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ThePianoEducationPagePianoTeachingMethods

PianoTeachingMethods

byJohnM.Zeigler,Ph.D.andNancyOstromencki
RioRancho,NMUSA
ianolessonsaretaughtbyavarietyofdifferent"methods"individualteacherswillhavetheirpreferences
amongthedifferentmethods.Eachmethodhasitsownsetofstrengthsandweaknesses.Ourgoalin

pointingoutbothstrongpointsandcriticismsofteachingmethodsistoprovideteachersandparentswith
anoverviewofagivenmethod'sstrengthsandweaknesses,sothatthebuyerknowswhathe'sgettingand
howhemightsupplementorimproveitbygoodteaching.

PEP
Program
Notes
Click
or
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toexpandor

Allteachingmethodsinvolvecompromisesandnoteverymethodworkswellforeverystudent.Youshould
evaluatethesemethodsinlightofyourownneedsandchooseateacherwhosepersonalchoiceofamethodor
methodsisconsistentwithyourneeds,wishes,andthewayinwhichyoulearnmostefficiently.Keepinmind
thatthebestteacherswilltailortheirteachingtoyouoryourchild'sindividualneeds,ratherthanbeingwedded
inallrespectstoasingleapproach.Tipsforteachersonchoosingateachingmethodcanbefoundinourarticle,

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contract
(Program
Notesrequire
scriptson)

StartingaPrivateTeachingStudio.
Belowyouwillfindshortanalysesofsomeofthemostwellestablishedteachingmethods.Incaseswherewe
haveformallyreviewedexamplesofbooksfromthemethod,you'llfindlinkstoourreviews.Linkstoadditional
PEPreviewsoflessknownmethodmaterialscanbefoundonourLearningMaterialsReviewspage.

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PopularChildren's
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Other

AdultMethods
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Methods
Alfred
Bastien
Clark
FaberandFaber
Pace
Robyn
Suzuki
Thompson

Children's
Methods
The
Contemporary
PianoMethod

PlaybyChoice
BastienMethodfor
Adults
PaceMethodfor
OlderBeginners
Rote
"Miraclemethods"

Rote
"Miraclemethods"

