All About Choosing Piano Schools And Teachers

[Imami]

waiyean:

I remember when daughter was 4 years old, she was already asked to remember the composers from different eras, and to re-enforce the learning, she has to scrap book a book of composers. Every week, she will ask me to search for about 6-8 piece of information of a composer, together with pictures, so she can write them on a paper and decorate that page with photos and stickers. She enjoyed doing that tremendously. After composers, teacher also asked her to do the same for different instruments.

These are considered music appreciation?

To find out more about these famous musicians, I actually hunt for children books on them to read but my son always beat me to it. Not just children books on musicians, I also buy books on famous scientists and artists.

[Imami]

metz:

That was one of the reasons why I withdrew my daughter from the programme.

I can imagine!

[waiyean]

Imami:

So on top of weekly practical lessons, you daughter has a separate session for musicianship?


This is unique to your daughter's school right? Other schs or pte teachers don't have such coverage, or do they?

Hi Imami,
Yes the musicianship class is separate from weekly practical lessons and theory class. Not sure what you mean unique to daughter's school, but many schools / pte teachers offers these classes.

[waiyean]

Imami:

waiyean:

I remember when daughter was 4 years old, she was already asked to remember the composers from different eras, and to re-enforce the learning, she has to scrap book a book of composers. Every week, she will ask me to search for about 6-8 piece of information of a composer, together with pictures, so she can write them on a paper and decorate that page with photos and stickers. She enjoyed doing that tremendously. After composers, teacher also asked her to do the same for different instruments.

These are considered music appreciation?

To find out more about these famous musicians, I actually hunt for children books on them to read but my son always beat me to it. Not just children books on musicians, I also buy books on famous scientists and artists.

I think they help in appreciating music. From knowing Bach from Baroque period, teacher introduce concepts of textures, ie. polyphonic, eg. from those inventions. Mozart from classical introduces homophonic, ie Alberti bass eg. his sonata in C major, etc. There will then be homework, where she is asked to listen to these pieces to be exposed to music from various genre.
This is a more lively way to teach these concepts to a preschooler, as compared to asking them to read it from a book. Teacher also plays this concepts on the piano, and then follow up with quizzes to identify them. You cannot get this from books.

Scrapbooking on instruments also builds up knowledge on the various families, transposing vs non transposing, cleft used, etc. This ties up very well with grade 4-5 theory which daughter is doing.

What I am saying is that musicianship connects up the link between practical and theory, and also trains up aural skills. Not necessary if you are only interested in going for exams, but very useful to provide a well rounded music training.

[Dreamaurora]

waiyean:

Imami:

[quote=\"waiyean\"] I remember when daughter was 4 years old, she was already asked to remember the composers from different eras, and to re-enforce the learning, she has to scrap book a book of composers. Every week, she will ask me to search for about 6-8 piece of information of a composer, together with pictures, so she can write them on a paper and decorate that page with photos and stickers. She enjoyed doing that tremendously. After composers, teacher also asked her to do the same for different instruments.

These are considered music appreciation?

To find out more about these famous musicians, I actually hunt for children books on them to read but my son always beat me to it. Not just children books on musicians, I also buy books on famous scientists and artists.

I think they help in appreciating music. From knowing Bach from Baroque period, teacher introduce concepts of textures, ie. polyphonic, eg. from those inventions. Mozart from classical introduces homophonic, ie Alberti bass eg. his sonata in C major, etc. There will then be homework, where she is asked to listen to these pieces to be exposed to music from various genre.
This is a more lively way to teach these concepts to a preschooler, as compared to asking them to read it from a book. Teacher also plays this concepts on the piano, and then follow up with quizzes to identify them. You cannot get this from books.

Scrapbooking on instruments also builds up knowledge on the various families, transposing vs non transposing, cleft used, etc. This ties up very well with grade 4-5 theory which daughter is doing.

What I am saying is that musicianship connects up the link between practical and theory, and also trains up aural skills. Not necessary if you are only interested in going for exams, but very useful to provide a well rounded music training.[/quote]Hmm, interesting. Most parents would be quite reluctant to spend the extra fund and effort at the initial stage of learning, so I commend you for your dedication.

[Dreamaurora]

Imami:

Dreamaurora:

If you are okay with it, then there's no problem. I generally stick to piano repertoire appreciation for my piano lessons and leave non-piano stuff to the theory lessons.

I am ok with it. In fact, I find the examples/components of the \"musicianship\" interesting.

I believe dreamaurora has sum up what I do not want. Somehow, i do not know how to word what I want to say. When I set my son on his piano learning journey, I do not want him to just do what is enough to go for piano exam. I would really want him to understand more, enjoy more and explore more. And I am very glad that this teacher is doing musicianship, however short the duration and simple the stuff, with my son.

Yes. Unfortunately though, there isn't an universal framework that piano teachers follow here. Most follow ABRSM, but even then there are so many horror stories of sight reading and aural being neglected. That being said, I hope to offer a more varied selection of music education to my students next time.

I am taking various exams in the next few year. I will be taking ABRSM Jazz Piano Grade 5, grade 8 in both violin and vocal, and maybe Trinity composition diploma. I think slowly parents want a more robust music education for their kids, and teachers should continually upgrade themselves to be more versatile.

[metz]

phankao:

Is this a good programme (MYC) for training composition? Mine enjoys exploring and creating tunes which he records himself.

I am not sure how robust the composition training is as we withdrew after the first term. But during my daughter's time (5 years ago), MYC had composition competitions even for those as young as 3 to 4 years old.

Have you considered the programmes by Yamaha Music School? I heard YMS places a heavy focus on composition too.

[phankao]

metz:

phankao:

Is this a good programme (MYC) for training composition? Mine enjoys exploring and creating tunes which he records himself.

I am not sure how robust the composition training is as we withdrew after the first term. But during my daughter's time (5 years ago), MYC had composition competitions even for those as young as 3 to 4 years old.

Have you considered the programmes by Yamaha Music School? I heard YMS places a heavy focus on composition too.

Let me check with MYC. WHat I see on their website seems more like just music playgroup altho' on another website they do talk about composition, but not the MYC Thomson website.

Somehow I don't have very good impression of Yamaha Music School...

[metz]

phankao:

Let me check with MYC. WHat I see on their website seems more like just music playgroup altho' on another website they do talk about composition, but not the MYC Thomson website.

Somehow I don't have very good impression of Yamaha Music School...

We were with Teacher Angela (if my memory serves me well) at Bt Timah. Doubt she's still teaching there cos the myc website no longer has Bt Timah Branch.

[Imami]

waiyean:

Imami:

So on top of weekly practical lessons, you daughter has a separate session for musicianship?


This is unique to your daughter's school right? Other schs or pte teachers don't have such coverage, or do they?

Hi Imami,
Yes the musicianship class is separate from weekly practical lessons and theory class. Not sure what you mean unique to daughter's school, but many schools / pte teachers offers these classes.

I think your princess is in nafa? My impression of nafa is that it is for the cream of the crop. Got money also may not be able to go in. Definitely not for kid's like my son... He is not good enough.