Piano pedagogy is the study of the teaching of piano playing. Whereas the professional field of music education pertains to the teaching of music in school classrooms or group settings, piano pedagogy focuses on the teaching of musical skills to individual piano students. This is often done via private or semiprivate instructions, commonly referred to as piano lessons. The practitioners of piano pedagogy are called piano pedagogues, or simply, piano teachers.

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.Bastien, James (3rd Ed. 1988) ''How to Teach Piano Successfully''. Neil A. Kjos Music Co: San Diego, CA. The factors which affect the professional quality of a piano teacher include one's competence in musical performance, knowledge of musical genres, music history and theory, piano repertoire, experience in teaching, ability to adapt one's teaching method to students of different personalities and learning styles, education level, and so on.

Musicians without degrees in piano pedagogy

In the United States, piano lessons may be offered by teachers without higher education specifically focused in piano performance or piano pedagogy. Some teachers may hold degrees in another discipline in music, such as music education or another performance area (voice, orchestral instrument, etc.). Other teachers, without higher education in music, may have studied piano playing independently or have been self-taught.

Undergraduate and graduate studies in piano pedagogy

The field of piano pedagogy may be studied through academic programs culminating in the attainment of a

bachelor A bachelor is a man who is not and has never been married.Bachelors are, in Pitt & al.'s phrasing, "men who live independently, outside of their parents' home and other institutional settings, who are neither married nor cohabitating". (). Etymo ...

master Master or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles * Ascended master, a term used in the Theosophical religious tradition to refer to spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans *Grandmaster (chess), National 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 some teaching experience and at least a

bachelor of music Bachelor of Music (BM or BMus) is an academic degree awarded by a college, university, or conservatory upon completion of a program of study in music. In the United States, it is a professional degree, and the majority of work consists of pre ...

or equivalent experience in piano performance and/or pedagogy.University of Michigan Piano Department: Degree programs
/ref> Although virtually all piano pedagogy programs include a significant portion of performance requirement, the pedagogy major may be distinct from the performance major at some schools. Some members of the latter group may have the option to take courses in the teaching of piano, but not all do.

Professional organizations in the United States

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 offer 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: * American Council of Piano Performers – ACPP * Music Teachers National Association – MTNA * National Federation of Music Clubs * National Guild of Piano Teachers * Piano Teachers Congress of New York

Professional Organizations in Canada

The main organization that offers certificates and testing curriculum in Canada is

Royal Conservatory of Music The Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM), branded as The Royal Conservatory, is a non-profit music education institution and performance venue headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded in 1886 by Edward Fisher as The Toronto Con ...

. There are three levels in their certificate program; elementary, intermediate and advanced. Elementary pedagogy certificate enables teachers to teach beginners up to grade two piano, while intermediate certificate allows teachers to teach up to grade 6 piano. Advanced piano pedagogy is known as "ARCT" (Associate of Royal Conservatory of Toronto), which enables teachers to teach up to grade 10. There are also a number of theory and history examinations that accompany each certificate program which must be completed. There is also a Piano Teachers Federation based in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

, British Columbia.

Notable piano pedagogues in history

* Johann Nepomuk Hummel (Austria, 1778–1837) *

Carl Czerny Carl Czerny (; 21 February 1791 – 15 July 1857) was an Austrian composer, teacher, and pianist of Czech origin whose music spanned the late Classical and early Romantic eras. His vast musical production amounted to over a thousand works and ...

(Austria, 1791–1857) *

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (8 March 1714 – 14 December 1788), also formerly spelled Karl Philipp Emmanuel Bach, and commonly abbreviated C. P. E. Bach, was a German Classical period musician and composer, the fifth child and sec ...

(Germany, 1714–1788) * Maria Szymanowska (Poland, 1789–1831) * Frédéric Chopin (Poland, 1810–1849) *

Theodor Leschetizky Theodor Leschetizky (sometimes spelled Leschetitzky, pl, Teodor Leszetycki; 22 June 1830 – 14 November 1915 was an Austrian- Polish pianist, professor, and composer born in Landshut in the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, then a crown land of ...

(Poland, 1830–1915) * Franz Liszt (Hungary, 1811–1886) *

Tobias Matthay Tobias Augustus Matthay (19 February 185815 December 1945) was an English pianist, teacher, and composer. Biography Matthay was born in Clapham, Surrey, in 1858 to parents who had come from northern Germany and eventually became naturalised Brit ...

(England, 1858–1945) *

Nadia Boulanger Juliette Nadia Boulanger (; 16 September 188722 October 1979) was a French music teacher and conductor. She taught many of the leading composers and musicians of the 20th century, and also performed occasionally as a pianist and organist. From a ...

(France, 1887–1979 *

Heinrich Neuhaus Heinrich Gustav Neuhaus ( pl, Henryk (Harry) Neuhaus, russian: Ге́нрих Густа́вович Нейга́уз, Genrikh Gustavovič Nejgauz, 10 October 1964) was a Russian-born pianist and teacher of German and Polish extraction. Part of ...

