Pamela Pike is Assistant Professor of Music at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, where she coordinates the group-piano program, teaches applied piano and various undergraduate and graduate courses in piano pedagogy. She has established a piano program for senior citizens, which includes the "UALR 3rd-Age MIDI Ensemble." Pike has presented National MTNA Conferences, the South Central CMS Conference and will be presenting a paper at the 2005 Hawaii International Conference on Arts and Humanities. She adjudicates at the regional and state level and serves on the "Committee for Adult Learning" for the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy.
Pamela Pike
Department of Music
University of Arkansas at Little Rock
2801 S. University Avenue
Little Rock, AR 72204
501.569.3294
pdpike@ualr.edu
Separate Intermediate Literature Classes and Learning Objectives for Students
Discussion in almost all of the groups during this break-out session began with teachers sharing whether or not they were able to offer a separate pedagogy class devoted to exploration of the intermediate teaching literature. While many participants favored a one-to-two semester undergraduate intermediate literature class, many were not able to offer such a course within the confines of their limited pedagogy curriculum. Many participants agreed that the most pressing issues included: acquainting pedagogy students with the vast quantity of intermediate piano music that is available and; equipping students with the essential knowledge and tools needed to level and sequence their teaching of intermediate literature.
One of the most revealing comments came from a group of recent graduates in attendance who noted that as students they believed they had spent ample time on intermediate literature during undergraduate pedagogy classes. However, once they started teaching intermediate students after graduation they realized how inadequate their preparation had been. For the remainder of the discussion, participants offered various suggestions for achieving the learning objectives noted above.
Familiarizing Students with the Various Levels of Intermediate Literature and Appropriate Sequencing of the Repertoire
It was suggested that pedagogy students should explore less well-known repertoire to become better acquainted with the literature. Many participants expressed concern about the difficulty in covering the vast amount of teaching literature that is available, within the context of a pedagogy course. It might be a good idea to assign each applied piano student a couple of intermediate pieces to play during studio class so that all piano students are exposed to this literature. Review of anthologies of teaching literature, which included lots of analysis and reference to Jane Magrath's ten levels of literature as described in The Pianist's Guide to Standard Teaching and Performance Literature, was a popular assignment for pedagogy students.
One teacher assigned pedagogy students several intermediate pieces each week. Students were required to fill out detailed reports on these works, then discuss and perform them during class. It was noted that students find it difficult to get to the salient features of intermediate pieces. Giving students a template of what to look for in a new piece can be helpful, as can having students work together in groups so they can share and discuss thoughts and ideas about unfamiliar music. Another pedagogy teacher sends students, equipped with scores, to an hour or so of an intermediate piano competition to expose them to a vast array of the literature. Some teachers change the list of repertoire that is explored each year, as this expands the pedagogy teacher's horizons as well. The Federation of Music Clubs Junior Festivals Repertoire List, the Celebration Series and the Illinois State Music Teachers Association Repertoire List were cited as additional useful resources.
One participant had students put together an intermediate teaching literature reference book, in order of ascending difficulty. Since students should be sure not to violate copyright laws, a thematic index assignment was suggested as a valuable alternative that has been used by some teachers and can help students to become aware of how to sequence pieces when teaching intermediate students. Several teachers gave graduate students a diagnostic exam where they were given ten pieces from Jane Magrath's Pianist's Guide to the Standard Teaching and Performance Literature. These students were asked to arrange the selections in order of difficulty, listing specific techniques that intermediate students must have mastered in order to achieve success with these particular pieces.
Another participant suggested exploring the level ten literature to begin with and work backward so that future teachers might begin to understand how the techniques presented in the early-level literature will be expanded upon and eventually lead students toward a mastery of the more difficult repertoire. One teacher had students look for intermediate repertoire that might prepare students to play a specific, more advanced, piece. It was suggested that a valuable assignment could be to develop a spiral curriculum around a particular concept that encompasses several levels of literature. Since organizing and synthesizing all of this information can be overwhelming, pedagogy students could create a database or excel spreadsheet to organize the teaching literature that they are studying. Also, projects designed around choosing literature for an intermediate transfer student have been helpful.
Artistic Performance of the Intermediate Repertoire
Discussion-group participants were emphatic about the fact that they expected their pedagogy students to perform intermediate music as artistically as they would play artist-level repertoire. Yet, many people expressed dismay over the unmusical interpretations that numerous pedagogy students displayed while performing their intermediate teaching repertoire assignments. While many participants said that they would like to see their pedagogy students study intermediate repertoire during their applied piano lessons, most believed that this accommodation would not be made at their schools. Since it will be important for future teachers to play this music with a high level of artistry when they demonstrate for their intermediate students, several suggestions for improving the quality of musical interpretation of intermediate literature were offered.
One teacher had students present one or two recitals of solo and duet teaching literature, complete with typed program notes. Another teacher had four dates throughout the semester when pedagogy students performed, in public, intermediate repertoire that had been chosen by the instructor. Additionally, the students were expected to hand in a written description of how each piece would be presented to an intermediate student. One person had students perform intermediate repertoire for the final exam. Another teacher had the class do a group lecture-recital where each student performed one intermediate teaching piece while giving a brief description of the pedagogical attributes of the work.
Additionally, students have been given various recording assignments that have led to increased performance artistry. One pedagogue had students make a professional compact disc with three pieces from each of Jane Magrath's ten levels. Another teacher has had students perform and record intermediate music on a Disklavier, while several others had their pedagogy classes perform intermediate music in the recital hall, with those performances being burned to compact discs. Having students listen to high-quality performances on CDs containing intermediate literature has also proved helpful in convincing students of the value and significance of performing the intermediate teaching literature with artistry and musicality.
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