Philosophy and Rationale

The study of piano literature, musical biographies, and music theory are important to the pianist in that they are the foundation for a pianist’s intellectual knowledge and repertoire. Through these studies, we find our enthusiasm for the instrument, our bases for musical structure, and our understanding of the men and women who bring to us this wealth of beauty.

The study of piano literature will expose our students to formal structure, harmonic structure, interpretational ideas, and will increase our recognition of major works for the piano. We will listen to and study works that may eventually become part of the student’s repertoire.

The study of music theory will supply us a road map for our musical trip. It will give us the aural and written materials we need to understand structure and harmony. We will relate the theory we study to the musical literature we study in class.

The study of biographical information about composers will give us a way to understand the composer’s feelings and who the composer really was. This will further our understanding of the composer’s music and give us valuable tools when we interpret the composer’s music. We will relate the biographical information to the musical literature we study in class.

Finally, the knowledge we attain from these studies will improve our chances for success at the High School level here at DSA and later at the college level.

Grading criteria:
200 points of the student’s grade will be based on the journal and periodic quizzes
200 points of the student’s grade will be based on the jury
200 points of the student’s grade will be based on classroom participation and practice

The Journal

Each student will maintain a journal which will contain all class notes and individual reflections on the works we have studied. The teacher will check the students’ journals before each progress report to give feedback on potential improvements.

To receive full credit for the journal, the student will hand in the completed journal on time with special regard paid to neatness and organization. In addition to the classroom work contained in the journal, the student may include additional information about the composers and the works we study. It is recommended that the student include some additional information based on individual research.

The Jury

Each student will perform in a jury adjudicated by two or three competent musicians/teachers to judge the student’s work and to recommend the student for participation in the recital. Scales in the key of the student’s presented piece will be performed along with scales in the relative major or minor keys. The three forms of the minor (natural, harmonic, and melodic) will be presented.

Quizzes

Students will take quizzes over the biographical information we study in class. The quizzes will generally be short answer, true-false, multiple choice, matching, etc. There will be a review before each quiz.

Participation and Practice

The grade in this important element of the piano class reflects the student’s diligence during class and the student’s enthusiastic participation in class discussions.

Overview:

Weeks 1 and 2
Jazz with Mr. Noonan

Week 3
Beethoven, Op. 49, #2
Melodic and Harmonic dictation
Major, Minor scales

Week 4
Continue Mozart and Beethoven
Discussion of the classical period
Melodic and Harmonic dictation
Major, Minor scales

Week 5
Biographies of Mozart and Beethoven
Chords and their inversions
Quiz on Mozart and Beethoven

Week 6
Chopin: Nocturne in e-minor, Op. Post.
Major, Minor scales
Melodic and Harmonic dictation
Chords and their inversions

Week 7
Biography of Chopin
Quiz on Chopin

Week 8
Preparation of journals
Preparation for juries

Week 9
J.S. Bach: Two-Part Inventions
Biography of J.S. Bach
Preparation of journals
Preparation for recitals

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