I have a variety of curricula that I may choose to use with teen or adult students. My selection depends on their goals for playing and musical background.
The main series I use is Faber Adult Piano Adventures. This series has an emphasis on good technique, theory, and left hand note reading. One of the main attractions to this course as well is the Piano Adventures Player app which the students can use to listen to the songs, play the backing tracks at varying tempos, or use a MIDI connection to have the backing sound follow them as they play. It is an invaluable technological resource that can be used with an iPhone or iPad.
The main series I use is Faber Adult Piano Adventures. This series has an emphasis on good technique, theory, and left hand note reading. One of the main attractions to this course as well is the Piano Adventures Player app which the students can use to listen to the songs, play the backing tracks at varying tempos, or use a MIDI connection to have the backing sound follow them as they play. It is an invaluable technological resource that can be used with an iPhone or iPad.
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Class Structure
Classes are generally 45 to 60 minutes and generally breakdown like this:
- 30-45 minutes: go over assigned songs and discuss areas of musicality to be focused on; examine the key, chord structure, historical context, and other aspects of the song; choose new selections as needed
- Generally students have one selection from the method series we are using and one of their choosing such as a classical or movie piece, a favorite pop song, or really anything they are interested in. I can always either find or arrange a song to be on a student's level.
- 10-15 minutes: discuss important theory concepts and their relevance, do activities to strengthen note reading or rhythm
- 10-15 minutes: work on other projects and skills such as ear training, improvising, composing, and/or arranging
Additional Curricula
As mentioned above, there are several curricula that we may choose to follow depending on the student's interest and pace. Here are a few others I have used and their features.
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The Alfred's Adult All-in-One Course has heavy emphasis on chord theory allowing students to play songs that sound fuller faster. Its pace is a little quicker than Faber's.
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For the more seriously-minded beginner with an eye to playing classical selections and dedication to practice, I generally start them in the Royal Conservatory Celebration Series, a graded repertoire series.
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For students who would like to learn jazz rhythms, chord theory, and more, I use the Let's Play Jazz series which has simple graphics but awesome selections.
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Composition and Improv
We are always working on a composition or arranging project which I try to devote a bit of time to each class. I walk students through basic song structure, simple melody writing, and how to create a chord progression.
