The problem was to investigate current thoughts concerning the beginning piano class at the college level, Data were collected from published and unpublished materials from 1964 to 1976. It was found that class piano instruction usually occurs in a three- to four-semester sequence, with classes meeting from two to five periods per week, containing from four to twenty-five students. Classification of students is by interview, placement test, and/or audition. Varying room arrangements are used with either conventional or electronic pianos, plus a variety of audio-visual equipment, Course content, with varying emphases, includes sight-reading, functional skills, technique, and repertoire. Teaching techniques used are numerous and varying. Recommendations were submitted for administrators, teachers, and researchers.

Comprehensive Musicianship (CM) is a philosophy that developed in the 1960s to encourage the study of contemporary music and student creativity. It expanded in the 1970s to describe the interdisciplinary study of music. Its goal was to encourage teachers to go beyond technical and performance aspects of music and start integrating theory, history, composition, improvisation and aural skills instruction to their curriculums. However, while CM has had a strong influence on many music programs, it is not clear whether this trend has influenced the field of private piano instruction, and whether CM elements have been included and integrated in beginner piano method books. To address this question, categories that constitute the core elements of CM were selected to conduct a content analysis of 12 piano method series. Analysis showed that the focus tends to be on aural skills (as teacher duets), and theory, with a noticeable lack of the more creative activities of improvisation and composition.

Comprehensive Musicianship (CM) is a philosophy that developed in the 1960s to encourage the study of contemporary music and student creativity. It expanded in the 1970s to describe the interdisciplinary study of music. Its goal was to encourage teachers to go beyond technical and performance aspects of music and start integrating theory, history, composition, improvisation and aural skills instruction to their curriculums. However, while CM has had a strong influence on many music programs, it is not clear whether this trend has influenced the field of private piano instruction, and whether CM elements have been included and integrated in beginner piano method books. To address this question, categories that constitute the core elements of CM were selected to conduct a content analysis of 12 piano method series. Analysis showed that the focus tends to be on aural skills (as teacher duets), and theory, with a noticeable lack of the more creative activities of improvisation and composition.

Comprehensive Musicianship (CM) is a philosophy that developed in the 1960s to encourage the study of contemporary music and student creativity. It expanded in the 1970s to describe the interdisciplinary study of music. Its goal was to encourage teachers to go beyond technical and performance aspects of music and start integrating theory, history, composition, improvisation and aural skills instruction to their curriculums. However, while CM has had a strong influence on many music programs, it is not clear whether this trend has influenced the field of private piano instruction, and whether CM elements have been included and integrated in beginner piano method books. To address this question, categories that constitute the core elements of CM were selected to conduct a content analysis of 12 piano method series. Analysis showed that the focus tends to be on aural skills (as teacher duets), and theory, with a noticeable lack of the more creative activities of improvisation and composition.

For many piano teachers, developing proficient reading skills in their young beginner students is one of the important aspects of weekly lessons yet it can also be one of the most frustrating tasks to undertake. To assist in this process, teachers look to method books to provide structure and an approach to music reading. Two reading approaches are prevalent in the current marketplace and widely used by teachers; the mixed intervallic approach and the middle C approach. The mixed intervallic approach, which stresses reading by interval, pattern and direction, is favoured and endorsed by current pedagogy and is adopted by many method books. This study compared the reading skills of young beginner piano students (ages 7-11) using either the mixed intervallic approach or the middle C approach to see which approach produced more reliable reading skills. Participants performed several music reading tasks to test keyboard identification (verbal), note identification in treble and bass clef (verbal), single note identification in C and G position (playing), broken and solid intervals in C and G position (playing), 3 note patterns and non-patterns in C and G position (playing), and sight reading. I hypothesized that the middle C students would perform better at single note identification while the mixed intervallic students would perform better in interval recognition, pattern recognition and sight reading. The results showed that the middle C students outperformed the mixed intervallic students in all tests except for keyboard identification and 3 note patterns in G position. These findings are surprising as they may indicate that the middle C approach, which is often criticized, is generating reliable reading skills among beginner piano students.

Chunking is a cognitive process that re-organizes information into groupings, promoting efficient memory storage and recall. Due to the complexity of music scores, music reading requires both knowledge of the individual notes and recognition of musical chunks for rapid and accurate reading. For young piano students, it is especially important to systematically introduce and develop connections between individual notes and chunks. However, despite the importance of chunking, few studies have examined the development of chunking techniques in music reading for younger students. The objective of this thesis is to investigate how beginner piano method book and sight-reading book series for young students address chunking and provide a guide to develop chunking techniques that influence both reading and playing the piano. This study analyzes the contents of ten method book series and seven sight reading book series, examining the types and sizes of patterns introduced within the series, and the frequency of reinforcement. The study also examines pattern-related instructions, concepts and visual cues included in the series. The results reveal a lack of systemic chunking technique development, the importance of pattern recognition and the need for incorporating written instructions and visual cues to encourage chunking. Although the present study affirms the lack of development on chunking techniques in the evaluated teaching materials, the findings demonstrate the areas that could be developed to form chunking processes. Based on this research, suggestions are made to improve teaching materials to include chunking techniques and processes.

