Adele With a Twist

Most teenage students enjoy the opportunity to play music they know and love along with the curriculum of skills and repertoire that we believe is important for their music education.  I have been asking what they might like to play for fun this month and the top answer has been "anything by Adele".

It is easier than ever to access pop music online, students can easily hop over to www.musicnotes.com to purchase and download a piano score of any favorite song.  However, I like to take the opportunity to help students play from the chords and lyrics sheets that you find at a site such as www.guitaretab.com.

I have been having a lot of success with "Set Fire to the Rain" by Adele, so I'll share my approach with you.  First of all, go to iTunes and buy the song, then go to www.guitaretab.com and print the chords and lyrics page.  In my studio I have a digital piano along with external speakers, which are set up to play the music on my iPad.

First, my student needs to know that Dm stands for a d minor chord and F stands for an F Major chord.  We go through the sequence of eight chords using root position in the right hand.

Then we talk about arranging some of the chords so the moves are smoother. When F Major is played in 2nd inversion it becomes so easy to move from d minor to F Major by simply stepping the thumb down. So now the right hand chords might look like this:

Next, we add the left hand root notes in the bass and give the right hand steady quarter notes.

Then, to make it sound even more like the song we apply a simple pattern to the right hand chords: 5-1-3-1-5-1-3-1. Like this:

Now it's time to try playing along with Adele. Students need to move quickly from chord to chord so you might start off by just playing the left hand bass notes or just the right hand quarter note chords with the recording.

When you get to the refrain, you might like to have the left hand play in octaves for more power, and the right hand could play steady quarter note chords. At the chorus I would continue the left hand octaves and let right hand do the 5-1-3-1 pattern again.

This is a really fun short term project for teenagers and it gives them the basic skills and motivation to go pick their own favorite songs and start building their own chords and lyrics collections. Some other songs that we have done this way include: "Haunted" by Taylor Swift, "The Show" by Lenka, "The Climb" by Miley Cyrus and "I Will Remember You" by Sarah McLaughlin.

Cough Into Your Sleeve

It is only September 20 and the sniffing and coughing have already started. Somehow I thought I had a little more time before starting the dance to avoid the cold and flu germs that come into my studio on a daily basis.

As self-employed teachers we simply can't afford to get sick. Most of us don't have the luxury of taking a sick day unless we want to be faced with a stream of phone calls, emails and make-up lessons.

So starting this week, Vitamin C is part of the daily routine, and I will remind students to wash their hands before lesson time. I buy a stack of face cloths for students to dry their hands on so I don't end up with a soggy towel at the end of each day.

Back in 2007 Rick Mercer was poking fun at the extremes of avoiding germs, but these days students have learned that coughing into their sleeve is appreciated. Enjoy the silly video (Canadians love Rick Mercer!) and you just wouldn't believe who did the music.

Maybe some of you would like to share your studio policies and I'd like to know if anyone is successfully using Skype to help deal with sick days. Wishing you all a healthy Fall teaching season.

Play It Again, Sam

Last week I picked up a copy of Play It again, Sam... by Marianne Uszler. This quick 60-page read is from the Teaching Keyboard Effectively Yourself series published by FJH. Other titles include Times Flies and That's a Good Question. These self-help pedagogy books focus on specific issues and offer practical hints to teachers. Play It Again, Sam... examines the topic of what, why and when to repeat.

Uszler emphasizes that teachers must be able to distinguish the difference between teaching motor skills versus cognitive skills as it helps us understand how to effectively use repetition and reinforcement in our teaching.

"A motor skill must be repeated exactly in order for it to become a natural habit. Learning a concept, on the other hand, must be reinforced (and in that sense repeated) by using the concept in varied contexts. "Practice" is the word to use when working on a motor skill. "Reinforcement" is a better term to describe internalizing a concept."

iSpud Free app

I suspect we have all have a "magic number" of repetitions required to master a particular motor skill. In my arsenal of practice tricks I use Penny Practice, Smartie Practice, the Practice Posie, Funny Face Practice and the Mr. Potato Head app as ways to playfully encourage students to do enough repetitions to get results. Uszler reminds us that we must also encourage students to think, look, plan and listen to use repetition to its full advantage.

