Do you have to jump in at the deep end when teaching the piano using the Kodály Approach? I’ll be answering that question in today’s podcast where I talk about the Doremi Four Depths of Kodály Piano teaching.

In our last episode before the summer break I want to share a lesson from my video course Kodály Kickoff for Piano Teachers. This course is, naturally, available to all Doremi members but did you know it’s one of the few courses inside Doremi that you can buy separately.

PLUS I’ll be running live online coaching sessions in August for members AND anyone who has registered for the Kickoff course. So if you want to use your Kodály knowledge in a piano lessons setting, or maybe you’re new to the Kodály Approach - grab this course and book yourself onto one of my live coaching sessions. Just visit doremiconnect.co.uk/kick

When teaching piano beginners we need to remember that the skills we want them to master in the future need seeding from the start. So today I’m going to talk about how to sow the seed that will grow into easy and free arm movement and effective hand position changes.

And because it’s Kodály, it’s going to be fun, creative and playful.

1. Improvisation
2. Story telling
3. Part work
4. 12-bar Blues
5. Pre-defined movement
6. Safari by June Armstrong
7. Magic Beans by Ben Crosland

Links

African Dawn by June Armstrong https://youtu.be/3RmwIPBOAiM

Gazelles Standing by June Armstrong https://youtu.be/zQ6RogwenU4

Thinking Out Loud by Ben Crosland https://youtu.be/sUsyameTEKI

If you’d like to see my lesson plans for teaching piano using the Kodály Approach then you need to check out Doremi Membership. Doremi Members get access to my Doremi Teach Piano curriculum, including video walkthroughs, downloadable lesson plans and resources and access to my live coaching and Q&A calls and online community.

There are teachers just like you already in the community ready to support you and share your questions, successes and stories. So come and join us at doremiconnect.co.uk/piano

“When will they do their Grade 1?” 

I think we all recognise this question and we all dread it. 

But what happens when you’re a Kodály Piano Teacher?

In today’s podcast I’m going to talk about my experiences and observations getting my students to Graded exams and how parental expectations are managed.

You might be surprised! I certainly was.

Key Points:

• Why parents ask about grades
• What the parents really want to know
• How the Doremi microsteps help students and parents
• Taking the careful Doremi approach doesn't take longer
• Where we really benefit as a Kodály piano teacher

Do you memorise your lesson plans for piano lessons or music classes?

When Doremi Members start using my detailed lesson plans, a frequently asked question is how do you remember what to do?

It made me realise that so many of us feel we need to memorise our lesson plans and I reflected on my own journey, hang ups and misconceptions about memorisation.

In this week’s podcast I share those reflections and why memorising your lesson plan isn’t necessarily desirable or achievable.

Key Points:

• Why we feel the need to memorise
• Why it can cause problems
• How to avoid the need to memorise
• The benefits on not hiding your plans
• A sneaky peek at one of the Doremi Teach lesson plans

If you’d like to see my lesson plans for teaching piano or classroom music using the Kodály Approach then you need to check out Doremi Membership. Doremi Members get access to my classroom music curriculum, including video walkthroughs, downloadable lesson plans and resources and access to my live coaching and Q&A calls and online community. If it’s piano you’re after, you can become a Doremi Teach Piano member and get all that plus my Doremi Teach Piano curriculum. Again, lesson plans, resources and walkthroughs.

There are teachers just like you already in the community ready to support you and share your questions, successes and stories. So come and join us at doremiconnect.co.uk/music or if you’re a piano teacher doremiconnect.co.uk/piano

Do you teach music using the Kodály Approach? Or maybe you’re thinking about it and are wondering where to start.

You know you want to teach using solfa, and you know that throwing them into the full diatonic scale is not the best way. But which subset of the tones, or toneset, do you teach first?

Here are my thoughts, including details on how to access a free mini course that’s usually just for Doremi members.

Oh and get ready for some controversy.

