Efficient Teaching - Anticipate Problem Areas

In order to teach efficiently, teachers must develop the skill of anticipating Problem Areas in the pieces that they are teaching their students.

Here are some of the ways I look at finding Challenges in a Piece

1 - I look for any Chromatic material in the piece, they can be tricky

2 - Modulations are another area when problems can be anticipated

3 - If a Piece has a sudden Counter Point Texture, that may be an area to look into

4 - Typically Development Sections are more harder than Expositions

5 - Section and Piece Endings can be often Tougher than rest of the Piece

6 - Chordal Material in Both Hands can also be tough areas to execute

7 - Hand Leaps between the ending of one Phrase and begin of other Phrase can be challenging and may need guided Prep

8 - Unusual Phrase Lengths can be challenging and may need careful guidance

9 - The Following SUDDEN CHANGES can also cause problems:

- Clef Changes

- Key Changes

- Rhythm changes

- Texture changes (changes between Melody-Accompaniment to Chordal Texture.. Or from thin to thick Counterpoint Textures)

- Melodic Direction Changes

- Changes in Hand position/registers including leaps or Hand crossings

- Change in Role of Each Hand (in Melody Accompaniment)

- Unexpected Change in Fingering

- Changes in vertical number of notes

- Changes in Dynamics, Articulation, Tempo

Once Problem areas have been Identified in a Piece, the next step would be to Figure out the best way to Sequence the Teaching of the Piece. I prefer to start with the Hardest Sections first, and then work my way toward the easiest sections. The logic being that when the piece is finally over, the student would be able to play the entire piece with flow as the so called Muscle-Memory for the difficult sections would have already been achieved.

This activity is great to do with your Piano Teacher Colleagues or Piano Teacher friends. I have gained a lot of insight by working with other teachers as we get to learn and understand different Thought Processes and Problem Solving Approaches.