The Practice Posie from www.pianodiscoveries.ca

Her list of helpful hints are good ones to keep in mind for reinforcing musical concepts in different contexts.

1. The more you call students' attention to groups (rather than to isolated pitch or note names), the more quickly they learn to see connections and make relationships.
2. The more you vary reading and rhythm drills and exercises (slightly, but continually), the more alert student will remain.
3. The more you precede rhythmic reading drills with rhythmic experiences that relate to the drills, the more you make students aware that rhythm takes place over an ongoing pulse.
4. The more short and varied note-reading drills you use to help students establish good reading habits, the more at ease they become with the process of note-reading.
5. The more you include short ear-training drills and experiences at each lesson, the faster your students associate names and definition with sounds and music making.
6. The more more you involve students in several learning modes (sight, ear and movement) when learning a new concept, the more quickly they develop an inner assurance that they "own" the concept.

As a final thought (which I highlighted in yellow),

"Remember, the best teachers are those who can - and do - say the same thing a thousand different ways, appealing to many senses and touching a thousand different nerve endings in order to stimulate someone else to independent thought and action."

A First Piano Lesson

My hand - Age 7

The first piano lesson is an exciting and memorable day. I  vaguely remember my first piano lesson with my childhood teacher. I know I traced my left hand and learned my finger numbers because I found my old dictation book from 1975 with my first piano assignment. I learned Middle C, D and E and could hardly wait to turn the page to start using F.

Last weekend I had the pleasure of giving a first piano lesson to a brand new beginner. She arrived with her Mom on Saturday morning with her piano bag, new glasses and a big smile. We had met earlier in the summer, so she knew there would be games and music and of course a kitten to enjoy.

Drip and Rainbow

I believe a good place to begin is with something the child already knows... finger painting! So we started at the table pretending to paint drips and rainbows with our fingertips. We said, "drip drip drip drip" as we tapped short sounds, and we said "rain-bow rain-bow" as we made long sounds. Then I gave her a set of drip and rainbow cards so she could create and tap her own rhythms. This is a point where I like to observe learning style. I find it interesting to notice if students like to use patterns when they create their drip and rainbow rhythms. During this activity I also make a point of asking for right or left hand, which leads nicely into the next segment. You may download and print your own Drip & Rainbow cards at Piano Discoveries.

Hands and Fingers

Next we found the page in her Music Discoveries workbook where we could trace her hands and label the finger numbers. From there we were able to play Flashy Fingers, where the student taps a sequence of finger numbers with RH or LH. You can download Flashy Fingers and the finger sequence cards plus other fun teaching aids by visiting my Piano Discoveries website.

High Middle Low

Next we moved to the piano where we took some time to explore the groups of two and three black keys. We made peeping chick sounds up high, mooing sounds like a cow down low and the cat sang "meow meow feed me now" right in the middle. My students learn to verbalize as they play from the very beginning. With eyes closed she could easily identify the sound of the chick, the cat and the cow. Then we placed the high, middle and low cards behind the groups of two black keys as a guide. I sent this photo home to help her remember where to place the cards on her own piano.

Rhythm Blocks

Back to the table where we discovered that in music we use tah for short sounds like the drip and we use half note for long sounds like the rainbow. I have a beautiful set of wooden rhythm blocks which fit perfectly on my Music Discoveries pages. We created rhythm patterns to clap together and then I clapped rhythms for her to notate with the blocks. This is a great follow-up activity to do at home with Mom and Dad.

Up We Go

We clapped and marched "tah tah half-note" around the room and over to the piano. Then we used our high, middle and low groups of two black keys to play "Up We Go" with the left hand...

