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Emails to Colleen and Her Answers
Subject: New Older Beginner Series in 2011
Can you tell me the difference between the new Older Beginner Series and the New Older Beginner Series, please?
Thank you,
B. M.
Dear B.M.,
Old Older Beginner Series:
Older Beginner A = Level 1A
Older Beginner B = Level 1B + the first half of Level 2A
Older Beginner C = last half of Level 2A + all of Level 2B
New Older Beginner Series:
Older Beginner Level 1 = Level 1A + Level 1B
Older Beginner Level 2 = Level 2A + Level 2B
Plus the new Older Beginner Series looks GREAT!
Please let me know if you have any other questions.
Thanks.
Colleen
Subject: Free Samples
Hello. I received a flyer in the mail about your method and just watched the free video on youtube. Is there anyway to get a free sample of your material?
Thank you!
S
. W.
Dear S. W.,
Thanks for your interest in The Mayron Cole Piano Method.
We have just added a new feature to our website where you may see each of our beginning level books online. In our online store on the webpage for each book, please scroll down to the box titled "summary". The top line in that box says "Click here to view 14 pages from the student book." That link will take you to a YouTube page that will display a virtual tour for you. The video is best viewed in full screen mode so you can see each page clearly.We added this feature for the following beginning level books in late June 2011:
1) Blast Off with Piano,
2) Blast Off with Piano Junior,
3) EZ Keys,
4) Menehune,
5) Level 1A,
6) Level 1B,
7) Older Beginner 1,
8) Older Beginner 2 ,
9) Level 2A ,
10) Level 2B,
11) Level 3A,
12) Level 3B,
13) Level 4A,
14) Level 4B,
15) Level 5A,
16) Level 5B,
17) Level 6A,
18) Level 6B,
19) Level 7A,
20) Level 7B,
21) Level 8A, &
22) Level 8B.
Please let me know if you have any other questions.
Thanks.
Colleen
SUBJECT: Getting Started With The Correct Teaching Materials
Dear Mrs. Cole or Staff,
1) Is there a way to determine the slower piano learner from the faster learner at the very start so as to put them in different groups right from the beginning? If I have many 7 year olds, for example, who have never had lessons, how do I decide what students will do well together?
2) In looking at your catalog, I did not see Teacher Manuals after LEVEL 1-B. Is this information included in the student books, or what do you recommend?
3) Also I noticed in the catalog, that there appear to be no Teacher Accompaniments Books after LEVEL 3. Do you recommend that the teacher play along with the CDs at this point?
4) Outside of the Training DVD’s, what do you think would be best for me to purchase to get a good overview of the whole program? I would like to know what to expect from each level.
Thank you so much for your help!!
D. N.
D. N.,
Thanks for your interest in The Mayron Cole Piano Method. To answer your questions:
1) There is no way to pre-determine the speed at which a student will progress. However if you have the time, you could teach your 7 year olds our Blast Off program each afternoon for one week during the summer. By the end of that week, you will know which students progress more quickly or slowly than others which will help you determine your school year schedule.
2) We carry Teacher's Manuals from Blast Off Junior through Level 1-B. After a teacher has taken our training seminars and/or webinars and taught the beginning levels using our teacher's manuals, teaching the subsequent levels is self explanatory.
If you would like more information about teaching the various levels, we have the following recurring, hosted Webinars:
- Teaching Blast Off and Blast Off Jr (introductory summer course)
- Teaching EZ Keys and Menehune (Pre-Staff Note Reading)
- Teaching Level 1
- Teaching Levels 2 and 3
- Teaching the Intermediate and Advanced Levels
- How to Teach Ensembles
3) We offer additional teacher's accompaniments through Level 2 & Level 3. By Level 4, the student part is a full composition that does not need any embellishment. Starting in Level 4, you can play the student part along with the student if you wish. We have USB FLASH DRIVES, CD's, & SMF Floppy Disk orchestrated accompaniments for all material up through Level 6 with more to come. Have students play with the orchestration or with your accompaniment... whatever works best for you.
4) We are in the process of creating a video that is an overview of our method. We hope to have that online within the next week (br May 27, 2011) and will put it on YouTube with a link on the homepage of our website.
In the meantime, in our web store when you are looking at a product, there is a description that states what concepts are covered in that level.
Another way to see a small overview of our method is to purchase our "Student Audition Book." The Audition Book has one page from each text book so you can see how the music progresses from one level to the next.
