Planning for a year’s worth of piano lessons can be a daunting task, so its no wonder that this is one of our most commonly asked questions. There is no “standard curriculum” for piano teachers to follow… and I would argue that this is a good thing because there is no “standard student” for teachers to teach.
A yearly curriculum must be fluid and adaptable. But for a curriculum to be fluid and adaptable it must first be… a curriculum. And that requires having some sort of yearly scope and sequence mapped out.
The Building Blocks of a Yearly Plan
Don’t reinvent the wheel when developing your yearly plan. A lot of smart people have spent a lot of long hours developing yearly plans for piano method books. You can find these yearly plans on any music store shelf.
So with this in mind, there are two ways to develop a yearly plan:
Option One: This method is dead simple. Choose one method book series. Buy a levelled book with a student in mind. Open that book to the table of contents. Type out the skills covered in the order that they appear. BAM! Yearly lesson planning done!
Well… not really. But this WILL provide a piano teaching framework… a road map for your piano students’ progress. Everything you do in your yearly planning from here on out (like selecting supplementary repertoire or piano theory games etc.) will be tied to this framework.
Option Two: Just as two heads are better than one; two method books (or three or four) are better than one. As I became a more experienced piano teacher, option two became my framework builder of choice.
Grab a whole whack of method books from the music store. From the table of contents, write down the skills covered in each book and the order in which they appear. Then, using your knowledge and experience as a piano teacher, build your own framework by combining bits and pieces of each of the frameworks in each method book into an order that works for you and your teaching preferences.
Remember… A Framework Does Not Tie You To A Method Book
The purpose of today’s activity is to simply help you build a curriculum to follow. Just because you use a particular method book to build your curriculum does not mean you are committed to using only the repertoire in that book to meet the needs of your curriculum.
As mentioned earlier, all you want from today’s blog post is a framework; a list of skills and an order in which to present these skills. Future posts in our Yearly Planning Series will show you how to bring this piano teaching framework to life with repertoire selection, supplementary repertoire selection, piano teaching games, composing and more so stay tuned!
Susan says
This post is just perfect! I needed a place to start planning. Thank you!
Josie says
Great suggestions, will give it a try!
Denise says
As a fairly new teacher with a growing studio, I have just been wondering how to do this myself. Thank you for this series of posts. I look forward to future posts about studio planning.
Alice says
Time to refresh my “scope and sequence” charts created a decade ago–thanks for the reminder!
Dana says
Option two is what I just started doing and I am so glad to see that TPT recommends this approach. Using a mix of methods helps to fill in gaps and keeps me from saying and doing the same things over and over. Thank you for posting this framework as I am eager to see your suggestions for repertoire and theory games. Awesome!
Val Letenyei says
Remember that every student is unique and with the variety of method books available now, choose the method book that suits your student’s learning style, interest, age, etc. I love Piano Adventures but I like Piano Town by Keith Snell for boys, ages 5-8.
Becky says
Yes, I love Piano Town also and feel as though few teachers use it. It does progress rather quickly but for some of my students it has been perfect!
Wendiann Trent says
I set monthly themes and goals for the piano “season” based on the broad spectrum of music fundamentals (extras like music history, games, composers, listening activities and practice/performing challenges) then I can focus on adapting the little things for each student as they progress. I agree that a method book helps with a logical and steady approach to teaching, but there is so much more to music than the “method” presents.
Andrea says
Exactly! This was Part 1.. Watch our upcoming follow up on this topic as mentioned for how to then take this basic framework and include those extras like you talk about within your structure for the year.
Marilyn Brennan says
Thank you. I really needed this. I really appreciate this.
Becky Towne says
I have taught for over 25 years and using a particular set of books adapted to the student is great! I usually plan at least 3 different “special occasion” events throughout the year and give the student a new piece or two to learn for the event. If the student tells me, “We are going to Grandma’s house for Christmas,” I will try and have a few Christmas pieces that they can play for the family. Be creative enough to have the student learning new methods/theory without them really knowing it. 🙂
anna says
This is exactly what I’ve been searching the web for this past week: trying to figure out which skills to teach in what order. A question I have is: since many of us assign “one” method book to each student, what’s the best way to get supplemental music to them without having them purchase additional books? So far I’m utilizing PianoBookClub music that I can legally print multiple copies for students, but I’m also considering making a better lending library with multiple copies of books to lend out as needed too. Thank you for any tips 🙂
Cherilyn says
I frequent thrift shops and yard sales for supplemental music and extras of lesson books I use. I have built quite an extensive library at a fraction of the cost of retail prices. I do keep track of books I lend out, but if they don’t return, I am only out a dollar or two.
Fiona@A Woman of Notes says
I use Piano Adventures pretty much exclusively, unless I have struggling pupils who need more material for each level. My life has become much simpler since I discovered Piano Adventures, I love that we can use the theory book that goes with each level, and for some students we also work on the Popular or Performance books for supplementary pieces. As a busy mum I appreciate not having to go searching for other material, things might be different if I was a full-time piano teacher.
In response to Anna, above, I would say that these method books are so inexpensive compared to the cost of other piano music. I used to worry about the cost, too. But now I’ve realised that the cost of the method books (and even including the theory books etc) is virtually nothing compared to the cost of the lessons themselves. And it’s important that I as a piano teacher place high value on good quality music publications, and prepare parents for spending larger amounts on music in the years to come. Music here in Australia is expensive, twice the US price. I once heard a lecturer on piano teaching say that she tells her student’s parents from the start: “be prepared to spend $80.00 a year on music, more if your child is talented and quick to learn”. Loved the way she put the idea to parents in that positive way!
Christobel says
I’m with you Fiona, also teaching with Piano Adventures, in Melbourne. I always insist on all 4 core books, that’s Lesson, Theory, Tech&Art and Performance and then according to their interests from the end of Primer onwards they get one or two supplementary books as well (yes, that’s 5 or more books!) I ask the parents to purchase lesson book locally and then go online to get cheaper prices for the other books, at $8 delivered they can afford the extra books and they are “invested” in the outcome.
Denise says
I use Piano Adventures as my core curriculum, as well, along with games and activities, getting ideas from blogs such as this one. Currently, I only teach up to level 5 of PA. As a new teacher, I have not yet had a student finish the program. My question is this: what options are out there for students who finish level 5 of PA? Is our only option at that point to turn to classical music programs such as Royal Conservatory or Keith Snell? Any advice would be great! 🙂
Barbara says
Food for thought Denise – past level 5 of PA are endless possibilities! Try a Jazz course like –
http://bradleysowash.com/store/index.php?rt=product/category&path=68_73
Or do a sound technique book like Burgmuller, Hanon and then have 2 or 3 pieces going on simultaneously. For instance, assign 1 Baroque, 1 Sonatina, 1 Contemporary/Jazz/Ragtime/Musical Theatre/Rock. You are sure to keep things alive and going with that intermediate student!
Elaine says
Is anyone willing to share their comprehensive ( or not!) list of skills covered and the order in which they appear?
Mary Keelan says
If I am entering any students in district theory tests, I also use those tests as a framework for getting the student to the place they need to be at the time of the test.
Andrea says
Absolutely – great point Mary! Thanks for sharing.
Christine says
Thanks for sharing this! But as they say, a picture (or example) is worth a thousand words. Would you be willing and able to share your own curriculum framework for our reference? Thanks again!
Brianna says
Is there a way you could post a sample yearly
lesson plan?