In article ,
Ericka Kammerer wrote:

Ah, if it's sort of a music/movement/fun with piano
class, that's one thing. I was thinking more in terms of
traditional piano lessons. I would think those would be
boring in a group setting for a young child. What you
describe sounds reasonably appropriate.
I always have some mixed emotions about that
sort of thing, though. I think the overall music exposure
stuff is good, but I think it is good for you to keep an
eye on the technique just to make sure he doesn't learn
any bad habits. At piano festival last month, I heard a
lot of young kids play who just had *horrible* hand
position. Their wrists were hanging below the keys,
their fingers were all splayed out and not playing on
their tips, their fingers were all floppy, etc. I sure
wouldn't want to clean up that mess! They also didn't
seem to have much musical sense. They were just banging
out the notes with no sense of phrasing or musicality
(or much rhythm, for that matter). On the other hand,
I suppose it took a lot more for them to get to that
state than a little bit of early piano ;-)

LOL, I would think so! The only thing that worries me about Forte is their
annual concert, where the kids play "ensemble" pieces in unison. The pieces
they play at the lower levels are very simple (it's all just to get them used
to performing). Last year, DS1 played from C to G in sequence, for example,
to imitate a rocket countdown. That's fine. But there is something terribly
wrong when a bunch of 10yos are playing the start of Fur Elise in unison!

--
Chookie -- Sydney, Australia
(Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply)

"Parenthood is like the modern stone washing process for denim jeans. You may
start out crisp, neat and tough, but you end up pale, limp and wrinkled."
Kerry Cue