Do you make time for composer study in your piano studio?
Lesson time seems to always be at a premium. How does one fit repertoire study, technique, music theory, sightreading, and ear training into a 30- or 45-minute lesson, let alone music history?! If you are like me, you spend most of your time teaching repertoire, taking a few minutes out for technique and a few more for theory, and the rest happens “if there is extra time.” That is why most of my discussions about specific composers, their lives, and their music, happen in my group lesson settings rather than in private lessons.
Composer Study in Community
Every 6 weeks or so my piano students come to a group lesson with 3-5 other students for a community-building time of music theory games, informal performances, and in-depth composer study. We enjoy being together as a group, and the 60-minute timeframe allows for discussions of a composer's life and music. (Lest you think I conduct these discussions like a college lecture, let me assure you that our time together is quite lively and we switch activities every 10-15 minutes!)
Coming up with Resources
I used to cobble together resources I found on the internet, choosing composers I thought students might have some background knowledge of or whose music they were starting to encounter in their lessons. But recently I decided to organize my thoughts a little better and plan ahead for the school year so that when group lessons come around, the planning is already done!
Introducing…the Composer Kit!
For each composer we study this year, we will be reading a short biography; listening to selected works from a pre-formed playlist; composing using a musical technique that that composer used; and playing games that reinforce music theory concepts, new vocabulary, composer trivia, memory techniques, and more!
I am really excited about introducing my students to a variety of composers in this way. The materials in each kit are highly interactive and designed specifically for multi-age, multi-level (beginner and intermediate) groups. And because students are learning through play, they are much more apt to remember the information and start seeing these composers as “real” people rather than figures in a museum or history book. As they play around with different composition techniques, they will start to see what is possible in the realm of composing…and will start to identify concepts in their own repertoire study.
Designed for Multi-age, Multi-level Groups
The student worksheets are levelled, so beginners and intermediate have their own pages to work on with individually tailored assignments; however, the concepts are linked, so everyone will feel like they are “on the same page”! The worksheets fit nicely into a 3-ring binder, so students can collect a biography for each composer, followed by an example of their composing technique.
Easy Prep, Planning is Done For You!
The teacher's guide shows a suggested timeline and lesson plan for the activities with ideas for extending learning. The games are low- to no-prep and can be reused in the piano studio.
It feels great to have my group lessons planned out for the year, with all the materials in one place and ready to go! You can learn more about Composer Kits here!
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