Group Lessons: Lesson Structure & The First Week of Lessons

January 15, 2011 Jennifer Boster

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Part 4 of the Group Teaching series written by guest contributor Marissa Erekson

Lesson Structure

As a classical musician with a firm background in piano pedagogy, I understood the need to include technique, theory, sight-reading, performing, etc. and I wanted to include all of these areas. The basic lesson structure included technique (5-finger patterns, Hanon Jr., chords, and then building to scales, etudes, etc), lesson books (ensemble style and performance style), and different games each week (theory, etc).

Since most of my students began the group lessons as their very first form of lessons, they were accustomed to how we would play together part of the time. The songs and technique exercises were short and allowed time for the kids to play together and separately as desired.

At the end of each lesson we had “parent time.” This was an opportunity for the students to review what they learned and I could demonstrate to the parents the new techniques or explain difficult concepts we learned in class. With group classes I also had papers printed with the week’s assignment. I carefully prepared the assignment sheet to include practice notes for the parents as well. There are different beliefs about parents attending lessons. In the case of group lessons I found that my kids performed better in the lesson without the parents, but that meant my time was limited for interaction and explanation with the parents. (I would have required parents to attend the whole lesson in the case of young private beginner students.) Between the parent time and the assignment papers the parents were able to understand what they were supposed to

do during the week. I was also very open towards allowing parents to contact me through email or phone calls for further explanation.

I had binders for each student. In the binder I had dividers for their lesson assignment sheet, technique (some of my technique did not come from books or I had different papers I had created explaining the activities) theory, sight-reading music, and other things I needed for lessons. The binders served as a reference for the weekly assignment as well as for me to include papers for my own personal teaching method as I didn’t directly follow any specific method books already published.

During the time in between lessons I made notes about the students’ progress during lessons and any insight about what was needed for the following week. Then at the end of my lessons for the evening I would prepare the lesson sheets for the following week and sketch out the time frame for the lesson the next week (ie – games to play, new music needed, how many minutes for each activity).

First Week of Lessons

The first week of school I held “Parent Nights” where I taught the parents about my teaching philosophy and style and also helped them to learn how they could help their child at home with practicing. I held classes for all group piano student parents, but had separate classes for new parents and for continuing parents. Information covered included the lesson binder layout, practicing tips, the basic lesson schedule for what would typically be included in a lesson, and the general syllabus for the school year.

During the first week all students attended large group classes (groups of around 8 students) to review concepts from the summer for the beginner students or review concepts from the previous year for continuing students. This provided a “teaser” for lessons without the full practicing assignment, and typically led to them reviewing a lot of other music before their regular lessons the following week.

Group Teaching: Scheduling & Music Selection

January 14, 2011 Jennifer Boster

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Part 3 of the Group Teaching series written by guest contributor Marissa Erekson

Scheduling

Each group lesson was 45 minutes plus a 5+ minute “parent time.” I scheduled group classes into 1 hour time slots to allow for extra parent time as needed and to allow time for the four kids (and parents and younger siblings who showed up for the parent time as well) to leave before the next set of students arrived.

Scheduling for group classes was difficult in regard to placing people at similar levels together. My very first year was difficult as I did not fully know all of the students. The second year was much easier to place students appropriately with compatible students. I also began teaching the summer “Beginner camps” after the first year. From then on, all beginner students attended a summer-intro camp in which I gained a basic idea of their potential for their learning style.

Because of the cooperative group setting, my students were diligent with their practicing (students and parents liked to shine in front of their musical peers). Thus they all typically progressed at the same general pace as each other, same as they do in academic settings.

At the beginning of each school year I would ask all parents for a list of times that worked for their schedules. I didn’t have set numbers of each group level so I couldn’t simply say that level 1 students were Tuesday at 3, Level 2 at 4, etc. Instead, once I had the list of times available to each parent I created a spreadsheet showing when each child was available. I then organized groups according to compatible age/levels/schedules. I also kept in mind trying to link up siblings in order (though often parents weren’t as concerned because with the longer lesson times they found it easier to have the 50 minute time slot for each child on different days). I also

had students who were friends prior to lessons or became friends in the previous year of lessons who wanted to stay together. It sounds complicated, but it always worked out somehow!

