Instructional Design in Piano Lessons: Logical Reasons Why It Works
Instructional Design in piano lessons is an essential strategy that allows the student to be immediately successful learning a small amount of information and then continue being successful as the learning progresses in measured degrees.
The term “Instructional Design” may seem too hard to understand at first look – but really it’s quite the opposite. Think of trying to teach someone something. The most successful way is to start with something already known and then add new unknown bits to it. The “order” and “amount” of those “bits” is basically Instructional Design.
I had an insightful lesson with a five-year-old recently that clearly illustrates the value of the approach of Instructional Design in piano lessons. It surprised me a bit, though it shouldn’t have!
This boy had recently finished Itty Bitty Lesson Book 2. Some months earlier, when introducing the bass clef at the beginning of that book, he had said, “Let me do it! I know what to do!” I just sat back and let him – a great experience for me.
Months ago, this is how that first bass staff lesson had gone . . .
To begin the left hand bass staff lesson in the Itty Bitty Lesson Book 2, I asked my little student to play the three-black-key group under the piano brand name with his right hand. I asked him to then play the next group of three black keys to the left with his left hand; then move to the left again to play the next group of three black keys with his left hand. He repeated this sequence several times until he was quite comfortable doing it on his own. From the book:
I asked him to pretend to pick up this last left group of black keys, with thumb and little finger surrounding the group.
Next, I had him touch the left side of the first (left-most) black key with his little finger, and then slide forward and play the white key. I told him this was “low F” and that it’s so low, it’s not even on the staff.
We looked at the staff picture on page 7 and I said, “Look, it’s under the bottom line of the bass staff. We won’t be playing “low F” right now, but we do use it to find the other letters of the bass staff.”
A Ureka Moment!
At this point he had exclaimed, “I can do it! I know what to do! Let me do it!” He had proceeded to play and name low F, and bass spaces A, then C – using his knowledge of the treble spaces and keys to find the bass keys accurately. I quickly turned to page 11 in the book and said, “Yes, that’s right and here’s what A and C look like on paper!”
As he took a moment to ponder that, I explained how the left hand bass staff and right hand treble staff have different letters for the spaces and lines. I had him play all 52 white piano keys, starting at the far left so he would remember how the music alphabet seven letters repeat. His homework practice assignment was pages 13 and 14, playing the new bass spaces A and C, plus a song in the treble so he would not forget right hand staff letters.
Instructional Design in Piano Lessons
The next week’s lesson with him clearly illustrated the value of the approach of Instructional Design in piano lessons. He was extremely excited to have his lesson because he knew he was finishing the last page of the Itty Bitty Lesson Book 2 for the left hand.
When I saw that the new lesson book had not yet been ordered, I decided to improvise a bit and use his older sister’s Lesson Book 1 to introduce the grand staff and playing hands together. I knew the grand staff introduction page was virtually the same in content and would suffice for one lesson until he had his new book Itty Bitty Lesson Book 3.
The lesson was an educational experience for me. He became very reluctant when I jumped ahead of the design approach method and actually was repelled by the somewhat smaller staff size that is used in the older student’s Lesson Book 1. He reluctantly complied through the lesson of the grand staff, but I definitely could tell he was not happy.
This week’s lesson was in his new Itty Bitty Lesson Book 3. We compared the larger grand staff size and its fewer notes to what he had used the previous week, and his old excitement returned immediately. He was happy to play on “the big song page” – it was not intimidating to him at all.
We started with the “rub your tummy and pat your head” warm-up and then reviewed the different letter names of the treble and bass spaces as he played their keys. I then had him pencil trace over the dotted red lines on the grand staff which connected the treble and bass circle notes to be played together on page 16. He identified the circled spaces and lines and then played both hands together. It was rough, but the second time he was confident he knew what to do.
It will take some practice to master hands playing together. In fact, that is the lesson for the early pages of Itty Bitty Lesson Book 3: accomplishing hands playing together – not reading the staff line and space letters, since that has already been learned.
The first pages, 16 through 19, are to give experience coordinating both hands – striking notes/keys together – and holding down one until another is played. That coordination is the new concept to be learned. Notice that page 16 has only two letter names (one treble, one bass) and two opportunities to play hands together.
Page 17 has the same two letter names and four opportunities to play hands together. Page 18 has two different letter names and page 19 has two still different letter names and four opportunities simultaneously. Gradually, gradually, does the task get progressively more difficult.
Page 20 introduces a song with hands playing together. By now the student is much more comfortable playing both hands together and holding down one key until playing a new one.
I don’t expect my student to skip ahead leaps and bounds – or possibly even any more at all; we’ll just continue to go at his comfortable rate. But I’m convinced that as he matures he will continue to progress with a solid understanding of accurate note-reading. I firmly believe that an accurate note-reading method using a thinking process provides the best piano lessons for learning.
The Strategy of Instructional Design
The strategy of the Instructional Design at this level is to break down the whole task into single, manageable parts. That’s why it works so effectively. Overall, the method books have the student to first learn treble spaces and key locations – and then the treble lines and keys. Having mastered the treble, the process is repeated for the bass, along with songs so the treble will not be forgotten. Then the grand staff is introduced, with both hands playing together at times. The following book introduces basic timing of formal notes.
For successful learning, don’t try to do it “all” at once.
Keep it simple.
Learn one thing at a time.
Gradually add more.
What Would the First Lesson for a Young Student Look Like?
What Would the First Lesson for a 6 to Teen Look Like (video)?
View sample pages of all the books for students
ages 6 to teen:
View sample pages of all the books for students
4 to 5 years old:
View sample pages of all the books for older
teens and adults:
View the books on Amazon:
About the Author, Composer, Illustrator,
Educator, and Eternal Optimist
Leslie Young is the author/composer/illustrator of the Revolutionary Piano Method. She co-founded a K-12th grade charter school in Texas and has been a piano teacher for about 40 years. She has had experience teaching a variety of students tackling piano for the first time or as returning students.
Leslie believes that “learning to play the piano is more about diligence and perseverance” – but would add that just as critical to success is the method that is used, the pattern of critical thinking, and the instructional design principles that promote immediate success.
She states: “In teaching piano to students of varying ages, what also varies is a commitment of time and the amount of dedication. Children of certain ages may do very well with a parent as teacher; others may need someone who is not family to instruct them. Some older children and adults prefer to make progress on their own, and this method is designed to act as a meticulous guide through new material. Some adults and teens insist on professional teachers, which also encourages continuity. Because these books are self-explanatory, a new or experienced professional teacher will have no trouble using the Revolutionary Piano Method with students. It’s an easy and effective way to learn piano.”
