DON'T SQUISH THE CHICKIE!!

Teaching children to maintain a good, rounded hand position is challenging. Very VERY challenging. It takes patience, persistence, and a fair sprinkling of good humour to accomplish a hand shape that allows for free finger movement while not producing tension.

Some teachers have students shape their hands around a ball while they play. Don't know how that could possibly work without a multitude of clusters and other unwanted musical distractions turning up. Other teachers simply yell when the fingers lose their rounded shape (shout-out to my own beloved tyrant Miss Condata). However, in my half-century of teaching, I have found the most effective method of ensuring young students keep a round and active hand position is to have them imagine there is a helpless little chick under their hands that will be squashed to DEATH if their hands do not remain in a rounded position. Further, I provide a nice, fuzzy little chick to aid them in this endeavour. Not a LIVE chick, of course! One of the myriad plush models available at Easter from any 5 and dime store. This usually results in lots of giggles, but routinely does a good job of illustrating the desired hand shape.

As most of the lesson book repertoire for beginners revolves around a stationary hand position (C Position, D Position, G Position etc.), placing an object on the keys under the hand works reasonably well. And as we all love to receive presents, feel free to hand out these little party favours to your students take home. Just remember to stock up at Easter so you'll have a good batch in September when you'll need them.

Enjoy!

Keep playing! Keep learning! Keep loving!