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Piano Summer Camp: Creative Blues Improvisation Level-Up (Ages 12+)

This fun 4 lesson summer camp is for students who loved my blues improvisation summer camp and want to level-up their playing.
Paul McFarland
Average rating:
5.0
Number of reviews:
(223)
Star Educator
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What's included

4 live meetings
1 hrs 40 mins in-class hours
Homework
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 4-lesson summer camp meets twice weekly for 2 weeks. Your child will learn to improvise on the piano while learning important piano skills.

This course is a follow-up to my "Piano Summer Camp: Creative Blues Improvisation (Ages 12+)" course. If you haven't taken that class yet, please check it out first! 

This course will be more tailored to your specific blues interests and needs. Throughout the course we will cover the following topics: 

Lesson 1: Blues Review: During this lesson we'll review all of the major concepts learned in the first blues summer camp. The teacher will conduct an informal assessment and talk with you about what you'd like to accomplish in this course. 
Lesson 2: Advanced Rhythms: This lesson will be tailored to your specific needs and interests. We might work on swing or syncopated rhythms, blues shuffle, or advanced rhythmic elements.
Lesson 3: Left Hand Patterns: This lesson will be tailored to your specific needs and interests. We might work on power chords, the 12-bar blues chord progressions, or advanced blues left-hand patterns.
Lesson 4: Leveling-Up the Right Hand: This lesson will be tailored to your specific needs and interests. We might work on note groupings, trills and tremolos, or famous blues licks and riffs.

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 class, 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, the majority of the camp 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 learn to level-up their blues playing with advanced rhythms, left hand patterns, and right hand blues-elements.
learning goal

Syllabus

4 Lessons
over 2 Weeks
Lesson 1:
Blues Review
 During this lesson, we'll review all of the major concepts learned in the first blues summer camp. The teacher will conduct an informal assessment and talk with you about what you'd like to accomplish in this course. 
25 mins online live lesson
Lesson 2:
Advanced Rhythms
 This lesson will be tailored to your specific needs and interests. We might work on swing or syncopated rhythms, blues shuffle, or advanced rhythmic elements. 
25 mins online live lesson
Lesson 3:
Left Hand Patterns
 This lesson will be tailored to your specific needs and interests. We might work power chords, the 12-bar blues chord progressions, or advanced blues left-hand patterns. 
25 mins online live lesson
Lesson 4:
Leveling-Up the Right Hand
 This lesson will be tailored to your specific needs and interests. We might work on note groupings, trills and tremolos, or famous blues licks and riffs. 
25 mins online live lesson

Other Details

Pre-Requisites
Students should complete my "Piano Summer Camp: Creative Blues Improvisation (Ages 12+)" before taking this class. If you've taken piano lessons for at least a year and would like an exemption to this prerequisite, please message me!
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
Profile
Teacher expertise and credentials
Maryland Teaching Certificate in Music/Theater/Arts
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! 

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Live Group Course
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$30

weekly or $60 for 4 classes
2x per week, 2 weeks
25 min

Completed by 1 learner
Live video meetings
Ages: 12-17
3-4 learners per class

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