Arrangements & Variations
Learning how to teach Arrangements
I’ve been trying to learn Dreams 1 (aka Family Dreams) so that I can teach it. I have had the dickens of a time trying to figure this out with just the audio. I realize that this is to force us to learn a way…
Alternate names for Arrangements
Is there a list somewhere of the names of Arrangements that is different from the numbering of the Arrangements? For example, Dreams Come True 1 is named Family Dreams. I’m specifically looking for a name for I’ll Be There 3. I’ll Be Here and…
Order of introducing arrangements
In Arrangements 1, are we supposed to give students all of the arrangements for one piece before moving to the 1.1 arrangement of the next piece? I’m a bit lost on the order of introduction of these. I have all students who started with me…
Adult student can’t remember variations
I have an older middle-aged student who is having memory trouble with the variations. He keeps trying to write clues for himself and I’ve stopped him multiple times and told him to trust the method, and that it’s a memory builder. I’m good at seeing…
Webinar Series: 05/16/2017 – Piano – Teaching Special Programs
Neil provides an overview of the background and scope of the Special Programs – one of the 3 required components of the Core Curriculum. Topics include: The Genesis (00:06) Introducing Special Programs (07:53) Fitting it All In (13:07) About Composition & Improvisation (15:35) About Arrangements…
Tic-tac-toe as a teaching game
As I was just responding to a post about shared lessons and talking about tic-tac-toe, I had another idea for getting more out of that game to solidify playing-based tools. If you are not familiar with how I’ve used the game: I use it sometimes…
Halloween song idea
I started teaching the Dm variation of Dreams Come True and it ended up perfectly timed for Halloween. Many students renamed it “Spooky Dreams” or “Nightmares”. The end result was that I added the very beginning of Bach’s Toccata in Dm as an “intro”. Very…
Writing extra notes for Arrangements
In the Arrangements 1 program, I have reviewed the material and it says that the content is not to be supplemented with written notes. Is this referring to the types of notes depicted in the reference section of the Foundation levels, or notes we write…
Chester Chills Out variation
My 8-year-old came up with a cute but lovely variation of Chester Chills Out: LH the same but play RH “backwards” (top to bottom to top, then bottom-top for tailpiece). It makes excellent harmony. A few of my students caught on really well and love…
Arpeggiating chords instead of playing block chords
I have a student who recently quit for financial reasons, but now it seems she was unhappy about the Accompaniment part of the program because she feels the accompaniment part is too simple. She tells me now that she would rather run her fingers up…