In this beginner recurring course, students will learn how to identify white and black key notes, play songs by ear and using notation, and play games to strengthen their knowledge of the instrument.  Students will need their own instrument at home, which can be either a piano or keyboard with at least 60 keys.  No prior piano experience is expected or required.

Over the course of the first four classes, students will learn (may vary according to student learning pace):
1. Week of 2/26:  The parts of the piano, best hand position, and first game songs
2. Week of 3/4: Identifying 2 and 3 black key groups and using them to play pentatonic songs
3. Week of 3/11: Playing songs that go back and forth between 2 hands; learning the difference between beat and rhythm
4. Week of 3/18: Looking at simplified piano notation and using it to play familiar and new songs on the piano; rhythm vs. melody

Subsequent classes will continue to cover the previous four weeks' material in a repetitive, spiral curriculum.  Additional subjects to be covered after the first four weeks include:
1. How to take songs previously learned on black keys and play them on white keys instead
2. The musical alphabet and how to use it to identify white keys on the piano
3. More complex singing games and formats such as echos and call and response

Students joining the class after the first few classes will be accommodated and should have no trouble catching up because of the necessity to repeat songs and practice skills until they are part of a students' musical memory. Each lesson will start with a review of all of the concepts covered in the first four classes, so as to provide a solid foundation for all students and help students who have joined after that foundation is established. The songs I have used in this curriculum are in the public domain and are either folk music or classical art music.  Tools learned in this class will translate well to any genre of music students prefer to learn.  

I am a Kodaly-certified teacher with over 17 years of experience teaching piano, and I have designed my curriculum for this class, which I will provide in digital copy at no cost to you.  My philosophy is that learning is best when it’s fun, so in addition to skills, I also include interactive games in each class.