piano teacher magazine 3

8/11/2019 Piano Teacher Magazine 3.

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Issue Three • 2013

40 Piece Challenge • Diary of a Piano Mama • It's Conference Time!

Plus Randall Faber

Returns!

Jazz!

Australia’s luckiest Piano Teachers?

Elissa Milne’sUltimate Guide

YOURTIMEAND

MONEY O An economist’s view

of make-up lessons

O Marketing yourself

D o u b l e f e a t u r e s p e c i a l !



I have been fortunate enough to receivethe first 2 copies of your AMAZINGPiano Teacher Magazine from theschool at which I tutor. To say that yourmagazine is the most exciting maga-zine I have ever read, is the understate-ment of the century!!! I could expoundthe many, many virtues of your maga-zine, and how it has changed my life,for many pages, however, as usual, Iam dashing to the computer betweenstudents, household, children, churchduties etc. I am so thrilled that in yourmagazine, every single article AND ad-

vertisement applies to me, and totallyinterests me! FINALLY, everything

is coming to me in one beautifullypresented magazine, and I don’t needto spend precious hours searching theinternet or ‘picking others' brains’.Many, many thanks for ALL your effort,ideas, passion and hard work!!! Pleasekeep your amazing magazines coming!Cathy – WA

Join our Piano Club and receive onevery special offer every month!

LetterfromtheEditor

Welcome to Issue 3 of the Piano Teacher Magazine.

This issue was very nearly ALL about jazz. Elissa Milne’sstellar Jazz Resource File was so huge we had to spread it overtwo issues (maybe even three…), so you can look forward to part two later this year!

We have responded to your request for more information aboutthe business side of piano teaching, with two bri lliant articleson issues that trouble every piano teacher: the vexed issue ofmake-up lessons, and how to market yourself.

We are excited to be welcoming Randall Faber back to Australia in July when he will be launching the brand newPiano Adventures All-In-Two Australian editions. See page 18 for more details.

We look forward to meeting many of you in person at the 2013 Australian Piano Pedagogy Conference in Toowoomba in July!

To all those of you who have written, emailed, phoned, texted, faxed and Facebooked your feedback to us, our most sincerethanks. Please do feel free to contact us on if you would likeadditional copies of the magazine for your teaching studio, school

or business. We welcome submissions, ideas and suggestions for upcoming issues. [email protected]

Gina Wake

I met with Dr Wiltshire in 2009 with a very early prototypeof his sight-reading program. I was excited by the idea thenand delighted to see his passion and enthusiasm continuethrough a long gestation period to result in the release of theSightRead4Piano app in January 2012. As an exam board

AMEB is a world leader in utilising technology to support anddevelop our program. Being keen to embrace new technologiesthat improve music education and increase availability we aredelighted to see our piano sight reading included in this app.Bernard Depasquale — General Manager AMEB Federal Office

A friend kindly gave me copies of your magazine. I loved itand gave the second copy to a nother piano teacher who alsothought it was a great magazine. The a rticles were interestingand inspiring. I especially would welcome more informationregarding how to effectively run t he business side of a home-based studio. As teachers we are often alone with it all andbecome so focused on the music that the book work isneglected, so if anyone would be willing to share theirbusiness system ideas I’d be grateful to be enl ightened!!Sue — VIC

This year my 5 year old began piano lessons. Piano lessonsand more specifically my piano teacher had an enormous im-pact on me and reall y helped shape my life in such a positive

way that it was with great joy (and a fair bit of trepidation) thatI embarked on this journey with my daughter. Boy, how pianolessons have changed since I took my first lesson 30 years ago!Gina Wake – Piano Mama

Insidethisissue

To read allabout theSightRead4Pianoapp turn to

page 30.

Thanks for the feedback andideas, Sue.To read Wendy

Steven's businessarticle turn to

page 22.

To read more from the Diaryof a Piano Mamaturn to page 19.

Piano Teacher MagazinePiano Club

Att: Gina Wake4 Lentara Court, Cheltenham VIC 3192

Email Gina at [email protected]

Join in 3 simple steps:

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Type Join Piano Club Offers in the subject box

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I want to congratulate you on the latestPiano Teacher Magazine. Every singlepage has such relevant information forme. Well done.Megs – VIC

The Piano Teacher Magazines weregreat reading and inspiration to ordersome more books! Congratulations oncreating these – they're a great resourceto have for ideas regarding the latestrepertoire and teaching methods.Bettina – VIC

I have just been given a copy of yourgreat Piano Teacher Magazine and I am

very impressed - something contempo-rary, relevant and helpful at last!!Fiona – NZ

am really enjoying the Pia no TeacherMagazine. In particular I enjoyed the

rticle on Kerin Bailey, and hearing

ow other studio music teachers areunning their businesses, and any newopular music publications are great

o hear about. I’m already onto theiano Divas books; just great to givetudents a relief from their main musicrogram! In the last mag it was great

o read feedback from other teachersnd the hours they were teaching. I

ove that this is local and Australian inontent (relevant!).

Michelle – VIC

hank-you! I absolutely love pianoeacher magazine. The 1st edition wasxcellent, so I was quite surprised tond the 2nd was even better. I'm look-

ng for ideas at t he moment to motivatemy students for the 40 Piece Challenge,ewards and really fun repertoire.

Naomi – QLD

I just love the latest magazine – Elissa’sarticle on the modes was very in forma-tive (I really liked the disclaimer). AfterI read it, I sat down and played throughthe Mixolydian modes, so thank you,great articles like this encourage one todo so.Lindy – TAS

Thank you for the Piano Teacher Maga-zine!! Love it!! The topics are so usefulto our need and concern in the busi-ness; very informative and equippingand makes me feel more connected tothe other piano teachers too. Thank

you very much!!

Veon – QLD

I love the November edition. Discover-ing new sight reading material andreading about Australian composersand teachers is my cup of tea!Mariella – QLD

I love your magazine! Exactly what thePiano Teacher World had been waitingfor…Stela – SA

Letters tothe Editor

Find us on facebookwww.facebook.com/AustralianPianoTeachersMusicHub

3



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Jazz Resource File Jazz Resource File

JazzResource

File

A student says ‘I want to play jazz’and piano teachers the world overthink ‘uh oh’. There’s a moment ofcalm before panic breaks out.

Do they really want to play jazz,thinks the piano teacher, or do they just mean they want to play some-thing that sounds jazzy? Do theyreally want to improvise, or do they just want to sound like t hey can? Dothey really mean they want to playthe blues, or maybe they mean a kindof lounge style? Is this a suggestionfrom an grandparent or uncle or girl-friend, or does this student have areal interest in the art form? HAS THISCHILD EVER HEARD REAL JAZZ?!

Lines like ‘don’t play what’s the re — play what’s not there’ (Miles Davis)and ‘only play what you hear: if youdon’t hear anything, don’t play anything’ (Chick Corea) then compound the pianoteacher’s anxiety. When lessons arestructured around responding to notationwhat possible part can jazz play?

And then there’s the issue of access-ibility. Of all musical genres none isso child-unfriendly as jazz, with mostperformances taking place in venuesthat open well after bedtime and thensell and encourage the consumptionof controlled substances.

It’s all very complicated.

Then there are at least ten thousand books out there all telling you t heywill answer your questions about jazzand teach you how to play it.

No wonder we throw up our handsin horror and murmur somethingabout how Bach’s harmonies areterribly jazzy while assigning anotherInvention.

So let’s break it down. (Warning: thislist is most definitely not comprehensive!)

Resources To Help You KnowMore About Jazz/Jazz Piano:

H Dick Hyman’s Century of Jazz Piano(Transcribed!)312074

Dick Hyman is a jazz legend. And thisbook is literally a tra nscription of hisDVD (which is also included) about thehistory of jazz piano. Starting with TheCakewalk and moving through Boogie

Woogie and Stride Piano, Dick Hymantakes pianist-readers on a trip throughthe 20th century, exploring the devel-opment of key elements of jazz.The book is a series of pieces, each ofthem a musical example that illus-trates the stylistic developments theauthor is explaining or exploring. You

will want to sit at the piano and play your way through this history. Set asidean hour every night until you are done!

You will finish the book with a deepunderstanding of not just jazz pianobut how the pianism we now think ofas being ‘jazz’ developed as an interac-tion with all the other instruments inthe various jazz ensembles. A reallybrilliant reading/playing/learningexperience.

