The Day I Said Yes to Für Elise—and Watched a Beginner Shine

May 8

The Song We All Dread (But They All Love)
AKA: How I Finally Gave In to Für Elise… and It Was Totally Worth It

This post will either be a horrific trigger of your most dreaded student request... or a welcome relief. 😅

With those two possibilities ahead of us, here goes the story:

I have this 9-year-old student.
He’s a little nerdy, wildly enthusiastic, and absolutely loves piano.

Cute kid holding up hands with toy rings.

We’re talking brand-new beginner here—I haven’t even officially introduced the white key names yet. We’ve just been exploring black key patterns, finger numbers, and rote pieces. (You know the drill.)

And then... it happened.

“I want to play Für Elise!”

Except, of course, he didn’t know what it was called. He just kept picking out the melody at the piano. Every time there was a pause in the lesson—there it was again.

Cue the deep sigh.
I’ve been teaching 40 years. This moment always comes.

So I had a choice:
Keep resisting... or give in.

I gave in.

We started learning it by rote. And ohhh was he thrilled out of his MIND.
Since he’s very visual, I created a little piano key map to help him find where to place his fingers. Then I thought—why stop there?

👉 I wrote it out in pre-reading notation.
👉 Then I added an equal part duet (because ensemble = fun and success).
👉 Then I made a combined staff version for kids who can read notes.

The next week, I handed him the “real music,” and this kid was over the moon.
He’s been practicing ever since.

And then came the twist...

He tells me he’s auditioning for his school’s year-end talent show—and yep, he’s playing this piece. So we worked on it even more. And you know what?

He’s proud.
He’s motivated.
He’s performing for his peers.
And that is a huge win.

Do I usually teach Für Elise to beginners? Not really. (I don’t usually teach it at ALL.)
But in this case? I’m glad I said yes.

Because let’s be honest—he was going to play it anyway.
At least now, it sounds good. And feels good. And he's hooked.

And here’s the best part:
You can be ready for the next request. (Because you know it’s coming.)

🎵 Für Elise – Pre-Reading Duet
✔️ Iconic melody in easy pre-reading notation
✔️ Equal part duet (for teacher or beginner buddy)
✔️ Combined score for early note readers
✔️ Teaching suggestions included
✔️ Studio-licensed digital download