This is the second year that Red Elementary has offered piano-keyboard classes. This year we have two classes, Piano 1 and Piano 2. Piano 1 is for those students who are just beginning, and Piano 2 is for the students who were in piano last year. 

I theorized that playing the keyboard involves three basic steps: 

The first “step” is a thorough understanding of playing/counting ryhthm. I believe that rhythm is thefoundation, upon which all music is built. Too often, rhythm is the weakest element of a piano method!

The secondstepis exploring and understanding the keyboard. This means being able to find keys on the keyboard without looking at one’s hands so that one can later sight read.

The third and most difficult of the three steps is staff note reading. Staff note reading involves abstract reasoning and is the reason too young students cannot read notes and resort to reading fingering numbers.

Kindergarten students will be put into a lottery for piano lessons. The student must have a keyboard at home to particpate.  Lessons will take place on Wednesdays at 2PM.    Piano I lessons will be taught on Tuesday mornings from 7:30-8:10AM.   Piano II lessons will be taught on Thursday afternoons from 2:45-3:30PM. 

Edgar Henderson 

Music Teacher