Would you like to get your 4-5 year old child started on piano lessons? It can be hard to find lessons designed for preschoolers, but Hoffman Academy has fun and easy beginning piano tutorials that are great for children ages four and up. Our piano tutorials foster creativity, invite musical exploration, and build a solid foundation for later piano studies.
A great place to start is with our “Baby Shark” tutorial, a fun song that a 4-5 year old can learn to play!
If your child liked learning this song and wants to learn more, our Hoffman Academy Unit 1 is full of simple and fun music tutorials, like this one for Hot Cross Buns. Don’t forget to watch all the way to the end of each lesson for a finger puppet surprise!
What is a piano tutorial for beginners?
At Hoffman Academy, our piano tutorials are short videos that teach one song or musical concept at a time. At the beginning level, videos are between 5 and 15 minutes long, which is perfect for the attention span of a younger child.
Our series of piano tutorials follow a carefully designed curriculum that has been tested and refined over many years with hundreds of thousands of students. Mr. Hoffman’s playful approach to piano teaching engages students of all ages while providing them with the skills they need to become well-rounded musicians.
For younger students, learning with a piano tutorial might be even better than learning with an in-person instructor. Children at this age learn by imitation and repetition, and that’s exactly what a piano tutorial can provide. They can watch the video over and over again, as many times as they like, and Mr. Hoffman never gets tired!
What are the characteristics of a great piano tutorial?
A great piano tutorial does more than simply teach someone to play a song on the piano. The aim of a piano tutorial should be to empower the student to eventually be able to learn and play any song, and even create their own piano music. Because there is so much to learn about the piano, information should be carefully paced and organized in a series of lessons so that students can grow into confident, independent musicians.
What is the first step to learning with a piano tutorial?
The first step, of course, is to find a piano or keyboard. It is hard to learn how to do something without trying it out for yourself. If you don’t already have a piano or keyboard, you can check out this post on “How to Choose a Keyboard or Piano” that can help you find the best one for you and your child.
Next, choose a device for watching the piano tutorial. A tablet that can be set on the music stand of the piano or keyboard works great, but you can also use a phone or a laptop computer placed where the student can see it and reach the keyboard at the same time.
Got your piano keyboard and your device ready? Then let’s get started!
Is there a preschool piano method?
While most piano methods are designed for school-aged children, there are a few piano methods created with preschool students in mind. These include Kiddykeys, Wunderkeys, and Piano Heroes, among others. The Suzuki Method is also appropriate for preschool aged children since this method starts students learning by rote and only later introduces them to reading music.
What are some preschool piano lesson plans?
Many preschool piano lessons are done in a group setting and are about far more than learning piano. At this age, children are learning the basics not only of music, but of following directions, taking turns, listening, paying attention, and developing both large and small motor skills.
When helping a very young child learn piano, remember to keep in mind their short attention span and need for movement. Music learning should be more playful and exploratory than disciplined. If using the Hoffman Academy video tutorials with a younger child, here’s a recommend plan:
- If your child already knows a song on the piano, ask them to play it for you. Show them how much you enjoy hearing them play.
- Watch a Hoffman Academy video tutorial. It can be one that your piano student has watched before. Remember, at this age children love repetition. Just as reading the same picture book over and over helps them learn to read, watching the same piano tutorial several times will help them learn to play. Also, keep in mind that it’s okay if your child doesn’t have the attention span to watch the entire video tutorial. Stay in tune with their interest level and be ready to take a break or move on to a different activity.
- Our piano tutorials always leave time to pause the video and practice. If your child still wants to spend some time at the piano after watching the video, try one of our practice games to make it more fun!
Are there piano tutorials for preschoolers and kindergarteners that use songs?
Our Hoffman Academy piano tutorials teach young students how to start playing songs right away. Each Hoffman Academy song is carefully selected to present musical principles that will help the young piano student grow in their musical understanding. In Hoffman Academy Unit 1, students learn a series of simple folk songs that are fun to play and delightful to hear.
One of the best ways to help your child learn music at preschool age is to sing with them. Teach them your favorite songs and encourage them to sing along. All of the songs in the early units of the Hoffman Academy curriculum have words so that singing can be part of the learning process.
We hope you enjoy spending time with your young child as you sing, play, and explore music together!