Multi-Day Beginning Piano Class (Ages 6-9) With Mrs. Karen

I am very excited to offer this 8 week multi-day beginning piano class for students.  I am a retired public school music teacher and have taught private piano lessons in my home for many years.  Through music, children learn about other subjects, such as math, science, language, and history.  Music is a wonderful way to share your feelings with others and it can definitely affect your attitude in a wonderful way!   My private piano students use the same teaching method that I will be using in this class:  “Faber Piano Adventures”.  The book that will be used in this class  is the Primer Level lesson book.  There are several books in this series for each of the learning levels, but I am only requiring the “lesson book” to be bought for this class. The price of this book is approximately $6.95 and will  be used in all of the piano lessons for the duration of this class.  We will not complete the lesson book in only 8 weeks.  We will attempt to complete the first half of the book during this class. Students will not learn all of the songs in the first half of this book, but they will be exposed to all of the music skills needed for all of the songs. 

As we go through the first half of the  book (pages 4-41), I will  skip  songs when necessary; however, I will make sure that the students learn the music skills on those pages. As with any group situation, it is sometimes difficult to move at a pace that is perfect for all students.  If your child becomes discouraged at any point during this class, I encourage you to message me so that I am aware of this and can give suggestions to help your learner.  I would also suggest watching the video created during each class in order to review the skills taught.  Learning music and playing the piano can be a difficult new skill to learn.  It takes time and outside practice in order to progress.  A new skill will be taught in each class, and the  new skill in each class will build on the skills already learned. If your child needs to miss a class for any reason, I encourage you to watch the video created during the class so that your child can learn the skills needed to move forward in the next class.  

During most of the weeks,  there will be a "challenge song". A "challenge song" is one that uses the same skills that have been introduced in class.   For "challenge songs", students have learned all the necessary musical knowledge so that they can attempt to play the song at home on their own.  I will play the "challenge song" during class so that they know what it sounds like.  A "challenge song" is not a required homework assignment for the students, but intended as an extra song for students that are interested in additional music.  Hopefully, this will help to create a more "individual" learning experience for each of  the students in the class. Not all 6, 7, 8, and 9 year old students learn at the same pace so this gives an additional opportunity to work at their own individual "comfort zone". If at any time, you are interested in additional feedback from me about your child's performance, I would love for you to send a video of your child playing solos. This can be sent to me privately and I am always happy to respond with feedback and helpful hints for them.  I have had parents do this multiple times in the past and I really enjoy a one-on-one experience with the children. 

During each lesson, it is my hope (depending on time) to give each student a chance to play a solo at the beginning and end of the lesson.  This is certainly not a requirement and students are never pressured to play alone.  Depending on time, there may be classes that we are only able to perform solos one time during the lesson for that week. 

Each week (after class), I will upload class notes into the classroom. These notes will explain what we did in class that day and what pages in the book that students can work on.  Students will also receive practice videos. The classes each week will follow this schedule: 

Week 1-  During the first week of this class, students will learn basic information about the piano, as well as correct posture and hand positions. They will learn the finger numbers and how to use particular fingers on the black keys, as well as the value and appearance of the “quarter note”. They will learn 4 black note songs. The information on pages 4-14 will be covered this week, but we will quickly go through basic skills at a pace that is comfortable for the students. 

Week 2- The second week will be spent learning  note value of the  "half note". The students will learn about “repeated notes” and play several songs using both hands. Pages 15-19 will be covered.  Page 19 may be a "challenge song".
       
Week 3- They will continue learning note values during the third week with the whole note. They  will practice rhythms through a variety of activities and will also learn  “Old MacDonald” on the black keys. They will learn the symbols for the dynamic levels “soft” (piano) and “loud” (forte).  The music alphabet will also be introduced this week. The skills on pages 20-24 will be introduced.  The song on page 20 will possibly be a "challenge song". 
       
Week 4- The fourth week  will give the students practice learning the musical alphabet and where the notes are located on the piano. They will also learn about "steps" in music. Students will practice learning where all 7 letters of the music alphabet are located on the staff. The skills on pages 25-27 will be introduced. Students will learn to play the notes C, D, E and F, G, A, B on the keyboard using the "cross hands" technique" 


Week 5- During week 5, the students will learn the C" 5-Finger Scale".   They will begin to recognize that music is divided into measures and will have practice drawing their own measures and notes. They will be introduced to the composer Beethoven.  All songs on pages 28-30 use the same notes and hand positions.  Students will practice the song on page 28 in class. They will learn the terms "bar lines" and "measures" on page 29 and will learn about Beethoven on page 30. Pages 29 and 30 will be used as "challenge songs".
        
Week 6- The sixth week will bring the addition of the dotted half note.  They will learn some basic music terminology, such as the staff, line notes, space notes, grand staff, bass clef, and treble clef. Students will recognize that notes are placed on particular lines or spaces of the staff to represent a note. They will also be introduced to a song that only uses the note "Middle C" on page 36.  The song on page 36 will be a "challenge song". 

Week 7- The seventh week lesson will add the note "Treble G".  Students will learn several songs that use the notes "Middle C" and "Treble G". All songs on pages 37 -39 use the same hand position and the same notes. We will learn the songs on pages 37 and 38 in class. The song on page 39 will be a "challenge song".
 
Week 8- During the last week of this session, students will learn the new note "Bass F", played with the left hand.  They will learn a song that uses the notes "Bass F" and "Middle C". They may also be introduced to a song that uses all three notes they have learned:  "Bass F", "Middle C", and "Treble G". They will be introduced to the skills on pages 40-41. 
      
         I will try my best to stay exactly with this weekly schedule, but my main focus is teaching music skills to these students at a level that they can easily understand. Because of that, I may need to deviate from the schedule a little in order to move at a speed that is comfortable for the students’ understanding.  I will try to move at a pace that keeps the students engaged in the activities in order to learn as much information about music as possible during this class.  As I stated earlier, it is important that parents keep me informed of their child's level of understanding.  As a teacher, I understand that all students learn at a different pace and I rely on parent communication as a means of support.  
                
         It is important that students begin this multi-day class from the very first lesson so that they can learn as the rest of the students learn.  Music is a skill that is built on knowledge learned in previous lessons (much like math skills are built).  I have  a great deal of experience working with young children in the public school setting, in my private studio at home, and in online teaching.  I am a very enthusiastic teacher and believe in giving a lot of positive encouragement and reinforcement as students move through their musical experiences.  During lessons,  time management will be used in a variety of ways as we spend time playing the piano keys, clapping, singing,  and writing basic music theory skills needed.   I am excited to meet each of the students as we learn about more about the world of music together.  Thanks so much and I look forward to meeting your learner!  Karen