H Jazz Piano From Scratch by Charles Beale0101338571

This is for piano teachers who knowplenty about classical theory and pian-ism but not all that much about jazzpiano. It works through t he basics (thedifference between swing and straightgrooves, for instance), introduces

terminologies (‘turnaround’, ‘changes’,‘comping’, etc.) that are not used inclassical praxis, explores modes andmodal harmonies, covers many aspectsof improvisation (starting with ‘doo-dling’), and provides activities andlistening suggestions for developing aninternalised understanding of jazz atthe piano. Included is a CD with nearly70 examples to further support the text.This book is a must-have if you want

your students to take ABRSM Jazz PianoExams (see over). Published in 1998 it’snot the latest, but it’s a contender in the‘greatest’ category.

Part One

Elissa Milne



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9

Jazz Resource File Jazz Resource File

H Modern Jazz Piano by Sarah Cion (Excerpt Pictured)311144

H Oscar Peterson: A Jazz Portrait of Frank Sinatra672562

Note-for-note, the way Oscar Petersonplayed them, a selection of the tunesFrank made his own. If you (or yourstudents) have no experience of tran-scription this might well be a superbtoe-in-the-water repertoire choice: youget to see the way the rhyt hms and pat-terns are notated, and can learn themthe ‘classical’ way, but don’t just stopthere! Go out and start making tran-scriptions of your own, and see how yougo connecting through your ear ratherthan your eye! You’ll be amazed at howquickly this experience improves yoursight-reading.

The books I've listed previously all have aspects of improvisation-training about them, but thebooks recommended below are specifically dedicated to help you teach ( jazz) improvisation.

Elissa Milne's Ultimate Guide to Jazz Resources Elissa Milne's Ultimate Guide to Jazz Resources

H Hal Leonard Student Piano Library Method

This is a method that asks students to improvise fromthe very first lesson, and makes it easy for teachers tofeel as if they are ‘teaching’ improvisation with all thebrilliant accompaniments provided for each improvi-sation activity. Of course, it’s a method designed totake students into the classical repertoire as well, but

with a firm foundation in responding creatively to thekeyboard, to other musicians, and to music.Favourite improvising pieces: Toes in the Sand (PhillipKeveren), A Little Latin (Bill Boyd), scales in Lessons 4 My Own Song (improvisation pieces when new conceptsare introduced in Lessons Books 3, 4 and 5).

H Pattern Play by Akiko and Forrest Kinne y A series you may not have heard of, these 6 volumes create astructured program for learning to improvise at the piano,using duets, solos and composing activities. Part of the goal

with these books is to introduce students to a repertoire ofpatterns, which will make a foundation for successful improv-isations. The material is original, but all in a contemporarypopular vein, with many of the patterns offered for improvisa-tion being common harmonic shapes from pop music. Thesebooks are perfect for those teenagers who think they want toplay jazz but have never heard a note of it…

H Improvise Microjazz by Christopher NortonM060079368

Christopher Norton really is a leader in this field of creat-ing resources for classically-trained piano teachers to teachtheir students the skill of improvising. Improvise Micro-

jazz was first published in 1988, and it has a blend of fullynotated jazz-style pieces and improvisation activities. Thisbook is similar to the American Popular Piano series inconception and in activities, but it’s a stand-alone volumeappropriate for Grade 1 or 2 standard students.

ranscriptions are to jazz what Urtext editions are to classical music; if you want authenticity inour jazz experience you have to make your own transcriptions of recordings, and study theranscriptions others have made. I can’t help you in the first department (other than recommendingome manuscript books), but in the second let me recommend these:

Subtitled ‘An Intermediate Guide to Jazz Concepts,Improvisation, Technique, and Theory’, this really issuitable for use with your teenage students (if you’relooking for such a text) as a t ransition from classicalsonatina and studies type thinking into jazz. Witha focus on chords and patterns (theory, really), yourclassically-based students will feel as if they know

what to do, and you’ll feel a clarity about chord indi-cations that you never felt before! The second halfof the book is where it all comes together, however:Sarah Jane Cion has provided transcriptions of 15original tunes, and students can listen to the record-ing while following the transcription. A t ranscriptionisn’t really the same thing as a classical score, so thisexperience will be fantastic for gett ing inside themind-set and performance culture of a jazz pianist.

Appropriate for students from roughly Grade 5 stand-ard (minimum) up.

(Excerpt Pictured)

Transcriptions Resources to help you teach (Jazz) Improvisation



University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba,

from Tuesday 2 July to Saturday 6 July 2013.

Full program will be available at www.appca.com.au by the

end of May 2013.

The conferenc e — marking the 20 year anniver-sary of the inaugural conference — representsa milestone for our organisation, which waslaunched in 1993 in Adelaide.

In selecting the theme, the Organising Committeehas sought to present delegates with opportu-nities that open doors to leading pedagogicaland performance practices and foster effectiveteaching and pianism. The conference will bea celebration of the past and an exploration of piano pedagogy and performance in the future.Cognisant that we live in a digital age, there willalso be opportunities to explore how digital tech-nology can enhance the piano learning process.

Internationally recognised performers andteachers including conference patron Piers Lane,Mario Ajero, Randall Faber, Nancy Bachus,Wendy Lorenz, Jovanni-Rey de Pedro and theViney-Grinberg Piano Duo featuring Liam Vineyand Anna Grinberg, and the Goldner StringQuartet will appear as keynote speakers and/orrecitalists. Other featured presenters will

Accommodation: Limited campusaccommodation is available at USQ’sMcGregor College for a cost of $88.00per night including breakfast anddinner. For information about otherlocal accommodation options, please

visit www.appca.com.au.

Registration: To register for the confer-ence, please complete the registrationform and either mail, fax or email it to:

11th APPCPO Box 292DARLING HEIGHTSQLD 4350 AUSTRALIA

Fax: +61 (0)7 4631 1133Phone: +61 (0)7 4631 1134Email: [email protected] bird registrations are to bereceived by 3 May 2013 and fullconference registrations by 7 June 2013.

London-based Australianpianist Piers Lane has a

flourishing internationalcareer, which has takenhim to more than fortycountries. Piers Lane hasbeen the Artistic Directorof the Australian Festi-

val of Chamber Musicsince 2007. He is also

Artistic Director of theannual Myra Hess Day atthe National Gallery inLondon. In 2012 he wasawarded an AO (Officerin the General Divisionof the Order of Australia)for distinguished serviceto the arts as pianist,mentor and organiser.

Mario Ajero is AssociateProfessor of Piano at theStephen F. Austin StateUniversity in Nacogdoches,Texas. Dr Ajero is

recognized as a nationalauthority in incorporat-ing technology in pianopedagogy with articlespublished in AmericanMusic Teacher andClavier Companion. Hehosts The Piano Podcast

with close to 10,000subscribers worldwide.

Randall Faber performsextensively as a classi-cal pianist and lectureson musical artistry andtalent developmentaround the world. He wasa master teacher for the

World Piano PedagogyConference. Randall is

well known as co-authorof the bestselling Piano

Adventures® teachingmethod and many publi-cations for the piano.

An experienced performerand pedagogue, Wendy

Lorenz has performed,broadcast and presented

workshops, masterclass-es and piano teachingseminars throughout

Australia and overseas,including guest residen-cies in China, Singapore,Malaysia and the USA.Teaching appointmentsinclude universities infour states, as well as for-mer Head of Music at theUniversity of SouthernQueensland.

Pianist Jovanni-Rey dePedro holds degreesfrom the ViennaConservatory, TrinityCollege of Music, and theUniversity of Michigan.He has appeared world-

wide as a performer,presenter, and educator,and is co-founder of theMTNA Piano PedagogySymposium. Dr de Pedroserves as Visiting Assis-tant Professor of Musicat Millsaps College inMississippi.

Liam Viney and AnnaGrinberg lecture and

perform as ensemble-in-residence at the Univer-sity of Queensland. Theystarted playing together

while students at Yale,and have performed infestivals, series and liveradio broadcasts around

Australia, the UnitedStates, and in Israel.They enjoy bringing new

works for duo piano intoexistence, so far commis-sioning eleven compos-ers to write for the genre..

The Goldner StringQuartet has widespread

and long-standingrecognition for excellence,not only as Australia’s pre-eminent string quartet,but as an ensemble of in-ternational significance,favourably compared

with the best in the world. Launched for the1995 season, and retain-ing all founding mem-bers, the players are wellknown to Australian andinternational audiencesthrough appearances atmajor music festivals andacclaimed recordings.

