Comments for The Piano Pedagogy Page http://www.pianoped.com Extremely Random Thoughts on Teaching and Playing the Piano Sun, 15 Aug 2010 17:39:04 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 Comment on The Holy Grail of Piano Teaching by Amanda Dove Waller http://www.pianoped.com/?p=343&cpage=1#comment-1521 Amanda Dove Waller Sun, 15 Aug 2010 17:39:04 +0000 http://www.pianoped.com/?p=343#comment-1521 Have you gotten to see Randall Faber speak lately? He did a workshop recently at the music store where my husband works, and this part of the presentation was very striking: He put up a slide with incomprehensible music on it--absolutely full of double sharps, double flats, an intimidating key signature, etc. We all laughed, and then he changed the slide and it was the same piece, in C Major. Within five seconds I had figured out the chords and could sing the melody--it was easy music! The purpose was to show how disorienting it is to our students when they are confronted with unfamiliar notation. When the piece was in C, we all started "Chunking" and looking for patterns, but in the first version, we didn't even notice what the time signature was. This applies very well to the idea of sightreading music that isn't challenging, because the practice with easier music encourages pattern recognition, which is how we really want our students to read. I compare "chunking" to recognizing words or groups of words when reading, and reading individual notes to sounding out a word letter by letter. Have you gotten to see Randall Faber speak lately? He did a workshop recently at the music store where my husband works, and this part of the presentation was very striking: He put up a slide with incomprehensible music on it–absolutely full of double sharps, double flats, an intimidating key signature, etc. We all laughed, and then he changed the slide and it was the same piece, in C Major. Within five seconds I had figured out the chords and could sing the melody–it was easy music! The purpose was to show how disorienting it is to our students when they are confronted with unfamiliar notation. When the piece was in C, we all started “Chunking” and looking for patterns, but in the first version, we didn’t even notice what the time signature was. This applies very well to the idea of sightreading music that isn’t challenging, because the practice with easier music encourages pattern recognition, which is how we really want our students to read. I compare “chunking” to recognizing words or groups of words when reading, and reading individual notes to sounding out a word letter by letter.

]]> Comment on Juggling Balls by Kathy G http://www.pianoped.com/?p=337&cpage=1#comment-1436 Kathy G Sun, 08 Aug 2010 17:15:38 +0000 http://www.pianoped.com/?p=337#comment-1436 There's an interesting section in A Soprano on Her Head by Eloise Ristad about using juggling to improve students' sight-reading skills. I attended a workshop with Eloise before she died and we juggled scarves -- very weird and cool. I too use juggling 'balls' (really they are square beanbags) with my students, though I hadn't thought to use them the way you described. I will add it to my repertoire. One of the simplest ways to work with them (this from Eloise) is to simply toss a single beanbag into the student's hand and have them catch it. We start quite close together, and then I move farther and farther back. Eloise suggested having the student close their eyes when the beanbag is halfway to them, to learn to really concentrate and focus their attention. And you know what? My experience with the 'three times in a row' thing is quite different from yours. I find that usually, as you say, the first time is easy, and mostly the second time is successful too. It is the third time where almost everyone messes up. My guess is it's some combination of starting to lose interest (human nature) and getting cocky and therefore sloppy. And I'm going right down to my local toy store to find a monster puppet -- LOVE this idea. Thanks! There’s an interesting section in A Soprano on Her Head by Eloise Ristad about using juggling to improve students’ sight-reading skills. I attended a workshop with Eloise before she died and we juggled scarves — very weird and cool. I too use juggling ‘balls’ (really they are square beanbags) with my students, though I hadn’t thought to use them the way you described. I will add it to my repertoire.

One of the simplest ways to work with them (this from Eloise) is to simply toss a single beanbag into the student’s hand and have them catch it. We start quite close together, and then I move farther and farther back. Eloise suggested having the student close their eyes when the beanbag is halfway to them, to learn to really concentrate and focus their attention.

And you know what? My experience with the ‘three times in a row’ thing is quite different from yours. I find that usually, as you say, the first time is easy, and mostly the second time is successful too. It is the third time where almost everyone messes up. My guess is it’s some combination of starting to lose interest (human nature) and getting cocky and therefore sloppy.

And I’m going right down to my local toy store to find a monster puppet — LOVE this idea.
Thanks!

]]> Comment on Juggling Balls by Baseball Beth http://www.pianoped.com/?p=337&cpage=1#comment-1234 Baseball Beth Wed, 28 Jul 2010 19:27:41 +0000 http://www.pianoped.com/?p=337#comment-1234 I am a piano instructor, and I have many of my students learn to juggle with me as well! Neat to hear you add that to your list of tools. I am a piano instructor, and I have many of my students learn to juggle with me as well! Neat to hear you add that to your list of tools.

]]> Comment on Teaching Materials by The Piano Pedagogy Page » Assignment Sheets http://www.pianoped.com/?page_id=75&cpage=1#comment-1132 The Piano Pedagogy Page » Assignment Sheets Sat, 17 Jul 2010 19:24:54 +0000 http://pianoped.com/wp/?page_id=75#comment-1132 [...] Teaching Materials [...] [...] Teaching Materials [...]

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