There is lots of piano teaching method and each one has its strengths andweaknesses. Now, I am going to inform you about the most common three methodsfor children ? Alfred, Suzuki, Amadeus. First of all, the Alfred method usesvisual things such as colored pictures and graphics ? using software, compactdiscs, and /or cassettes is the newest updated one in this method (“PianoTeaching Method” 1). As you know, a picture is the greatest friend to childrenand it helps them, even adults like us, to understand something a lot easier.
Additionally, it could grab children’s attention more easily and quickly thana verbal explanation. For example, you can make a little card to show the scaleor the relationship between notes. It is going to be helpful because studentscan look at it over and over. If you add colors or some pictures to that, italso would be helpful to get students’ interest.
This method gives studentsstrength in reading intervals and seeing “the intervalic relationship betweennotes” (“Piano Teaching Method” 1). However, it might cause students toplay by totally “relying on position playing” instead learning how to readthe notes because it uses “the concept of position playing” (“PianoTeaching Method” 1). In other words, students memorize the hand position ?fingering ? but not read the notes. And some people point out that “themajor composers should be presented to the students at a much earlier stage thanis typical in this method” (“Piano Teaching Method” 2).
This method isrecommended for very beginning teachers who need a certain prepared lesson planto follow and once the teachers become more comfortable and get to know aboutdifferent methods, they are urged to “expand from this method” (“PianoTeaching Method” 2). The Suzuki method ? you probably heard this concept alot. This method was applied to teaching violin originally by Dr. ShinichiSuzuki but it now is applied to piano teaching also (Mills et al ed.
1). TheSuzuki method approaches playing piano with “listening and development of earand the memory” rather than reading music (Mills 114). This method relies onplaying by ear so that students become more sensitive about the tone theyproduce and it makes student concentrate more on their playing, and become moreexpressive with the music (Mills 114; “Piano Teaching Method” 4). In TheSuzuki Concept, the author indicates that “after the good playing habits havebeen established, reading comes a little later” (114). However, the studentstrained by this method could lack reading music skill because they depend toomuch on playing by ear (“Piano Teaching Method” 4). For me, the mostinteresting teaching method is the Amadeus method.
The concept of this method isthat the teacher should give a lesson to children by playing with music aschildren play with toys (Back and Lee 25). The author remarks that teaching howto read the notes is not a first step (Back and Lee 25). In The Piano TeachingMethod To Make The Best Student, the author describes that in this method, theteacher should guide children to be familiar with music by their sense ofplaying, and help children to feel and express music through their bodies (25). In this method, the easiest and the most recommended thing for teachers is tohave children sing (Back and Lee 24). By doing that children could learn musicalfactors such as phrasing. Through this method, children can enjoy learning pianomore and become familiar with music gradually and unconsciously (Back and Lee26).
I believe that unconscious learning process is the strongest advantage thestudents can get from this method. But as a teacher, you have to be always awareof the lesson plan, otherwise this method might end up just as playing insteadof teaching (Back and Lee 26). Therefore, teachers should always prepare thecurriculum carefully. As I mentioned above, there are strengths and weaknessesin each method. As a piano teacher, you should be knowledgeable about manydifferent methods and use them according to the student’s needs.
You can’tjust insist on one particular method because each of your students’ learningstyle will be different. I believe that the role of a teacher is to find out thebest methodology for his or her students. Teachers should be flexible withdifferent methods of teaching. BibliographyBack, Ki-Pung, and Bong-Ki Lee. The Piano Teaching Method to Make the BestStudent. Seoul: Jak Eun Woo Li, 1993.
Mills, Elizabeth, et al ed. The SuzukiConcept. Berkeley: Diablo Press, 1973. Piano Teaching Methods. The PianoEducation Page.