The 11th AustralasianPiano Pedagogy Conference

You are encouraged tovisit the website andFacebook page regularly for updates and furtherinformation.

We look forward to welcoming youto the conference!Kathy Pingel and Phillip GearingCo-Chairs of the 11th APPC on behalfof the Organising Committee 2013and the Association Committee

Professional Development

include Terrance Hayes (benefits of teaching ona new Grand Piano), Carol Leone (Lecture-Recital15/16 Grand Piano), Angela Turner (MusicTechnology), Paula Melville-Clark (DalcrozeEurhythmics) and Jody Heald (AMEB Repertoire/ Masterclass for youngsters). Delegates will alsohave the opportunity to attend a performance of

Anna Goldsworthy’s play Piano Lessons.

Situated on the edge of the Great Dividing Rangeescarpment at an altitude of 700 met res abovesea-level, Toowoomba is a picturesque mountain-top city located in south east Queensland, afford-ing breathtaking views of Table Top Mountainand the Lockyer Valley region across the east, providing an ideal location for the conference.We recognise the importance of allowing delegatesthe opportunity to socialise and take advantageof all Toowoomba has to offer and will be includ-ing a number of social activities during the week.

An informal pay-as-you-go pre-conference dinnerwill be held on 1 July 2013. Details can be foundat www.appca.com.au

Opening Doors: The complete musician in the digital age

Australasian Piano Pedagogy Conference Australasian Piano Pedagogy Conference PProfessional Development

13



I'm a parent of children enrolledin Suzuki music lessons. I'd liketo explain to other parents why Ifeel — quite strongly, actually

— that it is unreasonable of parents toexpect our teachers to make up lessons

we miss, even if I know as well as theydo just how expensive lessons are, and,equally importantly, how importantthat weekly contact is with t he teacherto keeping practising ticking alongsmoothly. I think that it is natural forparents to share the point of v iew thatstudents should have their missedlessons rescheduled, but if we were t o'walk a mile' in our teachers' shoes, wemight change our minds about whatit is reasonable for us to expect of ourteachers.

Like many parents, I pay in advancefor lessons each term. In my mind,

what this means is that I have reserveda regular spot in the busy schedules ofmy sons' teachers. I understand — fully— that if I can't make it to the lessonone week (perhaps my son is sick, or weare away on holiday, or there is someother major event at school) then we

will pay for the lesson, but that myteacher is under no obligation to findanother spot for me that week, or torefund me for the untaught lesson.

And this is the way it should be.

In my 'other life' I am an economistand teach at our local university. Studentspay good money to attend classes at theuniversity; but if they don't come to mylecture on a Monday morning, then Iam not going to turn around and deliverthem a private tutorial on Tuesday after-noon. When I go to the supermarketand buy groceries, I may purchasesomething that doesn't get used.Days or months later, I end up throwingit out. I don't get a refundfrom the supermarket for the unusedmerchandise. If I sign my child up forswimming lessons at the local pool, ands/he refuses to return after the first lesson,I can't get my money back. So there arelots of situations in our everyday lives

where we regularly pay in advance forgoods or some service, and if we end upnot using what we have purchased, wehave to just 'swallow our losses'.On the other hand, if I purchase an itemof clothing, and get home and changemy mind, I can take it back and expecteither a refund or a store credit.

So why do I believe that musiclessons fall into the first category of'non-returnable merchandise', ratherthan into the second case of 'exchangeprivileges unlimited'? Speaking nowas an economist, I would claim thatthe reason is that items like clothingare ‘durable goods’ — meaning, they

Make-uplessons from

an Economist'spoint of view

Vicky Barham ‘In our everyday lives we regularly pay in advance for goods orservices and if we end up not using what we have purchased,we have to just swallow our losses.’

can be returned and then resold at theoriginal price — whereas music lessonsare non-durable goods — meaning,once my Monday slot at 3:30 is gone,my son's teacher can't turn around andsell it again. The only way she wouldbe able to give him a lesson later in the

week would be if she were to give uptime that she had scheduled for her ownprivate life; and that seems pretty unrea-

sonable — I can't think of many employees who would be thrilled if their bosses were to announce that they couldn't work from 3:30 to 4:30 this afternoon,but would they please stay until 6:30 onThursday, because there will be work forthem then!

Many teachers hesitate to refuse ourrequest to shift lesson times (becauseour busy schedules do change), becauseunless they keep parents happy, we willdecide to take our child somewhere

else for lessons (or to drop musicalstudy), and they will lose part of theirincome. This is especially true in areas

with lower average income, where itcan be particularly difficult to findstudents. So rather than telling us that'well, actually, the only time when I'mnot teaching and that you can bring

your son for a lesson is during the timeI set aside each week to go for a long

‘My eldest son will be missing threelessons because he is going to accompanyme on a trip to New Zealand to visithis great-grandparents. I do not expectmy son's teacher to refund me for thosemissed lessons, or to reschedule them’

soul-cleansing walk, and I can't do thaton Monday at 3:30 when you shouldhave turned up', they agree to teach usat a time that real ly doesn't suit theirschedule. Teachers who are 'nice' inthis way often, in the long run, end upexhausted, and feeling exploited; theytry to draw a line in the sand. However,too few parents ask to switch only whenabsolutely necessary, and too manyparents want lesson times when itsuits them this week, which is not thesame time that suited last week. If the

conflict arises because my child is in theschool play, and they have their dress-rehearsal during his lesson time, then Ifeel that I must choose between the twoactivities, and if he attends the dressrehearsal my private lesson teacherdoesn't owe me anything.

During May, my eldest son will bemissing three lessons because he is go-ing to accompany me on a trip to NewZealand to visit his g reat-grandparents.I do not expect my son's teacher torefund me for those missed lessons,or to reschedule them by 'doubling up'lessons in the weeks before or afterour departure. Since there will be lotsof advanced notice, I might ask her toconsider preparing a special 'practicetape' for that period, or to ans wer myquestions via e-mail, but if she doesn'thave the time (the second half of Aprilis going to be really busy for her, andshe wouldn't be able to do the tapeuntil more or less the week we left)and so has to refuse, then that's fine. Icertainly don't expect her to credit me

with three make-up lessons; there isno way for her to find a student to fill athree-week hole in her schedule duringour absence. Instead, I hope that she

will enjoy the extra hour of rest duringthose three weeks, and that we willall feel renewed enthusiasm when wereturn to lessons at the end of the trip.

.

.

.

Piano teachers havethe right to refuseto reschedule a classafter a cancellation.

Financial compensa-tion for missed lessonsare at the discretionof the teacher.

Music lessons arenon-durable goods,meaning they arenon-refundable.

. You have the right toa day off too!

15



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RANDALL FABERAUTHOR OF PIANO ADVENTURES

TOURING AUSTRALIAJULY 2013

July 8th Brisbane July 9th Sydney July 10th Melbourne July 12th Perth

There is an undeniably special relationship between a piano teacherand student. My piano teacher was like a second Mum to me and westill keep in contact now, over 20 years after I finished formal lessons

with her. So it was with great excitement that I took my 5 year olddaughter, Elvie, to her very first piano lesson.

I had already taught Elvie her finger numbers and she had spent a littlebit of time over the last few years mucking around on our piano. Shehas read and enjoyed all the Freddie the Frog books, so is familiar

with some of the technical language of music and she has spent manyhappy hours listening to music.

Truth be told she was not especially keen to begin piano lessons — themotivation was coming from me. I’ve read all the research. I know thatbeginning music lessons early (before a child is 7) is great for braindevelopment. More than that, I know the positive effect music had onmy own childhood and powerful way it helped shape my life, so wasnaturally keen to give her the opportunity to experience music too.

‘But how does the teacher fit all those pianos in her house, Mummy?’ I was asked the week before lessons were to start.

‘What do you mean, sweetheart?’

‘For all the children?’

‘Oh no’, I explained, realising that her only other experience of lessons was her group swimming lessons, ‘You will be the only one in your les-son. Just you and the piano teacher.’

‘Oh!’ wide eyes met my glance as the penny dropped and Elvierealised that piano lessons were indeed going to be something special!

Diary of aPiano Mama

Introducing thenew All-In-Twoedition of PianoAdventures!

