Piano teaching is so rewarding. I love to see students look at a piece of music for the first time and read it independently.
This is true for students of all levels. Older students who have been with me a while know the drill-play the scale that the new piece is in, number the measures, circle the meter signature and key signature. Look for particular intervals we've discussed beforehand. They just get to it and discover so much on their own. It makes me smile when they begin reading the piece for the first time. It reminds me how far they've come since their first year of lessons.
Young beginning students really make me smile! Their music reading is helped because we use game songs in piano class. We sing and play the game. We use physical, aural, and visual activities to introduce a new note on the staff or a new rhythm. Then, we look at the music to the song. These three learning styles-physical, aural, and visual-help all types of learners. It's fun to learn this way in piano class! It's fun to teach young beginners this way, too!