theory. So that has been my goal, mostly self taught on that (from books). Have played drums, bass and guitar but also harmonica and a little flute (it was a C) and also mandolin for a while. Well my biggest hurdle which I am tackling at this time is that I have all the music in me and it wants to get out through my fingers to the keys but no flow yet (actually I have some flow but it as yet incomplete and it is very difficult to stick to what is taught me because I tend to turn it into something else immediately something that comes out of me, a style and approach. I have succeeded in tackling some difficult hand independance lesson exercises form KZbin. One took a week or 2 and now they are coming easier but I still find I am by nature not sticking to the patterns shown me but tend to do things like include one beat pulse or syncopation with my right hand which is supposed to be played by a bass key in the bass figure I have been shown. That is where it gets weird because my left finger will not play that note but start again and keep the figure progressing. In this way it is a little weird because I noticed the same thing in my drumming when most drummers would keep a pulse going with that hand I would not play that beat because it was being played with my foot or other hand. Actually I do think my own spank of the treble triad on right hand would be better than if it was played with the left hand as one note and likely it would add some flavour to that is there in the nethersphere available to play of harmony and rythm. I think I am playing a rythm incorporating chords into it; that it is a rythm figure with a melodic edge to it which is actually based on what is being shown just my own interpretation. You have a good approach and I tend to think adults need a coach more than a teacher, they have potential to take each lesson a long long way further independantly if they are provided with the right thing. I get stuck at times using YT tutes only but pray as I go and keep my ears and eyes open for any good hints on how to improve. thanks for the post. I wish we had youtube and internet when I was in my youth because now being 67 find it helps a lot with things like learning to play music and piano.

[@PaulSmith-zb4if]

I love this, because its so real. Many thanks to your husband for being the student!

[@ColourfulKeys]

Our pleasure!

[@tinaalamadiakite8162]

I love this Nicola! I just need it. On a funny note 7:00 😂. My boyfriend would say the same.

[@kwmusicacademy7479]

Totally agree. This is quite a brilliant video. It’s very very similar to how I approach adult beginners. Great to your creative approach. I feel from my experience this is quite rare.

[@ColourfulKeys]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@boblowney]

he was nervous! that was great!

[@aBachwardsfellow]

the second black key improve could also be done by playing 3 notes in the left hand - F#, G#, and A# -- even if played "flat-handed"

[@boblowney]

I am him! thank you for this.

[@thedorkyjuan]

Thank you for this! I enjoyed seeing the perspective of a teacher and seeing a samples of lessons with a student! :D

[@ColourfulKeys]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@daleo1744]

Excellent.

[@shaluk8538]

This is such a great approach! I used to teach piano to kids and young adults but was little nervous in teaching improvisation and especially to adult students. Love your method! Thank you for this video ❤

[@ColourfulKeys]

You’re welcome ☺️

[@YukiYasuda]

I take piano lessons in Japan and post them on KZbin. I found the piano lesson videos from overseas very interesting.

[@daleo1744]

Muchas gracias Nicola por compartir esta clase maravillosa con tu esposo...

[@ColourfulKeys]

De nada!

[@michellejacobi386]

Love this! What did you play on the first example? Your husband is a trooper. My husband would start goofing around.

[@ColourfulKeys]

In the improv? Oh gosh, probably just 4 chords in G flat major. And yes, he's such a good sport!

[@esterig.9955]

Do you have any more follow up lessons for beginning adults?

[@NomeDeArte]

Wonderful, great video, thank you! Best wishes from Argentina

[@lauraghera2877]

Beautiful! Thank you! 🎶

[@ColourfulKeys]

Glad you like it!

[@kathykapsner3897]

Many thanks! I’m starting a new adult in January and wish I would have seen this video before ALL of my new adults. You know what? I’m going to do it with my other adults anyway😉😀🎶👏🏼

[@ColourfulKeys]

Yes! Do it anyway!

[@thepianoplayer416]

Adults have more experience in life and therefore have expectations what pieces to learn. Children with little exposure to music it's the parents who make the decision for lessons on their behalf. After half a year, a child should have some expectations what pieces to get into. A student should develop an interest in pieces by different composers like Beethoven, Mozart & Bach. If the learning process becomes too much of a hit-and-miss and a student expects the teacher to make all the decisions, he/she would likely give up playing. I've seen music learners who have an interest in music continue to play for years and those who gave up early and wouldn't touch an instrument again. There is a lot of give & take on both sides. Besides having a good teacher, the student has to do his/her part to practice properly for at least 1/2h a day. Don't blame the teacher for your slow progress if you don't practice sort of thing.

[@bh5606]

Cool.....

[@khulantsogbayar2825]

Thank you 💖, it was very helpful

[@ColourfulKeys]

I'm so glad!

[@Tautropfenoase]

Wonderful channel, subscribed to you. 🥰👍 You have a really good method.

[@santoshgujar5237]

Thank you, 🙏🌺😇

[@ColourfulKeys]

You are so welcome

[@santoshgujar5237]

@@ColourfulKeys 🙏🌺😇, you are nice Teacher, Mam

[@angelabuckley4075]

This is a really lovely video Nicola ☺️

[@60yoself-taught]

Good channel 👍

[@esterig.9955]

What do you do for the next lesson or 2? WHen do you start reading. Do you always continue impro and chord patterns?

[@ColourfulKeys]

We have a whole course that walks through the first month of lessons inside our Vibrant Music Teaching membership. It’s called Creative Kickstart if you want to check it out.

[@esterig.9955]

@@ColourfulKeys so to clarify you have a whole course for teaching adults building on what this video demonstrates so including patterns for playing by ear? Do you have some recommended method books or do we find everything on your site? And thanks for this demo. I actually used it with a brand new student yesterday, 70 years old and it made such a difference for starting.

[@ColourfulKeys]

@@esterig.9955 I have a course the covers the first 4-6 weeks with a new adult student. This video is an example of a first lesson using that course. The course is designed to be used without a method book (everything is included) and from there you can lead into a method book, another one of our course, etc. depending on the direction the student wants to go.