As private instructors, finding appropriate repertoire for our students can tricky! Do we stick to a curriculum, or a series of instructional books already separated into levels? Do we use classical works to teach techniques? Do we let the student choose their own rep? As a piano teacher of beginners big and small, I’ve tried numerous methods. Some have worked, and some haven’t. Read on!
At the heart of the question of rep choice is one of teaching style. What is your personal teaching philosophy and how do you approach your students’ learning? What is the ultimate goal of lessons for each individual student? Once these questions have been considered, it’s much easier to go the route that is most helpful for your student.
When considering how to approach repertoire selection, I usually first tackle some questions with my student and (if relevant) their parents. What is the purpose of these lessons? With much younger students, those answers often tend to be along the lines of learning an instrument for fun and because the student has curiosity about it. Older students that I’ve taught who have some experience do tend to have clearer goals such as playing a particular piece or getting in to a specific program. Understanding the goals of the student really helps to point me in the direction I want to take for choosing music.
For young beginners, I generally find that using a pre-built curriculum is helpful. Oftentimes the student is not just learning the piano but also how to read music. There are many excellent teaching methods out there that compile solid rep in an order that makes sense for a student’s learning. Books that appeal to learners of different types (kinesthetic, aural, visual, etc) can help substantiate that learning. One important note about curricula like this: always make sure to peruse the books before you assign them to students. Sometimes older books can be outdated in regards to both methodology and content. It’s essential that we as educators do the work to ensure the music we choose is not harmful in terms of racial or cultural stereotyping which can be common in older books. Just because a method has worked well in the past does not mean there isn’t something better nowadays.
Even when using a curriculum, I’ve found it helpful to have a goal/fun piece to chip away at or work towards. This might not be realistic for younger students (early elementary/preschool students tend to benefit more from consistency), but middle level students (late elementary/middle school) who might still be using a curriculum tend to need a little extra motivation. I like to ask them what their favorite type of music is or if they have a “dream piece” that they want to play. Finding a simplified version of the piece if it’s too difficult (there are many available at online databases) can allow them to have something concrete to work towards which allows them to build ownership of their own learning. If the piece the student wants to play is something simply beyond their capabilities, select a work in the same style or genre so that they can start preparation. This worked for me as a student, and helped me to discover my favorite types of music to play. Even though we can often be tempted to stick to classical music, I’d encourage teachers to be open to music of all different genres—basing their lessons around what is important to the student.
Older students can present greater difficulty when it comes to choosing appropriate repertoire. If you have elected to teach without a predetermined curriculum, selecting quality works that are engaging, important, and relevant to your lesson plans can take up a great deal of time. In my own experience, this phase of learning is the most difficult. If you have students who are attempting to enter competitions or eventually audition for college, those requirements may have to drive your rep selections. If it is techniques you are hoping to apply, this may allow for more diversity in your choice as music of numerous styles and genres can work for this. However, it is of course essential that your students needs are met in terms of preparation for schooling or competitions so you may have to base your choices around that.
This past year, I’ve begun teaching adult students. Selecting repertoire for them has been an interesting journey. Adult students present a whole different style of learning and teaching—they tend to be engaging in piano lessons strictly due to their own passion for it. When beginning lessons, I have conversations with my adult students regarding what they want to get out of lessons and how I can best help them to succeed in this. After that discussion, it’s essential to establish your student’s familiarity with the piano and music literacy in general. Since there often isn’t a goal of entering competitions or auditioning for music school in adult beginners, there is much more freedom in what you the instructor can choose to do. I’ve tried a few different routes. One of my students was finishing up a Masters in Composition, and already a competent, excellent musician. Her desire for lessons was to prepare for Doctoral piano proficiency auditions. That desire drove our repertoire selections as we looked at the list of requirements for her desired program. As a composer, she was also interested in learning about different techniques for writing for the piano. I’d suggest pieces or she’d bring them in and we’d collaborate on what her goals were. Alternatively, I have a student who has some background in music but is mostly just passionate about learning the instrument so he’s able to play what he likes. I started with a more traditional approach of scales/chords, Bach, and one piece he’d chosen. As we continued to work together, though, I realized that this wasn’t entirely working. My student was making progress, but I wanted to try something else. So, I stopped harping on scales and started focusing on the types of music he’d mentioned liking at the beginning. We’ve been able to make so much more progress when I started having my student drive the repertoire we work on. It’s easier for him to teach technique in context of the music instead, and my student has been getting so much more out of lessons than if I tried to force a more traditional mode of rep selection. We may not be doing a piece from the Baroque, the Classical, and the Romantic era. However, this student is achieving his lesson goals therefore succeeding as far as I’m concerned.
As the instructor, you know your students’ needs best. They are trusting you with their musical education—choosing the music they play is an important part of that. Hopefully some of these techniques will help as you continue to give the students your best. Happy Friday, and thanks for reading!
—Charissa Garrigus, Instructor at Vibe Music Academy
