PIANO
PEDAGOGY
FORUM
v. 8, No. 1/January 1, 2005
Erica Keithley is currently a Visiting Lecturer in Piano and Piano Pedagogy. She received her Bachelor of Music in piano performance at the University of Oklahoma, graduating with special distinction. At the University of Illinois in Urbana, she was a University Fellow and completed Masters degrees in both piano performance and piano pedagogy. Ms. Keithley is currently completing a Ph.D. in music education and piano pedagogy at the University of Oklahoma. Her dissertation explores the musical nuances used by advanced and intermediate level pianists in the communication of emotion. Ms. Keithley has taught on the faculties of the University of Illinois and Georgia Southwestern State University. In recognition of her teaching, she was listed as a "Teacher ranked as excellent by their students" at the University of Illinois. In addition, she was invited to give a teaching demonstration at the National Conference on Piano Pedagogy and was selected as one of three to receive the Provost's Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award at the University of Oklahoma in 2002. Ms. Keithley teaches applied piano, advanced keyboard skills, and piano pedagogy courses at the Georgia State University School of Music, and also serves as coordinator of group piano.
Erica Keithley
School of Music
Georgia State University
P.O. Box 4097
Atlanta, GA 30302
404.651.1641
musejk@gsu.edu
My Favorite Test: Share Your Best, Most Creative Assessment Tool for Group Piano - Group Discussion
report by Erica Keithley
Group Piano and Piano Pedagogy Forum participants have developed stimulating methods for selecting test materials and preparing students for evaluation. Teachers suggested assessment tools that focus on skills and materials that relate to students' interests or majors. In addition, teachers discussed methods used for selecting exercises included in exams. Other activities shared by conference participants have been developed to aid students in preparing for tests. These include activities that stimulate peer evaluation of student performances and guide students to think like a teacher.
Tests That Are Relevant to the Student's Background, Interests, or Major
- Accompaniment performances - Many group piano teachers incorporate accompanying experiences into examinations. Students learn simple piano accompaniments for solos of their own instrument and then perform these with a student soloist. Not only do the group piano students then know the piano part of pieces they might teach in future years, but they also have the experience of working as an accompanist with a soloist.
- Test contents that correspond to the student's major - At one university, students in their final semester of group piano take a final exam that includes portions specific to their majors. General music education majors and choral music education majors perform a four-voice, open score work; voice performance, instrumental performance, and instrumental education majors play a simple accompaniment for their instrument or voice; jazz study majors comp chords to a jazz standard; composition majors play an intermediate level 20th century solo of their choice.
- African-American anthem, "Let Freedom Ring" - At an historically African-American college, one teacher requires that all students learn to play "Let Freedom Ring." This anthem has an important meaning for the students, and the teacher finds that they enjoy being able to perform it.
Processes for Selecting Test Items
- Lucky draw - When testing students over scales, arpeggios, or chord progressions, teachers often place slips of paper with required keys in a box. Students then draw from the box to determine the key for each exercise. Knowing that keys are determined randomly stimulates students to practice all assigned keys.
- You choose, I choose - Another technique for determining the key in which students have to perform scales, arpeggios, and chord progressions is "you choose, I choose." Students are told that they must play each exercise in two keys, one that they choose themselves, and one that the teacher chooses. This allows students to prepare very well at least one key, but it still encourages them to practice all keys assigned.
- Allowing students to select items on the exam - Teachers frequently give students choices of exercises to prepare for exams. For example, in class a teacher may present and assign three solos over the course of three weeks, but allow the student to select one for the exam. Some teachers allow students to decide whether they want to perform an improvisation or an accompaniment for their test. This technique allows student to pick test items that most interest them or those at which they can excel.
Peer Evaluation as a Preparation for Formal Exams
- Team evaluation - To teach students to think critically about piano performances and to stimulate student practice, one teacher reported using a team game prior to exams. Students are divided into two teams. Each student performs an exercise or a piece. Members of the other team discuss the performance and as a group give the performance a rating-grade on a scale of 1 to 5. The team with the most points at the end wins. By providing an in-class performance opportunity, this activity stimulates student practice. Student critiques of performances benefit performers by giving them feedback and suggestions for improvement. Moreover, in developing critiques of performances, students learn to think like a teacher, a skill that can inform their own practice in preparation for exams.
- Written critiques - Another teacher stated that when students perform in class as preparation for examinations, she often has other class members write brief comments on the performance. Written critiques are then given to the performing students. This activity is done two weeks before the test to help students guide their practice. One benefit of this type of critique is that it diffuses some of the emotional charge that can be created when students verbally present critiques of their peers in the classroom.
- Partner activities - Many teachers use student pairing to aid in the preparation for group piano tests. This technique can be used in work on many types of activities. For instance, one student can play the teacher role by randomly selecting keys for scales or chord progressions and then evaluating the other student's performance. This benefits the student in the student role because he or she is put into a situation similar to that in the real test: the student is on the spot and performing for an audience. It benefits the student in the teacher role because the student must be able to evaluate the performance and give meaningful feedback.
- "Horse" game - In this variation of the children's playground game, group piano students are paired to work on exam exercises. One student selects an exercise for the other to perform. If the performing student does it correctly, he or she gets to select an exercise for the other student. If the performer makes an error, he or she gets assigned the first letter of the word "horse" and the other student must then perform the same exercise. As students make mistakes, they are assigned letters from the word "horse." The first student to spell the entire word loses.
- Improvisation teams - This activity is geared to help students develop meaningful improvisations, to foster cooperation among students, and to stimulate peer evaluation. Students begin by learning a simple harmonization. When this is fluently prepared the teacher pairs students who then create a duo - one student plays the melody while the other person plays a two-handed accompaniment using the harmonies. Next, students are grouped in quartets: one student plays melody, one plays a two-handed accompaniment, one improvises a bass line, and one improvises a descant. Finally, the original melody is discarded and all students improvise at once. At the end of the activity, quartets perform for each other in a competition-type activity. Students discuss and evaluate each other's improvised quartet and declare a winner.
While the activities suggested by teachers for the preparation and execution of group piano exams varied widely, three common themes were present throughout. First, teachers strive to make group piano assignments and test requirements applicable to students' anticipated pianistic needs. Giving students opportunities to accompany soloists and testing students over specific skills relevant to student majors both relate group piano activities to the piano skills students will use when they become music professionals. Second, teachers try to make classroom activities (and even tests) fun for students. This can be seen in the many game or competition-like activities suggested above as preparation for exams. Finally, teachers endeavor to develop students' critical thinking by challenging them to evaluate performances of their peers in the classroom. Teaching students how to listen by guiding them to provide meaningful verbal or written critiques of performances helps them to become better musicians.
© 2005 University of South Carolina School of Music