Blog about my favourite resources
Blog about my favourite resources
In my last blog of 2018 I thought I would roundup my favourite teaching resources. These are my ‘go to’ resources so I hope you find them just as useful as I do.
EPTA Piano Teacher’s Course handouts
· I consult these handouts first when introducing a musical concept to students.
Joan Last Freedom Technique books
· I used this resource myself when I was a beginner! It’s a great book that contains exercises to improve finger agility, explains how to play phrases, slurs, scales, aids voicing and balancing when playing melody and accompaniment, and introduces many more piano related techniques and concepts. I use this resource to get my students both exam ready and performance ready. An arrangement by Joan Last appears in the ABRSM Piano Grade 1 book 2019-2020.
The Curious Piano Teachers’ Piano Framework
· The Piano Framework explains what students are supposed to understand about the piano and music in general whilst at different levels of ability. Usefully, it contains information for beginners and advanced students and I often use it for writing progress reports about students to parents.
For Skype piano lessons
· I find it is helpful to use a tripod and selfie stick with my smartphone whilst teaching via Skype. Whilst there are a myriad of these available I use a Bluetooth enables one from Foneso, which can be found here.
Resources that I hope to use in the future
· The Fake Books (Easy Piano Music Resource)
· Curious Live Resources
Spotlight Students
· Because of his ability to read music whilst playing the piano through the understanding of intervals and finger numbers I would like to highlight my pupil Mahendra. We have been using Piano Safari Level 2 Repertoire in lessons, and have found it has improved his reading of intervals in both the treble and bass clef, both at the same time, and hands separately. Mahendra can read intervals of steps, skips and jumps as well as open fifths. The next step is to learn the landmark notes and then read the intervals whilst using those landmark notes as a starting point.