[Menvi-discuss] Yamaha piano course and gradings, any help?

[Stephanie Pieck]

Winy,

One approach you can try to correlate grading systems is to try and find
pieces that are common to both and see which grade they occur in on each
scheme.

Alternatively, see when the student plays particular scales--i.e., the ones
with all those pesky sharps and flats!--or when they move from playing
scales in simpler form (i.e., one octave only; hands separately; legato
only) to more advanced (with hands a third apart, for instance).

An important thing to keep in mind is that grading systems are highly
subjective, and while they can provide a useful framework for study, they
aren't the be-all end-all of teaching. 

Another gauge for progress is to ask the student "How long have you
studied?" Be prepared to take their answer with some skepticism, however,
because there's no guarantee that a student who has taken lessons for five
years will be playing Mozart sonatas! If the Yamaha school has had a high
rate of teacher turnover, then the student may have studied for five or six
years, but with many changes in teaching methodology which will hamper their
progress. Just because a school follows a curriculum doesn't mean that all
the teachers employed by the school are equally adept at implementing it.

In my own studio, whenever I am presented with a transfer student, I use
most of the first lesson to make my own assessment, discussing with the
student how long they've been playing, what books they have used, and then
having them play. Prior to the lesson, I tell the student (or their parent)
that I will ask them to play some pieces they feel comfortable with--things
they may have played for a recital or exam, etc. I ask them to bring the
books they were last using to the class.

Once I've had them play their chosen pieces--which says a lot about how they
play, incidentally--I ask questions about the books, like how far they've
gotten in their current one, or if they have any particular books they
enjoyed using more than others.

After that, I ask for scales, do some sight-reading (for many students, this
is where the real truth of their studies starts showing itself), and
finally, I give them a piece to start working on with me. This last item
allows the student to experience my teaching style and also lets me see
their approach to learning--i.e., what do they struggle with; what comes
easily; are they attentive to details or oblivious to everything except the
current note they're staring at.

If the student continues to come for lessons, then I begin to work on
technical things such as posture, hand position, etc.

I read somewhere that the average student should be at ABRSM Grade 1 level
after about one to two years. The grades can be taken annually after that,
although personally I think the gradient in difficult between grades--i.e.,
moving from Grade 5 to Grade 6, for instance, or Grade 7 to 8--gets a bit
steeper toward the higher end of the system. I also think there's a bigger
jump at the low end of the system--so Grade 1 to 2 to 3 requires a bit more
advancement than going from 3 to 4 to 5.

Of course, all these are just my own personal opinions. I make no claims to
be a "great teacher" or even an expert in anything. But I hope some of it is
helpful.

Stephanie Pieck

-----Original Message-----
From: Menvi-discuss [mailto:menvi-discuss-bounces at menvi.org] On Behalf Of
Winy Kwany
Sent: Tuesday, June 03, 2014 2:16 AM
To: This is for discussing music and braille literacy
Subject: [Menvi-discuss] Yamaha piano course and gradings, any help?

Hi all,
I have a new student. She is still studying in Yamaha Music School here with
Yamaha piano course curiculum. She said she will have grade
7 Yamaha piano exam in July or October this year. I did an acessment on her
and I found her playing level is for grade 2-3 (She hasn't used any pedaling
yet, but have played simple Bach and some classical pieces). I have some
questions.
First, does anyone ever transcribed Yamaha piano course into braille?
If so, where I can obtain them?
Second, how I can get the grading of Yamaha and ABRSM on track? I am
confused with the system. Yamaha has 13 grades, from grade 13 to 1. I read
in the website, but I am still confused. For example, if the student is in
grade 7 Yamaha, in what grade will it be for ABRSM?
Thanks in advance. Any input, suggestions, will be highly appreciated.
Winy.

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