Using music books starting in Level 7
Found in: Playing-Based Methodology, Reading
Kym N., California
Do your students who are Level 7 and above use the music books often to help them learn the pieces? They see Neil has the music book open in the videos, and Neil also approves that for rhythm tracking in the teacher training videos.
I have a few students who finished Level 7 to 9 without using the music books. However, I can see some of my students will need it. I am afraid it would be hard to restrict its use just for rhythm reference once they have their music book open.
Joanne D., Australia
I use the music book with students sometimes as a reference of how to put both hands together. They don’t use it to learn a piece as we still do playing-based and using the videos. If they have forgotten how to start a piece, I suggest using the music to remind them (or the video) but never to play with it in front of them.
Bernadette A., California
They should be able to do it playing-based, but if they need the reminder, we go to the book. They should begin the process of moving between the both of them since they are learning the skill of mapping. Sometimes as an exercise, once they have learned the piece playing-based, I put the music in front of them and have them look at the music while they are playing.
Kym N., California
When you say “mapping”, do you mean the shapes and fragments that build each phrase?
Bernadette A., California
Taking music off the page and putting on the topography of the piano, and vice versa. Reverse engineering. They should be able to do both. This is the leg up that we have as Simply Music piano teachers.
Stephen R., California
I would continue to have them learn Foundation 7-9 predominantly from the video. The reason we are learning from the video is to continue to develop playing-based strategies: learning hands alone, lines, sections, seeing patterns.
I learned Blue Danube without once looking at the music book. I had a student last week attempt to learn Shoo Fly by reading it. I told him he must learn it from the video. He will not get any of the playing-based teaching: learning LH first, the RH 2-note groups, saving the grace notes until the end.
Kym N., California
I always require the students to use videos. What I mean is, do you let them use the music books if they feel frustrated using the videos to review the songs? I always ask them not to use the music books. However, some students don’t seem to do well with the videos.
Stephen R., California
If they’re reading, which we are by this point, it’s another source of support for them, particularly to get started. Always the video first though.
Neil is actively talking about the music books in some of these songs: Miles, D-Part, for example. Using the books to see where the hands line up, and using them as rhythm diagrams.
Joan H., Canada
I suggest to students from the start that the greatest joy in playing is when you know songs so well you don’t have to think about it and can play thoughtlessly and flawlessly. This comes when looking down at the keys and not at the music. They know what this means especially with regard to any song they have played the most for a piano party/recital.
When you say “feel frustrated using the videos to review the songs” – if they have to review it, I wonder if they ever got the song to the place of being flawless and thoughtless by using the video correctly as they are designed to be used? My students who are now in Development still prefer to take the music off the page and play without it, although I do tell them that they can have it up as a reference if it is helpful. Today one of my students finishing Development 12 said that once he has used the music to learn the song, he is done with it and would rather not have it up there. It can be more confusing than helpful, he said, since the music has served its purpose.