(Russia, 1888–1964) *

Dimitri Bashkirov Dmitri Aleksandrovich Bashkirov (russian: Дми́трий Алекса́ндрович Башки́ров; November 1, 1931 – March 7, 2021) was a Russian pianist and academic teacher. Trained in his hometown Tbilisi and Moscow, he began an in ...

(Russia, 1931–) *

Leila Fletcher Leila Fletcher (August 12, 1899 – April 9, 1988) was a Canadian pianist, composer, publisher, music editor and educator. Early years She was born in Hamilton, Ontario. Her parents provided her piano lessons from a local teacher. After high sch ...

(Canada, 1899–1988) Ontario, Mayfair Montgomery Publishing * Neil A. Kjos (US, 1931–2009) Illinois, known for the James Bastien books *

Abby Whiteside Abby Whiteside (Aug 27, 1881 Vermillion, South Dakota – Dec 10, 1956 Menlo Park, California) was an American piano teacher. She challenged the finger-centric approach of much classical piano teaching and instead advocated a holistic attitude ...

(US, 1881–1956) * Dorothy Taubman (US, 1917–2013) *

Isidor Philipp Isidor Edmond Philipp (first name sometimes spelled Isidore) (2 September 1863 – 20 February 1958) was a French pianist, composer, and pedagogue of Jewish Hungarian descent. He was born in Budapest and died in Paris. Biography Isidor Philipp ...

(France, 1863–1958) *

Harold Bradley Harold Ray Bradley (January 2, 1926 – January 31, 2019) was an American guitarist and entrepreneur, who played on many country, rock and pop recordings and produced numerous TV variety shows and movie soundtracks. Having started as a session ...

(Canada 1906–1984) *

Frances Clark Frances Oman Clark (March 28, 1905 – April 17, 1998) was an American pianist, pedagogue, and academic who authored, co-authored and edited many widely used piano method books, most notably The Music Tree series. Her 1955 publication, ''Time to ...

(US, 1905–1998) *

Stefan Ammer Stefan Ammer (born 13 July 1942) is a German-Australian pianist, lecturer, teacher and professor of music. A former professor at Hochschule für Musik Freiburg in Germany, and currently at the Elder Conservatorium of Music in Australia. Biograp ...

(Germany, 1942–) *

Ilana Vered Ilana Vered ( he, אילנה ורד; born December 6, 1943 in Tel Aviv, Israel) is a concert pianist and professor of piano. Biography From age 13 to 15 Vered attended the Paris Conservatoire, which awarded her first prize in piano upon her graduat ...

(Israel, 1943–) * Peter Arnold (United Kingdom) *

Graham Fitch Graham Fitch is an English pianist and piano teacher. Biography Fitch was the first prize winner in the Mieczyslaw Munz Piano Competition, and graduated with honours from London's Royal College of Music as a Hopkinson Gold Medalist. He came to ...

(United Kingdom)

Topics of study

Piano pedagogy involves the study and teaching of motor, intellectual, problem-solving, and artistic skills involved in playing the piano effectively. Citing the influence of

Zoltán Kodály Zoltán Kodály (; hu, Kodály Zoltán, ; 16 December 1882 – 6 March 1967) was a Hungarian composer, ethnomusicologist, pedagogue, linguist, and philosopher. He is well known internationally as the creator of the Kodály method of music edu ...

Carl Orff Carl Orff (; 10 July 1895 – 29 March 1982) was a German composer and music educator, best known for his cantata '' Carmina Burana'' (1937). The concepts of his Schulwerk were influential for children's music education. Life Early life Carl ...

Émile Jaques-Dalcroze Émile Jaques-Dalcroze (6 July 1865 – 1 July 1950) was a Swiss composer, musician, and music educator who developed Dalcroze eurhythmics, an approach to learning and experiencing music through movement. Dalcroze eurhythmics influenced Carl O ...

, Russian-American piano pedagogue at

Longy School of Music Longy School of Music of Bard College is a private music school in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1915 as the Longy School of Music, it was one of the four independent degree-granting music schools in the Boston region along with the New En ...

, Dr. Faina Bryanskaya, advocates a holistic approach which integrates as many aspects of music-making as possible at once would result in the most effective piano teaching.

Ear training

Dr. Bryanskaya argues that the foremost task for piano teachers at the beginning of a student's study is the introduction of a habit of listening to quality performances of "descriptive and strikingly expressive music", as a means for "sensitizing he studentto the meaning of music".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

Rhythm

Teaching rhythm is important for the student to be able to learn a piece accurately, and also to confidently perform a practiced piece. Developing an internal metronome plays a significant 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.

Notation

Learning to read music is a critical skill for most pianists. There are generally three approaches to teaching students to read music, although combined approaches are increasingly common. The " Middle C Method", a "single note identification" method, was the most commonly taught method through the 20th century. It was introduced by W.S.B. Mathews in 1892 but popularized by Thompson's ''Modern Course for Piano'' (1936). "Middle C" teaches positions relative to the middle C; in other "single note identification" methods, other notes might be used. The "intervocalic method", developed by

with her ''Time to Begin'' (1955) curriculum, teaches recognition of patterns, and adds "landmark notes". The "multi-key method", developed by

Robert Pace The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

and published in 1954, teaches students all major and minor keys fairly quickly.

