Beginner’s Piano Class - Tales of a Musical Journey Part 1

This is a fun approach to the very beginnings of learning how to play the piano! Students will learn about characters in a fantasy music land, and hear stories that will help us learn about the piano! We will learn about how to involve our whole body when playing, and about proper foundational technique to create beautiful touch and tone from the very start of lessons! Students will work on different sounds that the piano makes. Students will learn about rhythms and several techniques to achieve the proper hand shape at the piano! Students will learn the very beginnings of how to read music and how to correlate the correct fingering along with the notes. Students will be given creative projects to make their own rhythms, put their own notes to rhythms, explore patterns at different locations on the piano, etc! There will be writing aspects to the class as well where the teacher will guide the student in how to draw notes, music symbols, and more. By the end of this course, students will become fluent with several notes on the staff. 

Each week, the teacher will typically read a short story, and show some figure props (animals or characters, to help us learn the key names!). We will be listening to music examples to help develop ears for ear training, a small bit of writing, drawing, or coloring to help us remember a concept, using props that can be found around the house to practice piano playing technique, listening to and exploring sounds at the piano. The teacher aims to help students use their imaginations and be creative! 

More specifically, the schedule will follow:

Week 1: Chapter 1-3 of the book. Class introductions, magical kingdom introduction, the piano introduction, body technique.
Week 2: Chapter 4-5, low and high sounds, more technique secrets 
Week 3: Chapters 6,7, The keyboard layout, hands and fingerings
Week 4: Chapter 8, technique tips, review
Week 5: Chapters 9, 10, more stories and songs, introduction of animal friends & correlating keys
Week 6: Chapters 11, 12, rhythm and beats
Week 7: Chapter 13, introduction of more characters, learning songs to play.
Week 8: Chapters 14, introduction of music castle 
Week 9: Chapters 15 learning note direction
Week 10: Chapters 16, 17, 18 learning music symbols, & a note
Week 11: Chapters 19, 20 more music symbols and new note
Week 12: Chapters 21, 22 rhythms and note activities 

Again, each week will incorporate the musical story and creative playing of the keys. 

Learners do not need any prior knowledge before taking this class. This course can be taken before, or during as a supplement to my Beginner’s Piano Class (level 1).