Music Selection

There is a lot of ensemble music for different sizes of ensembles, but I also needed music appropriate for lessons on a weekly basis.

I chose to use the “Celebrate Piano” lesson books (which I supplemented with a variety of books from other composers and publishers). The songs were interesting and we all enjoyed the accompaniments on the CD. There are many different approaches to teaching beginner students. CP taught by intervals using five-finger patterns and moved into all of the different keys in level 2. (The teacher who inspired me to proceed with the group lessons used the Faber Piano Adventures, so you can use any series for group lessons.) Last year I switched to actually teach from the first book in the Alfred Premier Piano Course and then switching to the 1b
Celebrate Piano book afterwards, as I liked having the students start with a stronger note reading approach and then switch to the intervals.

As the songs and technique exercises were short (5-finger patterns and chords), we would often play the song or exercise a few times if needed. Each time we would focus on a different aspect as needed (FERN practicing style) which further helped them to understand that practicing required playing multiple times and having a different (and specific) focus each time.

I encouraged the use of the accompaniment CD’s. I have met teachers who don’t like to have their students hear the music repeatedly because they feared the kids would learn the music by ear and neglect their reading. However, I feel as Suzuki that kids need to learn music by example (same as you would learn a language by hearing it and not simply be reading it – which is why I can read Spanish but can’t speak it). Plus we did so many theory and note reading activities in the group setting that I was confident in the kids reading level as well.

In regards to ensemble music, each of the online music order websites (Prima, FJH, etc) has lists of ensemble music listed by the type of ensemble (trio, 1 piano duet, 2 piano duet). The NFMC music handbook has ensemble categories with appropriate music listed.

Group Teaching: Studio Set Up & Billing

January 13, 2011 Jennifer Boster

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Part 2 of the Group Teaching series written by guest contributor Marissa Erekson

Studio Set Up

I had learned about group piano lessons from workshops I had attended while in school. I had heard lectures detailing how the purchase of the digital pianos was a big expense upfront, but would then be made up for with the additional income. So, when I moved to set up my studio I purchased a grand piano and four digital pianos. It was a huge purchase, but with the additional students, I had the pianos all paid off seven months later (the bulk of that expense was for the grand piano, otherwise it would have been paid off much sooner).

I had the four pianos in a rectangle: two pianos side by side with the students facing in to each other. Then I could walk around the four pianos to help and correct them as needed. The students also were able to work well with counting, etc as they were looking at each other.

I had a large open area for the kids to sit on the floor for the games.

Billing

Students were charged the same rate for the 50-minute group class as more advanced students were billed for a 30-minute private lesson. If you charge less than this, then you have simply created an organized babysitting service. Also, if you charge less, then you are setting yourself up saying that group lessons aren’t as valuable as private lessons. I had an incredible amount of success with the group lessons, both in the development of the students’ skills and in the number of years that students remained in lessons. I never had a parent complain about tuition prices due to the time factor. You will need to find out what the general tuition rate for a 30-minute lesson in your area.

Books were included in the tuition for group class students. I created a “music book account” for private students and then deducted the amount of any music I purchased for them. I purchased the music online through various different websites where I received a discount and watched for sales for even higher discounts.

All students also paid a registration fee at the beginning of the semester for recital fees, etc.

Another note for billing – I strongly recommend using a billing service. I had a lot of students, but even if I only had 5-10 (like now) I would still use a billing service. I used MuBuS (Music Business Solutions) and was very happy with their service (very low user fees and very good service). I know of other teachers who said that they didn’t think it was necessary to hire somebody else to do what they could do for free. But then when I asked how much time they spent on billing issues I was appalled by the length of time spent sending email reminders and the number of times they had to bill late fees. I wanted lesson time to be spent strictly on teaching and all of the out-of-lesson work time to be spent on lesson planning – not on billing. It took minimal time to set each student/family up with a music account the beginning of their study time with me. Then if their credit card expired MuBuS would contact parents for the updated info. I only dealt with financial matters the beginning of the year when I set up new students and programmed the new rates.

I can’t even remember how many parents told me how much they loved that I used an automatic billing service and how many of them had even recommend MuBuS to the teachers who taught their other kids other musical instruments.

Why Group Lessons?

