How do you teach reading in group lessons?
Keyboard Companion Autumn 2004; Vol. 15, No. 3
from the series: Independence Day: Music Reading Craig Sale, Editor Group lessons are able to facilitate the learning of music reading concepts in an efficient, effective manner. A recent Keyboard Companion readership survey showed that roughly half of those responding utilize group instruction in some way –...
Rediscovering the Past: Alexander Borovsky
March 2018; Vol. 10, No. 2
Editor’s note: Clavier Companion reviewed these recordings for the May/June 2018 issue. Click here to read it. It is a delight to uncover lost gems from the last century such as Alexander Borovsky, a great 20th century pianist and teacher, and his paper entitled “The...
To Judge and be Judged
May 2017; Vol. 9, No. 3
Teachers should always strive to provide positive and successful music experiences for their students. Within the walls of the teaching studio, it is much easier to create these experiences—the environment and people involved are familiar, and the teacher has more control of outcomes. However, this is...
A Life-Changing Decision
Summer 2020; Vol. 12, No. 3
In 1981, the year I received my graduate degree in piano performance, advanced degrees in piano pedagogy were just beginning to appear. Thanks to the work of the National Conference on Piano Pedagogy, there would be a blossoming of pedagogy degree programs in the coming years,...
Interdisciplinary Inspirations: Using Visual Images to Enhance Your Teaching
September 2013; Vol. 5, No. 5
Meaningful connections Successful teachers always try to make connections for students— creating and demonstrating meaningful relationships among various activities and concepts. They strive to show students how a good technique enables them to play their repertoire with greater ease; how understanding music theory makes reading...
How Do You Teach the Dotted-Quarter Eighth Note Rhythm?
May 2013; Vol. 5, No. 3
In this issue, we address the teaching of a basic, but often challenging, skill—the dotted-quarter eighth note rhythm. We wanted to take a different approach and survey several teachers to assemble a wider collection of ideas for you, the reader, to consider. Nine teachers of...
How Do You Teach Students to Read Patterns Rather Than Note-By-Note?
January 2013; Vol. 5, No. 1
The idea of reading patterns in music first became important to me when I began teaching young students how to read music. In my formative years I was raised on a note-by-note approach that began at Middle C. It worked for me… at least I thought it did. Today, even...
Lesson Planning: A Teaching Essential?
September 2014; Vol. 6, No. 5
Road maps and detours by Craig Sale One of my worst nightmares is arriving at the school where I teach to realize I have left that day’s lesson plans at home. On the rare occasions when this has happened, I have managed to conduct a...
Making practice records work
May 2014; Vol. 6, No. 3
There was a sign in my college piano professor’s studio which said “Practice smarter, not harder.” For a determined undergraduate who had no background in good practice habits, these were wise and important words. In fact, my work as a teacher is devoted to showing...
Autumn 2019: Questions & Answers
Autumn 2019; Vol. 11, No. 4
Note from Sam Holland The great psychologist, Abraham Maslow once observed, “In any given moment we have two options: to step forward into growth or step back into safety.” C.S. Lewis noted, “There are far better things ahead than any we leave behind.” Changes are coming in...
How Do You Integrate Composition into Your Teaching of Music Reading?
May 2009; Vol. 1, No. 3
Imagine an elementary school classroom in which students are taught how to read a written language both out loud and to their selves. They have vocabulary drills, spelling tests, reading comprehension tests, etc. Yet these same children are never asked to converse or to write down an...
How Do You Teach Fluent Reading on Ledger Lines Between the Staves?
January 2009; Vol. 1, No. 1
In the Spring 2005 issue of Keyboard Companion, the Music Reading Department addressed the teaching of reading ledger line notes above and below the staves. In this issue, we are focusing on ledger lines between the staves. Although many methods begin reading with these notes surrounding Middle C, this ambiguous...
When using an intervallic approach, how do you develop faster note recognition? – Expanding on the “blueprint”
January 2010; Vol. 2, No. 1
If were asked to name the most frequent mistake made by teachers, I would cite the belief that a method or set of materials is complete in and of itself. This belief inevitably leads to some frustration with the materials, and teachers may even abandon...
How do you help a college piano major with poor reading skills?
September 2011; Vol. 3, No. 5
At first glance, the scope of this issue’s topic may seem limited. The majority of readers are independent teachers working with students before they leave for college. The percentage of their students who major in piano is small. However, the following articles by Dr. Timothy...
Introducing students to the music of Schumann
May 2011; Vol. 3, No. 3
Because of the textural, technical, and interpretive demands of music from the Romantic era, students usually do not encounter it until their early intermediate years. Most likely some of the first Romantic compositions a student will study will be by Robert Schumann, whose bicentennial is being...