For piano students, working in keyboard ensembles is fantastic for so many reasons. They teach kids about rhythm, phrasing, working as a team, and so much more.

When you’re playing with another musician – you have to actually listen. This is so valuable for young pianists and such a rare opportunity. All young pianists should be given this chance to round out their playing and musicality.

Susan Ogilvy has worked for many years with keyboard labs and keyboard ensembles and she has some amazing ideas to share with us today. Learn how you can get started using ensembles in your studio more easily (and cheaply!) than you might think.

Transcript

If you’d like to download a PDF transcript of this episode, please click below.

Inner Circle Members: You can access your PDF download now from the Resource Library. Not a member?

In this episode, you’ll learn

* How Susan got into group teaching and keyboard labs

* What a keyboard ensemble looks and sounds like

* How playing in a band helps pianists’ rhythm

* How keyboard ensembles teach so many skills

* Why you don’t always need to be a weighted key purist

* What students can learn about the other instruments through keyboard ensembles

* How imitating a wind instrument helps with phrasing

Links Mentioned

* SO Space

* Ogilvy Music

* Yamaha Clavinova

* Hal Leonard ensemble books

Get $100 off Annual Inner Circle Membership

As a valued podcast listener, you’re eligible for a $100 discount on an annual Inner Circle Membership. This discount lasts for as long as you’re a member and whatever price you sign up for today is the price you’ll pay as long as you remain a member.

Copy this coupon code to use when you see the “Coupon Code” box:  PIANOPODCAST.

Thank you for Tuning In!

There are a lot of podcasts you could be tuning into today, and I’m grateful that you’ve chosen mine.

Whether you’re at the gym, on the bike or in the car, I know that you and your students will get lots out of what you learn in the long run.

Just make sure you try out some of the ideas before they get lost in the business of your next lessons!

If you enjoyed today’s show, please share it by using the social media buttons on the left of the page.

Also, kindly consider taking the 60-seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes or on my Facebook page. Reviews are extremely helpful when it comes to show’s ranking and you can bet that I read every single one of them personally.

Lastly, don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, to get automatic updates every time a new episode goes live.

Have you taught keyboard ensembles?

Are you looking to expand into more group work? Or put on a ensemble concert?

For piano students, working in keyboard ensembles is fantastic for so many reasons. They teach kids about rhythm, phrasing, working as a team, and so much more.

When you’re playing with another musician – you have to actually listen. This is so valuable for young pianists and such a rare opportunity. All young pianists should be given this chance to round out their playing and musicality.