“…he really enjoyed the lead sheets at Christmas time. I also appreciate your positivity and the excellent piece curation you do.” - Piano parent

Choosing music for our piano students can sometimes be a difficult task! The variety of method books available to piano teachers gives us no lack of options, but if we are not devoted to one method or another (or we realize a student needs something more/different), finding just the right music that suits the interests and abilities of our students can feel daunting.

I have by no means perfected the process, but thought I would give you a glimpse of what I am using this year in my studio:

For beginners (ages 5-8) - Faber Piano Adventures or Alfred Premier. These methods are pretty similar, starting the student on black keys with off-staff notation before introducing landmark notes and the grand staff. I like them because I have been using them for years, the pages aren't too cluttered, and the directions are simple enough for non-musical parents to understand and assist their children with at home. I use the Lesson book, Theory book, and Performance book in each method for the first two years. I also use the Faber supplemental books for Christmas and summer (Jazz/Blues, Rock and Roll, Disney). In year three, I add a Faber Piano Literature book as we begin to transition into “real” literature.

For beginners (pre-teen/teen) - Supersonics, Wunderkeys Pop Staff Piano, or Alfred Older Beginner. This age group generally needs easy wins and music that sounds appealing right away. They are motivated by cool-sounding or familiar music, but still need to build proper technique and reading skills. I like Supersonics and Wunderkeys Pop Staff Piano for the “cool” factor and steady progression of skills. The Alfred method is solid, but in my opinion less appealing for modern kids as the songs tend to be folk songs. (Alfred, we need an update!) For theory, I am trying out Mark Sarnecki's Elementary Music Theory books this year. I love the clean layout of the pages and the fact that he incorporates music history into the lessons. I also love Worship at the Keys by Donna Gielow McFarland for this age. A lot of my students come wanting to learn how to play in a worship band at church, and Donna's book is a wonderful introduction to reading chord charts and lead sheets; she incorporates a number of modern songs!

For early intermediate - RCM (Royal Conservatory of Music) Etudes books, Faber Piano Literature books, Mark Sarnecki's Essential Music Theory books, Diversions 1 and 2 by Juan Cabeza, various supplemental literature. My “core” for my early intermediates is an Etude book, a Piano Literature book, and a Theory book. We also follow the RCM technique charts for learning scales and chords. I add to that depending on the students' interests and skills that need addressing. For instance, I have one student who is fabulous at rhythms and loves Celtic music. He is working through the Diversions books (each piece a “quick win” and a chance to analyze patterns and work on transposing on sight), a Celtic book, and a fun Mario book. Another pair of students works very slowly through their core books (practicing isn't consistent), so we don't do much beyond that other than adding Christmas music in Nov/Dec. Another student loves Classical music and we've been supplementing with some of Frank Lynes' sonatinas and other music found on IMSLP.org. 

The older intermediate and advanced students that I have taught generally have been transfer students and have come with repertoire they want to work on. Often it is above their reading level, and I supplement with easier pieces and scales and chords work to improve their sightreading and technique.

It is important for students who are intermediate level to have music at their reading level (learn in 1 day), a little above their reading level (learn in 1 week), and then a stretch goal (learn in a month+). They need to be able to play music for pleasure (those quick wins!) as well as be challenged to practice to achieve a long-range goal. And if we can find music that accomplishes both things and that the student enjoys working on, we can spend more of our time enjoying the teaching and learning process and less time coaxing students to practice things that are uninteresting or too difficult for them to see much short-term progress.

How do you choose music in your studio? Do you have methods/publishers/composers that you find yourself turning to again and again? Let me know in the comments!

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Part of my studio prep for fall is assembling Piano Binders for my new students and updating the binders of returning students. I grew up with a binder as a student myself, and in my studio I have tweaked the process a little to fit my teaching style. 

As part of their tuition, my piano students receive books and materials that I purchase for their lessons, including these binders. I use a 1-inch white, 3-ring binder with plastic cover so I can customize the cover. Here's what goes inside:

Piano-opoly - My simple practice incentive game board slides into the plastic pocket on the outside of the binder and students can see at a glance how close they are to earning a prize!

Zippered pouch - I like these from Amazon, with a see-through mesh pocket and two zippered compartments. We use these for flashcards and small game pieces that I send home for practice.

