In February, I wrote a review of the method, Piano Safari. One of the elements of Piano Safari is rote pieces. Teaching pieces by rote is something that I’ve never tried, but after using this method with a few students, I became a big fan! I am even starting to incorporate rote pieces with students who are not using Piano Safari as a core method. There are plenty of rote materials available from Piano Safari to try. You can purchase a book of the rote pieces from Levels 1 and 2 and single pieces as sheets or digital downloads.
Over the last few weeks, I’ve been teaching the rote piece, Martians Come to Town, with a few students. I absolutely love the print-outs of different martians to help teach the form of the piece to students. I put the green martian on the music stand and tell the student that we are learning the first martian today, the green martian. They LOVE it. I’ve noticed that my students enjoy learning this way. Their focus completely changes because they have to listen.
If rote pieces are also new to you, Julie Knerr and Katherine Fisher (Piano Safari creators) have a wealth of resources available for teachers. Teacher guides, performance videos, and reminder videos for students are available on the Piano Safari website.
Lauren teaches piano to students of all ages. She enjoys creating resources for her students and teachers. She is the author of Ready for Theory®. For personalized help, check out the consultations page for teachers.