Key Points:

• Young beginners
• so-mi and la-so-mi
• Older beginners
• so-mi or mi-re-do or something else?!!
• When do we make an exception?
• Grab my free mini course at doremiconnect.co.uk/baby

Do you want more support with your Kodály curriculum? Why not join me inside Doremi Membership? It's where I hang out all the time supporting my members and sharing all my best stuff, including my own detailed Kodály curriculum and all the lesson plans and resources you need to deliver the best quality music lessons to your students.

doremiconnect.co.uk/music

Do you teach classroom music and private instrumental lessons using the Kodály approach?

I don’t know about you, but as a Kodály music teacher I actually teach in a lot of different settings.

I teach classroom music using my very own Kodály based Doremi Teach Music curriculum, and I also teach private piano lessons, again using my Kodály based Doremi Teach Piano curriculum. In fact it’s more than just that. I also teach adult musicianship and of course deliver teacher training and coaching to my Doremi members.

And despite each setting using the same approach, that is the singing based Kodály approach to music education, they can actually look quite different in some areas.

In this podcast episode I share my four top differences. 

Difference #1 - Pitch Awareness

Difference #2 - Practice

Difference #3 - Speed

Difference #4 - Notation

Do you want more support with your Kodály curriculum? Why not join me inside Doremi Membership? It's where I hang out all the time supporting my members and sharing all my best stuff, including my own detailed Kodály curriculum and all the lesson plans and resources you need to deliver the best quality music lessons to your students.

https://doremiconnect.co.uk/music

Do you want or need to create a singing based curriculum for your school, class or club?

Maybe you’ve done some Kodály training but have been left highly motivated but not quite knowing where to start.

In today’s episode we’re going to walk you through some of the first planning tasks you’ll need to do to create your own Kodály curriculum

For more advice and support for teaching class music or piano using the Kodály approach visit https://doremiconnect.co.uk/captivate

Key points:

Good high level objectives for beginner musicians have the following seven qualities

1 - are a single musical element

2 - exist in all music

3 - are really specific

4 - can be easily explained

5 - have clearly defined prerequisites or none

6 - have a clear path to the next step

7 - exist alongside the practice and preparation of other objectives

Starting with a massive list of possible contenders, Helen will help you narrow them down to the key objectives for your curriculum.

Do you want more support with your Kodály curriculum? Why not join me inside Doremi Membership? It's where I hang out all the time supporting my members and sharing all my best stuff, including my own detailed Kodály curriculum and all the lesson plans and resources you need to deliver the best quality music lessons to your students.

https://doremiconnect.co.uk/music

Here's Helen's starting list of objective contenders - you can add to them if you can!

Beat, rhythm, scales, pitch, high, low, clefs, crotchets, quavers, key signatures, texture, timbre, phrasing, form, time signatures, Italian terms, swing, harmony, chords, ostinato, singing, instruments, forte, loud, piano, soft, crescendo, repeats, composition, improvisation, sight reading, unison, polyphony, composers, classical music, folk music, playground songs, listening, jazz, bars, bar lines, modulation, orchestra, opera, musicals, pop music, ukuleles, keyboard, percussion, duets, tempo, sharps, flats, major, minor, syncopation

Here are five essential questions you need to ask yourself, before starting older students with the singing based Kodály approach.

Whether it's in a piano or other instrumental lesson, a singing lesson or in a class setting, this topic crops up all the time during my coaching calls inside the Doremi Membership.

For more advice and support for teaching class music or piano using the Kodály approach visit https://doremiconnect.co.uk/captivate

Key questions:

• How old are they? Primary, tweens, teenagers, adults?
• What level are they? Young beginner, older beginner, intermediate or advanced, transfer students?
• What are their strengths and weaknesses? Pulse, rhythm, pitch awareness, reading, musical phrasing, theory, key signatures, scales, aural exam preparation?
• What is your goal? Why Kodály? You'll have more success and add more value if you have a clear goal in mind.
• How much time have you got? How long are lessons and what else do you need to cover in that time? Is there an upcoming performance or exam, or are they changing teacher soon?