Children'sMethods
AlfredMethodForChildren
TheAlfredmethodusesalotofcoloredpicturesandgraphicstohelpwiththeteachingprocess.The
newestupdatesintheAlfredMethodforchildrenincludeuseofsoftware,compactdiscs,and/orcassettes.
Thismethodutilizestheconceptofpositionplaying,whichhasadisadvantagethatstudentssometimesdonot
learntoreadthenotes,butratherrelytotallyonpositionplaying.Thus,iftheyapproachapieceofmusicnot
writteninaFiveFingerPosition,theyareataloss.Anadvantageofthismethodisthatstudentslearntoread
intervalsandtoseetheintervalicrelationshipbetweennotes.Theyarealsoexposedtochordsandprogressions.
Whilethelyricstothesongsarenotreallynecessary,thepicturesandgraphicsarewonderful.Studentswhohave
beenraisedonthismethodexclusivelysometimesseemtohavelimitedcompetenceinnotereadingand
undevelopedtechnique.Anotherdisadvantageisthatthemajorclassicalcomposersshouldbepresentedtothe
studentsatamuchearlierstagethanistypicalinthismethod.TheAlfredmethodisgreatforbeginningteachers
whoneedapreprogrammedlessonformattofollow.Itwouldbeourhopethatoncethebeginningteacher
becomesmorecomfortableandknowledgeablewithdifferentmethodsthattheywouldexpandbeyondsoleuse
ofthismethod.
BastienMethodforChildren
ThePianoPartySeriesisgreatforthoselittleoneswhohaveneverhadlessonsbefore.Itisalotoffunfor
theteachersalso.Wewouldsuggestthatthelyricsofthepiecesbeomitted,butthepicturesandgraphics
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arepositive.
Astrengthofthemethodisitsexposureatthisearlystagetotechnique,droppingtothekeyswithkeepingthe
firstknuckleofthefingerrounded,andthearchhigh.Toooftenbeginningstudentsplaywithsmashedin
knuckles,andfingersflyingaroundasstraightasapencils.Wewishhoweverthatthisintroductionwouldbe
followedthroughmorewithremindersmuchmoreoftenaboutusingpropertechnique.Wehavebeenhaving
excellentsuccesswithALineaDay,awonderfulseriesoffourlevelsconcentratingonsightreading.Useofthe
metronomeisneeded,andveryoftentheexercisesdefythetendencytoplaybyearorinthepositionpattern.
ClarkMethod(TheMusicTree)
Thismethodistremendousforgettingrightdowntothebasicsthestudentsarepresentedwithdynamics,
counting,phrases,andform.Theyarereadingintervalicallyfromdayone.Anotherstrengthisthe
introductionofensembleplayingfromtheverybeginning.AfterthestudentsarefinishedwiththeMusicTree
Series,theyarequitecompetentinmusicterminology,sightreading,knowingform,andgenerallyhaveasolid
enoughstarttobeginstudyofthemasters.
FaberandFaber
ThebooksbyNancyandRandallFaberareapopularandheavilypromotedpiano"method"withmany
adherents.TheFaberandFaberbeginningbookscanserveateacherwellwhoneedsapreprogrammed
seriesofbookstofollowasastarterfortheirteaching.Eachpageofthebooksembodiesdelightfulgraphicsand
iscrossreferencedtootherbooksintheseriesalongtheouteredgeofeachpage.Therearegoodpractice
suggestionsgivenformostofthematerialssuchascountingaloudandholdingthehandsinaroundedposition
onthepiano.ThemainpedagogicalweaknessoftheFaberandFaberbeginningmethodbooksistheinsistence
onusingpositionplaying,althoughthebooksalsoattempttomitigatetheeffectsofpositionplayingafterithas
