THE 5

Each lesson revolves around 5 categories that my advisor and I decided on. Here they are:

                                1. Note-reading

                                2. Rhythm

                                3. Transposition

                                4. Composition

                                5. Improvisation

1. Note-reading is pretty self-explanatory. I open the book, tell them what to play, and help them make it happen. So far, the students are just flying through the book I have, which is very good news! As the weeks go by, I'll give them songs that they may or may not be familiar with. Hopefully they'll practice (fingers crossed!) so the next time I see them, they can show me their improvement.

2. I have 21 rhythm sheets, titled The Eighth Note Challenge. They start off pretty easy, but progressively get more difficult. I had planned on going through one or two of these every lesson, but from what I've seen so far, they can handle much more than that. One student completed three sheets in three minutes. I was beyond impressed.

3. Transposition is something I really wish I had learned early on. Basically, these are "5 finger positions". I introduced G Major first. Your thumb (finger #1) falls on G. Then the rest of your fingers fall on A, B, C, and D. In this position, I have them plunk out a couple different tunes. Mary Had a Little Lamb, Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, or When the Saints Go Marching In. This relies a lot on playing by ear, and it helps them become more familiar with the piano and the change in pitch from key to key. Yes, the students get  a little frustrated when they can't find the tune very quickly, so I help them out. I write the finger number patterns, I play it for them so they can get the tune in their head, or whatever that particular student needs. So far, they've all walked out the door having been able to play at least one of the tunes all the way through.

4. Composition has always been something that's really hard for me. What I'm going to do for this part of my project is give them three notes and a mood. Then I'll say, "Ready, go." I did this with a student for the first time yesterday, and she really pulled it off! I gave her a simple triad (C,E,G), and said "happy". She took that and ran with it. She gave me cords, she gave me rhythm, and she gave me a melody! Who knows? Maybe I'll have a student write a song to play at the recital.

5. Improvisation is my favorite part. There is this book that my advisor recommended, and I was looking around for it, couldn't find it, got a little upset, then miraculously, I found out my sister had a copy! It's called Pattern Play, and it is my new best friend. It has parts for me (the teacher) while the students play whatever they want to. It is so fun! And it makes the students feel good at the end of a tough lesson by having them realize that they can make music. That's what this is all about.