Professional Developmentopportunity for PianoTeachers of all levels

By Gina Wake

Randall Faber Touring Australia July 2013

Email [email protected] for more details and to register your interest!

19



NetworkingNetworking is an area that is not discussed in muchdetail among piano teachers. But it is every bit asimportant for a piano teacher to network as it is for abanker, lawyer, or real estate agent. Referrals comefrom people who trust us and if we are not out meet-ing people, making friendships, and helping others,then we are not establishing trust w ith anyone new.Here are some important people with which pianoteachers should network:School Music TeachersMusic teachers in schools are frequently asked whothey would recommend as a private instructor of spe-cific instruments. It’s a good idea to meet your localschool music teacher in person, tell t hem what youdo, give them your business cards (give them many sothat they can hand them out), and ask if they mightbe willing to refer others to you. Some schools mayeven allow you to put notices in t heir newsletters orflyers in students’ folders toward the end of the year.It never hurts to ask!Preschool Music Teachers

Another good professional connection to make is with the local Kindermusik, Mini Maestros, or otherpreschool music program teachers in your area.Some of these teachers also teach piano, but many donot. Take them out to lunch so t hat you can tell t hemabout your studio and find out more about what t heydo. They will be as interested to get your referrals as

you are to get theirs.Fellow Piano TeachersOur own colleagues are frequently the source of manygood referrals. But, most teachers will only referstudents to people that they trust. You must be a partof and giving to t he teaching community in order forteachers to get to know you and t rust you. When theyknow and trust you, they will be much more likely torefer students to you when you inform them that youhave openings. Don’t forget about the ‘giving to’ partof that equation. Everyone loves someone who willshare ideas with them and help them when help isneeded. Be a true friend to your colleag ues and theirreferrals will usually come.

Word of mouthMost piano teachers will attest to the fact that muchof their business comes from recommendations fromcurrent or past students (your warm market). Becauseof this, it is important to tell your current and pastfamilies that you have openings and are currentlytaking applications for new enrolments.It’s easy to forget that not only are our current fami-lies potential referrers, but our fellow piano teachersare as well. I am constantly asking my colleagues,‘Do you have openings?’ because I am inundated

with requests for lessons each month. Having goodrelationships with your colleagues makes it easy tosend them an email saying, ‘I’m currently tak ing newstudents and wanted you to know in case your studiois full and you have a call about lessons.’

Your Website While word of mouth is usually the best way of get-ting new students for most teachers, having a profes-sional looking website has boosted the number ofinquiries I get by a substantial amount. As a matter offact, I have thought about mentioning that my studiois full on my website, but I do like people to continueto contact me about lessons so that I can refer themto my friends and colleagues.In a similar way t hat having a good website can havea positive effect on your number of inquires, having abad website can turn people away.Here’s an important point to remember. The parents

who are currently searching for piano lessons fortheir kids are roughly 20–45 years old. This is Genera-tion X and Y who ba sically live by their computers.These are the early adopters of Facebook, Twitter,

websites, and blogs and they most certainly haveemail and know their way around a computer. If theylook for your studio online and do not find you havea web presence, they may easily dismiss your studioas ‘out-dated’ and may think you must be too old torelate to their children who don’t know anything buttechnology. I will admit that I belong to this groupof 20–45 year olds and I al most always go to the web

first when I am investigating a class for my children.If you do have a website, remember that it takes a

while before your site will turn up on a search forpiano lessons in your area. Make sure t here are key

words on your site about your town, piano lessonsand remember to update your site often.

Professional AssociationsIf there is a local Music Teacher Association in yourarea, I would strongly encourage you to join one. I amconstantly sending inquiring families to the localMTA when I have to inform them that I do not haveany openings. As stated in the previous paragraph,

your best bet is to interact with these groups of teachers,but at a minimum, belonging to their organisationmight get you some referrals.

Getting Out in FrontPlaying for a church, local school or community eventattended by families with children is a great wayto get your face and your abilities in the public eye.Make sure you have business cards wherever you goso that you can hand these out to interested families.If you are taking new students, it usually only takes1–2 inquiries before word of your availability beginsto travel around small communities.

Media OpportunitiesTry contacting your local newspaper to ask about

writing an article about how to find a good pianoteacher or the benefits of music lessons. Offer to allow

your local news station to interview you about thebenefits of music education or how piano lessons aredifferent now than how they were 30 years ago.

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5

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If there’s one thing I would want any t eacher toremember from this article, it is this: Get out thereand connect with other piano teachers and the generalpublic! Be kind to all you meet, go out of your way tobe helpful, and eventually this will pay off in referrals(and friendships!). Advertising to a cold market isprobably necessary if you wish to increase yournumber of students significantly, but the your bestmarket is your warm market, so take care of thoserelationships that exist in your circle of influence.

y Wendy Stevens,www.ComposeCreate.com

To read more fromWendy on marketing,teaching composition,and other teachingtopics, visit: www.ComposeCreate.com

Available online at www.ComposeCreate.com

MarketingPianoLessons 101

One frequent question among new and seasonedpiano teachers is, ‘What is the best way to marketpiano lessons?’ Of course, there are many waysof marketing lessons, but some are clearly betterways of finding and keeping committed students.Whether your studio is full, has vacancies, oryou have moved and need a whole new set ofstudents, chances are you’ll need to market yourservices at some point in your career.

t is easier to market to your warmmarket than your cold market.

our warm market includes yoururrent and past students, family,riends, neighbours, anyone whonows you and what you do.Most of your new business referralsome from your warm market, sois important to keep your warm

market happy and reminded abouthe perks of studying piano with you.It is easier to retain a currenttudent, than it is to find a newtudent.When marketing to a cold market,emember that first impressionsre extremely important.Piano teaching may seem likenly a service, but your referralsnd most of your students willome because of the r elationshipshat you take the time to makend cultivate.

rst, it is important to understand severalmportant principles of marketing:

you understand these principles ofmarketing, you’ll understand more aboutwhy the following are some of the bestways to market piano lessons.

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What are the best aspects of workingn a team of piano teachers?

iscussing repertoire, or commonroblems that students have with theame pieces or technique. There is lessolation than our home studios. A feel-

ng of team-ship.Was it an accident that such a har-monious team came together at your

chool? Or was there a plan to employeachers who fitted a certain philo-ophical approach?ccidental? Yes and no. Our Head of Mu-c wanted only suitably qualified staff,ut the content of our lessons is entirelyp to us. We do, however, have the sameesire to give a well-rounded musicducation to our students and hopefullychieve that in our various ways.

How much do you coordinate youreaching approaches?

We don’t. Individual teachers have theirwn style and approach and are free toach in their own way. We do, however

oincide in some of our methods eg.ooks, masterclasses, conferences.

How much do your students come intocontact with each other as pianists? Great question — this is the best bit! Ourstudents come together at a plethora ofboth formal and informal musical events.It is wonderful to watch t hem be inspiredby each other and choose role models.The formal events include: assemblyitems (Rob Deavin organises a roster andSenior School students put their namedown if they want to play in Chapel orassembly), friendly soirees (especiallyfriendly audiences for beginners to buildconfidence in performance and etiquette),opportunities to accompany warm-ups inchoir, exams, master-classes, playing forthe school musicals, stage band, end-of-

year concerts, as well as solos, duets, triosand even piano quartets in the Launces-ton Competitions and St Cecilia Perfor-mance Challenge. The TCE (TasmanianCertificate of Education) students have asoiree arranged for them in which theypresent their entire program in concertmode. If we have AMus or LMus students,they sometimes choose to have a concertso they can have a performance opportu-nity before their exam.

We think we just may have found the luckiest teachers in Australia! We asked Meg Blackley, Lynette Pfundt, Robeavin, Chris Murray, Sue Patterson and Susie Heggie to t ell us a bit about their piano program at Launcestonhurch Grammar School. They tell us that working in this idyllic milieu has helped them forge a strong friendshiproup and that they feel very lucky to work in such an environment.

Casual ‘events’ include class perfor-mances (from 6yr olds right t hroughto the Seniors), students form ‘bands’,they practise at each other’s houses.Best of all, we have lots of recess &lunch kids: our music building is openfor students to practise in and manytake this opportunity to share, enjoyand improvise informally. Duet andtrio groups often turn into friendshipgroups and it is delightful to watchstudents inspire each ot her. How much ensemble work do yourstudents do because of your teachingarrangement?Lots of duets and trios, also knowledgeof each other’s students mean we know

who to approach for certain needs (eg.a pianist to accompany a string ensem-ble, accompany choir etc.) Do you organise professional devel-opment specifically for your team ofteachers?

