Piano pedagogy

Piano teacher redirects here. For other uses, see The

Piano Teacher (disambiguation).
This article is about the study of teaching music. For the
Anna Goldsworthy memoir, see Piano Lessons (book).

bachelor, master, or doctoral degree at music colleges

or conservatories. The undergraduate level may require
many years of prior piano studies and previous teaching experience as prerequisites for application. At the
graduate level, many schools require applicants to have
Piano pedagogy is the study of the teaching of piano some teaching experience and at least a bachelor of muor equivalent experience in piano performance and/or
playing. Whereas the professional eld of music educa- sic
[2]
pedagogy.
tion pertains to the teaching of music in school classrooms
or group settings, piano pedagogy focuses on the teach- Although virtually all piano pedagogy programs include a
ing of musical skills to individual piano students. This is signicant portion of performance requirement, the pedoften done via private or semiprivate instructions, com- agogy major may be distinct from the performance major
monly referred to as piano lessons. The practitioners of at some schools. Some members of the latter group may
piano pedagogy are called piano pedagogues, or simply, have the option to take courses in the teaching of piano,
piano teachers.
but not all do.[3]

1.3 Professional organizations

United States

Professional training

The range of professionalism among teachers of piano is

undoubtedly wide. Competent instruction is not always
assured by the number of years one has taken lessons,
warned piano pedagogue and writer of numerous pedagogical books, James Bastien.[1] The factors which aect
the professional quality of a piano teacher include ones
competence in musical performance, knowledge of musical genres, music history and theory, piano repertoire,
experience in teaching, ability to adapt ones teaching
method to students of dierent personalities and learning styles, education level, and so on.

in

the

Many piano teachers hold memberships in professional

organizations, to maintain their commitment to pedagogy
and to network with peers and others in music. These organizations often oer teachers workshops, conferences,
mentorship programs, publications on piano pedagogy,
and opportunities for scholarships, competitions, and performances for the students of members. Some prominent
organizations in the United States include:
Music Teachers National Association - MTNA
National Federation of Music Clubs

1.1

Musicians without degrees in piano

pedagogy

National Guild of Piano Teachers

Piano Teachers Congress of New York

In the United States, piano lessons may be oered by
teachers without higher education specically focused in
Piano Teachers Federation
piano performance or piano pedagogy. Some teachers
may hold degrees in another discipline in music, such as
music education or another performance area (voice, or- 1.4 Professional Organizations in Canada
chestral instrument, etc.). Other teachers, without higher
education in music, may have studied piano playing inde- The main organization that oers certicates and testing
pendently or have been self-taught.
curriculum in Canada is Royal Conservatory of Music.
There are three levels in their certicate program; elementary, intermediate and advanced. Elementary ped1.2 Undergraduate and graduate studies agogy certicate enables teachers to teach beginners up
in piano pedagogy
to grade two piano, while intermediate certicate allows
teachers to teach up to grade 6 piano. Advanced piano
The eld of piano pedagogy may be studied through pedagogy is known as ARCT (Associate of Royal Conacademic programs culminating in the attainment of a servatory of Toronto), which enables teachers to teach up
1

3 TOPICS OF STUDY

to grade 10. There are also a number of theory and his- 3.1 Ear training
tory examinations that accompany each certicate proMain article: Ear training
gram which must be completed.

Notable piano pedagogues in history

Dr. Bryanskaya argues that the foremost task for piano

teachers at the beginning of a students study is the introduction of a habit of listening to quality performances of
descriptive and strikingly expressive music, as a means
for sensitizing [the student] to the meaning of music.[4]

Johann Nepomuk Hummel (Austria, 1778-1837)

Carl Czerny (Austria, 17911857)

3.2 Rhythm

Maria Szymanowska (Poland, 1789-1831)

Main article: Rhythm

Frdric Chopin (Poland, 1810-1849)

Teaching rhythm is important for the student to be able to

learn a piece accurately, and also to condently perform a
practiced piece. Developing an internal metronome may
also play a signicant role when teaching rhythm. Teachers may encourage students to count out loud when practicing, or practice with a metronome to develop a steady
internal beat.

Theodor Leschetizky (Poland, 18301915)

Franz Liszt (Hungary, 1811-1886)
Tobias Matthay (England, 18581945)
Heinrich Neuhaus (Russia, 18881964)
Dimitri Bashkirov (Russia, 1931-)

3.3 Notation
Main article: List of musical symbols

Leila Fletcher (Canada, 1899-1988) Ontario, Mayfair Montgomery Publishing

Neil A. Kjos (US, 1931-2009) Illinois, known for 3.4 Technique
the James Bastien books
Good piano playing technique involves the simultaneous
understanding in both the mind and the body of the re Abby Whiteside (US, 1881-1956)
lationships between the elements of music theory, recognition of musical patterns in notation and at the nger Isidor Philipp (France, 1863-1958)
tips, the physical landscape of the entire range of the
keyboard, nger dexterity and independence, and a wide
Harold Bradley (Canada 1906-1984)
range of touch and tone production for a variety of emo Vicente Scaramuzza (Italy 1885 - Argentina 1968) tional expressions. Skills in all of these areas are typically
nurtured and developed for the sake of expressing oneself
more eectively and naturally through the sound of the
Frances Clark (US, 1905-1998)
piano, so that the elements of technique will sound alive
with musicality.[4]
Ilana Vered (Israel, 1943-)

