Course curriculum

Topics include: Understanding how children learn, nurturing musical skills and development, exploring creativity through improvisation, building effective collaborations, introducing pieces with purpose and imagination, building successful music reading, creating holistic experiences with rhythm and movement, inspiring artistry, developing expressive playing, structuring lesson time and successful goal setting, and much more!

    1. Video: Navigating the Course

    1. Introduction: Welcome and Course Outline

    2. Course Content

    3. Summary of Objectives

    4. Welcome and Course Outline (Transcript, PDF)

    5. Course Syllabus: The Beginner Course: Establishing Strong Foundations for Young Pianists

      FREE PREVIEW

    6. Welcome Survey

    1. Session Contents

    2. Reading 1: "Finding the Center" by Pete Jutras

    3. Reading 2: "How do we define 'success' in piano study?" by Sam Holland

    4. Reading 3: "The Power of One" by Marvin Blickenstaff

    5. Reflection Activity

    6. Session Resources

    1. Session Contents

    2. Video Lecture: "How Children Learn" with Marvin Blickenstaff, Part 1 - Introduction

    3. Video Lecture, Part 2: Discovery

    4. Video Lecture, Part 3: Large Staff Demonstration

    5. Video Lecture, Part 4: Exaggeration

    6. Video Lecture, Part 5: Accurate Repetition

    7. Video Lecture, Part 6: Modeling

    8. Video Lecture, Part 7: Creativity

    9. Video Lecture, Part 8: Correct First Experiences

    10. Video Lecture, Part 9: Goal Setting

    11. Video Lecture, Part 10: Independent study

    12. Video Lecture, Part 11: Honest Affirmation

    13. Transcript: "How Children Learn" by Marvin Blickenstaff (PDF)

    14. Reading: "What Does Research Tell Us About the Learning Process?" by Rebecca Johnson and Suzanne Schons

    15. Session Resources

    1. Session Contents

    2. Video and photo: Small Child with Sara Ernst

    3. Video and photo: Larger Child with Sara Ernst

    4. Video: Posture Chant with Diana Dumlavwalla

    5. Video: Correction Game with Diana Dumlavwalla

    6. Reading: "Hand Position Basics" by Nancy Bachus

    7. Quiz on Posture and Position

    8. Session Resources

    1. Session Contents

    2. Video Lecture: "Understanding & Guiding Children's Musical Development" with Dr. Sara Ernst and Dr. Wendy Valerio, Part 1

    3. Video Lecture, Part 2: Stages of Musical Development

    4. Video Lecture, Part 3: Building Blocks of Musical Skill

    5. Video Lecture, Part 4: Structure of Activities

    6. Transcript: "Understanding & Guiding Children's Musical Development" with Dr. Sara Ernst and Dr. Wendy Valerio(PDF)

    7. Reading: "Beyond the Keys" by Edwin Gordon

    8. Video Demonstration: Audiation Games, Part 1 with Dr. Sara Ernst and Dr. Wendy Valerio

    9. Video Demonstration: Audiation Games, Part 2

    10. Video Demonstration: Audiation Games, Part 3

    11. Video Demonstration: Audiation Games, Part 4

    12. Video Demonstration: Audiation Games, Part 5

    13. Transcript: Audiation Games (PDF)

    14. References for the Video Lecture and Demonstrations

    15. Quiz on Musical Skills and Development

    16. Session Resources and Related Material

About this course

  • $129.00
  • 267 lessons
  • 12 hours of video content
  • Organized in 5 modules to be completed at your own pace
  • Concepts applicable to any method

Course Designer

Sara Ernst

Senior editor: Craig Sale. Course contributors: Steven Brundage, Scott Donald, Diana Dumlavwalla, Sara Ernst, Amy Glennon, Janet Hart, Lesley Sisterhen McAllister, Rebecca Mergen Pennington, Scott Price, Angela Triandafillou, Todd van Kekerix.
Buy $129.00

Testimonials

“I loved the professionalism of each and every one of the teachers in this course. I just graduated college with a music degree, and am looking to begin teaching beginner piano students. […] I found it to be extremely helpful, and I took 40+ pages of notes along the way. THANK YOU for all of the wonderful information!”

Grace W.

“The course was thorough and concise. A good balance between theoretical background and practical advice. I particularly enjoyed that the videos of students were not perfect, they were real: students responding/understanding sometimes immediately, and sometimes not, just the way it actually happens in everyday teaching.”

Karen P.

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