Method Books - Piano Adventures

Today I will write about the method book "Piano Adventures" which I have been using with my young beginner students.

I hope I don't sound bias, and I am open-minded when it comes to methodology, but I really LOVE these books! My students are engaged, excited about playing the piano, have opportunities to explore different aspects of playing piano, and are given the tools needed to compose, improvise and be creative. 

With "Piano Adventures," lessons are activity based. Students come with a task to be accomplished, whether it be to compose a song with the new notes they have learned, or improvise a melody given specific notes and wonderful and fun teacher accompaniment parts. They kids LOVE it. 

Here are some highlights of "Piano Adventures," that I love using, and my students enjoy participating in.

Exploration of the keyboard: Through all the lessons in these books, young students are able to explore the keyboard. Students don't start in the typical "C-position" while their teachers cross their fingers and hope for the best. Students truly learn the keyboard as a whole, rather than the ten notes that make up "C-position." Using visual aids and the imagination of the child, students are able to explore the high notes and play "mousie" sound and low notes while exploring "elephant" sounds. There is also something to be said about the fact that students are taught not to associate notes with finger numbers. Because they are exploring the keyboard, they come to understand that finger numbers are for the purpose of playing a passage with ease and comfort – they realize that finger numbers are NOT the notes.

Ear-Training: Although I'm still new with using this method, I don't believe it incorporates solfege (maybe in the later books?) However, students are given many opportunities to train their ear. With young students this could be listening to several patterns and determining whether the line is ascending or descending, whether the notes played are steps or skips. Students enjoy the challenge, and when their eyes are closed and they are doing their best to guess what the music is doing - their faces are priceless. 

Eye-Tracking: Another new concept to me, is pushing students to train their eyes as far as what the music is doing. Simliar to the ear-training aspect of this method, eye-training asks students to visually analyze the music: is the line ascending or descending? Are the notes stepping or skipping? Students are constantly training their eye to look ahead, to know what’s coming next. These might seem simple to advanced or professional pianists, but these are important factors in getting students to a proficient level of reading. 

Composition: Before I go into detail, I just went to say how PROUD students feel when they compose their own piece. Sure, they are given specific parameters in order to complete these mini-compositions, but it gives them ownership over their own playing and creativity.

Improvisation: Students are given many opportunities to explore improvisation given specific notes. For me this is huge. I grew up taking piano lessons and never once learning how to improvise, to this day I am still terrified of it. Because students are learning to be creative, and given the tools to be successful in improvisation in a safe setting, they actually end up enjoying, looking forward to it, and gaining confidence in their artistic capabilities that go beyond note-reading and playing songs.

Student Development: How are students developing? Of course this varies from student to student, but what I’ve seen much growth in my students using this method.

Students gain:

Confidence in note-reading and rhythm-reading
The skills needed to become proficient readers
Independence in navigating the keyboard
The big “T” word- Technique
A basic understanding of music theory and how it relates to piano playing
Knowledge of pianistic gestures and the use of phrasing
A deeper love and appreciation of music, and piano playing

Motivation to practice

Motivate: to stimulate towards action.

What makes us motivated? What does it take for one to have motivation? What drives us to be motivated?

 

 

I've been asking this question to myself for as long as I can rememebr. Through my years of playing the piano I've gone through many stages of motivation. There were many times were I did not want to practice at all but literally forced myself (or bribed myself?) to get to the piano, set a timer, and go. There were other times I couldn't wait to practice, I craved practice, it was a "natural high" to sit at the piano for hours and really work on technique/repertoire/etc. At this point in my life, things have changed yet again. I'm teaching K-6 music in a poverty stricken, high violence area. Yes, I'm teaching music, which is a blessing in and of itself with all the budget cuts and teacher layoffs, but my problems with teaching there have more to do with motivating my students rather than the content itself. I have lost some of my own motivation to practice the piano because I have "nothing" to practice for. I want my piano students to have a teacher who is "on her game," who actively plays with ensembles, who practices for the absolute joy of having the ability to make this gorgeous music in the first place.

 

 

In order to be highly motivated we must have goals, and have a high desire for whatever it is we are being motivated to do. I recently read Carol Dweck's "Mindset." A mindset is basically how you view yourself: your intelligence, talents, personality traits, etc. She writes about the growth mindset verses the fixed mindset. In fixed mindset, a person has beliefs about themself that he/she thinks cannot be changed. On the other hand, someone with a growth mindset, understands that while we are all individuals and may have been born with certain qualities or talents, these can all be developed over time. This is where motivation comes in. If we train ourselves to have a growth mindset, to believe that hardwork and dedication pays off, to believe that when we follow our dreams and our hearts (even through the hard times and probably many tears!) we can do whatever we set our minds to. We need to teach our students to have a growth mindset as well as modeling a growth mindset for them.

 

 

There have been countless times were I have been motivated to practice only to reach a certain goal (a jury, recitals, concerto etc.) Goals are most definitely important, there is no doubt about that. For me, I need to stop making goals that have dead-lines. I will motivate myself to practice because I want to be a better pianist, because I want to be a role-model for my students, because I believe that we can always grow and learn. I deserve to allow myself time alone with my instrument - time to think, reflect, play, feel, and give thanks.

First Post

I've never blogged before, so this should be quite the experience! I'm starting this blog to share ideas with piano teachers (and music educators) in hopes to continue growing and developing as a teacher. As most teachers know, even with the degress we have, the hours of professional development we attend, the collaborative work we do with our co-workers and fellow musicians - we can never stop learning and growing. Hope you enjoy... and I look forward to what blogging has to offer me and my many musical friends.