I have been providing the opportunities for bridging into traditional music reading for a couple of months with a very young guitar student.
He has willingly traced the very large noteheads and colored them and played them over a period of several months.
Gradually, they have become familiar enough to him through the varied repetition of this activity that he has now moved effortlessly into reading and playing his new patterns.
I am always very excited when this happens. It is always my motive not to rush the child, but just to keep providing the opportunity in varied, but familiar, ways to make this an easy process.
Once the first connection is established, it is easy to build gently on this precious and firm foundation. but it is precious and it cannot be forced or rushed if it is to be a relaxed, natural part of the child’s skill set in a musical environment.
© 2011 Kathryn Hardage