January 12, 2011 Jennifer Boster

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Part 1 of the Group Teaching series written by guest contributor Marissa Erekson

I moved to Virginia where most parents had never heard of group piano lessons before. In the beginning I spent a lot of time speaking with parents about all of the benefits of group piano lessons, but soon the benefits were apparent and were spread by word of mouth by happy parents. Initially I gave several reasons of why kids would benefit from a group setting including:

• Ensemble opportunities each week
• Performance opportunities each week
• A comfortable setting where they could practice rhythm games and counting (most parents who had studied piano as a kid remembered that they did not enjoy counting)
• A setting where they could play theory games that weren’t possible in a private setting (continuing to emphasize a child’s love of games and how so many more games are possible in the group setting)
• Longer lesson time each week
• Opportunities to learn to critique music in a comfortable setting
• All other activities are linked with a child’s innate love of making friends and being social (sports, etc) in which most kids would create memories and continue longer term.
• A cooperative learning environment.

In the end, one of the greatest reasons for group lessons related to the parents’ competitiveness. In a private lesson setting where parents see their child compared to other students only at the recitals, they would make excuses if their child wasn’t as good as others. But every single week parents would see their child compared to others who began lessons at the same time and would realize that every child could succeed in music. Parents began to see that all children could be successful in music if they put in the practice time (same as with academics). This promoted great parental assistance with the practicing and student adherence to practice schedules. Students were also very excited about lessons because they created “musical friendships,” many of which I learned expanded outside of lessons.

Most parents had never heard of group piano lessons, and if they had it was always cast in light of being second best and for students who weren’t as talented. (I only ever had one student who was “too talented” to be in group lessons. But that was because she began practicing 1 hour a day or more her first year of lessons. Most 6 year olds don’t practice 1-2 hours a day.) In the beginning I had to explain a lot about how great it was for students to be able to work in a cooperative atmosphere where they could work together to develop their skills. Once lessons began, parents did all of the advertising and I seldom had to explain to a new
parent the benefits of a group setting.

Guest Contributor: Marissa Erekson

January 12, 2011 Jennifer Boster

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We have an awesome guest contributor with us this week who is going to be discussing group teaching. We are so excited to welcome Marissa Erekson, a wonderful pianist and piano teacher with a lot of experience in teaching group lessons. Let’s get to know her a little!

name:
Marissa Erekson

she is from:
Bel Air, MD

she is:
a scheduler who is always looking for new adventures

she attended:
BYU: BM 2003 (studied with Jeff Shumway)
MM 2006 (studied with Scott Holden)

currently:
Pursuing a 2nd BSN in Nursing at Georgetown U

her studio:
Worked full time teaching group and private lessons to many hard working and fun loving
children and adults in group and private lessons! She began teaching in 1995, but has
temporarily cut back with teaching to pursue her nursing studies.

she loves:
Traveling, learning how to bake (especially if it involves chocolate), good movies, and a hard
workout!

Interview with Amy Hansen: On Composing

November 17, 2010 Jennifer Boster

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I am so excited to share an interview with our guest contributor, Amy Baugh Hansen! Amy has recently released her first album, Piano Noel Classics, which is available here.

Tell us a little about your musical background.

I started taking lessons when I was five with my mother, Susan, an excellent pianist and teacher herself! I took from various teachers starting around age 6. I participated in competitions and festivals throughout my school years. I also won a few competitions in composition at a young age. I even studied the cello in junior high for a few years as well. Classical piano became my main focus in high school. When I auditioned for scholarships my senior year in piano, I received two offers-one from USU and one from BYU. I attended USU for a while, but then transfered to BYU where I studied with Dr. Irene Peery-Fox. I went on to receive my bachelor in piano performance from BYU.

What or who inspired you to start composing and arranging?

I hadn’t composed anything for a LONG time until recently earlier this year. In fact, I believe I was about 12 when I stopped doing compositions on my own for fun. But, during the Christmas season last year, I was playing as a pianist for our ward (church) choir, and I was thinking that I would like to try arranging/composing some music on my own. I started playing around with the idea in January more and from that point, I started working and experimenting on a few songs. It was almost like riding a bike–I just remembered how to do it, and it was a lot of fun!

Do you feel that composing has helped you to be a better musician? If so, how?

