10/27/2012 2 Comments October 27th, 2012When should my child start learning the piano?As some of you know I have been teaching the piano for the last 9 years. Over the years many parents have asked "when should my child start piano lessons?". Generally I advise them that children should start having piano lessons from the age of 6 or 7 years old. Children can start from as young as 4 years old however it totally depends on the child, how dexterous they are, how much strength they have in their hands etc. Children that do start from as young as 4 years old are normally big for their age, advanced for their years, especially with a very good basic knowledge of maths which is key. I started piano lessons at the age of 7 years old. There is no rush. If they are musical they will progress quickly. If you do start too early there is a risk that your child will get disinterested because they will soon start learning to play hands together which can prove frustrating for them which means they can loose their confidence. If you wait until they are at least 6 years old they are much more likely to enjoy their lessons, progress quickly and their confidence and enjoyment will soar. Learning the piano or any instrument should be fun. If it isn't fun, they won't learn or progress. When your child does start having lessons they will need to have a piano or electric keyboard at home. Practicing is vital for progress, even if it's starting with 5 minutes a day. With regards to buying/hiring a piano, of course nothing beats a real piano however if you don't have enough room for a piano you could always think about an electric keyboard. Of course electric keyboards are not as attractive as pianos and certainly there's nothing like playing a real piano however if you are pushed for space electric keyboard obviously take up a little less room. My only advice is that if you decide to get an electric keyboard it is really really important that you get a good one - i.e. that the 'touch' is similar to a piano's 'touch'. Basically the 'touch' is the feeling/resistance you get from the keys which allow you to play softly, loudly, to crescendo, to play staccato or legato notes. If the keyboard doesn't have this, your child won't be able to progress very far, not even to Grade one. Playing the piano is a wonderful way to express yourself so if your child can't do this they won't be inspired to practice and are likely to loose interest and give up. Playing the piano is a joy and a gift that I hope your children will be inspired to have and hopefully take with them into adulthood.
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10/14/2012 1 Comment Riding Bikes & Bumper Cars!Next week Tabby's Tunes will be having terrific fun with the Transport theme!! Chugga chugga toot toot!!! With Autumn most definitely here, the weather changing and earlier nights drawing ever closer, I guess we have to start thinking of other places to take the kids when the park is not a feasible option. Have you ever been to Gambado in Chelsea? It's really easy to get to from Wimbledon and my children LOVE it there, especially the bumper cars!!!! You can easily get there by train which is also a novelty treat for my kids too. You just need to change trains at Clapham Junction and catch a train to Imperial Wharf Station which only takes 6 minutes from Clapham Junction. It's then a 2 minutes walk from the station. Easy peasy lemon squeezy! Gambado also has a teacup ride for little ones and one of those indoor jungle gyms like other places, but it's the only one that I know of that has bumper cars and you can go on them time and time again! I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my bike!!....So this week, we'll be enjoying songs all about trains, buses, cars, planes and of course bicycles. Now, if like me you have limited storage for bikes this weekly tip that was given to me by some friends of mine might be useful to you too... Top Tip: When your child is at the age when they are wanting/ready to learn to ride a bike, you might be tempted to buy those balance bikes which are great however if like me you are limited with space, especially storage space you may want to consider buying a bike that is the right size for your child and make sure you can take the pedals off! Ho ho... This way, you only need to buy one bike. Your child will then confidently learn to balance, steer and brake. Once they have mastered all these things and are ready to learn to pedal, all you need to do is replace the pedals on the bike!! So there is no need for stabilizers!! which defeat the purpose of balancing and actually don't help them to ride the bike in the long run. Your child will be pedalling away in no time! Seeing your child ride his/her bike for the first time is very special. It's almost as emotional as seeing them take their first steps. Ah, the joys of parenting! x Now here are some lyrics for you to enjoy...happy singing! x Chitty Chitty Bang BangOh you pretty Chitty Bang Bang,