Please let me know if you have any other questions or need anything else.
Thanks.
Colleen
SUBJECT: Interested In Product
Hello, my name is L. D. and I am currently teaching piano in an after school program here in _________, grades preK-8th. I am looking for something better than what I am currently using. Sometimes I have 3-5 students or just one at a time. I need a price quote for your entire program for kids and what you think would work best for my situation. Mainly my students are in 3rd-6th grade. Things I find are lacking in my students are theory skill and remembering the name of notes. Also, to add our school economic level is very low. Only 3 students have a place to practice at home. Please help!!!
Thanks for your interest in The Mayron Cole Piano Method.
The price of your program will depend on how many students you have and which teaching aide products you decide to purchase (ie: games and teacher's manuals). The prices for all of our products are on our website at www.MCpiano.com. If you purchase more than 25 products at full price, you will receive a 10% discount.
I would recommend you start the 3rd and 4th graders in the Level 1A; the 5th and 6th graders in Older Beginner Level 1. These books are $19.95 each, or you may purchase the 1A book in 3 partial books for $6.95 each... please see our website for details. Each student will need his/her own textbook (our products are copyrighted so they may not be photocopied).
Our method is classical approach so it is very strong in theory, note recognition, and site-reading which is why we are the only piano method that takes students from kindergarten to college.
Please let me know if you have any questions or need anything else.
Thanks!
Colleen
SUBJECT: New Class Piano Lab
Hello Mayron and Colleen,
My name is A.R., and I am a music teacher in _______. I have music degrees from _______ University; a BM in Piano Performance and an MM in Piano Performance and Pedagogy. During my years at _______ University, I had lots of experience teaching both private and group piano lessons, to music majors as well as non-majors, and even children through our piano lab. Now that I’m all “grown up” and on my own, I am teaching at a brand new charter school in _________. Our headmaster is extremely supportive of the development of a fine-arts program here at _______ Academy….he wants the arts program to be established BEFORE athletics! Amazing, right??? Well, we have recently been given a very generous gift. A donor provided the funds for us to furnish our school with a brand new piano lab. I am absolutely thrilled and am so excited to begin class piano here at our new school! I have been researching class piano methods, and, while I wasn’t previously familiar with your method, am impressed by what I see. I have been tasked with the job of figuring out the breakdown of our new classes and finding a curriculum that will meet the needs of many students. Your method seems to fit the bill.
However, before we make the investment into your program, I do have some questions that I hope you’ll be able to answer.
First, in all my searching through the items on your website, I can’t seem to find a good representation of many of the “classics” from the basic piano repertoire….I read where you say you have selected pieces from the standard repertoire, but I can’t find them. Are they integrated into each level? Are they age appropriate for each level? Do you cover topics such as lives of the great composers simultaneously as a piece is being taught?
How often do you offer training seminars? I’d love to attend one, if you offer them frequently….
Our piano lab has 10 student keyboards plus 1 teacher keyboard. Our standard class size is 18-20, so I am looking at teaching each grade (4th, 5th, 6th) in 2 groups DURING the school day, as part of their music class. I, personally, believe that the entire student body (pre-k through 6th grade) could benefit from class piano, but my headmaster is afraid that the students won’t have enough time to complete their core class studies during the day if we take EVERYONE out for 2 music classes per week (one class piano class and one general music class). Do you have an opinion on this? It has been suggested to me that anyone younger than 4th grade could have the option of taking class piano, but outside of the school day, and thus, for an additional fee.
I’m certain that I will have other questions, but these are the few that are burning in my mind at this moment. I would really appreciate any advice you can offer, and hope that my brand-new, cutting –edge piano lab will soon be using your curriculum! Hope to hear from you soon!
Sincerely,
A. R.
Thanks for your interest in The Mayron Cole Piano Method. Sounds like you work at a wonderful school! To answer your questions:
1) We incorporate classics into the textbooks. In the early levels there are a few arrangements of classics and the students start playing some unabridged versions in Level 3. On our website, there is a list of all of the music in each book. While in the description of the book, at the bottom of the "Summary" box, you will see a link titled "List of Music in This Book." That will give you more details about which classics are taught in each level. There are some music history stories in the books as well, but if memory serves, most of those stories are in levels 4 and higher. For the early beginners, we have a pre-staff note reading book titled "Menehune Classical Favorites Beethoven" with 5 stories form his life and arrangements of 10 compositions.
