How would you teach a beginner to play piano? You would probably give a music score, teach the notes and have them play. But what happens when your student is a four-year-old child? Can you really expect them to read music? Chances are, they’re in kindergarten. They probably can’t even read words yet but we expect them to read notes?
Timely Education
This contradictory teaching was noticed by Torakusu Yamaha in Japan who dedicated his life’s work to develop a musical curriculum, which would eventually come to be known as the Yamaha Music Program. Yamaha brought together a team of specialists in various fields: education, music and medicine (specifically paediatricians). Together they came up with a music development vs age graph in children shown below
Picture by Yamaha Music Corporation Canada
They discovered that at age four, it was hearing that was most critical in development. Finger muscles come in two to three years down the road making it not the primary target. This however does not mean it’ not appropriate for kids to learn to play piano. Quite the contrary, it mean that the traditional method of teaching will not work with children.
By-Ear Playing
Knowing that ears were the focus at age four, Yamaha came up with a new method of teaching. Rather than the traditional “by-score” playing, he found that by-ear playing was more appropriate for children. And so came the teaching philosophy of Yamaha Music:
Picture by Benjamin Chang, Yamaha Instructor
Differing from the traditional play/read sheet music, Yamaha knew that at this age children learn best from their ears which is why the focus is on listening/singing before playing/reading.
Group Lessons
This teaching philosophy by Yamaha had a flaw however; no child would be comfortable in a one-on-one environment with a teacher at that age. Forget singing, not having them be intimidated in a private lesson would already be a challenge. This is when the idea of group lessons came into fruition. One of the cornerstones in teaching the Yamaha Music Program is that all classes are taught classroom style rather than the conventional private lesson. Not only will kids be more comfortable singing alongside classmates, it creates a fun learning environment for everyone.
Some more insight into the Yamaha education method is shown in the video below which includes testimonials from both teachers and parents:
Video by 7notes Music School
Testimonial
I myself used to be a Yamaha student and as an alumnus I can honestly vouch for the effectiveness of the program. It really gave me a well-rounded musical education. Not only can I play piano, having perfect pitch and singing are just a few of the many musical talents I have trained and developed. And now I have made a full-circle journey in music, as I am now a Yamaha music instructor teaching the same exact courses I took when I was a child.
