Overview
Our goal is to develop fluency in reading music, proficiency in piano technique, and to explore repertoire of varying styles that spans many centuries (musical-historical eras), and comes from a diverse collection of composers. To measure student growth and progress, these lessons use a curriculum that consists of four broad levels:
Level 1: Introduction/Elementary (30-minute lessons)
Students learn the fundamentals of piano technique, such as finger numbers, hand positions, and how the keyboard is organized. They learn how to read musical notation, including pitches, rhythms, and musical expression. By the end of level 1, students will be comfortable playing in five-finger positions (pentascales) with some movement across an octave.
Level 2: Early Intermediate (45-minute lessons)
Students continue to develop reading and listening skills. They play music with both hands and in a variety of accompaniment styles. Repertoire includes short pieces like Minuets, Sonatinas, or little Etudes. In music theory, students learn about major and minor keys, chords, cadences, and form.
Level 3: Late Intermediate (60-minute lessons)
Students refine reading skills and explore more advanced technique. The repertoire becomes more substantial, including Baroque dances or preludes, Classical sonatinas, and intermediate-level pieces from the nineteenth, twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Music theory focuses on diatonic tonality and form.
Level 4: Advanced (60-minute lessons)
Students gain a proficiency in reading music and they continue to build virtuosic technique. Capstone repertoire—used for a solo recital and/or auditions—includes five pieces: (1) a prelude and fugue by J.S. Bach, (2) a complete sonata by Mozart or Beethoven, (3) an etude by Frédéric Chopin (Op. 10 or Op. 25), (4) a work from the twentieth century, and (5) a work from the twenty-first century or a piece that is newly composed/commissioned. Music theory focuses on chromatic tonality and atonality.