Dear All,
Here is a baby learning to play the piano based on the Suzuki method.
Enjoy.
- Ayesha
thanks, Ayesha.
But strange, I’ve never seen references to color coding piano keys for Suzuki. If anyone knows of a source which shows this method used by Suzuki, please let me know, thanks!
Dear KL & All,
I just emailed the woman that originally posted the videos requesting more information about “Music in Colors” method and “Suzuki” method (and if color is referenced somewhere). I will keep you posted.
- Ayesha
Dear All,
After looking at the ebay link, I found the following:
NEW IN BOX Kawasaki Electric COLORED Piano (manufactured by Kawasaki Motors Corp, USA)
Microphone
Song Book (Note: coloured scores are not included in this book but can be easily printed following these instructions)
3 AA Batteries
FEATURES:
37 COLORED Keys following SUZUKI Method:
C (do) → Yellow
D (re) → Grey
E (mi) → Blue
F (fa) → Red
G (sol) → Green
A (la) → Brown
B (si) → Orange
16 musical instruments (Piano, Flutes, Violin, Trumpet, Xylophone, Oboe and MORE!)
16 Rhythms
4 Drums Sounds (Bass, Snare, Side Stick and Hi-Hat)
22 Demo Songs
Record and Playback
Sing Along Microphone
Two Speakers
Song Book Included
REGARDING THE “MUSIC IN COLORS” and “SUZUKI” LEARNING METHODS:
The Suzuki approach was developed in Japan by Dr. Shinichi Suzuki in the mid 20th Century. He believed that every child, if properly taught, was capable of a
high level of musical achievement. His philosophy was that if every child has the inborn ability to learn their native language, then they also have the
ability to learn and become proficient on a musical instrument. Begin children early and excite their own inborn joy of music.
The musical initiation is a major challenge for educators, and even more if your intention is to cover the learning of the basic concepts of height and
duration of sound. This explains why only a much smaller percentage of students enjoy the benefits of a music education practice, systematic and progressive.
This is a method that stems from the observation the author makes the world of children, and from that look sensible, takes the elements that capture the
interest of children to reformulate the initial musical education.
From the perspective of the game and creating partnerships that demolished whole difficulty of teaching and learning of music, ensuring that all children
will wake up the interest and taste for musical practice and gradual understanding of the concepts, elements and symbols of themselves their language.
This keyboard (unique in the market) was specially designed following the
guidelines of SUZUKI and MUSIC IN COLORS methods:
Rule One: The musical scale is represented in colors:
C (do) → Yellow
D (re) → Grey
E (mi) → Blue
F (fa) → Red
G (sol) → Green
A (la) → Brown
B (si) → Orange
Note: The tonalities of C and B varies slightly to represent the
beginning and the end of the scale.
Rule Two:
Notes in the staffs and scores should be represented with the same colors
used for the keyboard.
The printed score must never be confused with music itself; the kid
should naturally understand that it is nothing but a symbol of it.
How This works:
-
For babies:
There is no age to start learning!
Even infants and toddlers can familiarize with the music and its
instruments. Indeed, studies show that the Color/Note association
helps to develop cognitive skills even in the first months of live. -
Ages 3+: Starting to understand the printed score.
Play with the written word in an adequate manner bridges sensory-motor
experience and the appearing of representative and/or symbolic thought.
The kid will associate the colors in the staff with the keys in the
keyboard intuitively with minimum assistance from parents or teachers. -
Ages 5+:
The fact that the notes were always properly positioned in the staff (following
the standard notation) allows the kid to initiate the second phase in the method
with minimum adult assistance. This phase in nothing but a replacing of the
“Color association” with the standard score as we know it (ie. a symbol association
based on position of the note in the staff).
Parents and teachers will only need to “blacken” the notes from the staff in
order to initiate this second phase.
For further information about these methods and its applications for babies,
kids and adults, please visit the following sites:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzuki_method
http://www.musicaencolores.cl/musiceng/index.html
ABOUT ME:
I’m a musician. Please visit my website in Youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/user/alfonsopablo
I have been using the Suzuki method with newborns and
advanced students. Now, my baby daugther (4 months)
is initiating her first phase in the learning procedure.
Please watch her videos playing with a similar colored keyboard:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KvFXrgMDbY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElJVXu3xuik
source > http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130277750721
Be sure to check out > http://www.musicaencolores.cl/musiceng/index.html for more information.
- Ayesha
That item has already ended, and there are no more. That’s why we can’t find any.
Dear Nikki,
The posting is not about the keyboard, rather about the methods, especially Musica en Colores, which began in Chile in the 1960s.
