Simpedia

Mark M., New York

Mark M.’s Workshop Materials (Thank you, Mark!)

Advance

Materials orders preferred by 3-4 weeks in advance of 1st class to ensure availability at 1st class

Week 1 – Setup and The Basics

Bring
• Outline – Workshop printout
• Appropriate # of copies of confidentiality agreement, The Basics handout, Workshop 1 SHM
• Pens
• Mounted Practice Pads
• Any materials required by a program sponsoring the workshop (e.g., human resources paperwork, facilities use approvals, class roster, etc.)
• Any additional attendance / materials pre-purchase info

Welcome
• I’m so and so, introduce selves — take attendance
• Cell Off — Any cell phones, pagers, turn them off? Thanks.
• Afterschool program rules, as appropriate — act like in class, no touching anything in the room, parents must sign out with me
• Left/right feet — slow to go fast

Who here? Who here has never had a lesson? Had some lessons? Current plays? Advanced player? Anyone a teacher? Who here thinks they’re just not musical? Anyone think it but not put their hand up?

Heard about? Who has heard about the program? What have you heard? Do you know anything about the method? (Just let people answer, but look for killer testimonials.)

• Reading Based
• SM — Everyone is musical
⁃ Walking — Talking / Uneven
⁃ Applause — Uneven
⁃ Talking — “Musical bone”
• Baby language
⁃ 3-4, master complex rhythms, never learned to spell
⁃ Musicality > ability to walk, talk, brush our teeth
• SM takes that musicality and uses it as foundation for teaching instrument
• Playing Based — delay reading
⁃ Learn by doing — SHOW you how to play
⁃ Not scales, not nursery rhymes, real songs, both hands, right from the start
• Demonstration
⁃ Pop — Night Storm
⁃ Blues — Jackson Blues — fun to play, fun to learn, easy
⁃ Classical — Ode to Joy
⁃ Accompaniment — Amazing Grace
⁃ Also improvisation & variations
• These very things in this workshop — Ready to learn?

Confidentiality agreements — ensure all are completed and in before moving ahead

Materials
• Collect payments
• Hand out — receive now, but start using most next week
• Bring every week along with a pen, don’t look ahead past assignments
• Explain use of Notes pages and Practice Pad
• Order now if more needed

The Basics (w/handout)
• Practice Pads or laps/desks
• Physical contact — okay to touch hands while demonstrating?
• Teach dynamics
⁃ Practice the right hand up — out in front, all the way up, up
⁃ Every now and then I’m going to say who wants to volunteer? (Laughter)
⁃ Practice the coming around the piano, because it’s something that’ll be done — show them how you want everyone to see the piano. Learn to do it quickly. Now can I show you something? Everyone come around the keyboard. See how good at this you’re getting?
⁃ Round Robin — everyone taking a turn with something brief, do it, move around, moving quickly

Practice — see Basics handout
• Ongoing lessons, if a student can’t or won’t follow instructions and practice appropriately, I’d have to let them go
• That’s not appropriate in a workshop environment! Just be aware:
• You’ll only be able to get the results I’m talking about if you learn the songs the way they’re being taught and if you undertake an appropriate practice routine

Makeups
• Any course/program makeup policies as appropriate
• Everyone flip over book, share all names/numbers/emails, rotate and share — does anybody mind getting contacted with a question? — If someone opts out, fine. If you miss a lesson, let me know, but then afterward, I may be able to tell you something, go through materials in a particular way, but otherwise you can contact one of the others and have whatever kind of conversation you need to have.
• Private makeups — see me

Admin

Make student record, log attendance, materials provisions and assignment
Log students in Excel + materials provisions

Week 2 – Night Storm (Pop)

Bring this week: Confidentiality agreement, The Basics handout, Workshop 1 SHM extras up to maximum class size in case of 2nd-week stragglers

Bring each week from here forward in addition to other specific materials mentioned:
• Attendance record
• Any materials required by a program sponsoring the workshop

Night Storm teach > Notes > Materials:
• I may ask you to play, may not ask for the whole song — only helps me manage the class, it’s never personal.
• Teach
• Go over Night Storm diagrams
• Explain role/use of diagrams, DVD, Playlist
• Practice *all* projects — more for current, less if in good shape

Week 3 – Jackson Blues (Blues)

Week 4 – Ode to Joy (Classical) & Leaving Early

Week 5 – Improv on Storm/Ode LH (C&I)

• BH 5/5 black notes
• Storm Ode LH & Combos
• “Talking” melody
• Blues duets — one person Jackson LH, other BH two-triangle simplified blues scale melody
• RH-only fingers 1/3 blues scale if appropriate

Week 6 – Amazing Grace (Accompaniment) & Polish Past Projects

Week 7 – More Material (Variations, Arrangements, Accompaniment)

• Bring appropriate # of copies of More Material handout
• Teach Happy Birthday as a memory piece
• If private workshop, discuss whether or not moving forward, since it may affect what we do next week — handle as appropriate
• If appropriate, ask if want to invite others for “recital”

