[Menvi-discuss] piano methods

Wed Jun 4 10:35:01 EDT 2014

John, the Steph that needs the braille I believe is not in the United 
States, I believe they're in London.  I'm not sure, just going off of 
memory.  But the info you provide may be of use to someone.  Its nice to 
have someone from NLS on the list to give valuable feedback on whats 
around.

Jared Rimer
Webmaster
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On 6/4/2014 6:52 AM, Hanson, John wrote:
> It should be made known that at least the American Popular Piano Repertoire is available in brf format from NLS. Free download for those registered for BARD.
> John Hanson
> NLS Music
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Menvi-discuss [mailto:menvi-discuss-bounces at menvi.org] On Behalf Of Stephanie Mitchell
> Sent: Wednesday, June 04, 2014 8:51 AM
> To: menvi-discuss at menvi.org
> Subject: Re: [Menvi-discuss] piano methods
>
> Thank you. I am a member of the RNIB, although it's a pity I cant get them in brf format.
> I'm going to take a look at these.
> Thanks again so much!
> Steph
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Stephanie Pieck <themusicsuite at verizon.net>
> To: "'Th is for discussing music and braille literacy'" <menvi-discuss at menvi.org>
> Date: Wednesday, June 4, 2014 10:35 pm
> Subject: Re: [Menvi-discuss] piano methods
>
>>
>>
>> The "American Popular Piano Repertoire" method is very good; very
>> well-paced so students play a lot of different music before making
>> huge jumps in difficulty. You might start in Level 1 or 2--the
>> preparatory grade would probably be too easy for your adult student.
>>
>> I've never used the "Little Mozarts" book, but I find that Pauline
>> Hall's "Tunes for Ten Fingers", "More Tunes for Ten Fingers," and "Fun
>> for Ten Fingers" books generally captivate very young students while
>> providing a very thorough foundation. These can be had from RNIB; if
>> you can't purchase them, you may want to look into signing up for
>> their international lending library service. I know it works; I
>> borrowed old ABRSM exam books and used them for several months.
>>
>> Hope this helps ...
>>
>> The Other Steph (Pieck)
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Menvi-discuss [mailto:menvi-discuss-bounces at menvi.org] On Behalf
>> Of Stephanie Mitchell
>> Sent: Tuesday, June 03, 2014 9:36 PM
>> To: menvi-discuss at menvi.org
>> Subject: [Menvi-discuss] piano methods
>>
>> Speaking of piano books etc I do have a few questions. I have just
>> taken on an adult student. I'm using the "piano lessons book 1" by
>> Waterman which seems quite good. She already has knowledge of treble
>> cleef and seems a little shaky with the bass but could still read it quite well.
>> She wants to do pop as well and I was wondering what I could use along
>> side the book work that would keep her interest. I need to have a
>> braille copy too so I can follow along. I thought of the american
>> popular piano or the easy Dan coates piano, but not sure if they would be too hard for her.
>> Any ideas?
>> Also, does anyone know if the "music for little mozarts" books are in
>> braille? I have 4 year old who is keen to start and I'd heard good
>> things about this book.
>> Steph
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: Stephanie Pieck <themusicsuite at verizon.net>
>> To: "'Th is for discussing music and braille literacy'"
>> <menvi-discuss at menvi.org>
>> Date: Tuesday, June 3, 2014 9:50 pm
>> Subject: Re: [Menvi-discuss] Yamaha piano course and gradings, any help?
>>
>>>
>>>
>>> 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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> Mitchell Piano Studio
> Phone: 0450354342
> Web: www.mitchellpianostudio.com
>
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