Reading Notes, Memorizing Pieces

Q: I have a feeling that my child is not learning to read music. Instead, she memorizes the pieces. When I ask her to name one specific note in the written music, she cannot answer. I would like for her to know to read music, but she is just memorizing songs. What can you suggest to help her to play by reading?

A: This is a problem that many students have. What is a solution for one child may not be the solution for the next.

If memorization is the student’s strength, flash cards that have individual notes (such as Complete Color Coded Flash Cards for All Beginning Music Students ) will help her in recognizing the notes, much like flash cards can be used to help learn multiplication tables. At first, drill the Middle C and the clef-name notes (Treble G and Bass F), then incorporate Treble C and Bass C, giving her a few seconds each. Bring other notes into the mix. Add a timer (or count in your mind) to enhance speed.

Another method, one that I use when teaching, is to hover a book or a magazine (nothing distracting) over the student’s hands so that she can play by “feel” and associate the heads of the notes with the pitches of the tones. If the notes go up, her fingers play to the right, and the pitches are higher. This is very practical because it develops the recognition of musical patterns.

Theory workbooks that concentrate on identifying individual notes are helpful. Schaum Note Spellers Book 1 (Schaum Method Supplement) is a great resource and one that I have used with many of my students. After a few pages of exercise, you will see that her reading music will have improved. This is also a good workbook if the student is away from the piano for several days, for it helps to keep her reading skills strong.

Over time, with practice, reading musical notation will be like reading English.