TEACHING DIPLOMA

MODULE 4 WORKBOOK How to see the big picture: Technique

Approaches to teaching and performing core techniques

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The

online course

TECHNIQUE

‘Technique springs from play, because we can acquire technique only by the

practice of practice, by persistently experimenting and playing with our tools and

testing their limits and resistance’.

Freeplay, Steven Nachmanovich

This workbook is broken up into the areas listed below.

Imagine, that in the discussion section of your exam, your examiner engages you in

a discussion starting with the question “You’re teaching staccato to a pupil for the

first time, how would you approach this?” or “What strategies do you use in lessons

to ensure that pupils develop good posture?”

In order to engage in a purposeful discussion, you will want to have already

considered these topic areas. Therefore, use each page of this workbook to make

your own notes.

Reflecting on your own technique page 3

Reflecting on how you teach technique page 4

Reference material page 5

Online support page 6

Exercises & studies page 7

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REFLECTInG ON YOUR OWN TECHNIQUE

We all have certain hang-ups about our technical abilities. Spend a few minutes

considering your own technique, both the positives and negatives. Here are a few

questions to get you started.

How well do you feel you were taught technique? Do you think you have a ‘good’

technique? What areas of technique would you like to improve and become more

proficient with? What steps have you taken (or about to take) to continue improving

your technique?

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REFLECTING ON HOW YOU TEACH TECHNIQUE

What techniques and/or strategies do you use currently to teach technique? For

example, how do you teach the pedal?

Use this page to make a note of any strategies that you use consistently and that

seem to work. You might want to divide this into Beginners, Elementary,

Intermediate and Advanced. The Technical Skills of the Piano Framework (which

you’ll find under the Resources section of the membership website) will help you

focus if you need some help.

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REFERENCE MATERIAL

There is a LOT of support material out there! Here are just a few of our top

choices.

The Piano Framework - Technical Skills

The Foundations of Technique by Murray McLachlan

Piano Technique in Practice by Murray McLachlan

What every pianist needs to know about the body by Thomas Mark

The Art of Piano Fingering by Rami Bar-Niv

Piano Yoga: Transform your hands - website & ebook

Piano Map - website with resources

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https://www.thecuriouspianoteachers.org/resources/https://www.amazon.co.uk/Piano-Professional-Foundations-Murray-McLachlan/dp/0571532756http://www.fabermusicstore.com/Piano-Technique-in-Practice-0571539351.aspxhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/WHAT-EVERY-PIANIST-NEEDS-KN/dp/1579992064https://www.amazon.co.uk/Art-Piano-Fingering-Traditional-Innovative/dp/1479285277http://www.piano-yoga.com/book/piano-yoga-transform-your-hands-ebook.phphttp://www.pianomap.com

ONLINE SUPPORT

What is particularly useful about Online Support is the ability to see and hear the

various technical aspects being delivered.

Here are a series of videos presented by Sally:

Technique Part 1 | Posture & the whole body

Technique Part 2 | Posture at the piano

Technique Part 3 | Arms, wrists & fingers

Technique Part 4 | Exploring touch

Technique Part 5 | Scales, arpeggios and the role of the thumb

Here are the relevant Curiosity Boxes.

Pianistic Skills with Heli Ignatius-Fleet and Ilga Pitkevica

Personal Musicianship watch Graham Fitch discuss the technical challenges of

Chopin

Developing Pianistic Skills with Intermediate Pupils Graham Fitch discusses the

challenges behind two pieces by William Alwyn.

We also highly recommend that you watch all the Piano Safari videos.

For a deeper and thorough look at technique you might want to investigate these

two online providers.

On-line Piano Academy with Graham Fitch

Entrada Piano Technique with Fred Karpoff

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https://vimeo.com/210991557/7b78fbfffbhttps://vimeo.com/210996709/4df9239544https://vimeo.com/210626157/f22c26fd11https://vimeo.com/210642639/318884e3b4https://vimeo.com/210642778/ad2cfdae9ehttps://www.thecuriouspianoteachers.org/curiosityboxes/pianistic-skills/https://www.thecuriouspianoteachers.org/curiosityboxes/august-2016-personal-musicianship/https://www.thecuriouspianoteachers.org/curiosityboxes/february-2017-developing-pianistic-skills-intermediate-pupils/http://pianosafari.com/videos/https://online-academy.informance.biz/https://entradapiano.com/

EXERCISES AND STUDIES Technique for the Advancing Pianist

Trinity Piano Exercises, Initial to Grade 8

A Dozen a Day

Foundations of Pianoforte Technique

Pianoforte Technique on an hour a day

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https://www.alfred-music.co.uk/shop/technique-for-the-advancing-pianist.htmlhttps://www.google.co.uk/?client=safari&channel=mac_bm&gws_rd=cr&ei=ojLeWNrgD8XiU_6OoEg#q=trinity+piano+books&channel=mac_bm&tbm=shop&*https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dozen-Day-Book-1/dp/0877180318https://www.amazon.co.uk/Foundations-Pianoforte-Technique-Geoffrey-Tankard/dp/0853605793https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pianoforte-Technique-Hour-Geoffrey-Tankard/dp/0853603634