We enjoy attending PD and often arrangeto attend together, although there is noformal requirement to do so. Recenthighlights include Australasian PianoPedagogy Conference, Christopher

Are these theluckiest piano

teachers in Australia?

Norton, Dan Coates, Elissa Milne,Gayle Kowalchyk and the concert pia-nist Ambre Hammond. Is there someone 'in charge', or is theworking relationship hierarchy free?!

Very even. Entirely open and flexible. Apart from our Junior School timetablesbeing arranged for us, no-one is in charge.What is the single biggest advantage you've experienced working with a group of other piano teachers?The conversations we have — askingeach other for advice and the sense ofcollegiality. Have the teachers in the group endedup specialising? For example, someteachers working with younger stu-dents, some teachers with a focus onmusicianship aspects of pianism, someteachers being Baroque specialists, etc.No. We do think about ‘best fit’ whena new student commences with us.Sometimes a student or parent may askfor a particular t eacher. Also we keep inmind the need of the student eg. learn-ing style, gender, temperament etc. Webelieve that the student -teacher rela-tionship is vital to the lear ning process.Both teacher and student are free tosuggest a change if it is to the student’sadvantage. We do consult each other if

we have a particular problem eg. how would you interpret this ornament? etc.What are the biggest benefits to pianostudents learning at the school of yourteam approach to piano teaching? Because we offer so many opportuni-

ties to perform, students rarely havean attack of nerves — performingis really part of the culture and notconsidered at all out of the ordinary.They hear new repertoire at our soi-rees, at the comps or at master-classes and are inspired to explorea huge range of music which t heymight possibly have not been ex-posed to if our programme weresmaller and less diverse.

How much interaction with students out-side the school do your st udents have?

We run the Grammar Music Academyfrom the school as well. Basically itmeans anyone outside the school canapply to have lessons from us. We teacholder beginners, uni students — someparents of our students have chosen to

have lessons and children from otherschools also learn from us. It’s notuncommon for one of us to be teachingand another teacher will come in fromnext door and suggest forming a part-nership between students from differ-ent schools and adults of varying ages.Our students also perform in master-classes etc. where they meet many otherpiano students from around the area. Has there been a wider communitybenefit to your approach to pianoteaching within your team/school? Some students and parents havelearned about the Music Academythrough comps or community perfor-mances, which has led to music friend-ships being forged and in a few cases,parents requesting lessons for them-selves. Our students have been asked toperform at various functions, including

weddings, school cocktail evenings,at nursing homes and, once, at the ArtGallery when the Monet ‘Haystack’ wason display. In some ways, our studentsare our advertisement. Student reten-tion is high and we encounter manytuition requests from older beginnersof around the 14 – 16yr old age group.Music in Grammar has grown over the

years and the school is recognised inthe wider community because of itsmusic program. We were also fortunateenough to win the ABC Flame Awardsseveral years ago.

Instrumentalmusic from

K-12

Class Music

Choirs

Large andsmall

ensembles

19 Instrumental

teachers

50% of studentbody takeindividual

lessons!

25



Over the Rainbow& other great songsBeginners will appreciateplaying pieces that people

actually know! Greataccompanying duet parts.Includes: Chitty Chitty BangBang, Ding-Dong! The WitchIs Dead, Good Night,The Hokey Pokey, Over TheRainbow, Splish Splash.102098

WickedRealistic arrangements forbeginners that still soundgreat: Dancing Through Life,

Defying Gravity, For Good,I Couldn’t Be Happier,I’m Not That Girl, Popular,What Is This Feeling?, TheWizard and I. A must foryoung Wicked fans.109365

Star WarsEasy arrangements thatallow piano students toplay the themes they

recognise from all of theStar Wars movies! Acrossthe Stars, Cantina Band, Duelof the Fates, The ImperialMarch (Darth Vader’s Theme),Luke and Leia, May the ForceBe with You, Princess Leia’sTheme, Star Wars (MainTheme), The Throne Room,Yoda’s Theme.110287

10 Fun FavoritesThis is the book I alwayswanted as a beg inner —perfect pieces to play for

when Mum and Dad say‘play something for Aunty/Uncle/Grandma…!’ Catch aFalling Star, Happy Birthdayto You, The Hokey Pokey, LetIt Be, Over the Rainbow , StarWars (Main Theme), Tomor-row, What a Wonderful World.110390

My First MovieThemes SongbookA keepsake collection ofnearly 30 favourite moviethemes, all arranged forabout Grade Two levelpiano and presented withbeautiful full-colour il-lustrations! Chariots of Fire,Hallelujah, James Bond Theme,Mission: Impossible Theme,Over the Rainbow, The PinkPanther, Raiders March, Singin’in the Rain, Somewhere MyLove, Star Wars (Main Theme),You’ve Got a Friend in Me,and more.102856

50 Songs for Children50 children’s favouritesarranged for easy piano:Baa Baa Black Sheep, DoYour Ears Hang Low?, EensyWeensy Spider, The Farmer inthe Dell, Hush Little Baby, IfYou’re Happy and You KnowIt, London Bridge, Mary Had aLittle Lamb, The Muffin Man,Old MacDonald Had a Farm,Pop Goes the Weasel, This OldMan and many more.310707

Disney’s My FirstSongbook Vol. 417 more Disney favourites,from animated classicsup through their newestblockbusters, such asEnchanted, Tangled, ThePrincess and the Frog, TheIncredibles, Pirates of theCaribbean and more!Perfect for Grade Two.Every page is beautifullyillustrated with full-colourart from Disney features,making a remarkablesouvenir folio for anyonewho loves Disney moviesand music.316160

Teenage DreamFrom Katy Perry’s smashalbum these are good, easyarrangements but very trueto the song: California Gurls,Circle the Drain, E.T., Firework,Hummingbird Heartbeat, LastFriday Night (T.G.I.F.), Not likethe Movies, The One That Got

Away, Peacock, Pearl, TeenageDream, Who Am I Living For?109267

15 Top Hits for Easy PianoEasy arrangements ofmore than a dozen recenthits: Brighter Than the Sun,Firework, Glad You Came,

Just a Kiss, Just the Way You Are, Moves like Jagger, Ours,Paradise, Poker Face, Rollingin the Deep, Someone like You,Stronger (What Doesn't KillYou), A Thousand Years, We

Are Young, What Makes YouBeautiful. 102668

Taylor Swift Eight megahits from thisunstoppable songstress ineasy solo arrangements,

perfect for Grade Onestudents! Songs: Back toDecember, Fifteen, Love Story,Mean, Mine, Our Song, WhiteHorse, You Belong with Me.109369

Jazzy Tunes16 swingin' favouritesarranged by Phillip Keverenat a Grade One level: Baby

Elephant Walk, Beyond theSea, Bye Bye Blackbird, In theMood, Linus and Lucy, OpusOne, Salt Peanuts, SesameStreet Theme, The Surrey withthe Fringe on Top, Tuxedo Junctio and more!311403

Jersey Boys15 tracks from the hitBroadway musical idealfor Grade 2-3 students.Includes: Big Girls Don’t Cry,Can’t Take My Eyes off of You,December 1963 (Oh, What aNight), My Boyfriend’s Back,Rag Doll, Sherry, Walk like aMan, Working My Way Backto You and more.109372

Rock ClassicsWith words included theseGrade 2+ arrangementsare ideal for Guns n’Roses/

Rolling Stones/Led Zep-plin fans: All Right Now, Aqualung, Baba O’Riley, Backin Black, Comfortably Numb,Dream On, Hotel California,Iron Man, Love Walks In,Moondance, November Rain,She’s a Rainbow, Smoke onthe Water, Stairway to HeavenSweet Home Alabama.102840

Tchaikovsky forEasy Piano 22 classics arranged forintermediate-level players,including: Andante Cantabile,Barcarolle in G Minor (June),Op. 37, No. 6, Chanson Triste,Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy,Marche Slav, Op. 31, Romeoand Juliet (Love Theme), TheSleeping Beauty Waltz, Theme

from Swan Lake, SymphonyNo. 6 in B Minor (Pathetique),Waltz of the Flowers andmore.2502386

PRELIMINARY GRADE ONE GRADE TWO

GRADE THREEGRADE TWO

Legally BlondeTen songs from the Broad-way musical based on thehit film about sorority girlturned Harvard law stu-dent Elle Woods. Featureseasy arrangements of:Bend and Snap, Ireland,Legally Blonde, Legally BlondeRemix, Omigod You Guys,Positive, Serious, So MuchBetter, What You Want andWhipped into Shape.109371

W H A T ’ S N E W I N

P O P U L A R M U S I C ? W

HAT ’ S NE W I N

P OP UL AR M U S I C ?