Topics of study

3.5 Improvisation
Main article: Musical improvisation

Piano pedagogy involves the study and teaching of motor, intellectual, problem-solving, and artistic skills involved in playing the piano eectively.[3] Citing the inuence of Zoltn Kodly, Carl Or, mile Jaques-Dalcroze,
Russian-American piano pedagogue at Longy School
of Music, Dr. Faina Bryanskaya, advocates a holistic
approach which integrates as many aspects of musicmaking as possible at once would result in the most effective piano teaching.[4]

Modern piano lessons tend to emphasize learning notation, and may neglect developing the creative spirit and
sensitive ears which lead to expressive music-making.
Studies point to the need for using multiple approaches
in learning musical skills which engage both sides of the
brainthe analytical and the intuitivefor students to
master all aspects of playing.[5] Therefore, teaching improvisation skills may help students take ownership of the

3
expressive quality of the music they make, and to keep
music learning and practicing alive and interesting.[6] One
way to do so is to make up stories full of dierent emotions through improvising, in order to reinforce concepts
of music theory already introduced and to develop a wide
range of touch and tone production.[4]

3.6

Sight reading

Main article: Sight reading

Sight reading heavily depends on the students ability
to understand rhythm, and recognize musical patterns.
Teaching sight reading can include teaching students to
recognize intervals, scale passage patterns, note reading
and the ability to internalize rhythm. The ability to have
strong knowledge of dierent major and minor key signatures can also help students anticipate the accidentals
they should expect when sight reading.

3.7

Memorization

Main article: Memorization

Memorization is useful to perform a piece condently. It
gives the student ability and freedom to experience the
music for all of its intricacies as opposed to focusing on
the technicalities of notes and rhythm. Memorization can
come easily to some students, and harder for others. The
most common memorization technique is muscle memory. However reliance on muscle memory alone can hinder students if they have not made the cognitive connection between every note they play, and leaves room for
lots of memory slips. To have a strong foundation of
memorization, students should be able to visualize everything that they play, and be able to start from any passage.
Eective memorization results from the combination of
visual, kinaesthetic, aural and analytical skills.[5]

Album For the Young, Op. 39 (1878) by Pyotr

Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Music for Children, Op.
Prokoev

65 (1935) by Sergei

Pieces by Igor Stravinsky, Dmitri Kabalevsky and

Aram Khatchaturian
Mikrokosmos, Sz. 107, BB 105 (192639) by Bla
Bartk

4 Venues oering instructions in

piano playing
The teaching of piano playing most often take place in the
form of weekly private lessons, in which a student and
a teacher have one-on-one meetings. Instructions may
sometimes be oered semi-privately (one teacher meeting with a small group of two or more students) or in
classes of larger groups, in other intervals of time. Piano lessons are oered in a variety of dierent settings,
including the following:[3]
Studios of independent piano teachers
Piano and music stores
Community music schools
Continuing education programs
Preparatory division of music colleges or conservatories
Music colleges or conservatories

5 See also
Five nger exercise

3.8

Repertoire

Well-known keyboard works written with special attention for pedagogical purposes in mind include:[4][7]
Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach (1725) by family and friends of J.S. Bach
Klavierbchlein fr Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, Little Preludes and Fugues, Inventions and Sinfonias, &
the Well-Tempered Clavier by J.S. Bach

Pedagogy
Pianists

6 References
[1] Bastien, James (3rd Ed. 1988) How to Teach Piano Successfully. Neil A. Kjos Music Co: San Diego, CA. ISBN
0-8497-6168-9

Sonatinas by Muzio Clementi

[2] University of Michigan Piano Department: Degree programs

Album For the Young, Op. 68 (1848) by Robert

Schumann

[3] Ulszer, Marienne (1995). The Well-Tempered Keyboard

Teacher. Schirmer Books. ISBN 0-02-871780-5

[4] Bryanskaya, Faina (2nd Ed. 2007). Teaching Fundamentals of Music Making: A Holistic Integrated Approach,
A Handbook for Piano and Music Teachers. Brighton,
MA (USA). LC 2003-552304. http://www.chipublib.
org/search/details/cn/1902269
[5] Chappell, Sally. Developing the complete pianist: a
study of the importance of a whole-brain approach to piano teaching. Piano Journal, Winter 2000.
[6] Kampmeier, Valerie. Intuitive Improvisation: A Guide
for Beginners. American Music Teacher. Dec/Jan 07-08.
[7] Braudo, Isaiah. On the study of key board works by J. S.
Bach in music schools. Washington DC: H. A. Frager &
Co ISBN 0-929647-10-6

Further reading

Bryanskaya, Faina (1988). The Key to Music Making: Piano Method for Beginners, Parts I, II, & III. Providence,
RI: White Lilac Press. ISBN 0-929571-00-2, ISBN 0929571-01-0, ISBN 0-929571-02-9
Gerig, Reginald (2nd Ed. 2007). Famous Pianists and
their Technique. Indiana University Press. ISBN 0-25334855-2
Magrath, Jane (1995). Pianists Guide to Standard Teaching and Performance Literature. Alfred Publishing Co.
ISBN 0-88284-655-8

7.1

Business skills for piano teachers and

artists

Riley, Peter Jason (2002). The New Tax Guide for Artists
of Every Persuasion. Limelight Editions: New York.
ISBN 0-87910-966-1
Colombo, Sebastin (2013). Vicente Scaramuzza. La vigencia de una escuela pianstica. Editorial Crculo Rojo.
ISBN 978-84-9050-015-6

External links
Music Teachers National Association - MTNA
(USA)
The Frances Clark Center for Keyboard Pedagogy
National Guild of Piano Teachers
Piano Teachers Congress of New York
Robert Schumanns Rules for Young Musicians

EXTERNAL LINKS

Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

9.1

Text

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9.2

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9.3

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