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I taught my 7 year old perfect pitch, here’s how you can do it too!

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Unlock Your Child’s Musical Superpower: How to Train Their Ears Like a Pro

As a parent, you want the best for your child—especially when it comes to unlocking their potential. Imagine your child listening to a song and instantly playing it on the piano or guitar, with ears sharper than most professional musicians! I helped my son achieve this by age 7, and you can do the same for your child. Here’s how.

Why Ear Training Matters for Kids

Ear training isn’t just for aspiring musicians—it’s a life skill that boosts creativity, focus, and confidence. Kids with trained ears can hear a melody and recreate it, making music fun and intuitive. Research shows kids aged 5–12 are in a critical learning window for musical skills (Journal of Music Education, 2023). After this, learning becomes harder. Start now, and your child could develop perfect pitch.

Ready to give your child a musical edge? Keep reading to learn the simple, low-stress method I used.

My Journey: From Skeptic to Ear-Training Believer

I didn’t start playing music until 2nd grade. My parents “forced” me into piano lessons (sound familiar?), and my dad tried to make me practice. I enjoyed some of the songs, quickly learned how to read(it’s not that complicated).  I’d hear music in the car, on the bus and at church but the idea of listening to music and recreating it never came up until one summer in San Antonio.

My cousin Ryan mentioned a kid at his school who could hear a song and figure out how to play it. “Impossible!” I thought. My teachers never mentioned this was possible—sheet music was all we used! But that moment planted a seed.

Fast forward to 8th grade. I picked up my dad’s guitar, armed with Guitar World magazines and radio tapes. I’d record songs, rewind, and figure them out note by note. It was slow, but I was hooked. Then, a teacher blew my mind. I asked to learn Margaritaville, and he wrote it out from memory.

I was dumbfounded, I asked him ‘How did you do that?’

He smugly replied, ‘Oh I have perfect pitch’. 

I naively responded, ‘What is that?’

‘I can listen to something and figure out what it is.’, he quipped.

Irritated I clarified, ‘So you mean to tell me that you can just listen to something and figure it out?  I don’t have to read it from music or tabs?’

‘Yes’ he responded.

I exclaimed, ‘Why didn’t you tell me that?!’

The funny thing about this memory is the ‘you’ in this instance I took to mean ‘ANYBODY’, but the teacher meant that he alone had this great power and I didn’t. 

I couldn’t believe it!  Why wouldn’t any of my teachers tell me something as simple as ‘LISTEN’ to the music and figure it out? The idea made so much sense.  

So I went home and spent countless hours listening and figuring out music that I was interested in one note at a time. By 15, I was transcribing solos, but I realized something critical: I’d missed the prime learning window (ages 5–12). My ear was good, but it could’ve been great if I’d started earlier.

The Problem with Traditional Music Lessons

Most music lessons focus on reading sheet music or tabs, not listening. This is a huge gap. Kids naturally learn language by listening—music should be the same. Traditional lessons often miss the critical 5–12 age window when kids’ brains are wired to absorb musical patterns effortlessly (Child Development Studies, 2022).

I founded a music school in Southlake, TX after graduating from the University of North Texas with a Jazz Guitar degree. After 20 years of teaching music lessons in Southlake, I saw the same issue: students weren’t taught to listen. Even my own ear training, developed through trial and error, was “slow and fuzzy.” I wanted better for my kids and my students.

How I Trained My Son’s Ears—and How You Can Too

In 2020, during my son’s 1st-grade virtual schooling(thanks Covid), I decided to train his ears daily. I wasn’t sure how well it would work, the results I still can’t believe.

Within nine months, he went from recognizing four notes (C, D, E, F) to identifying every note in an octave, then on any instrument, and even complex chords. Now, he listens to Bach’s 371 Chorale Harmonies and names 3–4 note chords with ease. His ears are sharper than any musician I’ve met, and all it took was low-stress, consistent practice.

Here’s the secret: short, daily ear-training sessions during the 5–12 age window. Think of it like brushing teeth—5 minutes a day builds lifelong skills. Here’s how you can replicate this at home.

Step 1: Start with an App Like Pitchcraft.me

I helped develop Pitchcraft, an ear-training app based on my method. It’s simple: kids listen to notes or chords and identify them, like a game. My son used it daily, and I even improved my own ear 10x using it. Four teenage students developed perfect pitch, but younger kids progress faster.

(Visit Pitchcraft.me today and have your child play for 5 minutes daily. It’s fun, mobile-friendly, and effective!)

Step 2: Make It a Daily Habit

Consistency is key. Kids need short bursts of practice (5–10 minutes) daily, not an hour once a week. The brain learns better with spaced repetition (Learning & Memory Journal, 2024). Set a reminder on your phone for a quick session each morning.

(Schedule 5 minutes each morning for ear training. Use Pitchcraft or play notes on a piano and have your child name them.)

Step 3: Discover Music They Love

Kids learn best when they’re excited. Share songs you love, watch movies with great soundtracks, or ask family members for favorites. When they find music they connect with, they’ll want to recreate it.

(Create a family playlist in iTunes or Spotify, each time your child shows interest add it!)

Step 4: Work with an Instructor

An instructor can guide, correct, and motivate. Playing in person is critical for learning to play with other people, this is impossible to do online! I use a modern lesson plan that takes advantage of technology and closely mirrors what I did with my own son at home.

  • Monday–Tuesday: 15-minute FaceTime (Ear Training, Copy Cat, New Song Idea)
  • Wednesday: 30-minute in-person lesson (Ear Training, Copy Cat, Repertoire, Duet)
  • Thursday: 10-minute FaceTime (Ear Training, Copy Cat)
  • Friday–Sunday: At home (5 minutes on Pitchcraft, practice songs, discover music)

This plan requires only 3 days of at-home practice, with 5 minutes on the app and a reminder to “play your songs.” The rest of the time should be spent discovering music that they are excited about. The entire approach should strive to be stress free, kids learn better that way.

