Hedwig’s Theme from Harry Potter
Found in: Playing-Based Methodology
Elizabeth B., Australia
I have a 10 yr old girl student at level one – we’re coming up to Fur Elise and she wanted to learn to play piano so she could play Harry Potters theme. She has now with the help of internet video and her mother worked it out for herself, so my question is how to best handle this? Do I let her go on and see it is a self generating project and use the theme as a lesson in itself – looking for the patterns and shapes and the like. Has anyone got any experience with this song, and any idea where it fits in to the foundation level structure? Any ideas and hints are gratefully accepted.
Kerry V., Australia
Yes definitely! This helps to see how much of the ‘tools’ she understands and doesn’t. Get her to bring along her ‘diagrams’ and work with them. If this proves a little hard, the video learning, she will stop. Then when she has more experience she may go back to it again. then build on the ‘tools’ and the understanding of them.
Better to have self generative students than ones who are stuck.
Enjoy! Oh, another thing, make sure this doesn’t take over her practice. My rule is, by all means but make sure the playlist is strong. If not, I encourage them to play the playlist more and the other song less.
Also see if there are chords to this that she may be able to play along with.
Debbie T., Canada
Very interesting that you should bring this up. I actually have an 8-year-old student who was with me in traditional lessons last year who taught herself how to play the song with help from the internet and her mother. Right hand only. Her mother actually printed out the notes (as I mentioned, this was pre-Simpy Music), so she’s playing the song by notes. I considered helping her to add the left hand, but she is part of a class and I don’t want to take too much time on this project that is really only hers. How do I manage this?
The other problem is that the song is really quite odd-sounding (in keeping with the movie’s flavor) and has very complicated intervals for a beginner. I don’t know the song myself, although I could certainly learn it. I would definitely hesitate to encourage the other beginners in the class to tackle this particular song.
Ian C., Australia
Despite the odd-sounding nature of the song and the unusual chord progressions, it’s actually not a huge challenge to play with one finger melody in the RH and a few basic chords in the LH. (Assuming we are only talking about the main theme which is encompassed in the first 16 bars!)
I have 2 students, one in lev 3 and one in lev 4, who have both progressed in the accompaniment 1 program – I would think that last part is a pre-requisite.
If it helps, the (only slightly) simplified version contains Em, Gm, Fm, Am, and F#7 near the end (Cdim actually works here as well) – I think these last 2 are the only chords likely to present a small hurdle to students at an appropriate level…