Simpedia

Shanta H., Minnesota

If I were you I would start Accompaniment 1 right away. Reading lead sheets is something that is often not taught in traditional lessons, and the Simply Music trick for transposing is SO much simpler than any other way I have ever tried. That way they can be sourcing their own music right away too, which they will probably like. They can play the pop songs they like! Try giving them some Broadway lead sheets – there are enough crazy chords in some of those to keep ANYBODY busy.

Brianna S., Arizona

I would also encourage to get them composing as much as you can. I know from personal experience (I had 10 years of traditional lessons before I became a Simply Music teacher) that traditional students do not get any composing projects, and so that is usually difficult. So composing should help you keep them busy.

Fiona H., Australia

I have many ex traditional students – one is an adult up to grade 7 AMEB who also produces his own CD’s!!! Others are grade 5, grade 2, grade 1.

I would fully get them into demonstrating the SM strategies as they play for you in lesson – verbalizing etc. Keep up arrangements – don’t worry, Arr 3 is harder than Arr 2 and 1 which is good for extra material down the track. And get them to have ‘projects’ that they design, work on and being back to class that demonstrate SM strategies in action.

I would launch them into Acc 1 and challenge them with harder stuff – ie playing Light First Dawning in all keys. I get all students to buy Songs for Children as we process other chord types at back of Acc 1.  Then add rhythm a while down track.

I fully would get them into contemporary piano songs – and get them learning them using SM approach. Keep on top of your training – having these students are good for teacher progress through levels. They will also love jazz/Acc later down track. I really think the jazz program is just expanded Acc with jazz chords thrown in but it’s ok.

Check their pedaling, and don’t always assume ex traditional students can read, WRITE music and FEEL rhythm – they might learn a lot there. Acc 1 is your first extension point now.

I recommend you hook into a experienced teacher and discuss your ideas as you teach them.

Sharon B., Australia

Don’t feel that reading and SM are incompatible. One of the strengths of the whole program is that is versatile and can be used to suit the student. Over the years of reading Simpedia, I have gained the impression that teachers will often try and mould the student to the program, when in my view it should be the opposite, especially with students who have prior experience.

And I think you are right- you need to tread carefully as these students can be more easily put off. My approach has been to start by asking the student what musical interests they have or what they would like to get out of having lessons with you. (This doesn’t mean you can’t lead them in new directions down the track, but it gives you a basis to begin.) Usually these students like sense of freedom they get from SM.

The obvious choices for students who already read are accomp, arrangements, blues and improv, composition and jazz. You can run these alongside reading pieces. I wouldn’t go cold turkey on reading unless specifically requested by the student.

If a student is very advanced think about starting at a slightly higher level with the foundation pieces. (I’m sorry if this sounds like blasphemy!) I teach the piece the SM way, so they can play solidly without the book and then open the music book a couple of lessons later so they can read what they are playing. (This gives them a bit of a security blanket, knowing the music is there if they need it down the track.)

It may benefit you to learn the reading notes/rhythm programs in advance so you can work out how you might use the SM methods with these students. For example, you may introduce a ‘reading’ piece by getting them to see the patterns, similar sections/differences, (starting with the big picture first and narrowing down to specifics as you go along). Beginning this way starts to free the student of the ‘old’ sight reading way; (top to bottom approach where you just plow through the piece.)

Gordon Harvey, Australia

I would strongly warn against missing anything from the Foundation program for any student. For one thing, they may be missing out on base tools that they can use for reading-based projects down the track, and for another thing, not learning early level pieces may exclude them from learning the Arrangements, which is very likely to be valuable to them. The way I look at it is that if you don’t follow the program, you’re in unknown territory and you can no longer guarantee a result. It’s possible at times that the program is working ‘behind the scenes’ in ways we may not be fully aware of.

Sharon does say ‘if the student is very advanced’, so I can see where she’s coming from. I can certainly appreciate that the early Foundation pieces are simple for students to learn by reading or by ear, and very easy to play. Students simply need to understand that, as the name suggests, they are there to establish a foundation on which more developed skills are built. This is where the Foundation (there’s that word again) Session is crucial. The student needs to trust the process and trust that you know what will benefit them.

For most highly experienced students, learning early Foundation pieces will occupy only a small amount of lesson and practice time. It’s likely that in the earlier lessons you can give them plenty of projects (depending on how advanced they are). So in their first actual lesson after the Foundation Session you might give them two or three Foundation projects. At the following lesson they will probably be able to play all three pieces comfortably, but what you’ll really be looking for is that they’ve grasped the strategies. So you’d have them explain the learning process for each piece, and be listening for signs that they’ve got it, terms like ‘sentence’, ‘order’, ‘controlling the events’ and so on.

Next lesson might be another couple of Foundation pieces and one or two variations and maybe an Arrangement. Next lesson, maybe another Foundation piece and a couple of Arrangements. Maybe next time you could introduce the Accompaniment program. Right through this time you’d be giving them Composition and Improv projects, which will give you the opportunity to delve deeper into one or more of those if appropriate. You gradually increase the proportion of non-Foundation projects so that they don’t finish Foundation 1 too soon.

At the same time you can be helping them with pieces they have already learned, and you may even let them bring in occasional outside projects. Either they could read them or you could look at playing-based strategies, but you would need to make sure they know that they’ll occupy only a small part of their learning time, so may take a while to unfold.