Happy Birthday to Youand Other Great SongsTen classic kids tunes ingreat five-finger arrange-

ments, ideal for prelimi-nary grade students: Any Dream Will Do, HappyBirthday to You, Heart andSoul, Hi-Lili, Hi-Lo, If I OnlyHad a Brain, Peter Cottontail,Sing, The Syncopated Clock,We're Off to See the Wizard,When I Grow Too Old to Dream.102097

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GRADE ONE – FIVE

Beautiful Pop Ballads for Easy Piano31 lovely pop songs insimplified arrangements,

including: Don’t Know Why,From a Distance, Hero, JustOnce, My Cherie Amour,November Rain, Open Arms,Time After Time, UnchainedMelody, What a WonderfulWorld, Your Song and more.2502450

Stevie WonderA dozen Stevie Wonder fa-vourites expertly arrangedfor piano solo: All in Love Is

Fair, Ebony and Ivory, I JustCalled to Say I Love You, Isn’tShe Lovely, My Cherie Amour,Part Time Lover, Ribbon in theSky, Sir Duke, Superstition,That Girl, You and I, You Arethe Sunshine of My Life.308804

Twilight BreakingDawn Part 2Solo piano arrangementsof ten dramatic tunes from

Carter Burwell’s score tothe final Twilight instal-ment: At Bedtime a Child

Asks About Death, CatchingSnowflakes, Meet Renesmee,Present Time, Such a Prize,This Extraordinary Life, Twi-light Overture, A Way withthe World, A World Bright andBuzzing. Includes full-col-our artwork from the film.116335

GRADE THREE GRADES FOUR & FIVE

GRADES FIVE & SIX

Greatest Piano Themes from the MoviesAlthough some of thenotation is quite simple,the rhythmic complex-ity of these arrangementsmake them ideal for Grade6 students. Movie themesoriginally played on piano,Including: American Beauty,Chariots of Fire, It Might BeYou, Maestro, On Golden Pond,Road to Perdition, Theme fromSabrina, Somewhere in Time,Theme from Summer of 42·Tubular Bells and more.2502441

Impressions of GracePiano SolosThis collection for thesanctuary pianist is areflective gathering of be-loved hymn tunes arrangedwith profound sensitivity.Each bar reaches out tothe heart of the listenerwith pianistic poetry of thehighest order. Includes: Re-

flections, How Can I Keep fromSinging, The King of Love MyShepherd Is, Thee We Adore, OHidden Savior; Jesus Loves Me!This I Know, Nocturne On aSilesian Folk Tune and more.35028709

Bach n Roll Ace arranger David Pearlpresents 20 contemporarypop classics as if they hadbeen composed by the clas-sical masters. Overjoyed byStevie Wonder presentedas if Bach had composed it;Somebody to Love by Queenin the style of Beethoven;Meat Loaf’s Two Out of Three

Ain’t Bad presented in Mo-zart’s inimitable style; TheBeatles’ Michelle a la Raveland many more!2501724

Great Themes forPiano Solo Cinema Paradiso, The God-

father (Love Theme), HawaiiFive-O Theme, He’s a Pirate,Theme from ‘Jaws’, Theme from ‘Jurassic Park’, Nadia’sTheme, The Pink Panthe,Spartacus — Love Theme,Raiders March, Star WarsMain Theme, Twilight ZoneMain Title and more.312102

Piano Adventures:

Sight Reading PrimerThis inventive sight-reading course uses setsof exercises based onmelodic and rhythmicpatterns from the 2nd Edi-tion Primer Lesson Book.Students play one exercisea day, completing one setper week. Entertainingmusical art helps guide thesight-reading process andeach page presents a newlearning vignette in a spiritof fun.FF3006

Piano Adventures:

Sight Reading 2AThe innovative Level 2ASight-reading Book buildsconfident readers throughrecognition of individualnotes, and perception ofnote patterns, both rhyth-mic and melodic. Studentsplay one exercise per day,while enjoying the RhythmRoad exercises and enter-taining musical art.FF3014

Piano Adventures:

Sight Reading 2BGood sightreading skill isa powerful asset for thedeveloping musician. Care-fully composed variationsof the Level 2B Lesson Bookpieces help the student seethe ‘new’ against the back-drop of the ‘familiar.’ Fun,lively characters instructstudents and motivatesight-reading with a spiritof adventure and fun.FF3015

A comprehensive coursedesigned to help studentsmaster theory concepts.New concepts are gradu-ally introduced in a clearlypresented format, followedby sufficient and effectivereinforcement. Each bookfeatures three sections ofMusical Mastery whichinclude ear training, masteryin rhythm, symbols, reading,and analysis. Students learnto apply their theoreticalknowledge in a musical con-

Essential ElementsPiano Theory Lvl 1296926Essential ElementsPiano Theory Lvl 2296927Essential ElementsPiano Theory Lvl 3 296928

text through such elementsas improvisation, transposi-tion, reading lead lines andstandard chord progressions.Each book concludes with asection of Theory Masterywhich includes a review testand ear training. The crea-tive and fun approach of thisseries applies the student’sunderstanding of theory toreal musical examples, andwill enhance and supple-ment any method book.

PRELIMINARY GRADE ONE GRADE TWO

THEORY

SIGHT READING

PRE-PRELIMINARY

Piano Adventures:

Sight Reading 1Preliminary students canhave lots of fun whiledeveloping strong sight-reading skills. Students cancount these sight readingpieces in their list of 40pieces for the year! Theinventive course usessets of exercises basedon melodic and rhythmicpatterns from the Level 1Lesson Book.FF3013

Henry ManciniPiano SolosSolo arrangements ofmore than 30 magnificent

Mancini hits! Includes:Baby Elephant Walk, Breakfastat Tiffany’s, Charade CrazyWorld, Days of Wine andRoses, How Soon, Moon River,Newhart Main Title Theme,Peter Gunn, The Pink Panther,

A Shot in the Dark, The ThornBirds (Main Theme), Two forthe Road, Whistling Away theDark and more.313616

Journey Through theClassics CompleteA beautiful graded collec-tion of all 98 pieces fromthe 4 books of the Journeyseries. The graded piecesare presented in a progres-sive order and feature avariety of classical favour-ites essential to any pianostudent’s educationalfoundation. Many pieceslisted can be used for AMEBand other exams.110217

WHAT ’ S NE W I N

S I GHT -R E ADI N G &T HE O

R Y ?

W H A T ’ S N E W I N

P O P U L A R M U S I C ?

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Three years ago I had thepleasure of addressing agroup of embryonic pianoteachers at one of Austral ia’s

istinguished universities. The thirtyr so students listened politely andttentively to my lecture. Several wereaking notes on their laptops (although,ome to think of it, t hey could haveeen playing Angry Birds or checking

he latest cricket scores!). But when, to-wards the end, I began discussing theesearch I was carr ying out into sighteading, I sensed that I had touched aerve with many of the students. Fromeing dutifully attentive, they were nowngaged and eager to find out more.ndeed, when my ‘official’ lecture wasver, they crowded round to see therototype of a device I happened toave with me. There was a barragef questions and they were keen torovide me with valuable feedback notast on the estimated price of thisascent gadget — ‘That’s cool — I pa id

more than that for a mobile phone.’To this day, I cannot imagine how,

o students, a device for the improve-ment of sight reading could even bementioned in the same breath as amust-have mobile phone, let alone

ompared in price. But it may have

been prescient since many teacherstoday are telling me that t he result ofmy research and investment is indeed a

‘must-have’ in their teaching.I believe it was the English music

educationalist Paul Harris who coinedthe term ‘Fright Reading’ and, in mythirty-three years as an examiner, Icertainly witnessed plenty of fright-ened candidates when the momentcame in the exam room where I left mytable and approached, sight-readingin hand. From Birmingham to Bue-nos Aries, Singapore to Sydney, in myexperience the one consistent ele-ment from candidates was their poorsight-reading. Though not havingexamined for AMEB, I have a t horoughknowledge of t he sample sight-readingpieces the Board publishes. Last year,I turned every one of t he pieces, fromPreliminary to Grade 8, into files suit-able for epublishing. At a t ime whensight-reading is being downgraded inimportance in some examining areas, I

was delighted to find a set of inventivepieces in a wide variety of st yles thatmaintained a level of difficulty in keep-ing with the standards expected fromone of the oldest music examinationboards in the world.