(low) Two black keys what a breeze, 

(middle) short short long sing this song, 

(high) up we go high (low) low.

First piano lesson!

My student went home with a treasure chest box containing high/middle/low cards, drip and rainbow cards, tah and half note rhythm blocks and the Flashy Fingers game. Are we having fun yet?

Some of you may remember that I took the RCM Piano Pedagogy Viva Voce Exam back in June. One of the first questions I was asked was to discuss what I would cover in a first piano lesson. I can't think of anything more fun to talk about! I would be happy to give first piano lessons every day of the week.

New Whiteboard Backgrounds

Piano teachers are discovering that the iPad is a terrific tool in the studio. Little by little I discover how to use "Paddy" in efficient, creative and useful ways.

If you are still reading I am guessing you have an iPad or you are at least thinking about making the investment. And if that is the case, you need to know about buying a Stylus. Of course you can swipe, tap and swoosh with your fingertip, but you can also buy a pen-like device made just for the iPad. This will come in handy if you want to do drawing activities with your students.


I mentioned this app before, but for just $1.99 I would recommend the Multitouch Whiteboard, which you can easily find in the app store. The best part is you can choose your own background image from files you have saved in "Photos". I have an event called "Whiteboard" where I save all of my background images. You can have them too, just visit one of my Dropbox links:

1. View the Dropbox Gallery and download your favorite background images one by one. Just a note, the "save" feature doesn't seem to work on the iPad, so save at your desktop or laptop.

2. Download the complete set of backgrounds in one handy folder. Your computer should easily unzip the folder then import the images to your iPad.

Here are samples from some new backgrounds I created this week. Notice I am using my stylus for drawing.

Draw clefs and landmark notes from the Barnyard Friends

Draw note and rest values

Practice the order of sharps using this template

Draw the order of flats with the layout guide

The blank grand staff has all kinds of uses... just use your imagination

Wrapping Up the Tools

Today let's finish up those Intermediate Piano Practicing Tools. These twelve techniques give teenagers smart approaches to learning new repertoire plus the strategies they need to solve their own problems in the practice room.

#7 Blocking
#8 Balance
#9 Tap n' Count
#10 Leap n' Land
#11 Articulation Perfection
#12 Shaping Phrases

Here are some repertoire samples from the Grade 5 Perspectives album to illustrate each tool in action.

We can use two valuable tools in "Postlude" by George Fiala. I would first work out the entire left hand using blocked chords while counting 1 + 2 +. Blocking is a great way to establish tactile memory and encourages students to study how the chords are connected.

When hands are played together, balance becomes an important artistic element. Most intermediate students are still developing the technical ability to achieve control of balance. I find that using those blocked left hand chords together with the right hand's melody is valuable as a first step. Think of volume dials on each hand, turn LH down to a 2 and RH up to 6.

Sounding the Accordion by Jeno Takacs provides a good opportunity to review "e" counting with students. I would begin by clapping and counting the RH with 1 e + a syllables. Do the same with left hand to make sure students are observing the eighth rests correctly. But the important learning step here is the hands together Tap n' Count. This helps students work out the large motor coordination before diving into notes and fingering.

The leaping left hand makes "A Slow Waltz" by Dmitri Kabalevsky a bit of a challenge for intermediate students. So we need to train that left hand like a figure skater would need to train a triple salchow. We'll use the Leap n' Land technique, which is a little trick I learned in university (thanks Jani). I find it makes a such big difference in ease and accuracy. 

Have your student begin with the very first leap: Low A to the A Minor triad (m. 1) Play the staccato Low A and bounce up to the A Minor triad - but don't play it! Just look and notice if your fingers land perfectly on A-C-E. Do it again. And again. And again. The goal is to train every leap with efficient and flawless tactile memory. Eyes closed? Even better.

