Here is my excellent student’s hand strength when she just started with me almost 2 and a half years ago in February 2016. One of the first things I did was to have her parents remove the music alphabet from the keys, as a way to build independence from a tool that could hinder her from learning the pattern of piano keys. Because of her consistent hours of practice, her hands are strong and coordinated, and she currently plays and sight reads sheet music at a CM level 2 or 3. She recently memorized and performed pieces such as “Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho” and “Le Petit Rien”, as you can see a few posts down. You can tell that I strongly emphasize technique and mechanics, but I simultaneously teach piano theory and note-reading. I take pride in building a solid foundation for students. With her hours of practice and her parents’ support and encouragement, we all create the dream as a team.