Technique

Good piano playing technique involves the simultaneous understanding in both the mind and the body of the relationships between the elements of music theory, recognition of musical patterns in notation and at the fingertips, the physical landscape of the entire range of the keyboard, finger dexterity and independence, and a wide range of touch and tone production for a variety of emotional expressions. Skills in all of these areas are typically nurtured and developed for the sake of expressing oneself more effectively and naturally through the sound of the piano, so that the elements of technique will sound alive with musicality.

Improvisation

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 brain—the analytical and the intuitive—for students to master all aspects of playing. Therefore, teaching improvisation skills may help students take ownership of the expressive quality of the music they make, and to keep music learning and practicing alive and interesting.Kampmeier, Valerie. "Intuitive Improvisation: A Guide for Beginners." ''American Music Teacher.'' Dec/ 7–8 Jan. One way to do so is to make up stories full of different emotions through improvising, in order to reinforce music theory concepts already introduced and to develop a wide range of touch and tone production.

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 different major and minor key signatures can also help students anticipate the accidentals they should expect when sight reading.

Memorization

Memorization is useful to perform a piece confidently. 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 Muscle memory is a form of procedural memory that involves consolidating a specific motor task into memory through repetition, which has been used synonymously with motor learning. When a movement is repeated over time, the brain creates a long-t ...

. 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 many 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. Effective memorization results from the "combination of visual, kinaesthetic, aural and analytical skills".Chappell, Sally. "Developing the complete pianist: a study of the importance of a whole-brain approach to piano teaching." ''Piano Journal'', Winter 2000.

Repertoire

Well-known keyboard works written with special attention for pedagogical purposes in mind include:Braudo, Isaiah. ''On the study of key board works by J. S. Bach in music schools.'' Washington DC: H. A. Frager & Co *

Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach The title ''Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach'' (german: Notenbüchlein für Anna Magdalena Bach) refers to either of two manuscript notebooks that the German Baroque composer Johann Sebastian Bach presented to his second wife, Anna Magdalena. ...

(1725) by family and friends of

J.S. Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the ''Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard wor ...

* Klavierbüchlein für Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, Little Preludes and Fugues,

Inventions and Sinfonias The Inventions and Sinfonias, BWV 772–801, also known as the Two- and Three-Part Inventions, are a collection of thirty short keyboard compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750): 15 ''inventions'', which are two-part contrapuntal pieces, ...

, & the

Well-Tempered Clavier ''The Well-Tempered Clavier'', BWV 846–893, consists of two sets of preludes and fugues in all 24 major and minor keys for keyboard by Johann Sebastian Bach. In the composer's time, ''clavier'', meaning keyboard, referred to a variety of in ...

* Sonatinas by

Muzio Clementi Muzio Filippo Vincenzo Francesco Saverio Clementi (23 January 1752 – 10 March 1832) was an Italian composer, virtuoso pianist, pedagogue, conductor, music publisher, editor, and piano manufacturer, who was mostly active in England. Encourag ...

Album For the Young ''Album for the Young'' ('), Op. 68, was composed by Robert Schumann in 1848 for his three daughters. The album consists of a collection of 43 short works. Unlike the ', they are suitable to be played by children or beginners. The second part, st ...

, Op. 68 (1848) by Robert Schumann * Album For the Young, Op. 39 (1878) by

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , group=n ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music would make a lasting impression internationally. He wrote some of the most pop ...

* Music for Children, Op. 65 (1935) by

Sergei Prokofiev Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev; alternative transliterations of his name include ''Sergey'' or ''Serge'', and ''Prokofief'', ''Prokofieff'', or ''Prokofyev''., group=n (27 April .S. 15 April1891 – 5 March 1953) was a Russian composer, ...

* Pieces by Igor Stravinsky,

Dmitri Kabalevsky Dmitry Borisovich Kabalevsky (russian: Дми́трий Бори́сович Кабале́вский ; 14 February 1987) was a Soviet composer, conductor, pianist and pedagogue of Russian gentry descent. He helped set up the Union of Soviet C ...

and Aram Khatchaturian * Mikrokosmos, Sz. 107, BB 105 (1926–39) by Béla Bartók

Venues offering instruction 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 offered 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 offered in a variety of different settings, including the following:Ulszer, Marienne (1995). ''The Well-Tempered Keyboard Teacher.'' Schirmer Books. * 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 * Online Distance-learning Courses *In-home/mobile music schools that travel to student's homes

References

External link

{{Commonscat, Piano education
Music Teachers National Association – MTNA
(USA)
The Frances Clark Center for Keyboard PedagogyNational Guild of Piano TeachersPiano Teachers Congress of New YorkRobert Schumann's Rules for Young Musicians

Music education