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Sunday, October 09, 2005
The Royal American Conservatory Examinations Certificate Program is a many-faceted gem for parents, students, and teachers alike. It's new to us in the United States, but it's based on Canada's Royal Conservatory of Music exams that have been around for most of the past century. RACE is a national music testing program that provides consistent, high-quality third party evaluations in repertoire, theory, technique, sight reading, and ear training. Its structured, well-sequenced, comprehensive curriculum assists teachers in ensuring that students receive the full benefits of a well-rounded music education from beginner all the way to conservatory prep level. Parents appreciate the RACE program because it helps them understand how their child is progressing compared to a national average which is particularly helpful for parents who have never studied music. Even very young students who participate experience a much greater level of confidence in their understanding and knowledge of music which in turn fuels their drive to learn even more, paving the way for a lifetime of playing. Currently, all scheduling and transactions are handled in Toronto at RCM headquarters. Exams are held twice a year, in December and May at local testing centers. Examiners are chosen only from qualified, experienced teachers and musicians and are trained by RCM to grade within a range of two percentage points of each other. Their scores are tracked to ensure that there is a consistent standard among them. New local centers may be established where there are 30-50 students who would like to participate. All that is needed is a venue and a center representative, whose role is to help coordinate logistics and oversee the examinations. For more information about how to get started in your area go to www.royalamericanconservatory.org. Or you may contact me at jennifer@spohrpiano.com/636-230-9884. MMTA member Jennifer Spohr wrote this article for the Fall 2005 issue of MMTA Notes
Although I am primarily a piano teacher, I have always had a strong interest in music theory. Piano teachers the world over agree that theory is important, and I have seen in my own students how a good foundation in music theory helps pianists become independent thinkers and well-rounded musicians. When finishing my doctoral studies at the University of Oklahoma, I was fortunate to be one of the last students to complete my dissertation with E.L. Lancaster before he left college teaching to work for Alfred Publishing Company. He was aware of my interest in music theory, and in his usual organized and efficient manner, asked me to write some theory books for Alfred while we were having coffee the day after my graduation from OU! The result of this conversation is Piano Bridge 1 and Piano Bridge 2, two music theory workbooks for pre-college students who have completed the first and second years of piano study. These books are designed to be used with any of the mainstream piano methods. I tried very hard to make them fun as well as educational They include mazes, word searches, secret codes, and crossword puzzles, as well as musical analysis pages. They are meant to review basic theoretical concepts and to help students see how to apply their knowledge to "real" music. Piano Bridge 1 and Piano Bridge 2 can be used in many different ways. They take good review books for students who want something fun and different to work in during the summer (with or without a teacher). They are also helpful for students who need extra theory review in the fall or maybe for transfer students who haven't studied for awhile. They can be used as activity books for group lessons or for piano camps. The books went to print the first part of June. Look for them to be coming soon to a music store near you! MMTA member and MMTA Pre-Collegiate Honors Auditions Chair Meg Gray wrote this article for the Fall 2005 issue of MMTA Notes
Here are a couple of WEB SITES for piano teachers. Taking the time to explore these will be both fun and rewarding. Piano Street This site has quite a few pages of classical piano sheet music in the public domain. They are available for download in pdf (Adobe Acrobat) format. There are many that are free, and you can have unlimited access for $3.00 a month. There are very active forums on the following topics: * Performance: A board for pianists discussing technique, performance, practicing, memorizing etc. * Repertoire: Discussion about piano works, composers and recordings. Teaching: Piano teachers discussing teaching, repertoire, technique etc. Students’ Corner: If you are learning to play the piano and need help or advice, this is the place for you. * Instruments: Modern and historical instruments, tuning, adjustments, purchase etc. * Miscellaneous: Piano competitions, master classes, concerts, books etc. Audition Room: Post your own recordings to get comments from other members. This is a very active site. When I last logged on, there were 71 guests online, 27 users, (4 Hidden), and 6 users in chat. Piano World Forums There are thirty-seven piano forums on this site. Currently there are 11,754 members and 349,585 posts per day! Some of the most popular forums are: * Discussions about pianos: Instruments and manufacturers. * Pianist Corner: Discussions about playing the piano, performance, technique, composers, competitions, etc. * Piano Teacher's Forum: Piano Teacher's. Discuss lesson plans, teaching techniques, etc. * Adult Beginner's Forum: For Adults just starting, or starting over. * Piano Tuner-Technician's Forum: For Piano Tuner-Technicians and for posting technical questions. * Digital Pianos - Synths & Keyboards: For discussing Digital Pianos and Synthesizers. * Forum Members Tours, Parties, Cruises, & Meetings: For organizing get together's, forum member tours, cruises, parties, etc. This article by Janice Saffir, MMTA Music Technology Co-Chair, is from the Fall 2005 issue of MMTA Notes
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