Bartok loves to fill his music with staccatos, accents, slurs and such. Students should learn "Jest" with Articulation Perfection from day 1. This is an ideal opportunity to make a little glossary of articulation signs and terms for your student. We work out the touch, sound and choreography of the right hand as if we were getting ready for "Dancing With the Stars". It is the articulation that brings this piece to life with energy and a sense of humor. 

"Melancholy Reflections" by Mike Schoenmehl is a beautiful, reflective piece with rich harmonies that appeal to the intermediate student's ear. The phrase structure in this piece lends itself to encouraging students to study melodic contour to help determine expressive shaping. The first phrase is a wonderful example, where we can add a crescendo and diminuendo to suit the rise and fall of the melodic line. Remember, Shaping the Phrases can happen in the initial learning stages, no need to wait to add expressive artistry like a final layer of icing on a cake.


Hope you enjoyed my collection of strategies for the Toolbox. The goal is to teach students to teach themselves.

More Intermediate Practice Tools

This is a continuation of the post on Intermediate Piano Practicing Tools. Today I'll take a look at three more techniques for the toolbox using repertoire from RCM's Perspectives Series Piano Repertoire 5.
 
#4  Fab Fingering
#5  Backwards Sections
#6  Push-ups

"Jig" by Violet Archer has got to be one of the most popular selections from the Grade 5 Repertoire book. Kids love it and they want to play it fast! So if the fingers are going to behave the initial learning needs to emphasize Fab Fingering. We start with RH alone on line 1, making sure every fingering is perfect. I ask my students to say the fingering out loud because it slows them down, often I'll have them play slowly with the metronome. Adding the left hand is always easy-breezy and as we look at the form, students are delighted to discover that the A section is recycled a number of times.

It's so tempting to just start from the beginning isn't it? When I teach "Little March" by Talivaldis Kenis I like to mix things up. First we divide the music into six sections and then we learn the piece backwards, starting with section 6. Why? It prevents mindless repetition. It takes more concentration to work backwards. How many times have you sat at the piano "practicing" while thinking about groceries or emails (okay students are thinking about math tests and ringette games). Plus this kind of learning establishes future memory emergency spots.

The other Practice Tool that really works is push-ups... that is Metronome Push-ups. This technique helps students increase the speed of a piece little by little without letting notes and fingering get messy. We set the metronome to 60 and play one section perfectly polished. Push the metronome up two notches and play it again. Keep going until you reach 120 or faster. It really works!

Intermediate Practice Tools 1, 2, 3

Yesterday I wrote about focusing on Piano Practicing Tools with my Intermediate (Grade 5) students. Today I will look at teaching the first three tools on my list using repertoire from the RCM's Perspectives Series Piano Repertoire 5.

#1  Simplify
#2  "and" Counting
#3  Eight Reps for Success

"The Lake" is a beautiful piece by Alec Rowley. Students can find it visually challenging with the big key signature, accidentals and clef changes. But when they learn how to break it down and simplify, suddenly the piece becomes easy. Line 1 is just made up of four chords. Practice these four positions until they are memorized. Use the pedal, changing on each chord. Now take each chord, play it once then hop it up an octave. That's the pattern, just break it down and simplify to make it easy.

"Cha Cha" by Siegfried Merath is always a student pleaser. But the secret to  success is learning it very slowly with "and" counting. My students start by reading through the right hand. We count in 1 + 2 + 3, then start playing on + 4 +. Yes, I insist on counting out loud.

Guaranteed every student will get a little mixed up at the end of the line. So we box the tricky part in m. 3-4 and do eight repetitions in a row. By the fourth or fifth repetition that spot is sounding polished. There are four tricky bits like this one in the piece, so we find them all, circle them and practice each one 8 times in a row. I doesn't take long for the right hand to sound perfectly polished.

Check out the next group of practice tools tomorrow. Don't forget to print your Practice Tool stickers. Just click here to download and print on Avery mailing labels 5160/8160.