The Discovery Piano System
The Discovery Piano System is simply learning music through discovery, going from the known to the unknown.
Students learn musical rhythm through observing the regular pulsation of a car's windshield wipers.
Students learn to read music through what they've already learned by reading words.
Students learn expression in music through human expression in speech.
I teach my students by constantly asking questions about things they know and then apply it to something new in their music assignments. This makes music a constant discovery.
If you are interested in more detail, please read below.
The Discovery Piano System is a multivolume collection of compositions specifically written to prepare beginning students for the varied musical challenges of the Musical Masters.
The Discovery Piano System
I designed The Discovery Piano System for beginners 6 and older. It is designed to take students from grade school level playing through to middle school level playing.
The five level series of books in The Discovery Piano System is much more than a series of compositions of progressive difficulty.
The Discovery Piano System's first major sections is called Repertoire. This section contains a very steady, graded progression of compositions composed with an eye toward building the students knowledge of the basic elements of learning to read music so the new language of music becomes a language of familiarity and fluency.
The Discovery Piano System contains many compositions I personally composed for my students. Most of these compositions address specific needs that came up in in a student's musical development. I also made arrangements of some of the great moments found in the masterworks of the great composers.
In the Repertoire section there is also contained a great deal of folk music. Not only are there American Folk Songs and Patriotic Songs but there are many folk songs from many countries; beautiful melodies that are unknown to American children.
In my own student days there was a revival of interest in folk songs. Major educators were bringing to their student's attention the natural enduring beauty of these folk songs.
We were also encouraged to made sure these melodies were arranged in an interesting manner. Being one who liked to dabble in composition and arranging, I arranged dozens of folk songs from all over the world.
A unique feature of The Discovery Piano System is the innovative sections that come after all the repertoire selections. A Closer LOOK provides students with historical and analytical exercises that helps broaden the students understanding of specific pieces in the Repertoire section.
Another way we enhance the compositions of the Repertoire section is through our Piano and Percussion section. In this section we add a rhythm section to various selection from the Repertoire section of the book. These are designed to develop a students rhythmic sense. Student and teacher exchange parts. Each has a chance to take the Piano Part or the Rhythmic Percussion Part.
The Discovery Piano System is all about Discovering Music.
Discovering Music through the beautiful melodies found in FOLK SONGS.
Discovering Music through analysis in A Closer LOOK.
Discovering Music through rhythm in our Piano and Percussion selections.
CLASSICAL ANTHOLOGIES also accompany The Discovery Piano System. My CLASSICAL ANTHOLOGIES is a graded repertoire of classical music. The first book of the series begins at a mid elementary level.
A unique feature about my CLASSICAL ANTHOLOGIES is that I take several of the classical pieces in each book and arrange a folk song in imitation of the classical composition.
These are arranged in little mini units throughout the Anthology.
Each mini unit begins with a Theoretically Speaking page that explains what musical concept is being shared between the two (or more) pieces. For example - A classical piece may feature a tricky rhythm that needs introduced to a student. So, I will take a folk song arranged with the same tricky rhythm. This is one creative way in which I bring students from the known to the unknown.
To enroll your child in The Discovery Piano System and its accompanying books and contact me at (724) 524-3500 or fill out and send me the contact form at the bottom of this page.