Dynamic Group-Piano Teaching

Transforming Group Theory into Teaching Practice

Pamela Pike

• Editorial: Routledge
• Año: 2017
• ISBN:
  9781315280356
• Edición: 1
• Categoría: Medien & darstellende Kunst
• Categoría: Musik

Dynamic Group-Piano Teaching provides future teachers of group piano with an extensive framework of concepts upon which effective and dynamic teaching strategies can be explored and developed. Within fifteen chapters, it encompasses learning theory, group process, and group dynamics within the context of group-piano instruction. This book encourages teachers to transfer learning and group dynamics theory into classroom practice. As a piano pedagogy textbook, supplement for pedagogy classes, or resource for graduate teaching assistants and professional piano teachers, the book examines learning theory, student needs, assessment, and specific issues for the group-piano instructor.

Section 1
Background of Group Piano and Working with Groups

1
Group Piano 101

Objectives

By the end of this chapter, you should be able to answer the following questions: What is group piano? What are the benefits? What technology is available to support it? Why should I consider it?

Historical Overview of Group Piano and Its Context Today

When I ask teachers and piano pedagogy students if they’ve ever been a student in a group-piano class, invariably they shake their heads. Yet during the past decade, I have witnessed an increasing number of colleagues who teach outside of the academy incorporate group teaching into their studios. In the United States, the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) even offers a group-piano specialist designation to teachers who complete a series of projects and teaching videos that are reviewed by experts. In reality, at present, many of the pedagogy students and teachers who will teach group piano have had little exposure to the kind of teaching that takes place in a piano lab. Many have only vague impressions of a room outfitted with several digital pianos where non-piano music majors learn to master basic keyboard skills.

Generally, piano majors are exempt from having to take the group-piano sequence in college since they develop their functional skills at the keyboard in their private lessons and presumably already read piano music with a certain amount of proficiency. Yet I contend that all piano majors have participated in group-piano classes. Group piano, as we know it today, is a highly organized means of teaching piano, and the advent of electronic keyboard laboratories has elevated group piano to a new level. However, teaching piano in groups has been around for much longer than one might imagine. Group-piano classes gained enormous popularity across the United States in the early 20th century in public schools. This was long before the dawn of digital piano labs. But group-piano teaching was popular in Europe in the late 19th century, and Franz Liszt was one of the great master group-piano pedagogues! This early form of group teaching was known as the master class, and Amy Fay (1965),

the young American woman who traveled to Europe to study piano with the master pedagogues, did so primarily through such groups. She wrote about her experiences in her book of letters entitled Music-Study in Germany . Her thorough and engaging commentary on the experience offers insight into a student’s persistence, anxiety, personal practice, preparation, and learning outcomes that are possible if students are prepared and willing to engage in group-learning activities.

Today, group-piano teaching encompasses everything from the piano master class to the sophisticated, highly sequenced and structured classes that take place in digital piano labs on college campuses, at arts academies, in K–12 schools, and in independent piano studios. In the United States, Raymond Burrows (at Teacher’s College, Columbia University) laid the groundwork for teaching college-aged adults in piano labs during the 1930s and 1940s. Robert Pace succeeded him and brought his interest in educational psychology to the group-piano experience for children. Emergence of electronic teaching labs and technology in the late 1950s, along with a contingent of dedicated group-piano pioneers, elevated the field of group teaching to where it is today. Appropriate teaching materials were created, technology was (and continues to be) developed, and the benefits of integrating basic functional piano and theory skills at the keyboard for the college music major came to be understood during the latter part of the 20th century.

While there were isolated group-piano programs throughout the world in the late 20th century (most notably the worldwide Yamaha Music Education System initiative; see Chapter 8), educators in the United States were on the cutting edge of developing effective group teaching throughout the 20th century. As there are detailed synopses of the development of American group-piano teaching in other sources, further details will not be repeated here. However, readers are encouraged to explore the history of the group-piano teaching medium and to learn about the teaching philosophies and techniques of early experts. Noteworthy group-piano pioneers included Frances Clark, Louise Goss, Richard Chronister, Robert Pace, and Guy Duckworth. These pedagogues left extensive writings in pedagogy periodicals such as Keyboard Arts, Piano and Keyboard, and Keyboard Companion. Three of these group-piano pedagogues, Duckworth, Chronister, and Pace, each spoke on panels at MTNA Pedagogy Saturday in 1999. Pedagogy Saturday III, which took place in Los Angeles on March 20, 1999, was devoted to group teaching.¹ One of the primary items on the agenda that day was addressing the various configurations of student groupings that fit under the heading of group teaching and exploring why teachers should consider teaching piano in groups. So let’s explore the different types of group-piano experiences that you might create for various age groups within your studio.