The early stage of piano students' training is one of the most important, because it is then that they establish their habits for life. Those who teach beginners need clear principles for developing a solid technical foundation and for preventing bad technical habits. One of the most difficult principles to inculcate in young students is that of tone production and quality. The primary purpose of this study is to provide a pedagogical guide to help piano teachers teach tone production to elementary-level students. To accomplish this purpose, the strategies of the twentieth-century pedagogues Josef Lhévinne, Josef Hofmann, and Heinrich Neuhaus are examined, and applied to the elementary-level piano literature. This study offers practical training suggestions to teachers of elementary piano students as well as musical examples from high-quality piano literature to accompany these suggestions.

'n Omvattende literatuurstudie oor die funksionering en ontwikkeling van die brein is onderneem ten einde toepasbare aspekte te identifiseer vir die verbetering van aanvangsonderrig vir pianiste. Die oorsig behels die volgende: <ul> <li>Die benutting van die jong brein se vermoë tot plastiese verandering as gevolg van stimulasie</li> <li>Die belangrikheid van vroeë aanvangsouderdom vir klavieronderrig</li> <li>Die bestaan van 'n geleentheidsvensterperiode vir die ontwikkeling van optimale Prestasie</li> <li>Die ontwikkeling van absolute toonhoogtesin as gevolg van vroeë aanvangsklavieronderrig</li> <li>Die ontwikkeling van verbeterde tegniese vaardighede as gevolg van vroeë Aanvangsklavieronderrig</li> <li>Die belangrikheid van genoegsame herhaling vir die vaslegging van tegniese vaardigheid en informasie in die langtermyngeheuestore van die brein</li> <li>Interaksie tussen die invloed van omgewingsfaktore en die bydrae van genetiese potensiaal van die individu vir optimale musikale prestasie</li> <li>Die rol en invloed van emosie, chemiese oordragstowwe en hormone op musicale prestasie</li> <li>Groepsmusiekonderrig vir jong kinders</li> <li>Die onderlinge verhouding tussen onderwyser en leerder.</li></ul> Die leerstylmodel van Ned Herrmann vir heelbreinontwikkeling is gebruik om die karaktereienskappe en leerbehoeftes van individue met betrekking tot hul kognitiewe leervoorkeure te bepaal. Vier verskillende benaderings tot aanvangsklavieronderrig is geïdentifiseer. Die geskiktheid van die onderskeie aanvangsbenaderings word teenoor mekaar opgeweeg ten einde te bepaal of 'n spesifieke benadering beter sou pas by leerders met spesifieke leervoorkeure. Wenke word voorsien aan klavieronderwysers oor hoe om onderrig aan leerders met uiteenlopende kognitiewe leerstyle aan te bied. Twee-en-twintig beginnersboeke is evalueer ten opsigte van hul geskiktheid vir gebruik vir leerders met verskillende kognitiewe leervoorkeure. Aanbevelings word gemaak vir die samestelling van 'n ideale beginnersboek wat met sukses vir alle klavierleerders gebruik sal kan word. Die toegevoegde waarde van prelees, duetpartye, nabootsspel, improvisasie en illustrasies vir beginnersboeke is ondersoek. Aspekte soos geordende aanbieding van konsepte en die noodsaak vir uitgebreide herhaling vir die vaslegging van die informasie en tegniese vaardighede in die langtermyngeheuestore van die brein word beklemtoon. / Thesis (DMus)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Music / unrestricted

The thesis is concerned with methodological specifics of beginner piano teaching of students at different age levels. It attempts to give a complex view of its various aspects. The thesis is subdivided into several chapters, drawing on available psychological and methodological literature, piano course books and a questionnaire survey. The first chapter focuses on a beginner piano learner as an individual undergoing a particular stage of psychological development. It explores learners' general as well as music- specific characteristics and links these characteristics to piano playing. In addition, it describes motivational tendencies prevailing at different development stages, and other factors which can substantially influence the learning process, but have not hitherto been discussed with respect to piano teaching in greater detail although a pedagogue can more easily deal with potential problems that may arise at beginner levels when thoroughly informed. It namely discusses learning and teaching styles, hindrances to learning and learning disabilities. The second chapter is devoted to methodological specifics of teaching learners of different age groups. The third chapter then expands on the subject of beginner piano teaching specifics, comparing techniques used in beginner piano books aimed at various...