Celebrate Piano! is a new piano method based on the latest pedagogical research, philosophy, and learning theories. Incorporating contemporary and classical compositions, CelebratePiano attempts to insure that students develop the technique,listening skills, literacy, musical understanding, and creativity needed to study and enjoy a wide variety of piano literature. It is available in four levels. Prices for Levels 3 and 4 were not yet available.
Lesson and Musicianship 1 A, 1B, $12.95 each
Lesson and Musicianship 2A, 2B, $14.50 each
Solos 1, 2, $6.50 each
Midi Disks and CDs 1, 2, $9.99 each
Flashcards 1, 2, $4.95 each
Celebrate Piano! Teacher's Guide (price unknown)
Written primarily for the average-age beginner (6 or 7 years of age), Celebrate Piano! is also effective with 5- to 9-year-olds, and has been test-taught in numerous teaching environments, including private studios with individual and group lessons, university lab schools, and community music schools. The unit-based Lesson and Musicianship books incorporate repertoire, technique, musicianship (reading and theory), rhythm, aural and creative skills. The inclusion of all areas of musicianship, as well as repertoire, within one book, eliminates the need to coordinate several books per level in order to achieve effective comprehensive teaching and learning.
In addition to comprehensive musicianship, a primary component of Celebrate Piano! is conceptual learning, the basic ideas or underlying principles of music. In learning concepts that grow progressively more sophisticated, the student's musical understanding becomes more complex as the transfer of concepts from composition to composition increases comprehension, provides continuity, improves memory, and leads to better mastery.
The Solos albums include pieces that reinforce elements and concepts presented in the corresponding Lesson and Musicianship books and include early classical repertoire beginning in Level 2B. These special recital or reward pieces will appeal to students, parents, and a recital audience.
Available in both CD and MIDI formats, CelebratePiano! accompaniment disks include imaginative orchestrations of all the pieces in CelebratePiano!. Orchestrated by Ric lannone, these accompaniments foster the development of aural skills while introducing students to diverse musical styles and timbres. Students are able to simulate performance in an ensemble setting and benefit from an improved awareness of steady pulse.
Flashcards review and reinforce specific elements presented in the Lesson and Musicianship books. The Teacher's Guide provides an introduction to the pedagogical philosophy of Celebrate Piano! and offers a level-by-level overview of the method. Convenient reference charts provide suggestions for integrating and sequencing activities during lessons.
The reading approach for Celebrate Piano! combines intervallic/landmark and multiple-key approaches. The proven pedagogical approach based on the preparation, presentation, and reinforcement of fundamental concepts is consistent throughout. Guest composers of international stature wrote music for the method.
Dr. Martha Baker-Jordan has been a professor of piano, piano pedagogy and class piano at California State University, Fullerton, for twenty-seven years and has received numerous awards for teaching excellence. She developed a comprehensive piano pedagogy program whose high quality has received national and international recognition. A recognized expert in piano teaching at all levels, she is the author of Practical Piano Pedagogy, a comprehensive 468-page pedagogy text published by Wamer Bros. Publications, Spring, 2003.
Volume 2 7, Number 1 Fall 2003
Celebrate Piano! Cathy Albergo, J. Mitzi Kolar, and Mark Mrozinski. Frederick Harris Music Co., Ltd., McLaughlin Rd. Mississauga, Ontario www.frederickharrismusic.com
Published on February 8, 2003 in California Music Teacher