The importance of fluent sight-

reading cannot be overstated. Thedistinguished pianist and recordingartist Howard Shelley remarked to methat, to him, the importa nce of beinga good sight reader is that it allowshim to explore new repertoire withconfidence. Many times I have heardthe claim ‘Show me a good sight-readerand I’ll show you a good musician!’

Antonio Pappano, Musical Director atthe Royal Opera House in London (a

very fine pianist as well as conductor),told me ‘Fluent sight reading is a signof first-rate musicianship and is vital inthe training of young musicians.’ The

joy of making music with others is alsoimmeasurably helped by good readingqualities, whether in duet playing ortaking part in chamber and orchestralgroups. Examination boards thusbestow importance on this vital aspectof training by including tests in gradeexams. John Sloboda, in his seminal

work on the psychology of music,claims that audition panels for mem-bership of our professional symphonyorchestras might as well dispense withhearing the applicant churning out a

well known concerto movement andsimply ask for sight-reading.

Worryingly, many teachers will havefound that even very musical pupils

SightReading

Practice inthe 21stCentury who confidently know the basics of

notation, are prepared to apply them-selves and who want to read fluentlyfind that the necessary continuityeludes them. Teachers who want tohelp often do not realise how difficultthe process is and I confess that, beforemy research over recent years, I had lit-tle idea of what monumental tasks weask our brains to ca rry out — pianistsin particular. Non-musicians amongthe optometrists I have interviewedhave been staggered to find out howmuch information has to be taken infrom musical notation by the eye andthe brain: ‘You mean’ said one whenI explained about pianists having atreble and bass clef to contend withsimultaneously ‘that each hand has adifferent set of instructions?!’ He wasincredulous.

My conclusion is that poor sightreading is a type of musical dyslexia.It is well known that specific parts ofthe brain are involved in controllingcertain actions – balance, motor con-trol, directional sense, multi-tasking,language, the senses etc. In weak sightreaders, that part of the brain dealing

with eye scanning (horizontally forthe melody line, vertically for chordsand, in pianists, retrograde scanningfor the left hand) does not function ef-ficiently. This is because the brain hasnever been trained to ignore the ear.This might sound heretical — ‘Ignorethe ear? I am a lways encouraging mypupils to listen!’ Quite correct — exceptthat, in sight-reading, continuity is byfar the most important element. Thesequence usually is this: pupil hears

an obvious wrong note — the ear alertsthe brain, the brain sends a messageto the eyes ‘Look back — somethingis wrong’ — the eyes obey and, bingo,there is the stu mble/hesitation whichupsets continuity. More than that, itdestroys the rhythm pattern and hencethe phrasing, all of which results in

what I call ‘non-music’. And if I seem to be concentrating

mostly on the plight of pianists, im-plying that their reading is especiallydifficult because of using two st aves, Ishould point out that, having at onetime played cello and trumpet, I am

well aware that single line readershave the difficulty, which pianists donot have, of producing their notes viafingering, position work, embouchureetc. At least all the pianists have to dois press the correct note down!

Most sight-readers think that the vital job is to ‘Get the notes right’. Infact, the pitch of the notes is the leastimportant element of all. In orderof importance we have Continuity,Rhythm And Pitch — these words forman unfortunate acronym but thoseteachers at my meetings across the

world amused by my slightly coarse joke certainly have something toremember in their teaching! Simpleexperiment: play your pupils HappyBirthday To You continuously, in preciserhythm but with every note wrong. Iguarantee they will join in with the

words of the last line!So: how do we train the brain in

the way described in order to producefluent sight-reading? Users around the

world are telling me that the iPad app

that was launched last January hasimproved their pupils’ fluency enor-mously and, most importantly, theyhave been given a great deal more con-fidence in their ability to read at sight.The unique SightRead4Piano app, forexample, contains 1,107 piano piecesfrom six examination boards from pre-Grade 1 to post-Grade 8. It does whatno book can possibly do — it removesthe music bar by bar as it is played sothat when the eyes want to flick back inresponse to a wrong note, there is noth-ing to see! And since eyes will not focuson a blank piece of ‘paper’, there is onlyone way for them to go — forward!

I hope the university students Italked to in 2009 have kept abreastof this development and that manyof them have downloaded the AMEBsight-reading samples onto their iPads.It might have made it worthwhilehaving to listen to the first part of mylecture. Unless, of course, they had im-proved their Angry Birds score! I hope,too, that they take with them into theirteaching, the words of Daniel Barenbo-im. In his biography, My Life In Music,he writes ‘By definition, sight readingmeans playing bar one with your eyes

while your brain is on bar five.’

‘The iPad app that was launched last January has improved their pupils’ fluency enormously and, most importantly,they have been given a great deal moreconfidence in their ability to read at sight’.

Dr. Christopher Wiltshire has fifty years experience in music education asteacher, lecturer, examiner, composer,arranger and pianist.

To try the SightRead4Piano iPadapp go to the App Store, downloadthe free app and explore

By Dr Christopher Wiltshire

31



As music teachers, what we teach goesbeyond musical concepts, notes, andskills. Part of our collective mission isto guide our students’ personaldevelopment in a more generalmanner, including focus on...

Expression

A-C-E™ is an apt summation of ourteaching philosophy: Analysis, Creativityand Expression comprising the keyelements of artistry. We teach with A-C-Eto promote artistic capabilities andqualities — an artistry mindset thatcarries through life.

O Expression begins with listening.If your own playing is always colourfuland nuanced, the student will beinspired to imitate it.

O A story, a colourful analogy, orreference to something in thestudent’s own life is an easy a ndeffective way to elicit an emotionalreaction. This encourages thestudent to personalise the piece.

O The CD or MIDI accompanimentscan enrich the student’s involvement

with the spirit and mood of a piece.Hearing instrumental colours andspecial effects can stimulate thestudent to join in and play moremusically.

A

C

E

nalysis

reativity

xpression

CognitiveDevelopment

ImaginativePredisposition

EmotionalMaturation

Analysis Creativity

Guides thestudentto think

Stimulatesthinkingdifferently

Personalisesexperience witha confidentsharing of self

O The origin of the word ‘analysis’is Greek. It means to break apart,to loosen. When teaching a piece,‘break it apart’ to show how it is puttogether. This is the most effective

way to demonstrate analysis. O Always look for patterns—

whether rhythmic, melodic, harmon-ic, or motivic. Seeing and comparingpatterns is the basic principle ofanalysis. Guide attention.

O ‘Chunking’ of patterns freesattention. When the studentrecognises the same idea—tonicto dominant, for example—in anew context, you’ll know chunkingis taking place.

O Pattern recognition is visual,aural and kinesthetic. Analysis isnot just visual. Can your studenthear imitations, transposedmotives, repeated rhythms?

O Short bursts of creativity makelessons exciting. These explorationsdon’t have to be fancy or come withexplanations. Just do it!

O Ask the student to set the tempo,create a new ending, play the piecein a different range, choose a newdynamic. Start by asking—what if?

O Create opportunities for thestudent to make choices. That’s aneasy way to encourage self-expression.

A personality can emerge. Youmight be surprised!

Analysis Creativity Expression

Teaching with A-C-E™

Professional development with A-C-E™

‘Short bursts of creativity make learning more exciting!’

The Piano Adventures® teacher is com-mitted to personal growth, as a teacherand musician. The development of yourown musical insight, creativity, andartistry will pay dividends in the way youteach and interact with students. Be an

A-C-E teacher to make A-C-E musicians.

This pioneering Teacher Guide forthe Primer Lesson Book is a one-of-a-kind resource! It presents a system-atic approach for teaching begin-ning students using the Fabers’ philosophy of Analysis, Creativity,and Expression (A-C-E™).

O The included comprehensive DVDfeatures model teaching for eachpiece in the Lesson Book. The videosfeature Nancy Faber working withher students, offering teachers aglimpse into the creative techniques

O Enrich your own vocabulary.Choose colourful words, makelively comparisons, tell stories, askquestions. These are effective waysto awaken student interest.