For clarification, it should be noted that the terms “group” and “class” are often used interchangeably. Technically, the term “class” is used if the number of students is higher than 10. “Groups” are made up of smaller groupings of students

(generally from 3–10), and it implies that the teacher will be availing of group theory, group dynamics, and collaborative-learning strategies in which students share in an active and creative learning environment. This is a far cry from the large lecture class—which group piano is not! Because I have witnessed the benefits of students learning and making music in small groups, and I am encouraging all to explore collaborative learning in the piano setting, I will use the term “group piano” throughout this book.

Categories of Group-Piano Lessons

Group lessons, then, may be the only mode of instruction for a student, or the group may take place in conjunction with private or partner lessons. The types of group-piano instruction that are most frequently encountered include the following categories:

• Occasional group classes
  • These might include performance classes, master classes, or group activity/history/ensemble classes periodically throughout the year.
• Regular group classes as adjunct to the private lesson
  • These occur regularly throughout the semester and can focus on topics such as history, performance, theory, keyboard skills/technique, sight reading, functional skills, or creative activities incorporating rhythm and movement.
• Occasional group camps
  • These can be done instead of private lessons during the summer, periodically throughout the year during school holidays, or as a “boot camp” prior to the beginning of the fall semester.
• Group lessons only

Now, let’s explore each of these categories of group teaching in more detail:

Occasional Group Classes

Occasional classes, particularly performance classes, are familiar to most musicians, as these are a common mode of group instruction for those who take weekly private lessons. Performance or master classes tend to only be offered to those students at late-intermediate to advanced levels of performance. Often performance classes only happen once or twice a year, prior to the annual studio recital. However, activities can be tailored to suit the age group and students who play at a beginning level. For example, if one has a group of elementary students, the teacher can prepare a simple worksheet that encourages students to listen for specific details in a peer’s

performance and to note these features on the worksheet while the performer is playing. The possibilities for creatively encouraging this type of active listening among young students in a performance class setting are endless. A sample set of work-sheets that could be used with elementary and intermediate students may be found in Appendix A.1, A.2, and A.3.

Similarly, some teachers find it helpful to offer periodic classes on special topics for small groups of students throughout the semester. Music history and theory topics can serve as a focal point for each class, but such classes might also engage students in aural skills, technique, and other musical topics that serve as unifying themes for these gatherings. Over the years, I have offered many occasional classes featuring a specific composer. In preparation for these classes, students independently work on repertoire by the composer that they will share with the group, they engage in games and activities featuring the composer (and interacting with the music) during the class, and take away more knowledge about that composer than they could have through their individual study.

Ensemble classes are another effective type of occasional group class. There are several good sources of keyboard ensemble music on the market (for three to eight digital pianos). Rehearsing and performing these ensembles provides educational opportunities rarely available to students in the private lesson. Unlike students who play band or orchestral instruments, piano students often work in solitude. My students who have worked with others in piano ensembles tend to listen better, play more musically, and stay motivated to practice when they know that others are depending on them. Piano duets, duos, and trios also provide ensemble experiences, but using digital pianos and different musical sound settings can encourage attentive listening to phrasing, dynamics, and articulation nuances and result in increased technique at the instrument. Generally, I conduct these ensembles and lead rehearsals (with input from the students), so they learn to speak about music and collaborate with others. If students are working at the appropriate level, the ensemble music sounds more musically complex than their individual repertoire, which most find quite satisfying. Piano ensembles are perennial recital favorites in my studio with children and adults.

