Apps like Simply Piano versus Piano Beach

Is Piano Beach Better Than an App like Simply Piano?

WHY USE PIANO BEACH INSTEAD OF AN APP?

We all wish that hard things could be obtained more easily. The skill of playing piano is one example. Apps that promise to teach piano mastery (such as Simply Piano, Piano Academy and Flowkey) are understandably alluring. It is my recommendation that these apps supplement, rather than replace, the knowledge and guidance of a teacher. 

These apps can be fantastic for learning the basics of reading, music theory and playing popular songs in a gamified style. As a teacher who loves using games to stimulate my younger students, I am delighted that these apps exist! 

However, I have seen some of the pitfalls of an over-reliance on these apps, especially in the early days of learning to play piano. One example is when a young child showed up for his first lesson exhibiting many traits of being a prodigy. I was quite taken by this kid's innate talent and potential. It was therefore extra disappointing that he created a spooky, atonal mess out of a very famous classical piece by going through all the 'correct' finger sequences with his hands in the wrong position on the piano. The app offered feedback about whether the correct notes were being played. The irony is that such advanced feedback from the app was bypassing the kid's natural ability to use his ears and adjust accordingly. Without the app, the child was struggling to identify that his hands were in the wrong position, despite the absurd sounding music being produced. 

Furthermore, through the unsupervised and unexamined repetition encouraged by the app, he had galvanised some counterproductive technical habits. An app cannot provide guidance or feedback on the physical motions, postures and techniques that the user is deploying to play the sequence of notes. The app had not adequately taught him foundational knowledge about proper form (hand and finger position and overall posture). It was a classic example of learning to "play the app" rather than "play the instrument".   

This is why I authored the Piano Beach Story Book, which empowers both the grown-up and the child with the requisite knowledge and guidance to master basic piano skills. Even if you’re an adult with zero musical experience, you can, alongside your child, share in the joy of learning to play the piano. Like a good app, piano beach is cost-effective, engaging, interactive and convenient. Unlike an app, Piano Beach will not overstimulate or addict the child, will connect children with their loving adults, will encourage good piano technique and require the child to use and develop their listening skills. Let me explain. 

LIKE AN APP, PIANO BEACH IS COST-EFFECTIVE 

Apps are alluring because they are so outrageously affordable compared to lessons with a real teacher. Many parents are (understandably) unwilling or unable to invest in piano lessons due to the high cost. As a mother myself, I understand that when it comes to spending money, many other priorities must be sensibly placed above music lessons. This is why I decided to pack three months of piano lessons into one book. For roughly the cost of one lesson (or perhaps less), families can enjoy a take-home, beginner-friendly resource that will serve as a comprehensive primer course in piano. This product can be used to expedite progress with a teacher, or to prepare the student prior to commencing lessons. Future installments of Piano Beach will expand upon this foundation with additional music literacy and piano skills. Your piano teacher, future or present, will be grateful that you used Piano Beach to get the basics. 

LIKE AN APP, PIANO BEACH IS ENGAGING AND INTERACTIVE

We love apps because our child is captivated by them. Perhaps this means they sit quietly while we get some housework done. Maybe an iPad game is how we survive car rides without tears and screaming. Maybe we desperately need to rest and can only do so when we know our child is safely glued to the screen. 

Whatever the reason, as parents, we sometimes need products that both educate and occupy our children. Generally, piano method books do not tick both boxes. I designed Piano Beach to be different from other piano method books. With its built-in soundboard piano and numerous ceramic illustrations, Piano Beach is an aesthetic delight for users of any age. The nursery rhymes, which can be played by matching the colours and numbers with the correct fingers, are familiar and accessible. 

LIKE AN APP, PIANO BEACH IS CONVENIENT

We love apps because they are on-demand, whenever and wherever we want to use them. Piano Beach is no different. You can use it on the couch, at the kitchen table, in the car, in a pram, on a train (perhaps with the sound turned off!). No piano is required, but for those who do own a piano, stickers are supplied to transform the keys into the scene from the book. 

