You
will add a new degree of excitement to your piano teaching career
as you digest the contents of this book and see firsthand how the
techniques actually work. That excitement will surely carry over
to your students!
Dino P. Ascari
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What new and innovative thinking is
contained in the book, The Art of Effective Piano Teaching (AEPT),
by Dino P. Ascari?
The AEPT contains a considerable
amount of new and innovative thinking. Here are just a few of the
highlights:
A) The Student Progress Graph
Dino Ascari has developed a simple but effective system for
teachers to evaluate their beginning students at the weekly
lessons. Upon completion of each assignment, the teacher assigns a
score, anywhere from +3 down to -3 points. Once the lesson is
finished, the individual scores are totaled and then divided by
the number of assignments, thus yielding an “average” score. This
average score is then plotted on the student’s personal progress
graph for the week.
When average scores are plotted on students’ personal progress
graphs on a weekly basis, trends become obvious that are not
easily detected. Teachers, students and parents are able to visually
see whether or not students are working up to their full
potential. Personal scores are never compared to that of other students;
each score only has meaning to that individual student. When a
student scores lower than the previous week, the tendency is for
that student to work harder so that he or she can score higher the
following week. Thus, the Student Progress Graph is a highly
motivational tool if used correctly. (See Chapter III for a more
complete explanation.)
B) The Four Half-Step Three Half-Step
Rule for introducing Major Chords.
Prior to the AEPT, teachers would either teach major chords by
rote or wait until major scales were introduced. Consequently, it
took years for most students to learn to play melody and harmony
simultaneously; this all changes with the introduction of the four
half-step three half-step rule. Now students can learn major
chords early in their musical training and start playing richer
and more exciting pieces at younger ages. Later, when major scales
are presented, the relationship of chords to scales can be
developed further. (See Chapter IV)
C) The
use of Two-Note Chords for very young students.
Since young students do not have the physical strength and
dexterity to play the root, third, and fifth of a chord
concurrently, most teachers usually wait until their students are
older before attempting such a task. However, when young students
use two-note chords, played with the index and middle fingers of
the left hand, strength issues are eliminated. Thus, students can
learn to play easy pieces with both the melody and harmony within
the first few weeks of starting lessons.
D) The establishment of criteria for
passing beginning method-book assignments and drills.
The AEPT establishes firm guidelines for teachers to move ahead to
the next assignment in the method books. Teachers can feel
confident that when their students reach these achievable goals
they are truly ready for the next challenge and concept presented.
How does a student “pass” Chord Recognition
Flash Cards?
Once
students can play all 72 cards correctly, naming each chord and
it’s inversion (if applicable) properly in less than two minutes,
three weeks in a row, their chord recognition skills will be honed
sufficiently to do them some good.
Why should I require that my students
purchase a Music Assignment Book? Won’t a simple one-subject
notebook suffice and be less expensive?
Yes, a one-subject notebook is
sufficient for recording student assignments. However, when
teachers have to draw practice charts by hand, valuable lesson
time is lost. And, hand-written charts are never as neat as
those that are pre-printed.
In addition, the Music Assignment Book incorporates into it the
Student Progress Graph, an area to keep track of Memorized
Review Pieces, as well as Major & Minor Chord drills and
Flashcard recognition times.
