Description
Instructor: Katherine Fisher
Class size: 18 students in each section (this is the max)
Platform: Zoom
Times: Friday from 1:30pm-2:45pm Eastern Standard Time
Click the icon to view the times in your current local timezone.
Length: 12 weeks
- August 25
- September 1
- September 8
- September 15
- September 22
- October 13
- October 20
- October 27
- November 3
- November 10
- November 17
- December 1
Suggested materials: Piano Safari Friends Teacher Resources
Required materials: Piano Safari Friends Book
Included as a perk of registration: 30% discount code for Piano Safari materials (coupon will last throughout the duration of the course).
Course Syllabus
This twelve-week course will provide a comprehensive journey through the eight units of Piano Safari Friends. In addition to detailed information on teaching each piece and exercise, general pedagogical topics will also be explored through a combination of lecture and discussion formats. As desired, teachers will also have the opportunity to submit short video samples of individual students to gain teaching advice and discuss common teaching questions and challenges. This live Zoom course will provide teachers with a thorough understanding of how the authors teach Piano Safari to their own students and, through the live Zoom format, will also foster connections with other teachers around the world.
Syllabus Subject to Change
Week 1
- Introduction
- Materials related to Piano Safari Friends
- Types of pieces and activities
- Teaching students ages 4 – 6
- The importance of environment and repetition
- Practice expectations
Week 2: Unit 1
- General principles
- Objectives for Unit 1
- Opening lesson activities
- Improvisation
- Animal Rhythm Patterns
- Technique
- Teaching Video
Week 3: Unit 1
- Keyboard orientation: black key groups
- Teaching steps for pieces in Unit 1
- Sample Lesson Plans
- Teaching Video
Week 4: Unit 2
- Recap of Unit 1
- Objectives for Unit 2
- Keyboard orientation: the Letter C
- Technique: hand position and Lion Paw
- Teaching Video
Week 5: Unit 2
- Teaching steps for pieces in Unit 2
- Sample Lesson Plans
- Teaching Video
Week 6: Unit 3
- Recap of Unit 2
- Objectives for Unit 3
- Keyboard orientation: the Letter D
- Technique: Tall Giraffe
- Teaching steps for pieces in Unit 3
- Sample Lesson Plans
- Teaching Video
Week 7: Unit 4
- Recap of Unit 3
- Objectives for Unit 4
- Keyboard orientation: the Letter E
- Teaching steps for pieces in Unit 4
- Playing different parts in an ensemble
- Sample Lesson Plans
- Teaching Video
Week 8: Unit 5
- Recap of Unit 4
- Objectives for Unit 5
- Keyboard orientation: the Letter F
- Technique: Zechariah Zebra
- Teaching steps for pieces in Unit 5
- Sample Lesson Plans
- Teaching Video
Week 9: Unit 6
- Recap of Unit 5
- Objectives for Unit 6
- Ear training ideas
- Keyboard orientation: the Letter G
- Teaching steps for pieces in Unit 6
- Sample Lesson Plans
- Teaching Video
Week 10: Unit 7
- Recap of Unit 6
- Objectives for Unit 7
- Keyboard orientation: the Letter A
- Technique: Kangaroo
- Teaching steps for pieces in Unit 6
- Sample Lesson Plans
- Teaching Video
Week 11: Unit 8
- Recap of Unit 7
- Objectives for Unit 8
- Keyboard orientation: the Letter B
- Syllabic counting system
- Teaching steps for pieces in Unit 8
- Sample Lesson Plans
- Teaching Video
Week 12
- Recap of course
- Look ahead to Piano Safari Level 1
- Final Question and Answer Session