Yes I think it does….probably because I can express myself through the outlet of my own music–so it helps me personally with my artistry in a way.

Tell us a little about your composition process

Here is my composition process in a nutshell…..I just start playing! I experiment with different melodies/harmonizations/modulations etc. as I go along. Sometimes I will hear a tune/song in my head as I am driving, or at night before I fall asleep–sounds kinda weird, huh–and then I’ll write it down when I get a chance! I have to write everything down by hand first–that’s just the way I do it. When I write a song that I really like, it almost tends to ‘write itself,’ and everything fits together easily! But that’s not always the case. Sometimes its a little more work to make everything come together, but the process is still enjoyable.

Do you encourage your own students to compose? If so, what are some ways you implement this in your studio?

Yes, I certainly do! For our recent Halloween Group Lesson, I had all my students perform their Halloween pieces that they had composed. By giving them an assignment of writing a ‘spooky’-sounding piece, it made the assignment more specific and direct, instead of just saying “write a piece.” Sometimes students who are not comfortable with composing yet have a hard time when given the assignment to write a piece, so this usually helps to give a little more direction and help when they start. On the other hand, I have a handful of students who love to compose and will play their songs for me at their lessons. I encourage these students to continue their pursuits in composition as well. I have found that if you give assignments for composition, students can often rise to the challenge.

What are your thoughts on encouraging students to work on creative keyboard skills (such as composition, improvisation, transposition) along with studying classical repertoire? Do you feel it is important for classical pianists to have these skills?

Here’s what I think about incorporating composition, improvisation, transposition etc. along with classical training….I think it is wonderful to develop these skills, and that it helps serve as a compliment and an enhancement to the classical pianist in their musical education. If we look to the great composers of the past, they all posessed and incorporated these skills. However, I do not think we are all necessarily equal in our creative abilities. But, if we never tried to exercise our creativity, we might not know what we are capable of! What if we never encouraged our students to write? Then who would be creating the ‘new classics’ of the future?

Tell us about your new album!

My new album is called ‘Piano Noel Classics.’ The album consists of several piano arrangements of Christmas hymns. I have new thematic material for each song, so it doesn’t sound like the traditional hymns we sing in church, although you can still recognize the melodies. I tried to put a twist on each song–I wanted to portray different moods and feelings depending on the piece. For example, ‘Joy to the World’ is very grandious and vibrant. In contrast, ‘It Came Upon the Midnight Clear’ is more subdued and tranquil for most of the song. I should also mention that I wrote them all in 7 weeks! It was a little difficult to write in a time-crunch, but it was fun at the same time and my family got to hear Christmas music early this year!

Thank you so much, Amy, for your wonderful insights! I know that I am inspired to be better at encouraging my students to compose, and maybe even do a little composing myself!

Visit Amy’s website: http://www.amybhansen.com/

Amy’s Facebook page

Guest Contributor: Amy Baugh Hansen

November 16, 2010 Jennifer Boster

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We are so excited to have a wonderful guest contributor this week who will share some great insights into composition with us! Amy Baugh Hansen is a pianist, composer and piano teacher in Utah. We are excited for the great things she will be sharing with us about composition, and wanted you to get to know her a little bit!

name:
Amy Baugh Hansen

from:
Pleasant Grove, Utah

she is:
a mother, wife, piano teacher, ward choir pianist, composer 🙂

she attended:
Pleasant Grove High School, Utah State University, and Brigham Young University

currently:
a newly signed artist with Covenant Communications (owned by Deseret book) and will debut a cd of hymn arrangements next year. Also is currently writing music for the KSL series ‘History of the Saints’, and is in the process of publishing more music with Jackman Music.

her studio:
consists of 20+ students. We are getting ready for our Christmas recital next month! Yay!

she loves:
spending time with the fam, working out, decorating, shopping–in any form!

she recently:
released her Christmas album ‘Piano Noel Classics,’ which can be purchased here

her website:
http://www.amybhansen.com/
visit her page on facebook

Early Childhood Music Education

October 12, 2010 Jennifer Boster

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guest post by Stephanie Talbot

During my my senior year of my bachelors degree I took two music education courses from Susan Kenney at Brigham Young University. My eyes were opened to a whole new perspective of music education. I volunteered with the BYU Young Musicians Academy for three years. I loved teaching young children music. It is so exciting to see their faces light up when they sing songs together, play games, move to music, and play instruments for the first time.