O A demonstration is more powerfulthan an explanation. Play expressively.

O Apply ‘chunking’ to your ownlearning. The patterns you recog-nise and integrate will revitalise

your awareness of this effectivelearning process. That, in turn, willtransfer into how you presentconcepts and skills to students.

O Consider your effectiveness asa teacher. Evaluate your teaching as

you would a musical performance.Is it communicative?

Well-prepared? Inspiring?

O ‘Break apart’ and ‘loosen up’ your own teaching routines. Don’talways structure lessons in thesame order. Begin a lesson with asurprise, a playful improvisation, ora stimulating question. Somethingnew is always energising.

O Relax your reliance on the printedscore. Improvise accompanimentsto student performances. Demon-strate concepts—a tempo, forexample, or what it means to play

with a rich, deep sound—withspontaneous music-making.

Analysis Creativity Expression

ersonal and artistic growth requireeflection and a willingness to takenew direction. Try an infusion ofnalysis-Creativity-Expression.

While making A-C-E musicians you’llecome an A-C-E teacher. And, in the

rocess, you’ll raise the artistry of youreaching and the artistry of your studio.

See it in action! and activities used in her studio. O Pedagogy Articles are placed

throughout the manual. Thesefoundational ar ticles discuss howto teach technique, guide reading,and cultivate creativity. A boost forteaching!

O The substantial Appendix includesadditional, fun duets for rhythm

work and improvisation, and aThematic Index for planning grouplessons and recitals.

By Randall Faber

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P M S 2 4 6 P U R P L E

B L A C K

P M S 1 2 3 Y E L L O

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J O B : T O N E T O U C H & T E C H N I Q U E C O V E R

J O B N U M B E R : 3 5 9 0 6 D A T E : 2 1 / 1 2 / 2 0 0 7 C O L O U R S : P M S 2 4 6 P U R P L E + P M S 1 2 3 Y E L L O W +

B L A C K

T one•T ouch

&T echnique

Max Cookef or t he

YoungPianist

RevisedEdition

Pr int ed by HYDEPARKPRESS

Typeset byMUSICT YPEPT Y.L T D.

CodeNo:52281

Item No:0101 0958 40

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R e v i s e d E d i t i o n

P r i n t e d b y H Y D E P A R K P R E S S

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Code No:56026

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JUNGLE JOG

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GRANDA AND POP

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PIANO FUN

BANANA BENDER BLUES

DANCE OF THE RED SOX

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AUSSIE RAG

CAROUSEL VAP

GE A’SDANCE

DREAING

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PIANO ON FIRE

I iscovere oerick acFarlane’s copositions as an ajuicator in the oern sections o a Syney Eisteo , an in the, ysel,very

eucational in teachin lues, oo ie, an roun basses. They are

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ho are lookin or useul copositions o this calibre an have rae

the accorin to their iiculty.

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A .M.E. B.

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FANTASIES

arrangedbyMaxCooke

forPianoDuet onRobert StolzMelodies

Distributed byWA R N ER /C H A PPELLMU SI C A U STR A LI A PTY. LTD .

3 TalaveraRoad,North Ryde,N.S.W.2113.Printed byHYDEPARKPRESS

Typeset byMUSICTYPEPTY.LTD.

Item No:0102 3402 42Code No:52217

RevisedEdition

AustralianComposers

After leaving school, and after one yearat the Conservatorium, Max spent four

years in the RAAF during the war. At war's end, he returned to complete theBachelor of Music at the University, and

with what must have been a natural fa-cility, played impressive works includ-ing Brahms Concerto No 2 with Heinzeand the MSO, and Rachmaninoff No3 with John Bishop and the UniversityOrchestra. Max then spent two yearsstudying with Alfred Cortot in Paris.

All this time, he could impress people with his brilliance, but he knew thathe lacked the subtleties and control oftone, that he needed to play Mozart.

After Paris, Max was appointed to thestaff of the University Conservatoriumteaching outstanding students and herealised that he yearned to d iscovermore of the secrets of piano technique.Max attended classes given by leadingpianists in Australia and overseas andread every book that he could find onpiano playing. He particularly studiedthe scientific factors of piano perfor-mance from its physical aspects tothe physiological aspects of the body.

Working on these latter aspects withmedical specialists led him to estab-lish the Music Therapy course when he

was later Dean of the Faculty of Music,and it also placed him in the positionto help students to avoid stresses and

One of the most challenging aspects ofPiano Teaching is keeping the studentsmotivated. Over 25 years my wife, Nolaand I have found by introducing manystyles and genres of music, students

who struggle to maintain a passion

for the great composers of old, are notlost to the study of piano. This wasone of the reasons behind writing myPiano Fun series, that being, to keepthe interest of that student. It not onlybroadens the ability of a student to play

various styles but maintains theirenthusiasm and as a result the drop-out rate in our studio is next to zero.

Piano Fun for Beginners Book 1 and 2Behind the gradual focussed approachto consolidate important musicalconcepts is a strong emphasis on fun.It is easy to motivate students with t hePiano Fun Series. The students lovethe cartoons and lyrics in the beginnerseries and don’t realise how quicklythey are learning due to the fun ap-proach. It is great to have an Australianflavour right from the beginning.

Awarded the Order of Australia Medalin 1987 for services to music, WarrenThomson was Educated at WesleyCollege, Melbourne and the Universityof Melbourne. Warren has had an activecareer in conducting, performing,broadcasting and lecturing. He hasundertaken numerous overseas studytours to investigate music educationin Europe, Japan, South America, USA,Hungary, Poland and the former SovietUnion. He has adjudicated at all themajor eisteddfods in Australia and hasbeen on international juries.

Warren has organised and conducted workshops for music teachers and stu-dents throughout NSW since 1976, and

strains so that they would be less likelyto suffer from repetitive-strain injury.

Alongside all of this, Max’s main inter-est was to discover a piano techniquethat would allow him and his studentsto produce the most beautiful and

varied tonal colours possible from thepiano. He applied these techniques inteaching his students, and also tookclasses at the University in trainingteachers. It was in one of these classes,the Art of Teaching, that he evolved theidea of producing a book which offeredexercises, not just practised withoutunderstanding the underlying purpose,but with clear explanations. Theseexercises have to be applied at once inmusic, so there are pieces in which theresults can immediately be observed.This book — Tone, Touch and Tech-nique for the Young Pianist — shouldbe played in its entirety, because eachexercise and study has its own value,and the technique provides the feelingof naturalness as we proceed t hroughthe book.This first book was so successful, thatMax was persuaded by Darryl Coote to

write a sequel, this time — Tone, Touchand Technique for the Advanced Pia-nist — which is also very successful.

Max Cooke

Piano Fun Book 1Includes jazz, classical, ragtime andblues styles all graded by AMEB exam-iner Frank Taranto — grades 1 to 6.

Piano Fun Book 2

Contains 25 easy pieces (mainly grades1, 2 and 3) with a variety of modernrhythms students can relate to and loveto play. Quirky, repetitive bass forma-tions support the melodic line in a way

which encourages rhythmically tautand well defined playing. We find thesepieces very motivating as they soundmuch more difficult than they are —and that is what we all want!!

Piano Fun Book 3Full of pieces that teenagers love toplay. They love the variations on ThreeBlind Mice and Mad Mary with variousbass lines including the excellent

Left Hand workout – the boogie bass.Cheering up the Blues is a notherfavourite. Roderick MacFarlane is a composer, piano teacher, adjudicator andoccasional presenter of workshopsand masterclasses.

RoderickMacFarlane

co-ordinated over three hundred andfifty In-Service Courses for teachers atSydney Conservatorium. Has performedover 1200 new piano works for teachersand given frequent broadcasts onpiano teaching, as well as Lecture-Demonstrations and Master Classes inUSA, Ukraine, P.R.China, Hong Kongand Singapore. Warren has been involved with over80 publications and recordings whichinclude: the first Australian URTEXTeditions of Bach Preludes and FuguesBook 1&2, Young Pianist Introductionto Sonatinas Vol 1&2, and Tchaikovsky’sThe Seasons.

WarrenThomson

‘One of the challengesof Piano Teachingis keeping studentsmotivated’

We have 30 copies of Young PianistsIntroduction to Sonatinas Volume 1 to giveaway.Email [email protected] and besure to include Warren Thomson in the subject box.

AustralianEditor

35



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