beenintroduced.Fromthestandpointofsubstance,theFaberandFaber"method"offerslittlethatis
fundamentallypedagogicallynewovermethodsliketheClark,RobynandSuzukithathavebeeninexistencefor
manyyears.MethodsliketheClarkcoverthesamematerialinoneortwobooksthatthePrimerLevelandthe
Level1inthismethodtake8ormorebookstodo.Wewouldliketoseestudentsexposedtounvarnished
beginningclassicalrepertoireearlierthantheyareinthesebooks,whichutilizearrangementsformostofthe
repertoire.
ReviewofSpecificFaberandFaberBooks
PaceMethod
Themanybookswhichmakeupthe"PaceMethod"providesolid,pedagogicallysoundpianotrainingfor
theyoungesttotheoldestbeginners,aswellassomewhatmoreadvancedstudents.Moreconciseand
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challengingthanmanyothermethodbookseries,thePacebookspreparethestudentfortheclassicalrepertoireat
anearlierstageoftrainingthanmanymethods.Theybuildstrongintervalicandnotereadingskills,while
encouragingcreativityandcompletemusicaldevelopmentofstudents.ThePacebooksavoidtheposition
playingapproacheswhichafflictsomanyothermethodscurrentlyinvogue.Theyarebestusedwitha
knowledgeableandattunedteachertohelpguidethestudent.
ReviewofPaceMethodBooks,Levels1and2andMusicforthePianofortheOlderBeginner,BookOne
ReviewofKinderKeyboard,Moppets'RhythmsandRhymes,MusicForMoppetsbyHelenandRobertPace
RobynMethod
TheRobynMethodapproachesnotereadingbothfromintervalicandsinglenoteapproaches.Thestudents
aretosingthenamesofthenotesaloudwhiletheyplaytheexercisesinKeyboardTown.Thenotesare
NOTpresentedinpositionplaying,andfingeringisoftenjuxtapositionedsothatstudentscannotrelyonthe
fingernumbertoplaythenote.Rather,theyhavetoknowtheexactnotenames,andthenputthecorrectfinger
numberonthenote.Techniqueisstronglydevelopedfromthebeginningwithagraduated,consistentmethod
whereeachfingerisindividuallydevelopedandthenputtogetherinsequencestohelpprepareforscales,Hanon,
arpeggios,etc.TheRobynMethodalsoincorporatesanentirebookfortheuseofthedamperpedal,preparingthe
studenttocopewithirregularpedalpatterns,pedalingwiththeharmonicprogressionsofapiece,andpedaling
afterthebeat,ratherthanwiththebeat(causingmuddypedal).Wedonotcareforthelyricsthatallbooksexcept
thePedalbookuse,andthepicturesinthemethodbooksarequitearchaic.Inlightofitsmanystrengths,itisour
hopethatthismethodwillberevampedonedaytobeabitmoreuptodate.
SuzukiMethod
ThismethodoriginatedinJapanandisverypopularthereandintheU.S.Themethodseemstobemore
successfulwithJapanesethanAmericanstudents.SuzukistudentsfromJapanthatwehavetaughthave
greatnotereadingandeartrainingskills,astrongandsecuretechnique,andexposuretoothercomposersbesides
thoseinthemethodbooks.AmericantrainedSuzukistudentsareoftenlackinginmanyoftheseskills.These
studentsoftencannotreadmusic,dependtoomuchonplayingbyear,andcanlackastronglydeveloped
technique.Aparticularstrengthofthismethodisthatitexposeslittleonestoperformanceopportunities
presentedinaverypositivefashion,sothatperformingbecomesajoyratherthanadreadedexperience.Certified
SuzukiteachersinAmericamusthavecompletedacourseofstudyattheSteven'sPoint,WisconsinSuzuki
TeachingWorkshops.