2) We currently have 2 seminars available on DVD... "Starting a Group Piano Studio from Scratch" and "Teaching the Early Levels of The Mayron Cole Piano Method." Also, starting in April, we will be offering live webinars. We have not announced them and do not have exact times, yet, but I think they will be offered every two weeks at least through mid-summer. Some of the webinars we will offer will be:
"How to Market and Teach Blast Off with Piano and Blast Off with Piano, Jr"
"Starting a Group Piano Studio from Scratch"
"Ideas for Summer"
"Creating Your Teaching Schedule and Student Contract"
among others
We will post information on our homepage as soon as we get them scheduled.
3) 4th, 5th, and 6th graders are very fun to teach and progress quickly with piano. As for the younger students, if your school cannot work piano lessons into their schedule, then after school classes for anyone who is interested is a great option. Keep in mind that when your younger students reach 4th grade when you teach piano to everyone, those that took piano after school will be at a very different level than the beginners. You'll need to plan ahead for the need to split the piano classes by piano playing abilities at that age. But, that is a few years down the road.
Please let me know if you have any other questions.
Thanks!
Colleen
SUBJECT: Summer Teaching Options & Music Choices for Advanced Students
Hello,
I have a few questions regarding using your course. The first has to do with summer lessons. Do most teachers using your course just not teach during the summer other than doing Blast-Off? Or do they do some kind of supplementary material? I am assuming that because during the summer attendance will be sporadic that you can't really continue with the regular curriculum. The next question has to do with the older, more advanced students.
As a private teacher I have discovered that once they reach a certain level and age they have the desire to choose their own music, usually pop or classical. Second: How do you handle teaching individual pieces in a group session? I look forward to your answer.
Thanks,
D.T.
D.T.,
I would guess that most of our teachers teach some during the summer. You are correct that not all students will sign up for summer piano and you will want to keep classes together in the fall, so in the summer you can teach music that is not in the textbooks. We have quite a few options for summer classes:
---For EZ Keys, Menehune, and Blast Off With Piano students we have Sing-A-Long Favorites Folks Songs books. We also have a Summer Stunners book and a more advanced Sing-A-Long Solos book for Level 1A and Level 1-B students.
---For multi-level summer classes, we have quite a few operettas which are fun to perform for parents and friends during the last class of summer. We also have ensembles for beginners and ensembles for more advanced students which are fun to perform during the last class.
---For levels 5 and up we have a music writing course titled "Compose Yourself."
---For advanced students who have picked out music that they want to learn, summer class is the perfect time for that! All students learn all of the individual pieces in the group. If 4 students select four pieces, all students learn all 4 pieces together. Many students prefer the original solos by Mayron Cole.
Please let me know if you have any other questions.
Thanks!
Colleen
SUBJECT: Teacher's manual; maximum class size; & varying abitities in students?
Hello,
I have been teaching piano privately for about 27 years, and never thought much about class lessons. I took a piano class once in college, but the class and teacher was hooked up to headphones. Recently, a school asked me to develop and teach piano classes, which has lead me to your website. I was particularly impressed with the first bit of advice that you had about not teaching individuals, but letting the whole crew go along for the ride. I am interested in learning more about your method. Do you have a sample teacher's' manual you could send me? The first days of sign-up had incredible results, with around 15 students. I hope to add many schools to my schedule. I was also wondering what the recommended maximum class size should be. And also, what do you do with varying abilities in students? Eventually some will pull out ahead, or some will have difficulty. Do you split off kids into more advanced classes?
D.B.
D.B.,
Thanks for your interest in The Mayron Cole Piano Method.
It sounds like the piano "class" you took in college was multiple private lessons being taught simultaneously. That is not the type of class we recommend teaching. Our piano classes are taught just like all other school classes: the entire class is working on the same page together while the teacher instructs the class as a whole.
We do not send out samples, but we do have a 14 day return policy for books bought at full price (there is a $4 restocking fee). In addition, we have a sample page of each of our products on our webstore. When looking at the description of the item, click on "view enlarged image" to see the full page. We also have a training seminar titled "Teaching the Early Levels of The Mayron Cole Piano Method" on DVD that you might find helpful.
Your class size should be as many students that you feel comfortable teaching. Most of our group piano teachers have class sizes of 4 to 8, although we do have some school teachers who teach as many as 25 at one time!
