About 5 years ago I decided that I wanted to learn to play the fiddle. I was sure I’d pick it up quickly and I’d be jamming away like a boss in no time. This was not the case. For my first few weeks of lessons, I screeched and scratched my way through some exercises, and then for the next few weeks I horribly butchered some “tunes”. To put it kindly… I was absolutely horrific. And as much as I believe in the value of stick-with-it-ness…for the sake of my family’s sanity my fiddle lessons lasted just 3 months.
Looking back on it now, I do wish I had stuck with it (surely I’d be better by now if I had?!) but my brief foray into the world of fiddling did give me some really great insights into how our beginning piano students feel, and the biggest take-away from my experience was…
Sounding “Good” = Motivation
If my fiddle had possessed some magical way of keeping me in tune… if the music I was playing actually sounded like music… then I most definitely would have pushed forward. And when you think of your beginning piano students, this is an important thing to keep in mind. Sounding “good” counts! No one is particularly inspired by a 2 line, 2-note piece that reinforces C and G. And while these early pieces are oh so necessary… they’re also as boring as a tennis match played by sloths.
So how can we help?
Adding some “oomph” to your piano kids’ early pieces will make all the difference as they work through the simple pieces in the beginning of their book, and it’s as simple as giving them a sidekick: you!
Sidekicks Spring Into Action!
Fill out those easy pieces with some sidekick fun… duets! Make use of those duets you find at the bottom of your piano kids’ method book pieces; not just sometimes… all of the time. And if there isn’t a duet for every piece in the book, create one! Here’s how:
1. Use a simple rhythmic pattern following the underlying chord progression in their piece. A line of I and V chords usually matches most beginning piano book pieces.
2. Add funny words and sing along
3. Mix up your octaves to change the mood and character of the piece as you play along with their part.
4. Add “call and response” moments to the piece.
5. Be an echo to your students’ line.
6. Bring out another instrument you happen to play (drums count!) and play along.
7. If your method book comes with a CD… use it!
These duets don’t have to be a masterpiece… but they do need to be inspiring and fun. Suddenly, those silly little pieces all beginners need to slog through will become inspiring, motivating and enjoyable. When we sound good we make all kinds of good associations with our instrument. When the sounds we make are not that great… well… my dusty fiddle can tell you all about that one.
Duets With Boys
If you’re a fan of our Fearless Fortissimo Series then you’ll definitely want to check out Episode 2. In the second book of the series we’ve included some really exciting duets that will help you easily connect with the piano boys in your studio and make their playing sound fab! You can check out Episode 2 in the Teach Piano Today store.
Carla says
Great ideas! Sometimes after students play an early-level piece on the piano, I ask them to move to the digital keyboard, choose an instrumental sound, and play the piece again. For example, playing the melody of “Ode to Joy” on the church organ setting gives a young student a big and exciting sound.
Thank you for the inspiring ideas that you share!
Brian Jenkins says
Thanks for the great ideas! I know that in most of the method books they have teacher duets, but for a lot of pieces in them they don’t. I really never considered making up a duet to play with the student in those cases. It makes sense though, and shouldn’t be too difficult. I’ll definitely give it a go!
Sandra says
I have had great student response with the Primer level of Gold Star Performance (Faber Piano
Adventure series). I can get them playing Zoom, Zoom Witch’s Broom by Halloween! All they need is A on the LH and CDE on the RH. …The book has teacher duets and an imaginative CD — and the pieces use the whole keyboard. It is a great companion to any primer method book. My students love these pieces. …After only a handful of piano lessons, they have interesting songs to perform for their family and friends. Each piece has lots of potential for imaginative story-telling, too!
Kate says
I couldn’t agree more! I always make a point of playing all the duets, esp with Primer students. With really little kids we talk about ways of changing the mood… maybe playing like a certain animal (thinking about high/low, forte/piano, short/long sounds).
I also think that adding in a few more interesting sounding rote pieces can liven up those beginning lessons, and help get them through the 2-notes-centered-around-middle-C pieces. 😉
Susan McGuire says
Which rote pieces do you use? There are several that I introduce including Ruth Perdew’s Drum Beat (Myklas/Alfred), and Cats Always Purr by Edna-Mad Burnam (Willis).
Larry says
Thanks for your ideas. Playing along with my beginners also helps them solidify the steady beat. It is so funny that some of the kids just start playing, and some are careful to say: “ready, go”. I like to ask them to breath, do an inhale so we come in together, just like we would if we were singing.
Holly Kukkonen says
I just used your Wintervals game, and it was a hit! I love being sneaky, playing a game and teaching theory concepts! For my older students, they had to write the intervals.
anna says
As soon as I can get my beginning students to play through a beginning song that has a duet part for teachers on the bottom, I usually try it out with them. Most kids can really focus well enough to be able to play they’re part while hearing my part with them. Today, I actually had the best response I’ve ever gotten from a student that I’ve played a duet with for the first time. She just learned Jingle Bells this past week, and it happened to have a little duet part on the bottom of the page. I explained to her we’d be playing a duet, and showed her my part on the page. She got through it pretty well, with only a couple mistakes…..but when it was over, her face was lit up and she turned to me and said with a BIG SMILE, “I’VE JUST LEARNED THE POWER OF A DUET! It sounded like a real song!” Hahahaha…boy, my smile mirrored hers after she said that. That is exactly how I felt when my old piano teacher introduced duets to me. Even today, when I meet someone who plays piano, I almost always say, “maybe we can play some…”duets” some time.” Hee hee. Most don’t take me up on it, but it doesn’t hurt to keep asking because….it’s SO worth it, isn’t it!
Val Letenyei says
I actually use the duet as a criteria for passing a piece. I won’t let a student move on unless they have played the duet with me and we start and stop together. This gets them to focus on rhythm and counting two beats on every half note…such a challenge for my speedy thinkers! By the time he/she finishes level one…basic rhythm is not an issue for them and they are accustomed to spending 2, sometimes 3 weeks on a piece as we approach more difficult repertoire.
Val Letenyei says
And one more tip…play the duet first before trying it together. Students with a strong ear will have more success because they know what to expect and will focus more on their part than the new sound of the duet!
Hope says
I play duets with my beginners all the time and they love it. I like the idea of writing a duet part to songs that do not have duets, and I have done that in the past. I feel that all beginner books should have duet parts to motivate the kids.
Melinda says
This is one of 2 main reasons why I switched method book series to Alfred Premier. The duets are more varied and fun to listen to than any other method I’ve used! My students respond in a completely new way. Some get the ones with CDs, but I haven’t worked with them in lessons before. I’ll have to give that a try.