Keyboard Classes

[graeme78]

I've been teaching piano privately for about a year now.  I just took a job with a new music conservatory in my town, and they want me to teach a program called "Keyboard Kids" which is a class of up to eight 5-9 year-olds all with keyboards in front of them.

As anyone here done a class like this before?  What kind of teaching material is out there for this sort of thing?  I'm totally unexperienced in teaching kids in a classroom setting so obviously it's a little scary for me.  Any advice would be welcome.

[leucippus]

Could you elaborate?

How long does the class (course) run?

What is the nature of their keyboards? - do they all have headsets or what?

What does the program entail?  What are the goals or syllabus for the class or course?

I'm not a piano teacher, but I have a lot of class room teaching experience in general.  If I were assigned a keyboard class my first question would be to ask what the course objective and goals are.  Once I have something concrete to aim for I'm sure I could devise my own lesson plans to achieve the desired goals.

So to me that would be what you should be focusing on. What is the purpose and goal of the course?

[graeme78]

Here's the description:

"Keyboard Kids is a 30-week program consisting of weekly group lessons. Our keyboard labs are equipped to handle up to eight children in each class. Lessons involve a wide variety of activities including learning piano pieces, pencil work, games, rhythm activities, listening skills, composing and performing. Our goal is to strike a healthy balance between fun and effective learning."

Each class is 45 minutes long.

[timothy42b]

This is the standard way piano is taught in many schools.

So you won't have to invent the wheel yourself.

You do need to find someone who's done it before. Wish it were me, but sorry it's not. 

[debussy symbolism]

Greetings.

As they are still only little kids, be prepared to face with tantrums and other kid misbehavings. A 45 min class duration might be too much to handle for most of them and if they show any sign of boredom then it is practically impossible to teach them anything. I am pretty sure that the kids will naturally demand fun over learning and that's okay in my opinion. Don't bore them at any cost. Introduce a sort of reward system in which the one with the correct answer wins a prize that has some sort of ego boost potential. When one wins the others will want it too and will have to think in order to get the reward. (Group learning advantages). A bit off of topic. Some kids may not perform well in group learning and may balk. Naturally it is up to you to create as much nice an environment as possible for them.

I for myself cannot function in a group learning. I just can't focus with others. I love to be only with my teacher.

Again, try to keep lessons fun. The improvising method will probably be very good, since it is highly creative and will help them have fun. Introduce the learning with prizes as I mentioned earlier. Anyways, best of wishes.

[leucippus]

Wow, I could have fun with that course!

Let me see if I have this correct?

You'll have 8 students, for 45 minute classes, for 30 weeks (7 months?)

And it appears that you have quite a bit of freedom to create your own lesson plans.

I'd take the job myself in a flash.  Eight students will not be overwhelming at all.  In fact, you can easily break them up into groups or 2 or 4 students each based on abilities that you can focus on individually whilst the others practice with headphones.    With 45 minutes to work with and young students who would be glad to just practice after 5 or 10 minutes of "lecture" you should have plenty of time to work either one-on-one or with just couple students at a time for the rest of the class.  Just be sure not to ignore any of them.  Take the time to check on each student periodically for questions or just to comment on how they are doing. 

Give them pretty easy stuff in the beginning.  Don't be afraid to assign them different things based on their abilities.  There's nothing that says that they all have to be working on the same stuff.  In fact, if it were me, I would try to find some easy music written for multiple keyboards and have various students learn different parts and then play them together as a "keyboard Orchestra"

In fact, if  you aren't locked into 'piano only' you might do well to actually get some simple orchestra music (like maybe a Haydn string quartet) and have each student learn a different instrument's voice on the keyboard.   Then put it all together as a Keyboard Orchestra.  Don't limit yourself solely to the piano.  Don't push using both hands simultaneously.  Especially if a student bulks at it.  Let them just play a melody with one hand in the beginning if that works for them.

It sounds like the main goal of this course is to really have fun and just learn something about playing an instrument.  I wouldn't focus or push piano only.  Some of the students may actually become interested in the music itself and decide to take up another instrument after the course if over.  You have 7 months.  Have lots of fun in the early going, then in the latter part of the course if you want to expose the students to some serious piano techniques you can demand "Piano Voice" only at that point in the course, and basically give them some serious piano lessons.

It sounds like a GREAT course and opportunity.  I'm retired right now but I think I'd jump at a chance to teach something like that just as a community service.  To get paid for it would be super great!  I envy your situation.