As for students that move at a different pace, everyone is expected to keep up with the class (just like a school class). Anyone who does not do their piano homework is now behind and has to work to catch up. Teach the class at the pace of the best students; do not slow down good students to accommodate a student who is not practicing.
Please let me know if you have any other questions.
Colleen
SUBJECT: Grouping high school students in piano classes.
Hello!
I currently started teaching band and chorus at a high school with a piano lab. It is a fledgling program, and the previous teacher ordered adult, private instruction books as opposed to class piano books. Also, all students were grouped together despite their skill level. I have students who cannot read music at all grouped with students who are composing 2-handed pieces. How would you suggest I approach this situation and differentiate my instruction?
Thank you,
A. M.
A. M.,
Thanks for your interest in The Mayron Cole Piano Method.
The only way for group piano classes to be successful is for everyone in the class to be at the same piano playing level. Just like with a math class, you cannot have some students studying first grade math while others are studying 8th grade math. If students of various piano levels are grouped together, you end up teaching multiple simultaneous private lessons rather than teaching a class. Try to re-schedule your classes and group them by piano playing level.
Please let me know if you have any other questions.
Colleen
SUBJECT: After EZ Keys, then what?
Good morning,
I have two kindergarten students who are just finishing up EZ Keys (they've done very, very well!) and are ready to move onto the next level. I had originally thought they would move on and do the quick course at the Menehune level, which is suggested in one of my teacher guides. However, in another teacher's guide that I have, it recommends that these students move onto Level 1A. What is the correct placement for such students? I'm somewhat confused.
Thank you so much for your help.
My best,
B. L.
B.L.,
There is no right or wrong answer to your question. If you feel they need more time with the pre-staff note reading, then you could put them in Menehune, the pre-staff note Sing-A-Long Favorites, or the Menehune Classical Favorites Beethoven book. If you feel they are ready to start reading staff notes then you should put them in Level 1A. Since you said they did very well in EZ Keys, I would recommend that you put them in Level 1A. Children that young will progress slowly in Level 1A, but that is okay. Just let the class progress at the natural pace for those students.
Please let me know if you have any other questions.
Thanks.
Colleen
SUBJECT: Where do I start?
Colleen,
Hi there! I'm a music teacher and am just starting to do group lessons with 8 keyboards. This is new to me and it sounds like you have been there before. I just jumped in, too!! I really want this to successful and I want the students excited. I guess it just takes time and experience. I like your website. Where would you recommend I start? And do you have any advice? Thank you soo much!
M. F
M.F.,
Thanks for your interest in The Mayron Cole Piano Method!
As for where to start, it all depends on how much you want to spend. We have a Studio Start-Up Kit which has 20 items (plus a free gift) for new studios for $380 which is $110 off the full price for those items. If you don't want to spend that much, you could purchase any of the items that are in the Studio Start-Up Kit individually. The Teaching the Early Levels of The Mayron Cole Piano Method Training Seminar for $49.95 is very helpful to teachers that are new to our method (it is included in the Studio Start-Up Kit). We also have teacher's manuals for all of our beginning level books (included in the Studio Start-Up Kit). Please visit our storefront at www.MCpiano.com for more details about any of these products.
Please let me know if you have any other questions. We wish you the best of success with your new studio!
Thanks.
Colleen
Mayron,
My daughter told me to email you and tell you that she likes your method best!
My daughter takes piano privately from someone else. When she started taking I didn’t know about your method or I probably wouldn’t have started her in private lessons with the _____ method. She has struggled through _____ and hates it. Even though I am a piano teacher, I have not been able to help her through _____.
I am organizing all my Mayron Cole books for lessons and classes that are starting this week and the next. Today, I let her play through some of your books. She went to her lesson and went on strike and told the teacher she wanted to play out of “mommy’s books.” Of course, the teacher was not too happy about this! She and I feel differently about this. She is afraid that my daughter will not progress fast enough in your method and that it will be too much repetition for her. The teacher has only seen level 1A though so she doesn’t know how it does seem a bit slow in 1A, but by the time they are in the second level, they are far beyond other students at that stage. The teacher and I seem to disagree about a fundamental point- I feel that a child needs that repetition to be able to move on to harder things. I feel like, though she may not realize it, the teacher is coaching her through the pages of the _____ book rather than having her learn it. We talked through this today after her lesson but did not seem to come up with an answer.
I went through this same thing as a child and ended up quitting and starting back in high school. The only difference was that with me, it was ______ and _______ that I hated.