In my studio, the “Technique Olympics,” in which students prepare various technical exercises, participate in solo and group “events,” and serve as judges for their peers’ events, is another popular group class during the spring semester as we prepare for annual piano examinations. The culmination of the Olympics includes a medal ceremony, complete with a group performance of the Olympic theme music. For my students who do not participate in regular group lessons, the occasional group class serves as a way to connect with peers in the studio, whom they would otherwise only see at recitals. Occasional group classes provide an opportunity for these students to engage in music making and musical activities in fun and diverse ways while sharing good music with others.

Regular Group Classes

Regular group lessons that are adjunct to private lessons provide an intriguing and practical first foray into the group-teaching arena for teachers. There are several means of configuring group lessons which supplement the private lesson; these might include:

• 3 weeks of private lessons; group lesson only during the fourth week of each month
• 4 weeks of private lessons; group lesson also during fourth week of each month
• Weekly private (or partner) lessons and weekly group classes
• Alternating group and private lessons each week

Three Weeks of Private Lessons; Group Lesson Only During the Fourth Week

Many teachers enjoy the flexibility of having fewer contact hours with students during the fourth week of each month, since they see their students in groups during that week. Groups are typically scheduled according to age or performance level so that activities planned for the class will be appropriate and engaging for all students who participate. Teachers who have success with this category of teaching usually offer several time options from which students can choose to attend during the group week. Students sign up for their class at the beginning of the semester so that the number of students in each group is manageable for the teacher to ensure that optimal learning for all students can take place and to enable students to grow together as a group. The size of the group may depend on the activities that will take place during the classes. Novice group-piano teachers often benefit from offering smaller classes until they develop successful group-teaching strategies and skills.

The regular monthly group lesson can be a musicianship class in which students focus on keyboard theory, creativity, or improvising. It could consist of repertoire sharing and performance, ensemble playing, or development of some other piano skill (such as sight reading or composition). If the teacher has access to a digital piano lab or to multiple keyboards, there are many options for the types of activities in which the students can be engaged, but activities will need to be planned based on the number of keyboards available to pupils. Other types of group classes such as a performance, music history, or music theory class are not necessarily dependent on having multiple keyboards for the students. However, teachers who do not have access to several keyboards should carefully plan activities that will engage all students at all times (more details are provided in Chapters 4, 11, and 12).

Teachers who have not tried this category of teaching may worry that students will not practice during the week of the group lesson. Successful teachers find creative ways to motivate their students to practice. If one is having a music history class, for example, all students could come prepared to play a preassigned piece that reflects the topic of the class. Several years ago, I had monthly music history classes that featured a “composer of the month.” The students really enjoyed learning about, performing, and hearing lots of piano music by our featured composers. I actually found that motivation to practice during the group lesson week increased as a result of these classes. If you do not have time to hear every student perform during the class, you could choose performers via a “lottery” (there are some apps, such as You Decide, that increase the sense of excitement for children), and the pupils will be motivated to practice their repertoire in case they are chosen to perform for their peers.

Four Weeks of Private Lessons; Group Lesson also During the Fourth Week

This category of group teaching can present scheduling challenges for teachers with very high studio enrollments, but it can provide an alternative for teachers who want to incorporate some group learning into their studio curricula without sacrificing individual time with students each week. These classes can be an effective learning opportunity in studios or academies where there are several teachers employed and where the group teaching can be shared among the instructors or where teaching assistants might be available to help with the groups. This monthly group option addresses the problem of students who are less motivated to continue practicing their assignments during weeks when the group class takes place. Offering both group and private lessons will ensure that students maintain their consistent practice in preparation for the private lesson while they benefit from group activities. This bonus lesson during the fourth week of each month can serve to reinforce concepts discussed at the private lesson and can prove to be extremely helpful for students. The group lesson could be similar to those listed earlier. Participating in both group and private lessons provides a stimulating fusion of music study for many students if the instructor can manage the increased teaching schedule for 1 week each month.

A Private (or Partner) Lesson and a Group Class Every Week

While this may seem like a scheduling drawback for teachers wishing to earn a living, it is actually the model that has been used by many master piano pedagogues. Increased musical engagement and achievement among students provides immense rewards to the teacher. This paradigm is more likely to be used in community schools and performing arts academies that may be affiliated with institutions of higher education, but independent teachers should consider implementing a similar lesson structure due to the positive effects experienced by both student and teacher.

The benefits for the teacher include seeing and ...