This week I browsed through old files and found some treasure ideas that will be great for our September group lesson focused on note reading.
There are many approaches to teaching note-naming to music students. I've found that although the "Every Good Boy Does Fine" approach worked for me, it is not ideal for a lot of transfer students who come to piano lessons with confusion about which sentence goes with treble or bass.
These fun posters and activities can help clear up that confusion!
I prefer to focus on landmark notes, musical chants, intervals and games to really help piano students to have strong note recognition skills.
BASS Lines Music and Movement Game
I'm eager to try this mashup of Bingo, Simon Says and Head Shoulders Knees and Toes at group lessons next week. Start by singing the lyrics below to the tune of Bingo while you and your students chant the bass lines and touch their body "head shoulders knees and toes" style, but backwards.
Choose the link below for lesson plans and activities that correlate with Piano Pronto Movement 5.
The theory, improvisation, and music and movement activities can be done in private lessons, group lessons, piano lab, or assigned for at-home practice.
This month at group lessons piano students learned more about blues style and the 12 Bar Blues Pattern as we improvised melodies using some of the resources below.
After several years of music study, music I understood the basic rules of rhythm, note reading, and chords to tackle new pieces. I quickly learned that playing piano is much more of an art than a science with plenty of nuances and exceptions to the rules.
When is it OK to Break the Rules?
Keep your eyes on the music.
Lift the pedal at chord changes.
Keep your wrist level.
Play with a steady beat.
Make sure to follow the fingering in your music.
These rules can be helpful guidelines for beginners but intermediate playing requires the ability to fine-tune skills and adapt to the style of the music or even "break the rules" to achieve more artistry and avoid tension.
Different fingerings might work better for one player than another, pedaling can be utilized more like a dimming switch than the flip of a light.
Just like a teenager is allowed a bit more freedom than a toddler, approaching music rules at the intermediate level requires more flexibility. On some topics I've discovered that not even the "experts" can agree on the rules. I think the best rule is a principle taught by my moral development teacher in college. Does it help or hurt?
Piano Flipped Learning
The videos below address intermediate-level concepts such as rubato playing, fractional pedaling, levels of staccato, developing speed with clarity, and what to listen or look for during practice. I love the specific tips from the experts that help student practice sessions to become more effective so they can learn new music more quickly and play with expression, fluency, and attention to detail.
I embed these videos as part of my piano lab flipped learning lessons that correlate with method book pieces so students can learn specific tips relating to the pieces they are currently working on each week before they meet with me for private lessons.
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