An Integrated Approach to Reading Music

As piano teachers we often discuss the importance of balancing the reading of music by note, by rote, and by ear. Since our first post on this “Are You Afraid of Rote Teaching? Consider this…” there’s been a lot of interested generated about the Piano Safari Method. So, I asked Julie and Katherine if they would write a follow-up post to explain their reading approach. Many teachers are concerned about a method that uses “rote teaching” because they are concerned that they will not learn to read fluently. Katherine and Julie gave a short answer to this, but explains their novel reading approach more in depth below.

The Piano Safari Reading Approach

By Katherine Fisher

Serious planning for the Piano Safari method began in 2003 while Julie and I were studying at the University of Oklahoma. We discovered that we each had a long-held desire to write a piano method, and we still have fond memories of sitting in the majestic library, surrounded by the dusty doctoral dissertations of previous scholars. It was indeed an atmosphere conducive to inspiration!

Piano Safari Level 1

The first area we outlined was the reading approach. We wanted to create an organic system that would provide plenty of reinforcement. Both Julie and I agree that the intervallic approach is the best means for developing strong reading skills in children, so we chose this as the basis for our method.

Along with the introduction of intervals, we included landmark notes Treble G and Bass C to serve as “anchors.”

landmark notes for music reading

We feel it is important for students read from both a line note and space note. This becomes critically important when students reach Unit 4, which uses all 3rds. They are able to clearly see how 3rds move from line to line or space to space.

PIano Safari reading approachBelow is a brief outline of how the reading approach develops in Level 1, with excerpts from Reading Pieces for each unit.

Unit 1: Pre-Staff notation on black keys (read by finger number) Excerpt from “Fred the Fish”

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Unit 2: Pre-Staff notation on white keys (read by finger number) Excerpt from “Ode to Joy”

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Unit 3: 2nds (beginning on landmarks) Excerpt from “Creepy Basement”

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Unit 4: 3rds (beginning on landmarks) Excerpt from “Ferris Wheel”

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Unit 5: 2nds and 3rds (beginning on landmarks) Excerpt from “Forest Night”

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 Our reading approach is unique because students spend an extended time on each interval. For each unit, we provide a significant number of Reading Pieces in addition to sixteen Sight Reading and Rhythm Cards.

LevelC For examples of other levels of cards, which correspond to each unit in Repertoire Book 1, click here. Because students focus on only one interval at a time before combining them, we have found that the physical sensation of the interval in their hand becomes automatic. Another benefit is aural development. Students who play individual intervals for an extended period become thoroughly acquainted with the sound of each. To avoid the pitfall of students becoming locked in one hand position, we provided different starting finger numbers on the landmark notes. This also enables students to play in a variety of keys. Although the intervals are presented slowly, student motivation is maintained by the inclusion of Rote Pieces, which are taught by imitating the teacher and listening to the CD. Here is an excerpt from a Rote Piece from Unit 5, “Hawk on the Mountain Peak.”

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Although the Reading Pieces may consist of only one interval, the Rote Pieces use the entire range of the keyboard and include many different sounds and styles. If you would like to read more about how rote teaching can improve a student’s playing and reading ability, click here.

Piano Safari Level 2

I would also like to provide a brief outline of the reading approach in Piano Safari Level 2, again with excerpts from Reading Pieces for each unit. In this way, you can see how the reading progresses from Repertoire Book 1 through Repertoire Book 2.

Unit 1: 2nds and 3rds (review)

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Unit 2: 2nds and 3rds beginning off landmark notes (presentation of Grand Staff) Excerpt from “Sunken Treasure”

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Unit 3: 3rds and 5ths Excerpt from “Trumpets Sound”

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Unit 4: 2nds, 3rds, and 5ths Excerpt from “Ode to Joy.” Notice how students have progressed in their reading from the simple “Ode to Joy” in Repertoire Book 1, Unit 2, to this version on the grand staff in Repertoire Book 2.

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Unit 5: 2nds and 4ths Excerpt from “Matthew Monkey and the Shoe”

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Unit 6: 2nds, 3rds, 4ths and 5ths Excerpt from “Tambourine”

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We intentionally paired 3rds with 5ths and 2nds with 4ths because we feel these may be easy to confuse for the beginning reader (3rds and 5ths both “match” by moving line/line or space/space. 4ths and 2nds “don’t match” and move space/line or line/space). This comparison of like intervals helps students sort them out in their mind.

To summarize, our reading approach moves slowly at the beginning, but picks up speed by the end of Level 2. The typical student who has moved through our Repertoire Book 2 and Sight Reading Cards for Book 2 is easily reading early level classical works by composers such as Reinagle, Czerny, and Gurlitt, such as Gurlitt’s Op. 117, No. 8, which we have titled “Jackrabbit Jamboree.”

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For more information about our reading approach, you can view select pages from our Repertoire Books and sample Sight Reading & Rhythm Cardsat www.pianosafari.com. We are often asked if the Sight Reading and Rhythm Cards are able to be used to supplement any beginning method, and the answer is YES! The cards are created to enhance the reading skills of students regardless of the materials they are currently using.

Don’t Miss Anything!

Don’t miss the follow up articles where Julie and Katie answer common questions about incorporating rote teaching into your curriculum! Sign up for the newsletter and you’ll get an email every two weeks with links to the new articles along with other news in the world of piano teaching.

About the authors:

KnerrDr. Julie Knerr taught applied piano, piano pedagogy, and group piano at the University of Missouri and Oklahoma City University. She holds a PhD in Music Education with an Emphasis in Piano Pedagogy from the University of Oklahoma, as well as BM and MM degrees in Piano Performance and Piano Pedagogy. She just joined the piano faculty of the Hartt School of Music Community Division in West Hartford, Connecticut, where she teaches piano to children.

 

 

IMG_4661Katherine Fisher is on the faculty at the Athens Community Music School at Ohio University. She holds degrees in piano performance and pedagogy from the Wheaton College Conservatory and the University of Oklahoma. An active performer, Katherine collaborates with her husband Dr. Christopher Fisher in the Fisher Piano Duo. She and Christopher are currently co-authoring the revised and expanded edition Piano Duet Repertoire, published by Indiana University Press. She is co-author of Piano Safari.

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