Putting the ‘Class’ in Class Piano: Group Teaching Strategies in the Piano Lab Classroom
Learning in groups can have many benefits for students. Collaboration with peers can help students develop valuable communication skills. Groups of people bring wider cultural backgrounds and expertise than individuals and by pooling knowledge and skills, students can accomplish more difficult tasks in groups than individually. These benefits are not new. You’ve probably seen these benefits at work in your ensembles. Ninth grade students who are new to a high school ensemble typically make a lot of progress just by performing with twelfth grade students who have more knowledge and expertise. Twelfth grade students often flourish in leadership roles within ensembles as they get a chance to practice sharing their expertise with younger peers. And if you’re ever in a position of needing to motivate students a little more than usual, ask them to play a duet!
However, when it comes to the piano classroom, it can be easy to forget these benefits. Most traditional method books are set up for individual activities and learning, and the ability to have students plug in headphones means that they are often the only ones that can hear themselves play. Given these barriers to group learning, it’s worth doing a deep dive into group instructional strategies and brainstorming ways in which we can implement these strategies into the piano lab classroom.
Big Picture Strategies
In this section, we’ll be looking at a the overall structure of a lesson or series of lessons. These structures can be used to teach any concept or piece.
From Big to Small
One way to structure a lesson is to start with whole group instruction, then a small group activity, then an individual assignment. This structure could be applied to any new concept or lesson. For example, you could introduce a form to the whole class through a listening activity, then ask small groups to brainstorm creative ideas, then assign an individual project of composing in that form. Or, you could introduce a new rhythm, ask small groups to clap examples of that rhythm, then assign a solo song for each student to learn. The goal is to teach one concept to the entire class, then have students bolster each others’ understanding of the topic through group work, and finally have the individual demonstrate knowledge independently.
Two Halves Make a Whole
In this lesson structure, you divide the class into two groups. Half the class will work independently on an assignment, while the other half learns a new concept with you. This kind of structure works really well if you don’t have one keyboard for every student in your classroom because it can allow students time where they get a whole keyboard to themselves, and don’t have to share with another student.
Here is an example of how you might use this structure. Hand out a new song to students in group A. It’s helpful if you strategically pick your most independent learners to be in group A. Ask group A look at the song at the keyboards. As they explore the song, ask them to write down any questions that come to mind. While group A completes this task, introduce the song to group B. This could include clapping the rhythm of the song, introducing a new chord or note, and reviewing strategies for note reading. This does not have to be done at a keyboard, but could be completed at student desks or music stands. During this time, students collaborate by clapping rhythms together, and reminding each other of note reading strategies. Then, ask the groups to switch. Ask group A what they already knew about the song, and what they still need to know to play the song successfully. Ask the small group to brainstorm answers to student questions. Maybe another student has the answers to the questions. During this time, you can introduce the students to new concepts, or review rhythms and letter names as well.
Creation Station
In this lesson structure, you will create 3-5 stations, each with a different lesson, activity, or task. Some stations can be completed individually and some collaboratively. Break your students up into small groups and have each group start in a different station. After a set amount of time, the groups will rotate to a new station. One way to think about stations, is to identify a musical idea you want to teach. Then organize your stations around the four creative modalities: creating, performing, responding, and connecting. At one station, ask students to learn a small 8 bar melody that features the given musical idea. At the second, ask students to listen to examples and answer an active listening question. At the third, ask students to compose a short melody using the topic, and at the fourth, have students answer a big picture open ended question about the topic.
Small Moments of Collaboration
Think - Pair - Share
Think-Pair-Share is an oldie, but a goodie! Ask your students to think about an answer to a question, share their answer with a partner, then ask the partners to report back and share their answers with the class. Some of my favorite ways to use this strategy in piano class are for brainstorming questions like “What practice strategies could you use for x piece of music?” or “Why do you think the composer made x musical decision?”
What Was That Rhythm?
When starting a new piece of music, ask the class to clap the rhythm. This can be done in call and response form: you clap the rhythm first and the class echoes you. You can also ask a student volunteer to point to the notes on the board as the group claps them. This strategy is often very successful, because it asks students to dial in on the rhythm alone, a more accessible task than playing the rhythm for the first time on the piano. It also provides emerging students with the support of their peers. They can follow along with the stronger musicians. Lastly, it models practice strategies which students can implement on their own if they struggle with the rhythm while practicing independently at the piano.
Due Now? Do Now!
When students first enter the classroom, it’s always good to have a procedure for what the student should do the second they walk in the door. This eliminates down time, and helps the students adjust to learning. One strategy is to have a Do Now question on the board, which students should think about or answer as you take attendance. These Do Now questions are a perfect opportunity for collaboration. Instead of having students complete the question independently, ask them to puzzle out an answer to a problem with a partner.
Some common Do Now questions I use in my classroom are: Ask students to identify the first letter name (novice) or chord (intermediate/advanced) in a new song they will start that lesson. Ask students to clap a rhythm they learned in class the day before. Ask students to map the dynamics of a song they’ve been working on for a few days. Ask students an open ended brainstorm question to get them thinking about a new topic you’re about to introduce.
Assignments
Duet, Trio, Quartet, Ensemble
Perhaps the most obvious way to encourage collaboration in piano playing is to assign students collaborative music. The biggest barrier to this, of course, is locating repertoire. Duets are the easiest to find. Many method books have one or two duets, and some methods have an entire book of duets sold separately. If you have a class with mixed ability levels, you can turn many beginner songs into duets by having an advanced student play the teacher accompaniment that comes with many methods. The Piano Laboratory includes at least one duet, trio, or quartet in every unit. Or, you can turn a song into an ensemble piece by arranging it yourself.
Improvisation Relay
For an improvisation relay, ask students to create a short improvisation. This improvisation could relate to any topic you’re introducing. This could range from a 4 beat clapping rhythm, to a melody over a 12 bar blues chord progression, or anything in between. Beginner students will often need time to prepare their improvisation. Then, students will share their improvisation one right after another to create a whole class song. This can be supplemented by the teacher playing an accompaniment or ostinato pattern on the piano. Alternatively, improvisations can be interspersed between repetitions of a 4 bar classroom melody or rhythm.
Composition Collaboration
In composition collaboration, students are put into groups or pairs and asked to compose in a given form. Each person in the group or pair is responsible for composing a specific section. Students will need to collaborate to ensure a shared vision. For example, a group of three could be asked to compose in rondo form with each student being assigned A section, B section, or C section. Or, a small group could collaborate on a pop song. Perhaps the group composes the chorus together, but each individual is responsible for a verse, pre-chorus, or bridge.
Final Thoughts
Musicians collaborate. It’s part of the gig! We know how to introduce collaboration in many other music classes and settings. Why not do the same in the piano lab classroom? What ways do you already promote collaboration? Are there any strategies you use in your ensembles or personal musical lives that you can transfer to the piano lab classroom?