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Now that "Simply Music" method has been around for a good number of years, some students in the program are looking into transitioning into the traditional sight reading programs.

Goals of these students looking to transition include resume-building, preparation for MT and RSM-type exams, participation in MTNA and other traditional classical piano playing and composition competitions and applications for university Bachelors of Music programs.

Are there any piano teachers out there who have experience on this and are teaching Skype classes? I am curious about customized approaches.

Note: By advanced, I mean past Foundation 6/7 and Time for More Music, having strong technique (per traditional teacher's evaluation) and confidence, able to sight read, but learning style is still predominantly ear-based (meaning, learning is better after having heard the piece first before attempting to play it through sight reading).

I am a parent, not a teacher, so I cannot answer technical questions. End goals are still being defined but starting from what are mentioned above - cannot answer more specifically until aware of options. I am just curious to know how teachers will customize their approaches.

What is "Simply Music"?

I would stay away from any music teaching system (I'm assuming that's what "Simply Music" is) with the number one priority identified as "resume building". Is this accurately representing "Simply Music"?

(Edited since now I understand the comment! Sorry.)

Simply Music is a playing-based program. It teaches the students how to play the piano by ear and elementary sight reading. (There are related discussions on Simply Music and their website discusses the foundation of their program.)

The main thing it teaches its students is a love for playing the piano. Not for classical playing purposes but for recreational purposes.

The goals I mentioned in the first paragraph are goals that the advanced students are interested in now. This should have been a separate paragraph since these do not relate nor represent Simply Music.

Everything I've encountered is "playing based", in other words the goal is for the student to play piano. So that's a pretty broad spectrum of students.

Or do you mean students only playing by ear/rote? I have taught transfer students in that situation. Lots of challenges there.

Is that what you are looking for? Difficulties in teaching students who have been playing only by ear or rote?

Simply Music has accomplished this goal, not for professional classical playing but for everyday recreational playing and random compositions. At the level where the kids I'm referring to are, Simply Music also covered sight reading, but only at its basic level - the goal was to have the students play a piece and improvise, not necessarily play an advanced level classical piece note for note.



Yes, I am curious about the approach you take, and how much rework you had to do (like maybe an estimate in number of months or years). Did you have to use a specific method? How effective is online teaching for these situations?

The kids want to be able to catch up with classically trained kids and compete at their level.

Since musicpassion mentioned it, I searched for difficulties with rote/ear and came up with a bunch of results. Interesting comments from all over. Simply Music doesn't encourage rote-learning, but it is definitely stronger (at least at this 6/7 level of their program) in ear-learning and pattern association vs. notation sight-reading. So I can see that the issues brought up in the prior posts on rote/ear may come up in this transition phase back to traditional classical training.

I understand it will be highly individualized in approach and the learning curve will vary from student to student.

Still open to feedback, and if anyone has actual experience with a Simply Music student transitioning, please do share.

I know two people, an adult and a child who study under the Simply Music program. I've also spent an hour with the director of the school in Santa Monica talking about the program and how it's different from Alfred/Faber et. al. model of piano teaching. The simple answer to your question is, No. It's not.

SM is not instant piano but it is chord based in that the first pieces start on simple progression and understanding the progression is always part of the process. Improv is taught from the beginning and playing in ensemble is introduced early and integrated throughout including at recitals. Reading and classical pieces are present but not emphasized as much as creating your own parts from chord sheets or working out the pieces you want to play by ear because you understand the structure of progressions and harmony. The focus is not on getting to Chopin and a conservatory. The focus is on creating life-long recreational music makers who can join a band, play a Billy Joel song, or create a piano part from a lead sheet/fake book.

Kurt

Hi Brownskins, You might try out a lesson with a couple of Suzuki teachers. Suzuki is also ear/rote in the beginning and harmonies are taught by auditory recognition. But it is training for classical playing, and although reading is intentionally delayed to allow for the development of the ear, reading is an important part of moving the students into intermediate classical repertoire.

What you want is a Suzuki teacher who has a lot of experience with students moving from the beginning stages into Suzuki books 3-4. Classical repertoire starts in Book 2, and Book 4 is the transition between what most people would call late intermediate and early advanced classical repertoire.

And don't be afraid to try out a few since you're in a slightly unusual situation and also want the best fit for your students. Also, some Suzuki teachers are great with the beginners but not at all good at developing their reading and moving them into more difficult repertoire.

It's hard for me to imagine online teaching helping someone "catch up" to the level of students who are receiving quality in-person teaching, but I have never been able to observe good online teaching in action so I could be totally in the dark.

Ok thanks. That helps to understand what type of students we are talking about.

The closest I've been to this scenario (at least if I'm understanding it well enough now) is a student that comes from a pop / church pop emphasis. For example one student I worked with had fairly extensive (for a teen) experience playing in a church praise band. He was reading lead sheets or chord charts in the band, with the occasional full score. He was capable of a significant amount of music with good musical expression. He had studied some with a piano teacher.

When he came to my studio he wanted to further his classical abilities. I've worked with a handful of students who fit this basic profile. Here's a few observations about the process:

-The reading skills generally needed to be built starting where the student was. This required a careful evaluation. Maybe the student came in and played something around a level 6 piece. But then evaluation revealed they could only read at level 2. Then I needed to start building sequentially from that point (level two or whatever).
-A traditional method book (faber, alfreds, piano town, whatever) at the level if their reading ability can be helpful.
-skipping material creates problems. Sometimes the student can move a lot faster than someone else who is at the same reading level, but doesn't have the other musical background. If think part of this is an already existing work ethic and enjoyment in the instrument.
-Focused sightreading material is helpful. The Bastien Line a Day, and the Four Star books are currently some of the my favorites. I think this focused work can be very beneficial for this type of student.

+1
Online teaching doesn't seem the best fit for a student wanting to fly. But maybe I just haven't seen it either.

Great advice. Thank you - will look into this.



Great advice too! Thank you - will consider these factors when looking for an appropriate teacher.



Point taken - I am only considering online training if there are no local teachers within reasonable distance that will meet the requirements for this specific situation. Any recommended teachers in the DFW area which have experience with similarly situated students?

Bret Serrin is unbelievably awesome. I've observed him teaching lessons before. Here is a bio from the Suzuki Institute of Dallas site. If he doesn't have openings, he or the school would be able to recommend someone.
https://www.suzukimusicdallas.org/piano/