Early Intervention And Piano: An Unlikely Duo. Developmental Skills That Are Supported in Preschool Piano Lessons 

I have a degree in Early Intervention and spent over ten years working for my state’s Early Intervention program. I love Early Intervention so much I started a blog about it, but I am now teaching piano, and that might seem odd.

I started teaching piano as an attempt to branch out of my career routine and try something new. I had no idea I would love it so much. I started off teaching young beginners. Now that I have been doing it for several years, I feel comfortable with students of all ages.

Through this Early Intervention to Piano Teacher transition, I have realized that the fundamental learning process of humans learning new skills is the same: language, walking, holding crayons, or playing piano.

I found the courage to teach piano by starting with preschool piano students, and I still love teaching this age group.

Research highlights the benefits of making music as opposed to just listening. Exploration with instruments like the piano can be incredibly valuable for early childhood development.

Breaking Down Hard Concepts: From Complex to Manageable

Early Intervention equips one with the skill of deconstructing complex concepts into bite-sized steps. This is exactly what is needed in piano lessons! We take the seemingly daunting task of learning music notation, rhythm, and melody and present them in an understandable and engaging way for young minds.

The Perfect Fit for Preschoolers with Learning Differences

Many children who age out of Early Intervention programs could still benefit from developmental enrichment. Those parents may want to consider preschool piano lessons.

Preschool piano lessons are more than just a fun activity for young children; it’s a fantastic way to nurture a variety of developmental skills!

Here’s how piano lessons can support developmental skills in preschoolers, fostering a love of music while building essential skills:

Social Development:

• Turn Taking: Piano lessons naturally encourage turn-taking, whether it’s playing melodies on the piano, singing songs together, or even taking turns during simple board games. This teaches valuable social communication skills.
• Following Rules: Lessons provide a structured environment where children practice understanding and following class expectations or listening to instructions.

Language Development:

• Singing: Familiar songs help build fluency. Introducing new songs expands their vocabulary.
• Musical Descriptions: Use specific vocabulary like “high” and “low,” “long,” and “short” to describe musical sounds. In preschool piano lessons, we learn these concepts with hands-on materials before applying them to musical sounds.
• More Concepts: Learn prepositions like “over” and “under,” “before,” and “after” through playful musical activities that are also emphasized through play.

Physical Development:

• Fine Motor Skills: Conducting and scarf movement strengthens arms, and piano playing strengthens finger muscles and coordination.
• Gross Motor Skills: Body percussion activities like clapping, marching, jumping, and swaying get the whole body moving to the beat, improving coordination and balance.
• Posture/core strength: Whole-body movement activities that teach proper posture on the piano bench also improve overall strength and balance.

Cognitive Development:

• Basic Concepts: Left and Right-Hand
• Letter Recognition: Identifying letters A through G becomes relevant when learning piano keys.
• Patterning: Predicting patterns in groups of 2 or 3 keys strengthens early math skills.
• Counting: Counting objects, sounds, and actions can be integrated into musical activities.
• Matching and Memory: games with matching pictures, symbols, and eventually sounds test working memory.

The Takeaway:

Many preschool objectives naturally overlap with learning piano. By intentionally incorporating these skills, piano lessons become a gateway to music education and a well-rounded preschool experience with a musical twist!