what are good lesson plan for elementary piano course

Another great exercise here for your piano lesson plans is to have your students play the chord progression and melody of the song “Happy Birthday” in three or four separate keys. This exercise helps students to learn how to identify and memorize the sound of a simple chord progression played in different keys.

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How to teach beginner piano?

for example a greater passion to want to learn piano and availability of time to practice. About Declan Cosgrove Declan Cosgrove is the inventor of the patented DecPlay piano method and is an expert at teaching piano to senior citizens.

Why choose online piano lessons?

Online piano lessons are very affordable, offer high-quality content, and are very effective ways of teaching the basics of the piano. But to benefit from online piano lessons for beginners, you have to pick the right course. Popularity does not always reflect quality, especially for online piano courses. The good news is that by paying close ...

What are the basics of piano?

• Note names (incl. sharp and flat notes) on the piano
• Note names (incl. sharp and flat) of the notes in the notation system
• Note values of the notes in the notation system (quarter, eighth, sixteenth, half, whole)
• Time signature
• Treble clef (to be played with the right hand)
• Bass clef (to be played with the left hand)

How to learn piano for free?

The new ‘Learn Piano Later in Life’ course guides students from absolute beginner level, through to professional styles and uses the unique range of DecPlay methods, such as FastPlay and ProPlay, which removes the barrier of having to learn music notation.

How do you prepare an elementary lesson plan?

Elementary School Example of a Lesson PlanStep 1: Identify the expectation. ... Step 2: Provide a rationale for teaching the expectation. ... Step 3: Define a range of examples. ... Step 4: Describe activities for practice of expectation. ... Step 5: List methods to prompt/remind expectation.More items...

What should I teach my piano students?

First piano lesson with a beginnerTrace their hands (in their manuscript book). ... Teach them about the finger-number system — write “1” on their thumbs, and see if they can write in the other numbers on the other fingers.Discuss the music alphabet — how it goes from A to G, starts on the lowest note on the piano, etc.More items...•

How do you organize a piano lesson?

Here are 4 ways to correctly structure a piano lessonLet Lesson Structure Change With the Seasons. ... Let Lesson Structure Change With Student Personality. ... Let Lesson Structure Change With Student Excitement Levels. ... Let Lesson Structure Change When Things Crash and Burn.

What should a beginner piano lesson cover?

Scales. Piano students of all ages and backgrounds should be introduced to scales within the first few lessons. Scales are an introduction into the idea that the piano is most easily and efficiently played with the correct fingers, posture, and hand position.

What do piano teachers teach?

Piano teachers provide music lessons to those wanting to learn the piano. They can be found in schools or work as freelance instructors who do house calls or work from private studios. Piano teachers provide feedback on student progress, schedule recitals, and also prepare students for competitions.

How do I teach my 7 year old piano?

1:346:35Easy First Piano Lesson - For Kids! - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAnd then the next little group that are next to each other are two black piano keys. And then itMoreAnd then the next little group that are next to each other are two black piano keys. And then it goes to three again and then two and then three and then two and it keeps.

How do you teach a piano lesson for beginners?

2:065:17How Do I Teach My First Piano Lesson? Tips for Beginner TeachersYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipIdeas will help them develop at a quicker. Rate if you want to have some dedicated theory books aMoreIdeas will help them develop at a quicker. Rate if you want to have some dedicated theory books a simple um solution is the keith snell books they're laid out by level they're very self-explanatory.

What is a piano lesson?

(pɪˈænəʊ ˈlɛsən ) noun. an occasion when someone teaches you to play the piano.

What do you teach in Second piano Lesson?

0:1855:27How To Play Piano (PART TWO!) - EASY Second Piano Lesson!YouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipYou'll then play a G major chord when singing the word you on the second line you can see that a GMoreYou'll then play a G major chord when singing the word you on the second line you can see that a G major chord will be played with singing the word birthday.

What should a first year piano student do?

After six months of piano lessons For many people, after 6 months of piano lessons, they find that they can read most of the notes on the staff and play several scales pretty well! You should be able to play simple musical compositions with both hands and your co-ordination should improve a lot at this stage.

How can I be a better piano teacher?

Here are some things you could try:Challenge yourself to produce an excellent, high-quality video or audio recording of yourself or your students performing.Find all of the best educational apps and start using them with your students.Teach your students how to create music using an app like Garage Band.More items...

What is the lesson plan for piano?

For piano teachers, piano lesson plans are going to change drastically from student to student, but each lesson should share the characteristic of helping the student to progress, move forward with whatever material they’re covering, and to keep expanding their musical prowess and understanding.

Why is it important to have a piano lesson?

This helps give your lessons a specific goal and importance that will help motivate and energize your students . A major part of piano lessons should involve the teacher checking in on the progress a student has made with the pieces of music they’re working on.

What is a scale in piano?

Scales are an introduction into the idea that the piano is most easily and efficiently played with the correct fingers, posture, and hand position. When I first began teaching piano, I was surprised how quickly students as young as four or five could master the C Major scale.

How to be a good teacher?

Identify things in their performance that need work or that were strong in the lesson. A good teacher keeps their students motivated, encouraged, and accountable. If a student hasn’t been practicing, then ask them about it, and stress the importance of playing frequently.

Is it a good idea to assign a piece of music to a student?

