Beginning Piano

This class is full. Please speak to Admin about the waitlist.

Textbook: Premier Piano Course Lesson Book, Bk 1A
Play It! Classical Music: A Superfast Way to Learn Awesome Music on Your Piano or Keyboard
Play It! Children’s Songs: A Superfast Way to Learn Awesome Songs on Your Piano or Keyboard

Materials: Travel Piano – Please bring this EXACT one and not any other kind. This fits well on the desks. Please have batteries, as we don’t have enough outlets. Thank you!
Any headset that fits the keyboard is fine. These Sony MDREX15LP in-Ear Earbud Headphones work fine.

Supply Fee: $30 per year (covers stickers, Trapper Keeper/Music Stand, and occasional rewards) Please make checks payable to OKHSA

Length: 1 hour Class

Class Description: Weekly Lesson Objectives:

Unit 1:

• Familiarity with the black and white keyboard landscape.
• Aural discrimination of high and low sounds as well as loud and quiet.
• Music term “Piano” means quiet or soft.
• Quarter note, half note and the beat values of these symbols in common time.
• Keeping the beat with rhythm instruments and on the piano.
• Distinguishing left and right hands.
• Finger numbers for playing keyboard.
• Introduction to basic songs.
• Introduction to pre-Staff note reading by patterns.

Unit 2: 

• Review all concepts from Unit 1.
• Introduce characters for C, D, and E and their location on the keyboard.
• Play simple songs with these notes.
• Aural discrimination of high, middle and low sounds.
• Music terms “Piano” and “Forte.”
• Identify simple rhythms.
• Introduction to two Solfege terms.
• Play pre-Staff note patterns on the keyboard.

Unit 3:

• Review all previous concepts.
• Add characters for F and G and their location on the keyboard.
• Play simple songs with these notes.
• Eighth notes and their beat value in common time.
• Addition to Solfege terms.
• Proper hand and finger position at the piano.
• Addition to pre-Staff note patterns and playing them on the keyboard.
• Identify pre-Staff note patterns by ear.
• Clap back simple rhythms.

Unit 4:

• Review all concepts.
• Add characters for A and B and their location on the keyboard.
• Play simple songs with these and other notes.
• Whole notes and the quarter rest with beat value in common time.
• Addition to dynamic terminology.
• Proper hand position and fingering for the music scale.
• Addition to pre-staff note patterns, playing these patterns on the keyboard and identifying them by ear.
• Introduction of staff reading using patterns.
• Identify line and space notes.

Unit 5:

• Review all concepts.
• Introduce Treble and Bass clefs together with the Grand Staff.
• Emphasize character to letter and letter to placement on keyboard.
• Introduce the dotted quarter note and its’ beat value in common time.
• Addition to dynamic music terminology.
• Fingering for the C major scale.
• Introduce time signature and measures divided by bar blinds.
• Addition to more note patterns, playing them on the keyboard and identifying them by ear.
• Learn to read these patterns on the staff.
• Introduce simple methods of composition.
• Read music on the staff by pattern.

2nd Semester

Play in Alfred’s Premiere 1 book, 2nd half of the book AND Step By Step Book 1. We will also add the fun Zebra books!