Has anyone ever taught their DC piano without a proper teacher? Initially anyway..

[SaveTheMockingBird]

My DS is 5.9yrs and I'd like him to start learning an instrument. We have a piano at home and many many years ago I learnt the piano up to Grade 8 and was pretty good at it.
Up till now DS hasn't expressed any interest in learning, just sometimes singing while I play a nursery rhyme type of thing.

But he says he wants to learn to play the piano, not sure if he is serious or not, he is not the musical type, but I'm thinking of teaching him a bit to start with and if he IS interested then getting a proper teacher in.
He is not really a willing learner at home, but does well at school taught by teachers, so I'm not sure who much he will learn from me.

If there any books/teaching schemes that anyone can recommend to get started? Or should I just get a proper teacher from the start?

[JulieMichelleRobinson]

I'd usually say start with a real teacher - not because I'm biased, but because I'm sick of getting transfer students with poor technique.

However, if you want to start something, you could try Music for Little Mozarts - it teaches basic piano navigation and note-reading skills. It's something you could suggest to a teacher, or could use as a DIY scheme, at least for book 1 to see how he does. It is worth getting the deluxe set, with the toys, CDs etc.

[EvilTwins]

I did. Same as you - I play the piano & we have one at home. When DD started showing an interest, I started giving her occasional "lessons" then we got a book This one She maintained interest so we found a proper teacher after about 6 months of casual lessons at home. She's had a term of formal half-hour per week lessons and has done brilliantly - her teacher wants to put her in for grade 1 next year.

[Middleagedmotheroftwo]

I don't think many teachers would take him at 6. He needs to be able to read fluently, and his hands aren't really big enough either

I would pop into a music shop and buy a book you like the look of, and do a bit at home with him for 12mths or so.

[JulieMichelleRobinson]

I've found the book linked to above is way too hard for some of my youngest students - up to 7yo.

This link provides a free resource that gives a gentle lead-in - the songs are pre-reading and introduce piano notes before notes on the score:
pianoanne.blogspot.com/p/music-discoveries.html

[Clobbered]

The Piano Adventures series is very good - there are three books A, B, C designed for very young children - called something like My First Piano Adventures, or you could go straight for the primer of the main series - it starts off-stave and introduces notation gradually. Lots of playing along with teacher (you!) and supplementary books available. Popular with a lot of teachers I know, so likely to be acceptable to any future teacher he has.

[JulieMichelleRobinson]

The Faber series is fairly popular (MFPA etc.) especially in America... I don't use it because it doesn't suit my teaching style, more than anything else. At nearly-six you may want to consider the primer series by either Faber or Alfred (MFLM feeds into the Alfred Primer C or something - but I haven't actually done that, I chop and change). It depends on the child.