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang We love you. And our pretty Chitty Bang Bang Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Loves us too! High, low, anywhere we go on Chitty Chitty we depend. Bang bang Chitty Chitty bang bang Our fine four fendered friend. You’re sleek as a thoroughbred Your seats are a feather bed, You’ll turn everybody’s head today! We’ll glide on our motor trip with pride in our ownership The envy of all we survey! Oh you pretty Chitty Bang Bang, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang We love you. And our pretty Chitty Bang Bang Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Loves us too! High, low, anywhere we go on Chitty Chitty we depend. Bang bang Chitty Chitty bang bang Our fine four fendered friend. Love Tabby x 10/4/2012 1 Comment Our darling little rascalsMy darling daughter got a bit carried away with permanent markers the other day and my laptop obviously looked rather inviting!!!! Top tip: If this ever happens to you - fear not, toothpaste and a damp cloth gets the pen off the keyboard & surround. Managed to find a screen cleaner called Muc-off for the screen. Extra bonus top tip: If your darling child decides to use your mobile phone as his or her latest bath toy and drops it in the bath along with the ducks and Gups like my darling daughter did about 6 months ago!!! Obviously whisk it out of the water ASAP, dry it off as much as possible then put it in a Tupperware container and lid (one of those takeaway ones is perfect) and place your mobile inside and fill it with uncooked rice. Make sure it is completely covered and then leave to marinade for at least 24 hours maybe even more!!!! Talking of water, we'll be enjoying the Tabby's Tunes SEA theme next week, ooh aarrrh! We'll be dressing up as pirates and singing and dancing with all the fishes and sea creatures who live in it. Here are the lyrics to Going over the sea, happy singing! Lots of love Tabby x GOING OVER THE SEA
When I was one I played the drum going over the sea I jumped aboard a pirate ship And the captain said to me 'We're going this way, that way forwards and backwards over the Irish sea We're going this way, that way forwards and backwards over the Irish sea. When I was two I played the kazoo going over the sea I jumped aboard a pirate ship And the captain said to me We're going this way, that way forwards and backwards over the Irish sea We're going this way, that way forwards and backwards over the Irish sea. When I was three I sang merrily going over the sea I jumped aboard a pirate ship And the captain said to me We're going this way, that way forwards and backwards over the Irish sea We're going this way, that way forwards and backwards over the Irish sea. When I was four I danced on the floor going over the sea I jumped aboard a pirate ship And the captain said to me We're going this way, that way forwards and backwards over the Irish sea We're going this way, that way forwards and backwards over the Irish sea. When I was five I did a jive going over the sea I jumped aboard a pirate ship And the captain said to me We're going this way, that way forwards and backwards over the Irish sea We're going this way, that way forwards and backwards over the Irish sea. 10/1/2012 1 Comment "Mr Sunshine's my friend"Well it was lovely to see so many little ones this morning enjoying the Tabby's Tunes FARM theme. Think the parents and carers enjoyed the new Peruvian puppets too! Thought I'd share a scrumptous 'mummy moment' with you about the sun who's apparently my 5 year old son's new friend!.... Last week, I picked my son up from school. With much excitement he said "the sunshine is my new friend, Mummy. He follows me everywhere I go!" He then proceeded (with much energy as boys do) to charge back and forth on the pavement, whilst looking at the sun. He then said "See! He's with me wherever I go!". Bless. Don't you just LOVE those moments! To bring a little sunshine into your lives, here are the words to MISTER SUNSHINE which will be one of the songs we'll sing for the WEATHER theme later on in the term. Happy Singing! Love Tabby x Oh Mister sun, sun,
Mister golden sun, Please shine down on me. Oh Mister sun, sun. Mister golden sun, Hiding behind a tree. These little children here are asking you, To please come out so we can play with you, Oh Mister sun, sun, Mister golden sun, please shine down on me. |
TabbyMum of two, singer, musician & founder of Tabby's Tunes. Archives
December 2015
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