All the time you’re looking for their saturation point where they are starting to be challenged by the amount or complexity of material, as well as making sure they are understanding and using the SM approach. Have them understand that that is what you’re working towards. Almost everyone will reach this point somewhere along the line, but if they don’t, perhaps they’re not right for SM. For example, the Accomp program is typically a major revelation for experienced students because they won’t have encountered lead sheets before, but if they have, it will often mean they they have very extensive experience. You may still be able to offer new distinctions and fill in gaps, but perhaps a specialist teacher would be a better choice for them.

I’d also be very cautious about opening the music book a couple of lessons later. You don’t want them to think that playing-based strategies are a stopgap, and that they will quickly get back to ‘normal’ music. If they’ve learned a Foundation piece to the level that they can play solidly (and have grasped the strategies), I see no use for returning to the notation at all. If the student is simply worried that they’ll forget the piece, explain that if they play it often enough they won’t, and that even if they do, they can go back to the playing-based strategies in their SHM’s, which will in fact be great because they’re reinforcing the base tools, which is the real reason why they learned the songs. They will certainly be able to return to the notation later when they’re learning our approach to reading.

Patti P., Hawaii

I have found myself lately having conversations with students and parents about just what “foundation” means. It seems to turn on some lightbulbs when I liken it to the foundation of a house. It’s essential, it’s the base, but it’s not the whole house. Without it the house will fall down, but we need to add walls and windows and doors. Likewise, the Foundation pieces are just the beginning steps, with much to be added as we go along in the form of variations and arrangements, etc.

This came up because one student seemed a bit disappointed that they were learning versions of Foundation 1 songs in Foundation 2. This conversation helped them understand a bit better where we were headed. I plan on incorporating this kind of conversation during Foundation 1 from now on so both parents and students understand more clearly how we will proceed.

The conversation about advanced students is very timely for me. I have a couple of students, a brother & sister, who can read from previous study. I would not call them advanced, although they have worked on some moderately difficult pieces in the past. They are both teenagers, and have worked their way through Foundation 1 and much of Foundation 2, as well as variations and some arrangements. They are moving soon and are expressing an interest in leaving Simply Music behind for the next few months and working on other projects. I think they’ll miss out on things they won’t get anywhere else – I was hoping to work a lot on arrangements, composition and accompaniment with them, but they seem to be very focused on “advancing”, not understanding that there are various paths to advance on.

Part of the issue is that they know another student of mine who is quite advanced. He has studied privately with me for several years, came to me with a couple of years under his belt already, and decided about 6 months after he started with me to really challenge himself. As a result, he advanced very quickly because he put in many hours of practice. I think that this brother/sister pair are feeling a bit restless and want to play like him, without being aware of the time he has invested, and without acknowledging that it isn’t really about which pieces you play, but how you approach them and express the music. Basically I feel their goal is to quickly be playing advanced pieces, without knowing the cost.

I appreciate Gordon’s post on how to proceed with this type of student, and it is basically what I have done with them to this point, including inviting them to bring in other projects. The girl has brought in one, which we’ve worked on briefly, but she hasn’t been consistent about bringing it in, so we haven’t done much with it. She hasn’t done very much composition, but her brother has composed a beautiful piece. He has not brought in any outside music.

I’m thinking that, in this case, it is kind of a no-win situation for me, since they aren’t going to be where they want to be in the next couple of months. The only thing I can think of doing is to have a conversation with them at their next lesson about exactly what their goals are over the next few months and exactly what they would have to do to get there (if it is even within their grasp) so they have a more realistic picture of what it takes.

Kerry V., Australia

Often when I have people coming to me with this kind of experience I talk to them extensively about what to expect from me, from SM and the program.

The year before last I gave an SIS with one 17yo boy. He had extensive experience not only AMEB but also Jazz, Improvisational skills and playing etc. Way beyond what I have ever done. At the end of the SIS I said that I didn’t think he would be interested. He said, ‘on the contrary this is exactly what I am looking for, to be able to play, to see patterns and shapes and be free from the music’. He is now doing his year 12 schooling and is very keen indeed on continuing with lessons. He comes back each week really grasping the strategies, forgetting some etc. He is thoroughly enjoying the process. So much so he wants to start teaching it.

I have had a couple of students come to me with grade 8 AMEB and they have said, they want to be able to play without worrying about the reading. Their personal playing increased and were so very happy. I also have parents with this background and come back saying they enjoy their own playing now from simple things they have learnt through their child’s lesson, even in the beginning foundation levels of 1 and 2.

Conversations are extremely important, and I always ask the parents and the students what they want from playing the piano. I then can work with them to achieve this. If they ever said they want to read music straight away I suggest they go somewhere else who will do this. So far I think I have retained all these people.

The other comment from these ‘advanced’ students is that they enjoyed my ‘slowing’ them down so they can really see the chunking down on pieces, something they were not aware of before. Like anything, see things in small doses and you can get it. Overwhelm and you lose the person.

I also do not assume that because they have had previous experience that they can play well. Many students have come to me with ‘previous experience’ and they played worse than ones who hadn’t played before.

If these students wish to stay on with you, after you have a serious conversation with them asking what they want to gain from their lessons, learning etc. What you have to offer them etc. Then give them more in the syllabus but less of each song so they get to ‘see’ the pieces rather than finishing the song. Extremely invaluable to have them play any new pieces, or pieces they are working on, to have no sound for that week. Watch them play the next week. If they have it, sound is on, if they haven’t got it, sound is still off. This is very powerful in truly knowing what you are doing on the keys.

There are plenty of things you can do with them to show them progress but also know SM and what it is they are moving towards.

As a new teacher, not knowing where this is all leading you (and them) to is also limiting however, at present, use our experiences to discuss this and eventually you will have your own experiences and as you move further into the program you will see why, where and how important certain steps are. You grow and learn as much as your students do.