I'm having an unusual week...

Last night I started a 16 yo boy. Mom had told me that he was self-taught. He started off by saying he couldn't read music at all and wanted to learn, but that he had prepared a piece for me. He played Scarlatti's Sonata in G (K. 391). It was up to tempo, and notewise it was spot on. The fingering and phrasing were bizarre and he put the pedal down at the beginning and left it there. But it was recognizable. I asked him how he learned it if he couldn't read music. He said he puts the music in front of him then listens to a recording of the piece over and over until he can play it. First of all, I was impressed with his tenacity -- it took him four months to learn this piece. Even though he obviously learned by ear, I felt certain that he had absorbed SOME notereading over time, but I was wrong. When I showed him a level 1 piece, he was playing the bass clef notes with his left hand, crossing it over his right and playing in the treble clef. The notes he was playing were not correct for either clef, although he did recognize middle C.

Well, to make a long story short, he wants to play "classical piano" by reading the music. He told me he knows that his technique is good and that all he would need to do is learn the notes on the page. I explained that to play what he wants to play, he would have to learn new technique, too. (No more crossing four over five in a C scale!} He seemed defensive but said he would give it a try. Where to start? He is currently "learning" Claire de Lune with his method, and I need to start him in a level one book. I should add that he obviously has been praised extensively for his playing. What would you say/do to make this bitter pill easier for him to swallow?

You might want to consider using a repertoire series, rather than a method series, like Snell's which doesn't present anything but music, start at the primer level, but insist that he master every single piece in the set (two volumes at each level). His note reading should improve dramatically, while you can attend to improving his playing technique at the same time.

Good luck,

John

Is that the same series that has the Fundamentals of Theory and Scale Skills? I've used them but never the repertoire books. It does seem like it would be more palatable -- I've never had much success with using an adult method series with teenagers.

Similar: it's the Piano Repertoire Series. It has many volumes actually. The Baroque & Classical Repertoire Book, the Romantic & Twentieth Century Repertoire Book, and then as you note, etudes, jazz, etc., etc., etc. Published by Kjos. While they are not necessarily the very best of editions, they will suit your purpose quite well.

Thank you, John.

I have a very similar student. He played for me the Moonlight 1st mvt and the Tempest 3rd mvt, and his fingering, technique, pedaling, and note accuracy were off, but it was obvious that he was talented. I told him that since he is a serious singer (he takes voice lessons with a fellow teacher), he would need to start from the beginning for piano so that we don't miss anything and he doesn't have any holes. This would help him TREMENDOUSLY as a singer, plus he would be so much happier with his playing if he could read music and play with better control and ease. But there is a price, of course, and that is we have to start with very simple things that he can read and work our way up. He agreed to my approach and has been doing well with that. I've used the Faber Accelerated piano method and told him we would get into repertoire books as soon as possible.

+1. I recently started teaching a similar 15-year old "self-taught" student. I teach her using the Snell Repertoire series, including the etudes, the scale skills, and the theory book, with MUCH success. I supplement with A Dozen A Day and various classical and jazz pieces outside of the Snell series.