English
http://www.musicaencolores.cl/musiceng/index.html
Spanish
http://www.musicaencolores.com/main.html?src=%2F
I am waiting to hear from Mr. Alfonso Pablo to find if they will have any more of these custom-made keyboards available and when.
- Ayesha
Oh, ok. Thanks
I wish I could say something in favor of decoding octave (piano keys), but I can’t!
If we color or code each note of an octave differently, we won’t have any needs to place them on lines and spaces of Grand Staff: you may put them in one line and say the difference.
In order to develop music ear and memory we have to provide our kids with more powerful tool: ability to differentiate music notes based on their placement on lines and spaces of Grand Staff and see link between keys and notes on the fly.
People tried to use 7 or 12 colors in learning music for several decades with no results.
As it goes to Suzuki method: it also does not train eye site of young people to read music score. It decodes octave in Solfeggio syllables. Speech memory is the most established skill that kids have. By singing with comfortable syllables different melodies beginners memorize them and manage to play.
But they are in complete mercy of teachers to learn limited list of pieces and are not getting any freedom of being able to open the song that they like and read it.
I had to read your post a few times (not because of your fault!), but finally I got what you were saying, and I think what you said makes a lot of sense (at least about the problem of color coding).
Can you explain how your Doremisoft software differs from this? If I recall correctly, you also use symbols that are put on the piano keys to correspond with the notes, isn’t that right?
All the previous approaches were decoding keys with no conjunction with lines and spaces of Grand Staff. Their motto is: we’ll teach you how to play by ear (Suzuki) or muscle memory (‘Method books’ with hand’s placement) - and you will figure out the rest!
Unfortunately, it does not work this way! You may not leave student in the middle of desert!
Grand Staff has at least 10 lines and more then 10 spaces (and they are not breaks between lines like in reading!)
We train and support eye site of beginners to read notation as it is.
We colored all notes on lines red (‘girls’) and all notes between lines blue (‘boys’) It helps even 2-3 year old kids to see the difference of placement.
We colored Treble Staff lines green and Bass brown - you don’t have to spend hours to explain, what Treble or Bass means.
We provided straight and bold visual link between lines and spaces and piano keys.
We made a ‘focus line’ to support eye focus of beginners
We gradually modified Grand Staff from elementary to original.
We found animated ways to explain duration of music notes.
So, as you see, we use visual support to explain notation - not difference of pitch.
I’ve found some book with little piano which used colors and numbers to called “do re mi fa…” scale,
but the order is diffrent that this:
C (do) → Yellow
D (re) → Grey
E (mi) → Blue
F (fa) → Red
G (sol) → Green
A (la) → Brown
B (si) → Orange
I hope that different order will not disturb with music learning? My son at the moment cann’t repeat the melody of simple song from this book but I think it’s very easy to do (I’ve learned something :yes: )
ed.
this is quite difficult for me to understand.
So does anyone or HH can tell me how to develop music ear and memory (for 2.5 years / 7 months)?? Thanks
I would like to write the post about this in new topic
Now, i’m all confused. Is the color coding method contrary to the Doremifasoft or do they complement each other?
Should we put symbols or colors on the keys?
Doremifasoft, I get puts codes, while the colors are more from the Suzuki method.Can you give a brief comparison Ayesha or HH?
Soft Mozart (doremifasoft) is using colors to train eyes to determine lines and spaces of Grand Staff and read music. Colors in different other approaches try to color each key differently - it does not promote literacy and works poorely.
I am sooo surprise to read about this “color system” in learning piano!! The first time I came across this method is at My Musikbox, they offer a piano program called First Touch Piano for 2.5 years-old children.
The color is there to help our child to identify the key to press on the piano, without any immediate note-reading skill required, you can enjoy the fun of playing piano!! I don’t think it matters what color each key is being colored, cuz eventually when the child gets older, he/she will learn to identify the keys with the help of any color. This is very cool way for really really young ones to enjoy the fun of piano playing.
What is the name/brand for that piano keyboard? where can I buy it?
Thanks!
I wish there was a standardized color coding for musical notes. My concern is that when kids watch something like Trebellina, then are introduced to a different program, they may confuse the colors and notes.
Yes, ourboros1, you are exactly right! that is one of the problems i have with color coding notes on a keyboard, violin, etc. one system is red for c and another is yellow for c, etc.
also, when they child starts to have any proficiency at all with these systems and they graduate to other more advanced programs/music, they have to learn it all over again. why not just start out learning without colors? if the kids on this forum can learn maths, reading and EK, they can surely learn 12 notes on a piano!
just my opinion… take it or leave it!
the doc :clown:
I am really hoping Trebellina and Little Music will have the same color scheme…this is something I have thought about too.