Action! Find a local music teacher or contact my school for virtual lessons. Ask about ear-training focus!

Why Start Now?

The 5–12 age window is critical. After that, ear training takes more effort (Cognitive Science Review, 2023). My son’s ears outpaced mine because we started him young. Your child can achieve the same with small, consistent steps.

Imagine your child playing their favorite song by ear, beaming with pride! That’s the magic of ear training. It’s not about forcing practice—it’s about making music intuitive and joyful.

Take the First Step Today

You don’t need musical skills to help your child succeed. Start with these simple actions:

  1. Pitchcraft.me  try 5 minutes of ear training today.
  2. Find a teacher who emphasizes ear training (or contact me for virtual options).
  3. Build a family playlist to spark your child’s love for music.

Your child’s musical superpower is waiting. Take the first step now, and in a few months, you’ll be amazed at what they can do!

Have questions? Reply below or DM me – I’d love to help your child unlock their musical potential!

David Hall

david@hallmusicproductions.com

817.899.7499

Hall Music Productions

600 E Southlake Blvd #200

Southlake, TX 76092

Piano Lessons FAQ

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Having taught Piano Lessons in Southlake for over 20 years we’ve had some questions that come up. Here are some of the answers and a rough guide of what subjects we can cover in a piano lesson!

Piano Lessons FAQ:

When should my child begin his/her piano lessons?
As soon as they are interested in music. Earlier than age 5 is a great time to introduce them to the different instruments, playing copycat, singing and playing the drums.

Do I need a piano or a keyboard for piano lessons?
Yes either is fine. However having an acoustic piano at the home is a wonderful experience and is also a fine piece of furniture. Your student may enjoy playing on the big piano instead of a small toy keyboard. It is difficult to find a good acoustic piano for less than $3000 these days and a used Steinway will cost you around $12,000 (however they will last forever, the Steinway at our studio is 127 years old). An inexpensive keyboard will cost around $200-$500.

How long of a  piano lesson should I take?
The more you put into it the more you get out of it. For young children 30-minutes is fine. Older students should have an hour lesson. Some serious students take up to four hours a week with us. There is a lot that we have to teach you, have a look at our syllabus to see what topics we can cover.

Do you make piano lessons fun for the student?
Absolutely. All of our instructors in addition to being some of the best in their field have friendly, fun personalities. Equipped with an exceptional talent at disarming the shyest of students and reeling in the rowdiest rascals.

What method do you teach?
Every student is unique and has a different style of learning. Therefore it is in the student’s best interest that we as guide’s through the world of music, adapt to their interest and style. The main principles that we teach all of our student’s are Listening, Rhythm, Repertoire, Theory & Reading. We have compiled songs for our student’s convenience that most student’s want to learn in music lessons, you can find it in our resource section of the website.

How much should I practice?
As much as the student wants to. The more time the student spends on an activity the further they will progress. In our resource section you will find a long list of practice tips. If you want to get into a routine you first need to figure out how much time the student could ‘realistically’ practice. Then speak with the instructor on ‘What’ to practice and go from there.

Piano Lesson Plan Subjects


Technique
Scales – Major, Harmonic minor, Melodic Minor, Pentatonic
Chords & Arpeggios – Major, Minor, Sus2, Sus4, Diminished, Augmented, 7th chords, 9th, 13th, Polychords
Patterns
Accents – loud, soft
All at various speeds using specific fingerings.

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Homegrown Volume 2!

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Album Cover

Album Cover

Local Music Studio Produces
Student Recordings Again…..HOMEGROWN Volume 2!!

Southlake, TX (July 17, 2012) – Local Southlake music studio, Hall Music Productions announces the release of their second student-produced CD, Homegrown Volume 2. Last Year Hall Music Production released their first student-written CD which sold over 1000 copies both locally and on iTunes. With the release of Homegrown Volume 2 the students are back with more new songs and even more variety. Hall Music Productions has been sharing musical knowledge and expertise with their students for 10 years. With a faculty of inspired, talented instructors, the studio has grown into quite a local treasure. Owner David Hall, recognizes the amount of creativity and talent in this area and encourages and cultivates it. It is this reason that they are back again with their second volume. Listening to Homegrown Volume 2, you will hear 18 tracks of non-stop entertainment –stimulating songs featuring students ranging from ages 6 to adult. Each of these students has a gift and love of music far beyond the imagination, and this will become apparent to any listener. The creativity behind each track is the work of the students, nurtured and enhanced by their instructors for an added touch. Children who listen to the music their peers are creating are sure to be inspired and motivated by their work.

As the CD plays, you will hear songs from many genres of music, ranging from pop to country, solos to bands, movie soundtrack to dubstep, female and-male vocals. The variety of Homegrown Volume 2 will not disappoint. It is our hope that it will stimulate the listener’s love for music as well as demonstrate the inspiration played out by each student. You will hear sounds comparable to Taylor Swift, Jason Mraz, David Guetta, Rihanna, Weezer and Evanescence. These are just a few of the recording artists which the students have been moved by. With countless hours of practice and lessons under their belt, paired with the creative outlet of Hall Music Productions, they are thrilled to be a part of this exciting new CD release.

Homegrown Volume 2 is available for $15 at hallmusicproductions.com, local Southlake businesses and on iTunes. All of the proceeds from the sales of this CD will be used to produce future student recordings So, grab a copy today, hold on to your seats and prepare to be taken on a journey into the imagination of the next generation of musicians!

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