Top 10 things to know
Book A Concepts
- Five “friends at the piano” engage student learning
- The CD and Online Audio with children’s voices help students LISTEN, SING, TAP, and MOVE
- Finger numbers, dynamics, treble and bass clefs
- White keys presented in groups: C-D-E and F-G-A-B
- Pre-reading prepares Grand Staff notation in the B Books
- Directional reading by steps
- The C 5-finger scale
- Technique Games develop a round hand and firm fingertips
- Stickers that Teach® offer fun rewards and great review
- Flashcard Sheets offer a variety of games for class and private lessons
Top 5 things to see
Book A Pedagogy Pointers
- The “friends at the piano” tie in musical concepts. Comment on the art to create a musical conversation.
- Technique is expressed within the songs, rather than treated as a separate subject.
- Students begin with black-key songs that move across the range of the keyboard.
- Students learn note values, then analyze rhythm patterns for fluent reading.
- Playing with all ten fingers is introduced with the C 5-finger scale.
Top 5 things to do
Book A Teaching Actions
- Always play the teacher duet to express the character of the song.
- To develop eye-tracking, play the audio while the student points to the notes in rhythm.
- Ask students to analyze patterns and memorize a piece each week.
- Play the C 5-finger scale all over the keyboard. Express different dynamics!
- Circle things in the music:
, bar lines, patterns, etc.
, bar lines, patterns, etc.
The best advice
As a teacher, listen to the audio tracks and memorize the words to the activity songs.