One of the classes I’ve been teaching this summer is for piano ensemble. The group classes at my studio were previously without a lab, so this is the first time that my students are getting to play together. You can read more here about how I added a keyboard lab to my studio. Even though I have just four keyboards at my studio, I was able to make a class of five students work by pairing an older student with a younger student. Some students really get a confidence boost by helping others.
The students are having a lot of fun. Because the classes are for various ages, I’ve been working on arrangements that are suitable for groups of multi-leveled students. If you don’t have a keyboard lab, students can still play the music as a duet or trio on one or two pianos.
I’ve made arrangements for:
- The 12-bar blues
- Happy Birthday
- Pachelbel’s Canon (in both C and D)
The packets of ensemble music include a short summary about the piece and individual parts for harmony, bass notes, and melody. Each part is notated in its simplest form first and then as more advanced variations. The variations allow for a group of multi-leveled students to play together.
Last week, my students learned the 12-bar blues. I had students learn either the chords or bass notes in the simplest form first. They then played those parts together out loud. Then I challenged students to try a harder variation of their part. They they played the variations together out loud. To finish class, each student took time to improvise with the blues scale. I gave them time to do so with their headphones. Then each student had a turn to improvise with the blues scale out loud while the others accompanied them with chords or bass notes.
The 12-bar blues arrangement is available to download for free here.
Lauren teaches piano to students of all ages in New Orleans, LA. Teaching is her passion. She enjoys creating resources for her students and is the author of Ready for Theory®.
