Flex Class Piano and Music Academy #2

Class Experience
I am excited to offer this next level flex class version of my One-Time and Ongoing Private Piano Lessons. In this flex version, students will be taught the same skills as I teach in the live private lessons.  This course allows each learner to go at their own speed while learning the piano.

As extra bonuses to make this a richer, more interactive experience for this non-live class, I offer a Wednesday bonus game and I am happy to message parents who would have questions or would like private conversation to make this a great experience for their child.

Each week we will have a short video lesson (posted each Monday morning) at the piano. The student can watch the video at any time and is encouraged to pause throughout the video to further explore what is being taught. In these videos, I will be teaching the skills that they will be learning for that week. Each video (after the first video) will include a short review of the skills taught in the previous video.  Basic music skills, posture, finger numbers, correct hand form, white keys and black keys, and the introduction of the how to find specific keys on the keyboard will be reviewed from the Flex Class #1, then we will move forward by using those skills for example to PLAY black key groups going high to low or similar.  By the end of the five weeks, students will be taught, not only how to play the next four songs in the Faber Piano Adventures Primer Level Lesson Book, but how to find their first notes without needing help from a teacher or parent. They will also have been taught proper technique on how to practice and how to play the piano and music theory.

I provide the next 4 songs from the Piano Adventures Primer Level Lesson Book and new music theory worksheets to be printed out so the learner can both have fun AND gain access to solid music education such as music theory, reading music, note values, music terms and more via a variety of music worksheets. I also provide a bonus homework assignment mid-week: Either a Scavenger Hunt or a Music Kahoot Quiz! Each of the students are encouraged to share what they have found in the Hunt and how the Quiz and practicing are going for them. 

In addition to the first video where I will review the basics of the piano and how to hold oneself for optimum playing, each video will teach one new song for the first 4 weeks, which the student is encouraged to practice a MINIMUM of 10 minutes every day or every other day to maintain their piano knowledge and continue to grow in their piano skills, and then do a "performance video" in dressed-up clothes (IF they want). Taking the Flex 1 Piano Class is necessary to take this Flex Class 2 but aside from that no prior musical knowledge is needed. Parents are highly encouraged to be enthusiastic and help their learner with their practice time each day by perhaps finding a structured "practice time" (right after homework, right before dinner, etc.). Parents are also encouraged to applaud after a song is played!

Students are encouraged to upload their "homework" video to the classroom each week. If they prefer to send their song video only to me rather than the Classroom that is fine but I encourage everyone in the class to realize everybody moves at a different pace, some may practice more than others and only positive comments are expected. They are also encouraged to post their "homework" worksheet for the week in the classroom. 

Throughout the week the students will have the opportunity to interact with the other learners and will be prompted to share what they think is fun about the piano and what we're working on, what's difficult about it, or what they find interesting about the piano. Each student will be expected to comment on all posts, including other students posts, and will be directed to only post positive comments. Parents are also encouraged to applaud after a song is played!

The videos I upload and post each Monday morning will be of me teaching the students proper technique and how to practice the song for the week. I will include plenty of review and repetition.  

The videos the students upload need to be done in a quiet space so the notes can be heard clearly and each student's fingers will need to be clearly presented on the piano keys as well. Student videos need to be posted by Friday morning.

On Wednesday, the bonus homework will be assigned in class, either the Scavenger Hunt or Kahoot Music Game.

The basic weekly schedule will look like this:

Week 1
Reviewing from Flex 1:
- Right/Left Hand and Finger Numbers
- Up/Down on Piano
- High/Low Sounds on the Piano
- Proper posture and How to Hold Hands Correctly on the Piano
- Black/White Keys and their 2/3 Groupings
- Learn About the Quarter Note
- Page 20 I HEAR THE ECHO from the sheet provided in class, a song from the Piano Adventures Primer Level Lesson Book 
- Worksheet 5 explanation so the student knows how to complete it during that week.
- Wednesday Bonus Game Posted in Classroom - Scavenger Hunt: Find a video of a song that Mozart composed and post it in the Classroom! All students are encouraged to comment in a positive way to other students' posts.

Week 2
- Review Week 1 
- Review timing, tempo, the specifics of HOW to practice, from the first time playing through a song to getting it to "Performance Level"
- Learn the 2nd song of this 4-week Flex course, OLD MACDONALD HAD A SONG
- Worksheet 6 explanation so the student knows how to complete it during that week
 - Wednesday Bonus Game Posted in Classroom - Kahoot Music Game: Answer the  music questions with the pin link provided and post in the Classroom!

Week 3
- Review prior lessons
- Learn the 3rd song of this 5-week Flex course, BALLOONS
-Start getting acquainted with the keyboard note names!
- Worksheet 3 explanation so the student knows how to complete it during that week
- Wednesday Bonus Game Posted in Classroom - Scavenger Hunt: Find a video of a the song Happy from the Despicable Me 2 movie and comment in the Classroom what you like or don't like about it.

Week 4
- More repetition and review of prior lessons (because there's A LOT to learn and digest, and we want the students to feel successful so they feel GOOD about themselves and about music)!
- Learn the 4th song of this 4-week Flex course, MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG and learn to start playing by seeing note names instead of just finger numbers!
- Worksheet 4 explanation so the student knows how to complete it during that week.
- Wednesday Bonus Game Posted in Classroom - A different Kahoot Music Game: Answer the music questions with the pin link provided and post in the Classroom!

Week 5
- In this final week of this 5-week Flex course, we will have a Recital! 
- On Monday I will post a video performing in a professional show or recital.
- Students are to upload their recital video of themselves playing their favorite song that they have learned in this class and are encouraged to dress up in fancy clothes (only if they want😊) as if they are on a stage, by Friday morning. Student comments of what they liked about each student's performance are greatly encouraged!
- Wednesday Bonus Game Posted in Classroom - Scavenger Hunt: Find out what song has the word "dog" in it and tell us about it in the Classroom!
- Students are encouraged to sign up for Piano Class #3 Flex Class to continue their musical education!