Transformational Piano Teaching

Transformational Piano Teaching: Mentoring Students from All Walks of Life examines the concept of the piano teacher as someone who is more than just a teacher of a musical skill, but also someone who wields tremendous influence on the development of a young person's artistic and empathic potential, as well as their lifelong personal motivational framework. The specific attributes of today's students are explored, including family and peer influences from interpersonal relationships to social media. Additionally, students from specific circumstances are discussed, including those with special needs such as Autism Spectrum Disorders, ADHD, and Depression. Finally, motivation of a teacher's students is related to a teacher's own motivation in their work, as a cycle of positivity and achievement will be recommended as a way to keep an instructor's work fresh and exciting.

Dynamic Group-Piano Teaching provides future teachers of group piano with an extensive framework of concepts upon which effective and dynamic teaching strategies can be explored and developed. Within fifteen chapters, it encompasses learning theory, group process, and group dynamics within the context of group-piano instruction. This book encourages teachers to transfer learning and group dynamics theory into classroom practice. As a piano pedagogy textbook, supplement for pedagogy classes, or resource for graduate teaching assistants and professional piano teachers, the book examines learning theory, student needs, assessment, and specific issues for the group-piano instructor.

Teaching Piano in Groups provides a one-stop compendium of information related to all aspects of group piano teaching. Motivated by an ever-growing interest in this instructional method and its widespread mandatory inclusion in piano pedagogy curricula, Christopher Fisher highlights the proven viability and success of group piano teaching, and arms front-line group piano instructors with the necessary tools for practical implementation of a system of instruction in their own teaching. Contained within are: a comprehensive history of group piano teaching; accessible overviews of the most important theories and philosophies of group psychology and instruction; suggested group piano curricular competencies; practical implementation strategies; and thorough recommendations for curricular materials, instructional technologies, and equipment. Teaching Piano in Groups also addresses specific considerations for pre-college teaching scenarios, the public school group piano classroom, and college-level group piano programs for both music major and non-music majors. Teaching Piano in Groups is accompanied by an extensive companion website, featuring a multi-format listing of resources as well as interviews with several group piano pedagogues.

Providing essential tools to transform college piano students into professional piano teachers, Courtney Crappell's Teaching Piano Pedagogy helps teachers develop pedagogy course curricula, design and facilitate practicum-teaching experiences, and guide research projects in piano pedagogy. The book grounds the reader in the history of the domain, investigates course materials, and explores unique methods to introduce students to course concepts and help them put those concepts into practice. To facilitate easy integration into the curriculum, Crappell provides example classroom exercises and assignments throughout the text, which are designed to help students understand and practice the related topics and skills. Teaching Piano Pedagogy is not simply a book about teaching piano--it is a book about how piano students learn to teach.

How can piano teachers successfully foster student participation and growth from the outset? How can teachers prepare and sustain their influential work with beginner student musicians? This book presents answers to these questions by making important connections with current music education research, masters of the performance world, music philosophers, and the author’s 30-year career as a piano pedagogy instructor in Canada, the USA, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. It investigates the multilayered role piano teachers play right from the very beginning – the formative first four to five years during which teachers empower students to explore and expand their own emerging musical foundations. This book offers a humane, emancipatory, and generous approach to teaching by grappling with some of the most fundamental issues behind and consequences of studio music teaching. More experiential than abstract and cerebral, it demonstrates how teaching beginner piano students involves an attentiveness to musical concerns like our connection to music, learning to play by ear and by reading, caring for music, the importance of tone and technique, and helping students develop fluency through their accumulated repertoire. Teaching beginner students also draws on personal aspects like independence and authenticity, the moral and ethical dignity associated with democratic relationships, and meaningful conversations with parents. Further, another layer of teaching beginners acknowledges both sides of the coin in terms of growth and rest, teaching what is and what might be, as well as supporting and challenging student development. In this view, how teachers fuel authentic student musicians from the beginning is intimately connected to the knowledge, beliefs, and values that permeate their thoughts and actions in everyday life. Fundamentals of Piano Pedagogy stands out as a much-needed instructional resource with immense personal, practical, social, philosophical, educational, and cultural relevance for today’s studio music teachers. Its humanistic and holistic approach invites teachers to consider not only who they are and what music means to them, but also what they have yet to imagine about themselves, about music, their students, and life.

This second volume of Professional Piano Teaching is designed to serve as a basic text for a second-semester or upper-division piano pedagogy course. It provides an overview of learning principles and a thorough approach to essential aspects of teaching intermediate to advanced students. Special features include discussions on how to teach, not just what to teach; numerous musical examples; chapter summaries; and suggested projects for new and experienced teachers. Topics: * teaching students beyond the elementary levels * an overview of learning processes and learning theories * teaching transfer students * preparing students for college piano major auditions * teaching rhythm, reading, technique, and musicality * researching, evaluating, selecting, and presenting intermediate and advanced repertoire * developing stylistic interpretation of repertoire from each musical period * developing expressive and artistic interpretation and performance * motivating students and providing instruction in effective practice * teaching memorization and performance skills

Richard Chronister was one of the pedagogy greats of his time. During the last forty years of the 20th century, he was a driving force for better piano teaching and better training of piano teachers. His influence reached from large universities to small independent studios, and his name was linked with both the most basic principles and the most recent research. His accomplishments were legendary. He started the first university degree program in piano pedagogy, served on six different faculties, and developed a new piano method. He was co-founder of the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy and the founder and editor of Keyboard Companion magazine. All his professional life he asked searching questions, such as: How can I build on children's innate love of music? How can I teach so that my students keep learning, practicing and making music? How can I teach my students to become independent learners? What can I apply to my teaching from discoveries of the past and of my own time? How can I become an acute observer of what my students are doing? And of what teachers whom I observe are doing? And of what I am doing as a teacher? This compendium contains Chronister's best answers to these questions and many more. They come from his articles, addresses and lectures. Whether speaking or writing, his style is always lucid, informal and engaging. He never pretends to have the final answer, and invited his audience to consider his advice and reach their own conclusions. This book deserves a place in the library of every serious piano teacher!