During the summers while at BYU, I took Musikgarten courses for Babies, Toddlers, Cycles, Musik Makers, and Musik Makers at the Keyboard. I also took Level 1 certification courses in Orff Schurwerk and Kodaly. All of these music education approaches have the same vision and build upon each other.

Children are always listening, learning, and trying to comprehend the world around them. Music education begins in infancy, and there is ample evidence that it begins before birth. The first three years of life are the most important for educating young children. At this time, brain cells are making connections most rapidly. These connections are what give the brain its capacity to grow and learn. What happens in the home has significant impact on the children’s musical performance when they reach Kindergarten. Children’s experiences during the first years of life lay the foundation for learning that will take place when they enter school. Their feelings of importance and security are determined by your approval of them. The music you listen to, the instruments you play, the singing you do, will all influence the child’s future musical tastes and preferences for music making. Research indicates that by age four, 50 percent of the intellectual learning a child will have at age seventeen has already occurred. (Boloom)

Early childhood classes:

I have taught a few early childhood classes each year. The tricky thing is finding a place to do it that is big enough to house the children and their parents. I have co-leased a dance studio before which worked out great. The home is an option–but having enough space for the children/parents to move is essential. If it is cramped then the purpose of the activities becomes less effective. A babies class works great in a home since movement is limited to lifting, tickling, etc.

What can you do as a parent?

1. Create a musical environment.

Piaget, a music education theorist, said that environment is critical for learning to take place, and a music environment is as important as all other environments. Children will be able to construct their own musical meaning form the musical experiences they have. The role of the teacher and parent is to provide musical environments from which children can construct their own meaning. EXPERIENCE precedes understanding. EXPERIENCE precedes symbols! Include musical toys, tape recorder, songbooks, picture books about music, good recordings. Different kinds of experiences allow children to explore, make choices, and build their own curiosity.

2. Participate in music activities.

Go to a musical play, the symphony, recitals. Sing with your children at family activities.

3. Observe and listen all kinds of sounds!

Sounds of animals, birds, water, rain, etc. (inside, outside, sounds around the home, instruments). Listen to a variety of musical selections (classical, pop, rock, jazz, choral, orchestral, singing from other cultures). Consider checking out a different CD each week from the library and make a special time to listen such as in the car, while you are making dinner, putting them to sleep.

4. Label the different sounds while listening as high sounds, low sounds, fast, slow, violin, piano, trumpet, etc.

3. Participate with your children in musical activities.

Use CD’s and rhythm sticks. If you play an instrument—play it often. If music is valued to you, then it will more likely be valued to them. Your daily modeling creates a model for your children.

Something to do at home:

1. Find 6 matching non-glass containers (Easter eggs, pill bottles, plastic cups taped together)
2. Partially fill 2 containers with salt, 2 with beans, and 2 with pennies (or other materials)
3. Close and secure
4. Place the containers in your child’s environment and encourage a child to shake the containers. (sing a song while they shake, label them as loud or soft, have them try to match the containers to ones with similar sounds. Encourage the child to shake one sound while you find another just like it.)
5. Enjoy! Play is the child’s work!

Guest Contributor: Stephanie Talbot

October 11, 2010 Jennifer Boster

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We are pleased to welcome a wonderful guest contributor this week, Stephanie Talbot. Stephanie is an excellent pianist and a wonderful teacher, and has some great insights into early childhood music education that she will be sharing with us. We look forward to her wonderful post, and wanted you to get to know her a little bit!

name:
Stephanie Talbot

she is from:
Provo, Utah

she attended:
BYU for her Bachelors and Masters degrees in Piano Performance, recently received her K-12 music endorsement. (has additional training in Musikgarten, Kodaly, and Orff)

currently:
teaches Elementary Music in Provo School District (Kodaly emphasis)

she loves:
to make music with children, play piano/violin, cook, run, and spend time with her 30 nieces and nephews!

she recently:
ordered lots of children’s books to sing with and make music with children

Interview with Amy Hansen: On Composing

Guest Contributor: Amy Baugh Hansen

Early Childhood Music Education

Guest Contributor: Stephanie Talbot

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