“I teach kids from 6 years old onwards.  Kids below that age can’t sit still at the piano” 

 

That statement, if you’re a music teacher and had that thought in your mind or declared that aloud, was something I kept telling myself and to people around me for years since I started teaching music to children in 1996. 

Turn back the clock, and I remember how excited I was when I had my first official teaching experience as a part-time music teacher. ‘Official’ meaning ‘in a music school’. The experience of being able to share my joy for music with a child was a breakthrough. Within one month of that teaching experience, I resigned from my job as an auditor with one of the Big Five accounting firms and plunged into the world of music education.  I felt free and was finally happy, doing what I love, being involved in music. 

I never thought of myself as a teacher. I had no training in teaching, but the school hired me anyway because I could play the piano well, and maybe, I was good-looking!

As a teacher, I was a hard taskmaster, exacting, strict and demanding of high standards of performance from my students. Then 5 years down the road, I was going through the monotony routine of teaching. I became listless and unhappy as a music teacher. I was no longer excited about my work. Something was not working in my life, and I didn’t know what was causing my frustration when working with certain students. Some students just ‘got my goat’. 

I was asked, “How old are the kids you teach?” 

I gave my standard answer. 

Instead of nodding in affirmation with what I had said, I was challenged “But I have seen kids as young as 3 years old learning music, and having fun at it too.” 

Being the purist that I was, I exclaimed, “If music is taught in a fun way, there will be no discipline and the standard of performance will be poor” 

 

“Have you tried it?” 

 Wow, that question became the catalyst in my life. The idea of teaching music and having fun with children was a totally new concept. For 5 years, I was teaching ‘by the book’ but on the brink of feeling burnt out.

I decided to teach music to my first group of kids who were between 2 and 4 years old. I was terrified to make mistakes, worried that I could not control the bawling kids, anxious that the parents are judging me. Yet, in spite of the terror and fear, I stepped into a new world.

Indeed, it was new – and an incredible experience! Teaching these kids brought me so much joy and so many opportunities to connect with them and learn, that I devoted myself to teaching babies and pursued with single dogged determination to find ways to communicate my ideas to the them. As a result of this path I chose, I created a curriculum that teaches babies to develop a discerning ear and talent for music. By the end of 9 months, children as young as 2 years old can recognise Beethoven, understand music notes and rhythms, and play a tune at the piano.

Today, I look back in amazement with what I have created. In my quest to improve myself as a teacher, I created a music syllabus for children, powerful for a child as young as 15 months old to learn music.

The syllabus also helped me discover the unique, creative and fun ways of working with every single child. Today, I now train other teachers the joy of teaching young children, with proven and easy techniques, showing them the keys to unlocking the potential in their own teaching powers.

 

As my younger sister said, in bemused bewilderment, “you have turned 180 degrees in how you teach music to children.” 

In my upcoming blogs, I will be sharing with you personal anecdotes and actionable tips on how to work with kids and teach music with joy.

Want to gain in-depth learning of teaching toddlers music? Join my next workshop!