Piano Lab
At Bransford, we have a piano lab that is used for every music lesson in Grades 2-5. Kindergarten and 1st Grade have introductory lessons during the second semester.
Over the last eight years, I have developed a self-paced piano curriculum our students use on SeeSaw or Canvas (depending on grade level).
Our piano music is organized into units. Each unit contains 4 pieces. Each piece has a two minute video tutorial, walking through the hand position, any new music symbols/terminology, and how to play the piece.
When a student feels they have mastered a unit, they play for me. If they show mastery of the unit, they move to the next unit. It’s expected that each student completes one unit each 9 week grading period, but most students complete more than that.
Our students also have the opportunity to play “Morning Melodies”. We have a piano in the hallway and students can sign up to play piano as students arrive in the morning.
This was an idea from one of our 4th Grade teachers, but has been enjoyed at our school for several years.
