Piano Summer Camp: Creative Contemporary (Pop) Improvisation (Ages 12+)
Does your child love contemporary (or pop) music or creating their own songs? They can learn to jam on the piano with a contemporary style! This 4-lesson piano camp allows them to explore key piano skills in a fun, 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.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 Level
New coupon code available for Summer 2024!! Get $20 off this class with coupon code MCFAR9K5BC20 until Sep 1, 2024. Thanks for checking out my summer camp! This is a 4-lesson summer camp, twice a week for two weeks. Students will learn how to play piano in the style of "popular music"-the type of music you might hear while streaming. Rather than learning a specific song, students will learn the fundamentals of the style and practice "jamming" or creating their own melodies. Improvisation is a fun, relaxed way to learn how to play the piano. Students will learn the major and pentatonic scales and how to improvise with those notes. They will start improvising right away! They will learn how to improvise with these notes using creative rhythms and various groupings. Specific lessons will be based on the skills and needs of each player. For more details, check out the syllabus! There are no prerequisites for the class, and no prior piano experience is required. However, many experienced pianists enjoy taking improvisation courses to improve their ear training and expand their repertoire. 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. 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 improvise (create their own melody) using scale notes in the right hand and chord roots or power chords in the left hand.
Syllabus
4 Lessons
over 2 WeeksLesson 1:
Scales
Students will learn the pentatonic scale and the C Major scale, as well as how to use these notes to improvise. 25 mins online live lesson
Lesson 2:
Chord Roots
Students will learn how to play chord progressions that are common in contemporary music. They will start with the left hand. Advanced students will work on combining hands. 25 mins online live lesson
Lesson 3:
Power Chords
Students will continue to work on common contemporary chord progressions, learning how to play power chords in the left hand. Students will work on combing hands. 25 mins online live lesson
Lesson 4:
Advanced Improv Elements
Students will work on putting all of their skills together and learning additional improvisation techniques such as note groupings, broken chords, and suspensions. 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
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 4 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 12-17
3-4 learners per class
