Submitted by Tracy, Farmington, Missouri
Idea posted March 22, 2004
I have the Yamaha MIE lab which gives the teacher complete control over everything with just with a click of the mouse or the click of the remote. I LOVE IT! Some suggestions (I'm working with 6th, 7th, and 8th graders right now):
Create a progressive book of piano music from the tons of free stuff you can print off of the Internet. Be sure to include some very simple songs by finger number or by patterns on the black keys so that EVERY student can find some success. Use these every day. Offer a reward for being able to reach the end of the book. Buy one of those big note easy play books that just has the melody to pop songs and ballads, and let them know after they've finished the book you've prepared that they can play from the "cool" book.
Create a rubric to use for individual playing tests. Include it in their music folder.
Create a DAILY performance scoring guide (how well did they stay on task, what did they accomplish, etc.) and post it near the keyboard lab.
Give time daily for those who wish to play something for the class to perform. Occasionally REQUIRE them to play for the class for a grade. I've found that even if they only play "Hot Cross Buns," they'll still work to play it correctly, if they know that their peers will hear it.
Find some way to organize the keyboards so that you can turn them off at the power strip. When you are giving directions, turn the keyboards off so your students are forced to hear you.
Create a bulletin board that showcases students who have achieved on the keyboards, i.e. "Keyboard Kings" or "Look Who Can Play That Fun-Key Music," etc..
Create a paper keyboard for those who refuse to fall in line. Test them on their paper keyboard if need be. They'll understand that following directions and staying on the real keyboards is a better alternative.
I'm pretty uptight about how they treat the keyboards, and even minor violations get students pulled off of the keyboards. They have to sit in a chair on the other side of the room. After a few minutes (longer as needed) students do much better when they come back.