Submitted by Martha Stanley, Tallahassee, Florida
Idea posted November 18, 2004
I've had some experience with piano lessons at school, and what I've finally decided is this: I can't teach **piano** lessons.
The kids don't have keyboards at home to practice on, and they can't practice at school because those keyboards are constantly in use. The students' don't have the physical facility needed to make any progress. I can't give individual attention to the kids in sufficient quantity to produce pianists.
What I CAN do is teach **keyboard** lessons.
Keyboard lessons help you learn your way around an electric keyboard, learn where C is, learn how to hold your fingers (curvy, you know), etc. A keyboard has more bells and whistles and is eminently useful in the classroom, even for kids.
The parts of the keyboard are common to any keyboard that you can buy. This includes things like volume control, tempo regulators, rhythm and timbre selectors, the keys (black and white, which is C, etc., whole and 1/2 steps, etc.), power on and off, and headphone jacks. Many have memory/record abilities and other features that are fun.
I put little bitty yellow stickers next to the "buttons" that they will be using during class. That way I can say, "Don't use it if it doesn't have a yellow sticker." It also helps little eyes to find a certain button amongst the perplexity of choices.
The first assignment is to find and write down three rhythms and three timbres. Find out how slow and fast the keyboard can play. To prepare, we make sure that they know that beats and rhythms are named differently and that timbre means voices (or however it's designated on your keyboards). At that point, it's a free-for-all.
Then, we work with the twins and triplets (black keys) and play "Hot Cross Buns" on the triplets. We also play any other beginning recorder song I can think of; this helps with transfer.
Then, we start finding note names. Here Mr. Everybody's Apartment is going to come in handy for me this year.
When a kid has mastered "Hot Cross Buns," I have him/her transpose it to F and G and select a rhythm, timbre, and tempo (85 mm). The goal is to get to 100 before moving to the next piece.
Depending on the student, I eventually haul out a score with pitch letters (not notation necessarily) and chord symbols. I show him/her how to read the chord cymbals, and I assign that piece. Sometimes I have them do it in duet, one on melody and the other just on the tonic pitch (not the whole chord) WITH the chosen accompaniment rhythm, and then they switch. Next, I show them how to use the harmonizing function. After they've done it as a duet, invite them to try it with BOTH hands! They can also put some of the music they know on Orff bars onto the keyboard. (Borduns are great for keyboards, too.)
If I have a student who is more advanced than others in the class, I adapt their assignments. What I usually do is assign the child to make an arrangement of a melody (i.e., "When The Saints Go Marching In") using all the bells and whistles that a keyboard has. They LOVE doing this. They have to manipulate bunches of variables (melody, harmony, tempo, timbre, accompaniment rhythm, add intro/coda (form), etc.). If I have two strong pianists, I have them play duets with each other. Rounds also work well. Or you can have one play a melody and have the other accompany with the chords.
Here are some of my suggestions for teaching keyboard lessons:
Tip One: I make all my scores in PowerPoint. In this way they are available to print out and also to display on my big TV.
Tip Two: Every student needs a notebook or a manila folder to store scores and assignment sheets. It makes it easier to listen to students, record what they need to work on, note their next assignment, and put in the date. This also helps to create individual accountability.
Tip Three: Keep several copies of several different scores ready to hand out. In this way you prevent the advanced students from being bored, and it also prevents you from having to stop your lesson to make copies.
Tip Four: Notebook lovers alert: Keep copies of all your duplication materials in plastic CLEAR sleeves in a notebook, in chronological order. You usually don't have to remove them from the sleeve to copy (except on a risograph). The sleeves keep your copies clean and it prevents you from accidentally giving away your last copy.
Tip Five: Immediately determine your procedures, consequences, and processes for students utilizing the keyboards. Explain what is and is not acceptable (i.e., bamming the keys with their forearms, using pencils to poke notes/keys, touching the keys with dirty hands, cranking the volume up to 100 decibels, etc.). One of my rules is that if I can hear your keyboard even though you have the headset on, it's too loud. Teaching hearing protection is a big deal for me.
In my Yamaha MIE lab that runs on a Power Mac, I use the keyboards the way I described above. I can put a whole class on keyboards or use it for centers. I put two centers on keyboard, one on computer, one on music games/writing/composing/other. On computers, they go to Music Ace and progress at their own speed unless they have a specific assignment. On keyboards, they get their folders and work at their own pace. I usually don't have to monitor the computers and keyboards centers unless a student needs some help. This process works well with my third through fifth grade classes.