Why Group Piano?
The best way to be engaged in any activity is to share it with others. By learning in a group, you are joining a community of musicians. You make friends, share the joy of making music together, and peer teach each other. Within a group, students make friends with like-minded musicians and forge deep, long lasting relationships.
Peer Motivation
Group piano means a lot than more than one student learning at a time. At KeyNotes Music we believe in collaborative learning - learning together! Learning together is both fun and beneficial to young learners and peer motivation is a huge factor in the success of collaborative learning.
In a group setting students can be inspired by listening and watching the achievements of their friends and trying to emulate their success, they are able to help each other if they get stuck and students are able to provide and learn from the feedback of their classmates.
Differentiation is built into all workbooks, with four challenge levels available for each piece so that children are able to access the music at a level they feel comfortable. We find that this approach encourages students to try the next challenge, because they have seen one of their friends having a go.
Creativity
Through learning about the different elements of music, students are able and encouraged to make creative decisions about the pieces they play. In each KeyNotes Music level, the elements of music are explored and the students get opportunities to try out and experiment what they have learned in guided musical activities. In Storytellers this is taken further with one musical element becoming the focus of the workbook and is explored at greater depth. At the end of each workbook there is a guided composition task to allow the students to apply what they have learned within the context of the workbook’s theme. Due the group set-up and longer class times, these are approaches that we can explore together.
Ensemble Playing
Ensemble playing is inherently integral to collaborative group learning. The benefits of playing and performing in an ensemble are huge, with the most important being that it is fun.
Playing together helps develop the whole musician with benefits including: Social and emotional well-being by sharing our activity with others; teamwork; attention to detail; maintaining an individual part; reinforcing the learning through playing; following a leader; sometimes being the leader; increased sense of pulse; the ability to keep going; and many more!
Learn through Games
Games are a fun, engaging and interactive way of learning about music. In lessons we use a variety of games and activities away from the piano to reinforce learning and introduce new concepts. This ensures all learning styles are provided for and makes learning more secure for all.
Start Younger
Many young children are simply not ready for the intensity of individual, one to one music lessons which traditionally follow a linear method. Learning in groups allows young children to explore and experiment with music in a low intensive format.
Our lessons are jam-packed with a variety of fun musical activities designed to cater for all learning styles, and our innovative cyclical curriculum allows young learners the opportunity to learn at their own pace.
