Chitimelo: a small piano companion for my young students

When I teach children, the hardest part is rarely the piano. It is what happens between lessons. A child leaves with a page of music and a week to remember how to read it, and the notes slowly fade.

That is why my husband and I have been building Chitimelo, a piano learning app for young students. It is still taking shape, and I want to tell you why we are making it.

Reading music should feel like a skill that grows a little every day, not a wall to climb. In Chitimelo, a small songbird called Chiti guides each learner from the very first notes, step by step, level by level, so they always know what comes next.

What I care about most:

- Real notation. Children learn to read the actual page, the same one they meet in lessons and exams.

- Real piano. The app listens through the phone or tablet mic while a child plays an acoustic or digital piano.

- A calm pace. Mistakes are part of learning. The app keeps going and lets children try again.

- Support for lessons, not a replacement. It helps children practise reading between lessons with their teacher.

I am helping shape the teaching side, from how the first lessons are ordered to what the exercises ask of a beginner.

You can take a look at chitimelo.com.

In the meantime, I teach young students at home within 10 miles of Canary Wharf, and online from mid-October. Details are on the Piano Lessons page.

- Mariam