How to practice scales with kids

Scales need five minutes a day, not thirty. A child who plays two or three scales with care at the start of each practice can learn every key over a few years. This page explains why teachers ask for scales and how to keep them from becoming a fight.

Why teachers assign scales

• They teach the keys. Much of the music a child plays is built from scales. A child who knows the scale of D major knows which notes to expect in a piece in D.
• They train the fingers. The same finger patterns turn up in pieces again and again.
• They build an even sound. No note sticks out, and none goes missing.
• Exams ask for them. Read RCM piano technical requirements by level.

Read major and minor scales explained.

The daily plan

1. Pick two or three. Play one old scale and one or two from this week’s list.
2. Play each one at a slow speed. Check the fingering and the sound.
3. Play it once more with a change. Use one idea from the list below.
4. Stop. Move on to pieces.

That takes about five minutes.

The right fingering from day one

A scale with the wrong fingers has to be learned twice. On the piano, the C major scale going up in the right hand uses fingers 1, 2, 3, then 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. The thumb tucks under after the third finger. The scales of G, D, A, and E use the same pattern, which is why teachers start with them.

Write the fingering in the book. Say the finger numbers out loud for the first week.

Six ways to play the same scale

Way	How
Long and short	Hold the first note of each pair, then make the second one quick. Then swap.
Loud and soft	Start soft, grow to the top, and fade on the way down
Short and smooth	Play it with bouncy notes, then with joined notes
With a beat	Set a metronome and play one note to each click. Read how to use a metronome with a child.
Eyes closed	Feel the pattern without looking
In two directions	On the piano, start both thumbs on the same note and move the hands apart

One change a day keeps the ear awake.

Games

• Scale jar. Write each scale on a slip of paper. Draw two a day. When the jar is empty, fill it again.
• Dice. Number the week’s scales from 1 to 6. Roll to choose.
• Three coins. Put three coins on the left side of the music stand. Move one to the right for each clean scale. A mistake sends all the coins back.
• Beat your score. Count how many clean scales in two minutes. Write the number down.
• Teacher for a day. The child listens to the parent play a scale, mistakes and all, and gives a mark.
• Name the key. The parent plays a scale. The child names it from the first note and the number of black keys.

Speed comes last

A fast, bumpy scale is worth less than a slow, even one. Raise the speed only when the slow one is clean three times in a row. With a metronome, go up a few clicks at a time.

Which scales, and when

The order depends on the instrument and the method.

• Piano: C, G, D, A, and E major share a fingering. F major and the keys with flats come next. Minor scales follow.
• Violin: A, D, and G major often come first, over one octave. Each can start on an open string.
• Band instruments: B-flat, E-flat, and F major often come first, since beginner band music uses those keys a great deal.

The circle of fifths shows how the keys connect. Read key signatures explained.

Keep a record

A simple chart shows a child how many keys they know. Make a table with the scale names down the side and four boxes for each: slow, even, from memory, and at speed. Tick a box when the teacher agrees.

You can use the weekly practice chart for the daily work.

When scales cause a fight

• Shrink it. One scale, played well, counts.
• Move it. Some children do better with scales in the middle of practice.
• Change the reason. Find a scale inside a piece your child likes, and point to it.
• Ask the teacher. There may be too many on the list for this stage.

For more ideas, read practice games for young music students and how to get kids to practice without a fight.