Piano Practice Tracker - This is the student's assignment sheet. I designed it myself (there are several color variations, and you can get it for free in my shop!). If you print it double-sided and upside-down, you can punch it to put in the binder, and then use the back of it without re-punching the sheet by just flipping it over! Each week during the student's lesson, I fill out their practice plan, and it is their job to check the sheet each day to see what they are to work on, and put an “X” or write in the time on each day that they've practiced.

Studio Calendar - This goes in a plastic page protector and includes all the dates for lessons and breaks during the year.

Studio Policy - No excuses! I put this in a plastic page protector as well. It includes lesson information, practice tips, tuition and payment info, and my missed lesson policy. Parents receive an updated version via email at the beginning of each school year as well.

Syllabus - This is either a skills checklist based on beginning method books for my young students, or the RCM levelled checklists that you can find for free in my shop.

Technique - Printed scale and arpeggio charts with fingerings.

Music - Any sheet music that I give out during the school year goes here.

Composition - Student compositions that are assigned during the year during our group lessons (using materials from my Composer Kits) or private lessons.

Scales/Chords/Key Signatures - These are 3 separate tabs, but are meant to hold papers detailing how major and minor scales, chords, and key signatures are put together.

Music History - Students collect composer biographies (from my Composer Kits) and they live here.

The Piano Binders serve as a growing library of musical information for students as well as a place to house their assignments. The binders grow with the students and are a physical reminder of the hard work they put into practicing and music study, forming a portfolio of sorts that celebrates their achievements!

Do you use binders in your studio? I'd love to hear what you do with yours! Tell me in the comments!

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Let's talk about Group Lessons! I'm not talking about regular weekly piano lessons with a group of students; rather, a once-a-month or once-a-quarter get-together with your private piano students where students perform for each other, play games to reinforce music theory concepts, and learn about a topic in music history like a composer. In my piano studio, we call them “Piano Parties”!

Group lesson “Piano Parties” are an essential part of my piano studio offerings. So much of piano study is done in isolation that we forget there are others “just like us” who are learning and pushing through challenges at the piano bench! It is important for students of all ages to experience music in community with others, to hear others play, and to collaborate in fun musical experiences. My group lessons serve to form community among the students, provide for more in-depth teaching time and reinforcement of music theory and history concepts, offer a welcoming space for informal performances, and give me time every 4-6 weeks to offer make-ups or work on admin/lesson prep. 

Two big questions always come up: “How do you structure your Group Lessons?” and, “How do you schedule your Group Lessons?”

STRUCTURE

My Group Lessons always follow a simple format: an opening game, student performances, learning about a composer, and closing games. I have a collection of music theory games that are accessible to beginner and intermediate students of different ages and are easy to incorporate in a mixed group setting. I've put together a free Group Lesson template (click HERE to get yours!) of my schedule, along with a resource list of over a dozen music theory games and suggestions for composer-focused activities that you can use to help guide your planning.

SCHEDULE

It can be tricky to schedule private students for a group lesson. The way I accomplish this is by publishing a calendar of my private and group lesson weeks for my piano families, and releasing it in the spring so that families can plan for them. Group lessons take place during my normal private lesson days and times and are in lieu of the students' private lessons for that week. So, for example, if I teach half-hour private lessons on Saturdays from 8:30am-12:30pm, I will schedule an hour group lesson on a Saturday from 9:00-10:00am. This overlaps the normal time of some of my private students, and isn't too far off from the remaining students' lesson times. I schedule the same way for my weekday lessons.

There are always families who have a conflict on some week or other, and they may opt to come to a different group lesson day that particular week, or if that doesn't work, they miss the lesson altogether. In the latter case, I will send home the activities/worksheets from the group lesson for them to complete on their own. 

Because I operate my studio on a tuition model, group lessons are bundled into my studio offerings for the year and are subject to the same “no make-up” policy as that of my private lessons. 

I hope this helps you think about how you can make group lessons a part of your piano studio and takes some of the guesswork out of planning a fun and productive time with your students!

Click HERE to get your free Group Lesson template!

Let me know if you have any questions in the Comment section below!