I wouldn't worry too much about having a plan for the whole course right now.  Things will evolved dynamically once you get started.  Just be sure to make it FUN in the beginning to capture the interest of the students.  You won't be expected to turn out professional pianists at the end of the course.  If all you've succeeded in doing it sparking them to want to become involved in orchestra or playing any instrument at all I think you will have succeeded wonderfully.  Plus I'm sure you will have also taught them quite a bit of music theory along the way.

I'm excited!  And I won't even get to be there!

[jazzyprof]

5-year olds will not sit for 45 minutes so be sure to include some rhythm exercises where they get up and march or dance in 3/4 or other time signatures while counting the beats.

[leucippus]

Just for kicks here's an idea that I might try on the very first day.

Begin with a lecture on the nature of a scale, the musical notation of the notes and staff, and on the time value for the notes.  Don't go into a lot of detail.  Just introduce these concepts in a lecture with visual aids if possible.

Then have all the students play something very simple like the C scale using quarter notes in 4/4 time.  Demonstrate a consistent timing by playing the scale up and down with a nice consistent time.

Then let the students practice if for just a couple of minute using headphones so they can all do this individually.  Then have each student play only 4 notes of the scale.  The first student plays the first 4 notes going up.  The next student places the second 4 notes going up.  The third student repeats the high C and plays 4 notes going down.  The 4th student plays the last 4 notes to middle C.  Then the 5 student picks it up to go back up with the second set of 4 students until they have all played.

You'll probably have to do this a few times to get a nice consistent timing between the students.  It should be fun without being too much pressure on any student.  Be sure to stress that it's ok to make mistakes.  Be prepared to "save" as student should he or she mess up (like starting out on the wrong note or whatever).   If a student messes up just pick it up from there and continue on.  If you can get all 8 students playing a scale like this with perfect timing I think you will have achieve a lot for the first day.

This will accomplish quite a few things.  First, you will have introduced them to the idea of scales, notation of notes and staff, and the idea of time signature.  Secondly, they will have all played TOGETHER in a sense.  Even though they were actually playing separately they were together with timing.  This will instill a sense of camaraderie and belonging to a larger group.

If things go really well and the students are good, then maybe play on that for a while and get them to play entire scales together offset by a few notes or someone going up while others are going down.  Etc.  You might have to think about this some before hand.  Or you could just introduce other scales and do the same thing over again just using different scales. 

Do try to do too much on the first day.  If you get all the students playing pieces of scales together with a good solid cadence I think you will have achieved a lot actually.   In fact, if you don't achieve perfect cadence that will give the students something to work on for the next class.  You can stress the importance of being able to play in smooth time.

That first class will go by pretty quick.  You're initial lecture may take 10 or 20 minutes depending on how deep you go into it.  And the last part of the class playing scales together should fly by.  You'll be wishing you had more time to get them in better synchronization.  Moreover, like I say, if they surprise you and do really well, just keep throwing more scales at them.  If you teach them all the major scales by the end of class and they play them all together fluently each student doing 4 notes at a time you will have accomplished a super feat.  I'd be surprised if you go that far in 45 minutes minus your initial lecture time though.

I'm sure there are million other ideas for a first lecture too.  But my focus would be to get them playing together ASAP.  And even though no two students are actually paying simultaneously this way, they are still playing "together" in their overall timing and picking up where the last student left off.

I'd have a Keyboard Orchestra by the end of 30 weeks. 

Yes, like jazzyprof says don't forget to give them breaks.  Maybe take a break between you lecture and starting to play the scales.  Actually if you get 8 kids to play a smooth C major scale in the way I described above you'll be doing great.   You can start them off really slow, and have them play it a little bit faster once they get it smooth at the slower speed.  See how fast you can get them to play it smoothly.  I think that single task right there should easily eat up the first class.  And they will have already played "TOGETHER!".  To me, that's important.

[leucippus]

You got me all psyched up now.  I'm ready to start teaching.

How much time to you have to prep before the first class? 
How much time are you willing to put into prep?
Do you have a copy of a music writing software like Finale Notepad?
If not you can down load a free copy of it here:

Finale Notepad

It's a completely free software.   I can't imagine being without it if you are into teaching music.

In just a couple minute I typed in the exercise that I proposed in my last post.  It's just the C major scale played twice by 8 students each playing only 4 notes of it.

Here's what the single page of music looks like:

Sheet Music for Scale Exercise

I wrote it using "voices" in the treble clef only.  In this way each student is assigned a "voice" and they can watch all the other students playing their voices until it's their turn to play their 4 notes.   If they do this really well, you can even mix them up assigning each student a different "voice" so that they aren't always playing the same one.

