Piano Summer Camp: Creative Blues Improvisation (Ages 8-12)
Does your child love blues music or creating their own songs? They can learn to jam on the piano with a blues style! This 4-lesson summer camp class allows them to explore key piano skills in a fun, bluesy improvisational style.
Paul McFarland
Average rating:
5.0
Number of reviews:(223)
Star Educator
What's included
4 live meetings
1 hrs 40 mins in-class hoursHomework
1-2 hours per week. 1-2 hours of practice is recommended per week. A practice guide will be provided.Assessment
An informal assessment of the student's playing level will be given during the first class. This will help guide instruction for the remaining classes. No prior experience? No problem--the assessment will look at what the student is able to do by the end of the lesson. While assessments aren't "required" as such, they will be conducted informally by the teacher--the student will most likely not know they are being assessed.Class Experience
Beginner - Intermediate Level
New coupon code available for Summer 2024!! Get $20 off this class with coupon code MCFAR9K5BC20 until Sep 1, 2024. Thank you for checking out my summer camp! This is a 4-lesson camp meeting twice a week for 2 weeks. Your child will learn to improvise (create their own music) in a blues style on the piano while learning important piano skills. Lesson 1: Bb Minor Pentatonic Scale (Black Keys) Lesson 2: C (Major or minor) Blues Scale Lesson 3: Chords (Left hand chord roots, chords, or a 12 bar blues progression) Lesson 4: Advanced Improv Skills Growing up, I would have given anything for blues piano lessons. I am grateful for the years of traditional piano instruction I personally received, but I would have given anything to jam like the greats. Receiving my first boogie piano instruction book was one of the great turning points in my life. In this course, I try to pass on exactly that: an introduction to the creative side of blues piano. I believe that students learn best by doing. While I model all of the skills taught in the class, the majority of the class will be spent with the students experimenting in a safe environment and receiving instant feedback. Students will learn to improvise by improvising. This is a learner-directed class. There are no prerequisites for the class, and no prior piano experience is required. As such, some students will come into the class and learn their first note on the piano during the first lesson! Other students may come in with years of traditional piano lessons under the belt, seeking improvisation instruction. Those students might learn different skills the first week. I will assess each individual student within the first lesson and provide learner-directed, differentiated lessons. I’ve had a really great experience learning how to improvise, and I’m excited to pass this on to you. I look forward to seeing you there!
Learning Goals
Students will be able to improvise in the right hand using one of 3 blues scales.
Students will be able to play a left hand pattern.
Syllabus
4 Lessons
over 2 WeeksLesson 1:
Bb Minor Pentatonic Scale (Black Keys)
Students will learn how to improvise with 2, 3, & 5 note groupings using the Eb Minor Pentatonic Scale (the black keys). Students will learn the basics of improvisation and will experience improvising with a backing track. 25 mins online live lesson
Lesson 2:
C (Major or minor) Blues Scale
Students will learn the notes of their preferred scale. Students will learn how to improvise with these notes using backing tracks and improvisation techniques. Students will experiment with swing rhythms. 25 mins online live lesson
Lesson 3:
Chords
Students will learn how to play the blues in their left hand using either chord roots, chords, or a 12 bar blues progression (depending on ability and choice). Advanced students may work on combining hands. 25 mins online live lesson
Lesson 4:
Advanced Skills
Students will learn how to combine hands if they didn't do so in the previous lesson. Students will work on leveling up their improvisation through the use of extra guided practice on previous concepts, licks & riffs, slides, or note groupings. 25 mins online live lesson
Other Details
Supply List
Students will need a keyboard or a piano. Please select original sound on Zoom to ensure I can hear both the learner and their piano. See directions here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QomLaSTpR-U Optional: The teacher uses the iReal Pro App throughout lessons. Students are welcome to purchase it for use at home, but it is not a requirement for the course. https://www.irealpro.com/ Purchase is available through Google Play(Android), or the App Store (iPhone, iPad, Mac). Cost: $14.99 ($5 in-app purchase for blues package.)
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Joined May, 2020
5.0
223reviews
Star Educator
Teacher expertise and credentials
Maryland Teaching Certificate in Music/Theater/Arts
2 Degrees
Master's Degree in Music or Theatre or Arts from Loyola University Maryland
Bachelor's Degree in Music or Theatre or Arts from SUNY Fredonia
I'm a certified music teacher with over a decade of experience teaching music in the public schools. My Bachelor's Degree (from SUNY Fredonia) is in music education, and my Master's Degree (from Loyola University Maryland) specializes in Kodály Music Education.
My mom was a piano teacher and my dad was a public school music teacher, so in one sense you could say I've always grown up around music and the piano. I had traditional piano lessons growing up and in college. However, around Middle School I discovered that my real love for piano is Boogie Woogie music, the blues, and improvisation. I would have given anything at the time for improvisation instruction; that's one of the reasons why I'm so passionate about passing on my love of piano improvisation with young students today!
Reviews
Live Group Course
$30
weekly or $60 for 4 classes2x per week, 2 weeks
25 min
Completed by 6 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 8-12
3-4 learners per class
