Piano Programs of Study Options

[Piano Pupil]

Hi,

In my lesson today, my piano teacher told me about the fixed program of study, which was how she was taught herself. It contains the following structure:

1) Technical exercises: always Hanon, with bits of Czerny
2) BAROQUE: Bach: some inventions, then some sinfonias, then well tempered clavier
3) CLASSICAL: Clementi sonatinas, Kuhlau sonatinas and then Mozart/Beethoven sonatas
4) bits of romantic pieces including Schumann, Tchaikovsky and Chopin

5) any other pieces for more diversity

I was interested to learn how theres a fixed program of study, i.e. first the 2part inventions, then 3 part inventions and then well tempered clavier.

It certainly provides a great breath of variety and balance, as with my new teacher im working on about 3 pieces simultaneously from different composers and eras, rather than beating 1 to death on its own!

Does anyone else have a set program of piano study which involves set piano works?

Thanks!

[sbhoa]

No. Never had.
I had one teacher who was a little surprised by the things I'd not played but there is so much piano music that you can easily get balanced diet without playing some of that stuff.
I like playing things that other people aren't and like to shop for different music.

The progression of the Bach pieces is not so much a fixed programme of study as a step by step progression to WTC. I did some of those (with the teacher who was surprised I never had) but WTC was abandoned after a while. I just didn't get on with it at all.

I'd find having that much on the go at once too much.

[corenfa]

Your programme of study is pretty much how I learnt when I wasn't playing exam pieces. It was the constant exam pieces that I really objected to. It felt as though for five years all i played was exam pieces though that cannot be true because I know I also learnt the things that you describe.

I felt that it gave me a good grounding in technique and style. I stopped after Grade 8, but now that I have restarted, that was a very good foundation upon which to build.

I can see how other people might not like how formulaic it is. Me, I think that any programme of learning that ends up with you being able to play the piano successfully both in terms of technique and style, is a good one (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Pixie*Porsche]

As far as Bach is concerned - I never played any Bach until I started playing preludes and fugues from WTC ... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ph34r.gif)

[fsharpminor]

As far as Bach is concerned - I never played any Bach until I started playing preludes and fugues from WTC ... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ph34r.gif)

Same here I never did any Bach on the piano until I did a WTC for ALCM. I play about half of them now.
But of course I was playing Bach on organ before then. Initially it cause a problem with piano touch, as I was used to playing rather legato on the organ. Oddly in my Gr8 organ exam in 1964, one of the comments was that I need to learn more about staccato and semi staccato.
Classical, yes I did follow Beethoven/Kuhlau/Clementi sonatinas route then Beethoven Op49's and Mozart K545 of course. Never played Haydn Sonatas until a few years ago. I now play all 52 Haydns and all 18 Mozarts, but not all the Beethovens !!
Romantic period, I suppose Schumanns Album for the Young was my earliest stuff, then the easier Chopin Waltzes (B Minor and A Minor).
Later period, the first things I did were by Kabalevsky, and easy Shostakovich.