Victoria Conservatory of Music Martn Prez

Studio Teaching 1
Right from the very beginning, it is essential to set the proper habits to
acquire and develop a solid technique and musicianship. To achieve this, we
must consider several elements.

Elements of Pedagogy Motivation: No student will learn with motivation; some

bring it already, some dont. We must instill in them the
desire to learn.
Exposition of the music: This will encourage them to
appreciate and love music.
Guiding: We need to teach them a gradual sequence of
actions to achieve specific goals; they must learn to
prioritize activities.
Criticism: We will find our own way of criticizing in a
friendly manner; being passionate about music when
criticizing creates a non-threatening environment.
Inviting imitation: By setting a good example, learners
will feel inspired to do better every day.

"We teach kids the same content we teach adults"

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 Victoria Conservatory of Music Martn Prez

Elements of Teaching
There are three aspects we should focus whenever the
student is working on the piano: Movement, Listening,
Musical Message. Movement involves body posture and the
natural flow of energy through shoulders, arms, wrist, hand
and fingers to produce a beautiful tone, and when we say
natural, we often mean freedom and flexibility, which in turn,
include an optimum degree of relaxation. Listening trains
the fundamental sense every musician must develop, their
musical ear. Finally, every note we play at the piano must
carry a musical message, whether it is an idea or a feeling,
learning to express them artistically is one of the main goals
in our teaching.

"Make learning as gradual as possible"

First Lessons
The first lessons should include:

Activities away from the Piano

Never assume the student already
knows something, teach at all times!
Exercises of relaxation
Posture of body
Repetition of short melodic and rhythmic patterns
Dierentiate the five fingers
Introduction of the piano (keys, strings, mechanisms)

Activities on the piano

Encourage them to sing notes, short melodies and rhythm
Discover registers and intensities, concepts of high and low
sounds, piano, forte.
Teach the name of keys, show them how they are grouped.
Show them how to produce a tone of good quality by using
one finger (finger number 2 or 3)
Play with one note in an ugly way and in a beautiful way
and ask them: what is the dierence?
Legato and note legato playing with two notes.

"Even with beginners, avoid fixed hand

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 Victoria Conservatory of Music Martn Prez

Counting beats should be introduced from the very

beginning.
Singing is another important medium through which
students train their ears and develop their musicianship
An instructor must be really selective in using pictures to
describe music or concepts; it could be distracting and
even be an obstacle if excessively presented.
Leading learners to appreciate rests: they are as important
as music; this can be achieved by dramatizing spontaneous
pieces where rests create suspense, surprise,
Polishing a piece, studying it for a long time is not a good
idea. Learning should be gradual, one must be confident
that the piece will grow while working in new pieces.

Method Books
Rather than sticking to one method, experienced instructor tend to combine
dierent approaches to introduce new concepts. What should we bear in
mind when selecting our method books? Below some suggestions:

The isolated use of the Middle-C method in learning to

EXPLORING
A Comprehensive Piano Method by
Cathy Albergo J. Mitzi Kolar Mark Mrozinski
read music on the piano is disadvantageous: it fixes the
hand as well as the "mind" on one particular key; better
methods introduce music reading with the Middle-C
approach and move quickly to the Intervalic approach and
the Multi-Key approach, which allow the learner to access
all keys and work on interval, chords and transposition.
The students mind will work best if they are not given the
fingering (or the name) of every note.
Is the range of notes presented around the center of the
keyboard or do they explore most of the keyboard?
An introduction of melodies that belong to the traditional
folklore provide learners with a rich cultural background;
avoid melodies that add no musical interest; methods that
combine classical and pop, modern music are more
appealing. Nice, creative, modern accompaniments for
teachers are a plus.
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Victoria Conservatory of Music Martn Prez

How is counting encouraged? By using numbers, syllables,

both?
What types of rhythms are encountered throughout the
series?
It is essential to present the student with material that is
gradual and sequential. Not too fast, not too slow; balance
is key.
When and how are chords and scales presented? Do they
include exercises to develop harmony? Do they teach form
and structure?
Is creativity given a place within the activities? How?
How long will the learner take to become musically-
literate? 2 years? 3 years?
A comprehensive method covers sight-reading, technique,
phrasing, articulation,, rhythm, theory, pedaling.