by Julie Lovison
Soccer, basketball, baseball, chess, swim, track … our students have much familiarity with these teams. Did you know your children are also members of a “piano team?”
We began this term with inviting students to think of their class as a “piano team.” Just like any sport, our team requires practice. All team members are responsible to the others to come to their lesson sufficiently prepared through their weekly follow up at home, to move on as a group. This means they need to have assimilated, memorized or mastered the requisite skills and concepts. This could be physical mastery of technique or memorizing some fundamentals such as note names, chords, scales, or key signatures (the structures of music.) Our curriculum layers new concepts upon previous ones every week in a systematic structure. The student’s assignment sheet gives them the “game plan” for practice every week.
The practice “game plan” includes many components beyond simply playing through their new piece once or twice. Each component is budgeted into a few minutes of concentrated practice per day, with the new piece being one aspect of the total practice time. Students need to budget ½ hour of practice time minimum at least 5 days a week to accomplish the required practice for our programs (6 and 7 year olds may begin with 20 minutes).
Each team member makes sure the whole team “gets” each new concept, by helping to explain it in their own words, then by evaluating each other. Teaching one another crystallizes their own knowledge.
As in any team activity, when players miss practices, it fragments the team’s cohesion. This is why it is important that attendance at lessons is a priority. It is better to come to even a portion of the lesson, or leave early, if your schedule has to be adjusted for some reason.
As team members we celebrate each other’s victories such as when we achieve success with a new piece, master a technical skill or memorize important fundamentals.
Yes we are a team. We do not have weekly contests to “win” against outside opponents. Nevertheless, we do have challenges to meet against two opponents – – discouragement and commitment as we challenge ourselves to improve. Our score is kept by evaluating our growing musical knowledge; our improving skill level; and our ability to perform and enjoy beautiful music.
The improvement in student progress since focusing on our “piano teams” this year has been dramatic. Students have been eager to share their accomplishments with their team members. Each lesson is infused with a creative, dynamic energy that has made teachers and students excited to be in this piano sport together.
When competing against ourselves we are often facing a formidable adversary. All teams thrive on energetic cheerleaders and fans. Parents, friends and family can help our teams and players by recognizing their efforts, supporting their activities and enthusiastically appreciating their exhibitions.