For more advice and support for teaching class music or piano using the Kodály approach visit https://doremiconnect.co.uk/captivate

Do you wonder what on earth you can do when your students won't sing?

It's a frequently asked question inside Doremi Membership, for class teachers and instrumental teachers.

It's especially concerning for those of us who use a singing based approach to music education. I mean, what can we do if they won't sing?

In this episode I'm going to share my experiences and advice on how to deal with this in classroom music lessons, one-to-one piano lessons and also unbelievably in private singing lessons too!

Key points:

• Younger students might not even realise they aren't singing
• They can learn a lot just by listening and participating
• Choose a game involving part-work where the child who is "it" has to sing
• Even high schoolers who have opted for singing lessons can refuse to sing
• Anxiety plays a large part. They need to feel safe
• Don't pressurise them. Be patient and they will sing in the end

Welcome to Episode 21 of the Doremi Teach podcast.

Today we're going to chat about aural skills and how you can help your students, and yourself, become a triple threat.

My name is Helen Russell from Doremi Connect and I’m going to help you achieve your goals using the Kodály approach. So if you’re interested in teaching musical skills and literacy through singing then this is the place for you.

A few years ago I was called up by the mum of a desperate Grade 8 cellist. Their exam was in a few weeks and their teacher hadn’t covered the aural element AT ALL.

Could I help?

Sadly, I was fully booked and the idea of missing family-time to cram some poor kid for Grade 8 was not appealing. So I pointed them to some books and online resources and wished them well.

All the time cursing their teacher in my thinking voice.

It broke my heart.

I wish I could tell you that this was an isolated incident but it was not. But it was probably the worst.

I have helped students with their aural when given more time. But their teachers are seriously missing a trick.

Aural skills are precious and essential.

Far more valuable than the few marks in an instrumental exam.

And they deserve more attention too!

When you think about learning an instrument, it feels like learners are split into three types.

#1 Playing by Rote

Whenever I have a beginner student who’s older than 5 or 6 they can usually play something already. And it’s almost always taught by their cousin.

I ponder on this cousin link a lot and have some theories - but I’ll save those for another time.

Rote teaching is great. Even in a formal lesson we can teach patterns and techniques by rote.

But with YouTube and other online apps, learning purely by rote is increasingly common.

#2 Playing by Ear

Growing up I was sooo jealous of those people who could play by ear.

Possibly because they were accessing cool pop music in a way that was off limits for me and my “proper” piano lessons.

They were so cool - sigh!

I was mystified and thought it would always be out of my reach. Spoiler: It’s not!

#3 Classically Trained

We’re always hearing that some pop star or other was “classically trained”. Really that just means they had a piano teacher, some piano books, diligently practised their scales and possibly did some grade exams.

This was me. Apart from the diligently practising their scales bit! Ahem!

Learning to read from the score but also becoming beholden to it. Unable to play without.

Apart from when my cousin taught me Tomorrow from Annie by rote - hang on - full circle!!

The Triple Threat

Imagine if you could do ALL THREE of these things?! You’d be, what’s known in showbiz, a TRIPLE THREAT!

And who doesn’t want that - for their students and for themselves!

And the secret? Aural skills.

Which of the three types of learners do you most associate with? I’ll be fascinated to see if there’s a pattern?

So what do we know?

#1 Aural skills are essential, desirable and hugely valuable. They deserve more than a "exam prep" after-thought.

#2 We can teach our students to become a triple threat by combining the three types of teaching and learning.

#2b It’s not too late to get that for ourselves too!

Happy Birthday

Have you had a student try and pick out Happy Birthday on their instrument?

It’s actually really hard!

It’s especially frustrating when they don’t have pitch awareness. Jabbing randomly at the keys seeking that elusive next note. When the pitch goes higher they still test notes that are lower.

Sure it’s hard to nail the EXACT interval, but they are so much more successful when they slow down, think about the direction and then move the right...