ThompsonMethod
Thisisanoldermethodwhich,duringitsday,wasverypopular,presentingstudentswithsimplified
arrangementsofstandardclassicalrepertoire.Ithasbecomeverydatedandcouldbenefitfromathorough
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revisiontomodernteachingstandardsandtechniques.
RoteMethod
Withroteteaching,thestudentbecomesfamiliarwiththekeyboardbeforereadingfromthestaff.Hearing,
thinking,seeingintervalsandharmonyonthekeyboardandnotingphrasinggivesthestudentaneasier
andbetterstart.Concentratingonthekeyboardopensupmoreopportunitiesforimprovisingandcomposing,
and,ultimately,easiersightreadingwithabetterunderstandingofmusic.Foramorecompletedescriptionofthe
rote,seeourarticleAnIntroductiontoRoteTeachingofPiano,andthreefollowonarticlespresentonthe
PEPCD.
"MiracleMethods"
Usecautioninadoptinganyofthe"miracle"methodsthatpromisetoteachyoutoplaypianoinanhouror
adayorevenamonth.Whilesomeofthesemaybeabletoteachyouhowtoplaysimplesongsor
watereddownversionsofsomeoftheclassics,ourexperiencewiththemisthattheytypicallyprovideaweakor
nonexistentgroundinginfundamentaltheoryandtechnique,leavingyoupoorlypreparedtoadvanceyourskills
outsidethelimitedframeworkofthemethod.Inmanycases,theyactuallyleaveyouwithbadtechniqueand
habitsthathavetobrokenlaterifyouaretobecomeacompetentpianist.Ifoneofthesetechniquesappealsto
you,theninvestigateitcarefullyandconsultaqualifiedpianoteacherregardingthetechniquebeforeyoupay
anymoney.BeparticularlywaryofsuchmethodstoutedovertheWorldWideWeb.Wehavelookedatmany
pagesdevotedto"playinaday"methodsandwehavenotfoundasingleonethatprovidesenoughinformation
toevenunderstandwhatthemethodis,letaloneevaluateitinthecontextoftheneedsofanindividualstudent.
Thisisthereasonthatwedonotlinkanypagesdevotedto"miraclemethods"onThePianoEducationPage.For
moreinformationonhowtoevaluatepianomethods,seeoursectionLearningtoPlayonYourOwn.Finally,
thesecommentsshouldnotbeconstruedtoapplyto"TheMiraclePianoTeachingSystem"softwareand
hardware.Thisisafundamentallysolidsystemwhichcanbeveryvaluable,especiallyinthecontextofprivate
lessonstosupplementit.
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AdultMethods
PlaybyChoice
Thisisoneofthebestbeginningadultmethodsavailable.Mr.Kernhasorganizedateachingmethodthat
treatsadultsasadults.Themultifacetedapproachtolearningbasicconceptsisonethatispedagogically
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soundandacknowledgesthefactthatnotwopeoplelearnthesameconceptsintheexactsameway.Thisisano
nonsense,wellplannedbook.Therearenoflashygraphicsorassociatedbellsandwhistles,justthefactsandlots
ofsuggestionsforhowtointegratethesefactsintoyourpractice.
Thismethodemphasizesthereadingofindividualnotes,chords,intervalicrelationships,andfollowingthe
melodiccontour,notmerelypositionplaying.Themusicalpiecesareagoodcollectionofpop,religious,
Broadwaymusicals,andarrangementsofsomeclassicalpieces.Theadultstudentisgivenachoiceofwhich
piecestoplayandstudy.Thetextbookhasindicatedpiecesthatneedtobestudiedforemphasisandinstruction,
thenthereareseveralpiecesineachchaptertobeplayedbychoice.
PlaybyChoicehasbeenoneofthemostsuccessfulmethodsthatwehaveusedforadultstudents.Thestudents
arenotlockedintothepositionplayingframeofmindthatmostbeginningmethodsuse.Allthestudentsthatwe
havetaughtwiththismethodcanreadmusicandarenotdependentonthepositionplayingtogetthemthrougha
composition.Theybecomefunctionallyliteratemusicstudents,whocanseethepatternsinthemusicand
understandtheformofacompositionaswellastheindividualnotes.PlaybyChoiceisavailablethroughthe
publisher,HalLeonard,aswellasatmostmajormusicstores.
BastienMethodforAdults
Thismethodgenerallyoveremphasizesthefivefingerpositionplayingmethod.Wehaveusedthis
methodalotinthepastandhavefoundoutthatstudentshaveaveryfrustratingtimegettingoutofthe
modeofpositionplaying.Theirnotereadingissloweddowntremendously,tothepointofbeingalmostnon
existent,andprogressisveryslow.Unfortunately,mostoftheunitsinBookOnedealwiththedifferentfive
fingerpositionsofplaying,ratherthantakingamultifacetedapproachtonotereading.Therepertoireinthe
pianocoursebooksisratherdatedandthestudentdoesn'thaveenoughvarietytochoosefrom.Ourexperience
withthismethodin25yearsofteachingisthatitisgenerallyinferiorinitsresultstothePlaybyChoicemethod.
Majorfaultswouldincludetheemphasisonpositionplaying,extremelylimitedrepertoirechoices,andadated
pedagogicalapproachtoteachingmultifacetedolderbeginners.Ifyouwishtopursuethismethod,wesuggest
usingthevideoseriesTheBastienPianoProfessororsimilaraidtosupplementthebooksandfillinmanyofthe
hugegapsinthismethod.
PaceMethodforOlderBeginners

ThePacebooksareapedagogicallysoundaidforteachingtheolderbeginner.Theyeschewthecute
graphicsthatintriguechildren,butputoffolderbeginners.Instead,thematerialispresentedinaconcise
andtothepointmanner.Thankfully,thereisneitherreferencetonordependenceuponpositionplayinginthis
book.Studentswhodidatestdriveofthismaterial,soonrealizedthattheyreallyhadtothinkandapply
themselveswelltobeabletounderstandandsuccessfullyuseit.Althoughthemethodischallenging,theonly
complaintsthatfromstudentsarethatthemusicwasabit"oldfashioned"andthemethodcouldusemoresight

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readingexercisesandmaterial.AswiththePaceMethodforchildren,theolderbeginnersmethodrequiresalot
ofeffortonthepartofthestudentandteacher,thoughitiseffectiveandreasonablypriced.
ReviewofPaceMethodBooks,Levels1and2andMusicforthePianofortheOlderBeginner,BookOne

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