Week 8 – Recital (Repertoire Review) and Wrap-up

If private workshop and moving forward:
• Repertoire review, i.e., with appropriate critique/advice
• Practice routine — current projects vs. repertoire pieces
• New Notes and Playlist books
• DVD — Welcome, The Basics (even though already did Basics from handout)
• CD — Listen regularly to all tracks
• http://potluckcreativearts.com/lessons/enroll/
⁃ Policies — review all
⁃ Curriculum Overview
⁃ ‘Lesson Line’ — subscribe

All other workshop situations, i.e., not private, or private but unsure/not moving forward:
• Bring appropriate # of copies of Moving Forward handout
• Any materials required by a program sponsoring the workshop (e.g., course evaluations)
• Repertoire recital, possibly including improvisation
• Review Moving Forward handout
⁃ Demonstrate Ode to Joy (All), Alma Mater Blues (All), Night Storm Arrangements, Amazing Grace Combined V1/V2
50% credit of workshop materials cost toward cost of full Level 1 materials

Variations
Night Storm “Run & End” • Add RH FSS run up to finish with the 1st note of the song’s 2nd half
• Add LH low A at end Jackson Blues “Ands & Counts” Variations
• RH on other regular counts – 2, 3 or 4 instead of the usual 1 • RH chord just before counting 1 – “and 1” – “+1234” • RH chord just before other counts – “1+234,” “12+34,” “123+4” • 7 variations total for 8 versions total – each count and each “and”
Amazing Grace “Accompaniment Variation” • Add 2nd LH event just before 3rd RH chord
• “Together, Right, Left-Right” or “12+3”
Arrangements
Jackson Blues “Humpty Dumpty” • Each LH event twice – 8 LH events per RH chord instead of 4
• Apply “humpty dumpty” rhythm Amazing Grace “Thick”
• Add finger 2 to all RH chords – a “thick chord” • Fingers 1235
Amazing Grace “Humpty Dumpty”
• Break “thick chord” up into two blocks – 235 together, 1 alone • Rock back and forth 235-to-1 each time chord is to be played • Apply “humpty dumpty” rhythm
Accompaniments
Find several simple accompaniment pieces at: http://potluckcreativearts.com/lessons/students/accompaniments/

The Basics
Finger Numbers • Thumb = 1, Pointer = 2, Middle = 3, Ring = 4, Pinky = 5
Identifying the Keys
• Black keys patterned in groups of 2 and 3 • Keys borrow their names from the alphabet
o Lowest note on piano is A, notes go A through G
o Names repeat all the way up the keyboard • Finding C
o Can count up from A – A-B-C o Easier way: it’s to the left of any group of 2 black keys
Five Steps of Sound
• Five fingers over five white notes in a row – “5 over 5”, “5/5,” “FSS” • Put RH finger 1 on Middle C, LH finger 5 on the C below Middle C • RH up (finger 1 to 5) • RH down (finger 5 to 1)
• LH down (finger 1 to 5) • LH up (finger 5 to 1) • BH apart (LH finger 1 to 5 while RH finger 1 to 5) • BH together (LH finger 5 to 1 while RH finger 5 to 1) • BH up (LH finger 5 to 1 while RH finger 1 to 5) • BH down (LH finger 1 to 5 while RH finger 5 to 1)
Chords
• 5/5 position, then play fingers 1 (not 2) 3 (not 4) 5 o Can start with one at a time, work toward three fingers together
• RH various positions all over keyboard • LH various positions all over keyboard • BH various positions all over keyboard
o Can start with one at a time, work toward two hands together Practice
• Newer projects 3-7 minutes daily; more confident projects once daily • Ideal is same time every day, at least 5-6 days a week • Can be done with Practice Pad if instrument is not available

 

Moving Forward
Congratulations on completing our Beginner Piano Workshop! Having done more than you may have imagined possible in a short time, you could be on your way to having music as a lifelong companion. Inside of this overriding goal, our foundation for achieving results, and the thrust of our efforts, are directed towards the following goals for you as a student:
• Having the ability to play a huge repertoire covering classical, popular, blues, jazz and accompaniments;
• Experiencing playing as a natural self-expression; • Having a highly positive, self-affirming experience with music learning; • Developing the ability to self-generate, i.e., the ability to progress
independently. This includes developing a strong foundation in music reading and theory.
A closer look at what the next few years might have in store for you:
• In your first year, you could: o Learn to play 30 to 50 more great-sounding songs from memory,
including advanced versions of the songs you’ve already learned. o Start writing your own songs.
• In your second year, you could: o Start using all the songs you already know effortlessly as the
basis for becoming highly skilled at reading music – just as kids
learn to read and write words after years of talking first. o Learn to play dozens more songs, and expand your ability to
compose and improvise, including blues improvisation. • In your third year, you could:
o Start learning music theory, understanding how music works. o Continue to deepen your abilities in performance and reading,
well on your way to becoming a self-generating musician.
And if you attended a group workshop, you and some fellow students could stay together as you keep learning the piano, getting all the many educational, social and economic advantages of shared lessons.
Contact us to move forward – phone numbers and email address are above. We look forward to hearing from you.
Thanks again for participating in the workshop – we hope you enjoyed it!