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For all but my youngest students, I have begun working through the technique drills as laid out in the Royal Conservatory of Music syllabus. If you are not familiar with it, RCM is a Canadian program of music study and assessment. The program provides a full curriculum graded from beginner to advanced, even up to collegiate and teacher certification levels. Students can follow the program as outlined by purchasing the curriculum and preparing for the assessments, or teachers can use the syllabus to guide their teaching in a systematic way. I have chosen to do the latter this year, and most of my students have begun working on the technical exercises of scales, chords, and arpeggios. They will also work through the theory books, and I will choose repertoire that aligns with their technical and theory work but that is individualized based on my goals for them as a teacher and their interests as students. In this way, we will be able to work systematically through a logical progression of learning, with the flexibility of choosing music that we love!

When I was studying in junior high and high school, I went through a similar program of study and assessment called the Arizona Study Program, which is still in use today. I “graduated” from the program by completing the final level, and as a result was fully prepared to enter college as a Piano Performance major. (In fact, I was so thoroughly prepared, that my first year of music theory was review!) Even for students who do not plan to major in music, a systemized program of study is helpful because it allows for the student to build upon the knowledge they already have. We do this very naturally in general education, teaching counting before addition, addition before multiplication, and so on; and it makes sense to do so in music as well.

The RCM syllabi are free for anyone to download and use as a resource. As well, you can sign up for a free teacher account and have access to a whole library of video resources to help you in your teaching. 

If you choose, you can also have your students evaluated in theory knowledge and in musical performance, for a fee. For my studio, I will leave it up to parents to decide whether or not they want their children to be assessed in this way. It can be a helpful way to gauge progress, and to receive feedback from other teachers. 

To keep track of my students’ progress in the technical skills this year, I have made checklists to keep in their binders. Since I have students only in the beginning few levels, I have charts for 2022 RCM Piano Levels Prep A through Level 2. You are free to print them for your own use. If you do plan on having your students participate in the RCM assessments, make sure to double-check my checklists against their requirements. I have worked diligently to make sure they are aligned, but it is possible there may be errors.) Please contact me if you have any questions, or would like me to get in touch with you when I have completed the more advanced levels.

(Note: If you would like a demonstration of the technical exercises for a particular level, there are a number of videos on YouTube that contain all of the required exercises in real time.)

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How do you figure out what key you are playing (or singing) in?

Often a piece will begin or end on the tonic, or the “home” note of a scale. A scale is an arrangement of pitches, or notes, that a piece of music is based upon. A quick way to tell what key the music is in is to look at the last note of the song, in the bass line of the accompaniment. This is not a hard and fast rule, but generally speaking, most music ends on the tonic, or the first note of the scale. 

Another way to tell what key a song is in is by looking at the key signature, or the arrangement of sharps or flats at the beginning of a piece. For sharp keys, you look at the placement of the last sharp and go up one lettername. So, if you have a key signature of two sharps and the last sharp is C#, you know you are in the key of D. You can double-check this by looking at the last bass note of the piece. 

For flat keys, it is even easier. You look at the second-to-last flat, and that is the name of the key. So, if you have a Bb and an Eb, you are in the key of Bb. The exception to this is the key of F, which only has one flat in it (Bb).

Flats and sharps are always listed in the same order. It is worthwhile to memorize their order to quickly determine what key you are in. Flats are arranged as Bb-Eb-Ab-Db-Gb-Cb-Fb ("Bead" + GCF). Sharps go in the opposite direction: F#-C#-G#-D#-A#-E#-B# (you can use the mnemonic Fat Cat Garfield Doesn't Always Eat Bananas).

All of these rules assume your music is in a major key. For minor keys you use the same rules, but then you must go backwards 3 letter names. So, if you have an F#, your major key would be G (go to the last sharp - F# - and go up one lettername). Your minor key would be 3 letternames down (G-F-E): E minor. You can check this by looking at the last bass note and by listening to how the piece sounds. 

Why does it matter whether you know what key a piece of music is in? Think of it like driving in a new city: the more information you have about where things are, the more quickly you can orient yourself to your new surroundings and figure out where you are going next.

Reading music easily at first glance comes about by recognizing patterns quickly and making educated guesses about what is coming next. It is similar to reading: our brain learns phonics patterns like ea, oa, tch, and so forth, so that when we read the words beach, boat, and catch, we quickly “chunk” the phonics patterns to read the words. Readers who only sound each letter out individually have a harder, slower time of reading because they haven't learned to identify familiar patterns quickly. Their reading will be labored until they put to memory the common phonics combinations. In music, key signatures and scales are two basic tools that must be mastered in order to develop musical fluency.

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