This will accomplish one heck of a lot for a first lecture.  Not only have you introduced them to the scales, notes, and timing, but now you have them looking at sheet music with multiple voices!!!  So simple, yet so powerful for a first lesson!

They now have a sheet of paper to take home and think about staffs, notes, timing, and voices.

Maybe in the second class you could introduce the bass clef.   Do something similar, but maybe a bit more complex.  Have four of the voices written in treble clef and 4 of them written in bass clef.  Have the students rotate on playing the different voice.  Make it a bit more exciting and get some voices to overlap maybe for a third lesson.

You could just keep going along these lines until you have them all playing simultaneously.  The 'Voices" can be replaced with actual instruments like Violin, flute, cello, harp, whatever.   If their keyboards have voices they can each adjust to the voice they are playing.

I'm sooooooooooooooo exicted!   I want to do it!  I need 8 keyboards and some kids!

I wouldn't even think about trying to push "piano lessons" on them.  Dealing with 8 kids trying to play with two hands each is a bit much.  Like I say, maybe near the end of the course after they've played some stuff together like a keyboard orchestra, you could get a little serious about piano lessons just before the course ends.  I wouldn’t even deal with the left hand at all much except maybe to bring in the concept of chords.  I wouldn't approach the course as "piano lessons", I would just approach it as "Keyboard Fun".  Teach music theory, not piano or how to play with both hands.  Leave that to individual private lessons.

That would be my strategy anyway.  The kids would learn a lot about music theory in general and have a lot of fun doing it.

I am soooooooooooooo envious of you!

You can see how excited I am.   I wanna teach the course! 

[graeme78]

Wow, thanks for the responses, especially leucippus!  You probably don't live anywhere near me but I wish I could let you teach the course.  Thanks for the great advice, I'll start to develop some lesson plans based on what you showed me and go from there.

[leucippus]

I don't want to take over your job. 

(Well, actually I do, but that's beside the point.)

Just for kicks I wrote a little piece using four separate pieces in the key of C.

None the individual voices sound like much, but they are pretty simple to play.  You could assign them to practice each voice individually as homework maybe?  Do the kids have keyboards at home?

Anyway, even if you have to do it in class it might be worth a shot.   The timing of the 3 voice is probably the most difficult.  Maybe you could play that for them in the early going until they catch on.  The other three voices are pretty simple.

These do introduce the bass clef.  But other than that it's pretty simple stuff.

All four voices played together with proper timing should sound pretty cool.

I just now wrote these out of the blue.  Just for your class!  Aren't I nice?

I've even included a solo piano version in case you have a really exceptional student.

I used piano voices throughout, but I'm sure they could play with other voices on their keyboards once they get it all together.

If you manage to get your students to play this together as a class you're going to have to find a way to record them and put it  up on the web so I can hear my work come alive.

Here's a web page I just put up with my new composition for a keyboard orchestra for 5 to 9-year-olds.   Feel free to use the material on my website if you like.  I just wrote it off the top of my head so there's no copyright to worry about.

Ideas web page

I hope you find it useful.  I wrote the piece so that it can be cycled endlessly.  That way you're students can just keep playing it over and over again without stopping.  It's a never-ending piece.

[graeme78]

Leucippus, that's wonderful you are giving me so many ideas for this project.  Silly me, I never even thought of a "keyboard orchestra".   When I was in school I was always part of a string orchestra, playing violin and I remember how much fun that was.  I will definetly use your piece and start to work on a few more of my own.  If you want to post more material on that site, I'd be happy to steal it.

THANK YOU!

[leucippus]

Just a couple more suggestions and then I'll leave you alone.  

First, if you do use my "four voices" don't worry about enforcing the left-hand requirement for voice 4.  If they want to play it right-handed and do better then why not let them?  It's probably much more impotant to get them all playing in time together to produce the overall MUSIC.  

Once they get a feel for what they can do playing together it will spark them to want to do more.

The other thing I might suggest is not to get too bogged down in the details of music theory with 5 to 9 year-olds.  Only teach them what is absolutely necessary to get them up and running. ;o)

Also, I would introduce the concept of a scale as "do re mi fa so la to do".

THEN introduce the C-major scale as an easy one.  This way if you move on to other scales you can lean back on the "do re mi" concept just starting the "do" on a different note.  I think it also helps students to understand scales better too if they are thinking "do re mi" in their minds.  

And now for the bad news,...

I'm not a music teacher and I have no formal education in music at all so I have no clue what I'm talking about.  

But even so, I probably know more about music than most 5-year-olds.  

Plus I'm a really great teacher in general.  So that has to count for something.  

[leucippus]

I just want free tickets when you're class plays Live at Lincoln Center when the course ends.