LIKE AN APP, PIANO BEACH IS BEGINNER FRIENDLY AND DOES NOT REQUIRE THE SUPERVISION OF A PIANO TEACHER

Of course, I would be the last person to suggest that there is no role for piano teachers. If you want to achieve any significant feats as a pianist, you will likely need to find an excellent teacher and commit to several years of lessons and dedicated practice. However, the foundational skills and knowledge that Piano Beach gives the beginner will expedite progress and enrich learning with a teacher. 

Piano Beach and its future installments are designed to introduce foundational concepts slowly, in a logical order with an emphasis on making each point memorable and intriguing. As such, any grown-up can teach themselves and their child through using this book. Depending on the child’s age and stage of development, there will probably come a time when they are able to practice the book’s nursery rhymes without adult supervision. The idea is for the adult to be able to assist and monitor the child’s practice as required, rather than needing to be one hundred percent involved at every step. By absorbing the same knowledge and information as the child, the adult can facilitate a quality piano education without having prior expertise. 

UNLIKE AN APP, PIANO BEACH WILL NOT OVERSTIMULATE OR ADDICT YOUR CHILD

A good picture book will captivate without overstimulating. Piano Beach’s ceramic scenes and elements were sculpted by the artist Madeleine Hayes using colours and textures designed to induce a calm state of mind, optimal for learning. Furthermore, the book uses a rhyming narrative with child-friendly language. The information delivered in the form of a story that rhymes will, through repeated exposure, help both adults and children greatly with memorising and internalising the information. 

Happily, it is unlikely that your child will throw a tantrum when it’s time to close the book. As many of us have learnt the hard way, this is often not the case when short-circuiting the “dopamine circus” when screen-time is over. 

UNLIKE AN APP, PIANO BEACH GIVES YOU AN OPPORTUNITY TO CONNECT WITH YOUR CHILD

simple piano, simply piano, father and daughter play piano beach book

Why do we read to our children? Because it’s a connected experience. With our children on our laps, or snuggled next to us, we are physically connected. By reading out-loud, we soothe our children with a familiar voice and expose them to written and verbal language. Through looking at the pictures and engaging with the narrative, we are sharing an experience which we can reflect on together tomorrow, next week, or in ten years. We are making memories. We are shaping our child’s development in a safe and loving environment.  

Piano Beach is an educational picture book. It will give you all of the benefits of reading to your children plus the benefits of learning a musical instrument. 

UNLIKE AN APP, PIANO BEACH WILL TEACH PROPER PIANO TECHNIQUE 

An app does not have the eyes, ears and discernment of a supervising adult. Well-meaning parents often do not realise that their child’s repeated use of an app is entrenching bad habits which will take months, even years to undo. Just look at this image used to promote one of the most famous piano apps on the market (hint, this is not how to use your fingers on the piano!)

piano technique, piano apps, piano beach

Piano Beach is heavily focused on setting the student up with a functional technique that will transfer to a real piano and more advanced repertoire. Not only does the rhyming narrative guide the user through how to distinguish and use all their fingers, rather than just prodding the correct key with the thumb or forefinger, but it also motivates the student to keep their fingers suitably curved and close together, and to not let the wrists dip too low. The keys on the built-in piano soundboard are true to size and require pressure to produce a sound, unlike the touch screen alternatives offered by apps. 

UNLIKE AN APP, PIANO BEACH WILL ENCOURAGE LISTENING

When using (ancient technology) like a touch sensor soundboard, the user is forced to error detect through listening, rather than getting instant feedback from the app. This is why Piano Beach teaches well-known nursery rhymes, rather than pieces that the user may not be familiar with.  

IN CONCLUSION…

Piano Beach offers many of the benefits and conveniences of an app, without the downsides of screen addiction, overstimulation and bad habits. Try it today to kickstart your family’s piano journey! 

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