Assigned Pieces. It’s not a good idea to assign a piece of music to a student until they’ve gained a good amount of hand dexterity and independence, finger strength, music reading knowledge and ability to play scales and exercises in rhythm.

Do you have to have two students to learn piano?

No two students are the same, so you’ll need to design your lessons with each student’s needs, strengths, and weaknesses in mind. If you have younger students, you’ll need to devote plenty of time for specialized warmups designed to promote correct hand positioning and muscle memory in your piano lesson plans. Consider going over material found in piano books for beginners with your young students.

What is a piano lesson plan?

Each method and plans has its advantages. The main goal is for a child to learn how to read music, have proper hand positions, and be able to learn pieces mostly on their own with a help from a teacher. My mother was a piano teacher for over 50 years.

How to teach a piano to write C?

Remind them about the proper hand position. You will need to do that often. If the student is doing well, add finding all F’s and G’s on the piano. 2) Ask the student to write C, D, and E. If they are doing well, add writing F and G.

Timing and Reflection

A good idea might be to plan the next lesson immediately after or later in the day when the last lesson is still fresh in your mind. Always know the activities for the upcoming lesson.

Routine Activities

The Routine Activities include Ice-breaker, Lesson Roadmap, Finger Gym, and Warm-ups, as well as Homework assignments and talk with parents. Each of those elements is short and takes only 1-2 minutes of the lesson.

Piano Playing

With a goal to learn to play piano music-making is the top priority. This element takes most of the lesson time and the student has to have enough time to experience music. For the beginner piano student playing piano consists of rote playing, playing using maps and pre-reading prints, improvising and composing.

Off-the-Bench Activities

One of the main challenges with the nowadays kids is they are losing their interest in activities of any kind extremely fast as well as have a very short attention span. These are what the Off-the-Bench activities help to overcome as they appear in between Playing Piano exercises and are our vital tools in successful piano teaching.

How long should I plan my piano lessons?

You’ve really got two options when it comes to planning your piano lessons: you can choose to provide a weekly plan for each student or plan over a longer term – say, 12 weeks. I find the weekly plan is a great solution if you’re teaching something new (Eg. a new method) or if you’re trying a new style of teaching.

Why is lesson planning important?

Remember that the goal of lesson planning is to streamline our lesson delivery. Planning properly ensures we cover everything we need to cover during a lesson and gives us a framework around which to get creative.

What are the three categories of lesson plans?

Tim Topham, for instance, divides his lesson plan templates into three main categories: Creative, Technique and Repertoire. These are the things he makes sure to cover in some way shape or form in every lesson. This could mean a blues improv, a Czerny exercise and then a Beatles piece.

Can a piano teacher be nervous?

Often as piano teachers we can be very nervous to “miss out” important bits of a lesson. We feel like we need to fit in scales, sight reading, technique, repertoire, etc, etc, in every lesson. (Something I wrote about in more depth in the 30 minute time crunch conundrum.)

How to teach a piano lesson?

Step 1: New Pieces and Exercises. First, you’ll fill in the new pieces or exercises you want your student to start at their upcoming lesson. This can include everything from new repertoire to sections of bigger pieces to scales. Anything “new”.

Why is it important to have a good planning structure for music lessons?

A great planning structure can allow you to see things from a new perspective and better understand your students’ learning journeys. This planning template for music lessons takes just one possible approach. It’s a useful plan for many students, but it’s not meant to be universal.

Why do we need a piano lesson book?

Even the best piano players need to return to the basics to refine and refresh their piano skills . A professional pianist can spend hours a day practicing.

What is the book "This Piano Adventures Level"?

This piano adventures level is a book by Nancy Faber is terrific for beginners. It breaks musical theory down into small, digestible chunks for the reader. Each lesson teaches enough theory to play a piece with plenty of time to learn before moving on.

How old should a child be to play piano?

If you’ve got kids aged between 3 and 4 years old, they can start to develop a love for piano even then. They might not be virtuosos but the ability to be able to remember and perform a simple tune on their own might be enough for them.

How many pieces of art are there in the most beautiful classical music book?

It is the world’s most beautiful classical music book ever with 97 pieces of art for every intermediate player. Even every best composer’s art piece is portrayed with utter ease that makes this the most successful book is also the best seller til’ date.

How old is Alfred's Prep Course?

If you’re dealing with kids who are just starting school, Alfred’s Prep Course is a great place to start. Focusing on kids from 4 to 6 years old, these books can go slowly for some kids but might be the perfect place for total beginners.

Is Piano Adventures fun?

Teaching theory can be dry, but Piano Adventures makes the transitions sensible and understandable. The music is upbeat and fun for kids, and something piano teachers can tolerate! Piano Adventures also carries repertoire music for practice.

Does Bastien teach kids to play the piano?

Bastien has its own method of teaching kids to play the piano. While it might not be the exact method book you would use, they’ve had more than enough success to justify their approach.

Teaching Beginners

I’m very passionate about giving students a fun, exciting, creative start to their piano lesson experience.

Planning a Curriculum

We’re also going to zoom-out and take a look at the bigger picture of planning lessons (single lessons and series of lessons) for students.

Conclusion

I believe this is going to be a really affirming, positive, exciting month for teachers who struggle with these questions or have wondered about alternative ways to approach beginners.

Resources

See below for a list of articles and podcasts as they become available this month.