I am at a loss of what to do at this point. I would rather her be switched to your method. but at the same time I don’t want her taking from a teacher who doesn’t quite understand it. If she teaches it just like she would teach ____ it won’t be much different. The teacher would probably be very offended if I loaned her the Mayron Cole training DVD! I don’t have any spaces open in my classes to teach her in my group classes. And I have actually hired another teacher who is going to do your training DVD and teach with me but her classes are at the same time as my classes so my child can’t go to them. Do you know of any other teachers in Birmingham, Al? Should I try to teach her privately on my own?
L.T
AL
Wow! Lauren!
Thank you and your daughter for your loyalty to our piano method! ........
As to "what to do": I agree with you that asking your daughter's teacher to switch to our piano method would probably cause tension between that the teacher, you and your daughter. If it were me, I would purchase another keyboard for my piano classes and put your daughter in my piano class. Or, do the same with the other teacher who will be working for you. Just add another keyboard. I could tell you ghastly stories of transfer students who have come into my music school from other methods. One little girl could find the G keys above and below Middle C but didn't know that there were many other G keys on the keyboard. I was trying to put her into a beginning Level 2 class (which starts on G2 below middle C, as you know!) She was so stressed that there were tears! She had had THREE YEARS OF PIANO LESSONS when she transferred into my school. It turns out, she didn't know how to count rhythms, either. Her mother said, "No wonder practicing was so traumatic for her. She doesn't know anything!" The teacher had been playing the music for the child, and the child merely copied what she saw. She had no understanding of music! After consulting with her mother, we decided to put her back into a Level 1 class. She loved it and stayed with piano for six more years! She became a good little pianist! Let me know what you think of adding the extra keyboard to your class.
--Mayron
Lauren,
Wanted to throw in my 2 cents worth, as well.
I definitely agree with Mayron. Have your daughter take from you; make room for her in one of your classes. I took from Mayron (my mom), and I loved it! I would walk down the hall for my class with my friends... it was wonderful! I don't think a private lesson with "mom" would be as successful as a group.
As for our Level 1A moving slower than "the other methods," in our method we take the time to build a strong foundation upon which a student can grow into an accomplished pianist. Other methods have big results at the beginning because the students rely on reading fingering, yet they can never become accomplished pianists... at some point you have to start moving your hands and you must know how to READ the notes to do so. So, yes, I would agree that our method moves more slowly than others at the beginning and that is one of the wonderful facets of The Mayron Cole Piano Method! Repetition, repetition, repetition building a strong foundation until the information is second nature. With that strong foundation, our students can become very accomplished! As proof, right now our method goes up through Level 7B and Mayron and I are in the process of writing Levels 8 and 9! That will take our students to the college level. No other method goes up that high.
As for the other teacher coaching too much rather than teaching, that is one of the big arguments FOR group piano. Many private lesson teachers hover so closely that they end up telling the student all of the answers. If a schoolteacher gives a student all of the answers in math, the student never learns math. Same goes with piano. By teaching a class, however, the teacher is requiring the student to pay attention, do his/her part, and actually learn the information.
We wish you the best with the upcoming school year. Please let us know if you have any questions or need anything.
Thanks.
Colleen
Mayron,
Thank you for your responses. It is just frustrating to have your own child having trouble! If that is not a testimony against some of these other methods I don’t know what is! I have never personally had this much trouble with _____, and I have taught it for almost 10 years. Most of my _____ students did pretty well- although I will say that I did mix in other methods and literature so that they did not become stuck playing in the hand position or playing by ear. I just started group last January, and this fall I am changing all of my private students to Mayron Cole as well but 2! (one of which is a teenager who is playing only literature, and the other I will change once she is finished with her current book). I wasn’t unhappy with _____, but after having one student who I happened to change to Mayron Cole halfway through Level 2A, I just noticed the difference. This girl is far beyond where she would be if she were in _____.
I will have to finish out the semester with the private lessons since we have a contract. I may be able to add her to one of my classes next week as well. She has been telling the teacher that she wanted to take in group classes from me for at least an entire semester! I just haven’t been sure that she would behave and participate with mom as the teacher. She is 5 and a half, and is in _____ primer. She can read some on the staff- although it is very frustrating to her. Her teacher thinks that Level 1A is too easy for her. However, I think she needs to go back. In fact, I have a Menehune class that I will be starting and I don’t think it would be bad for her to go into that class. I do not have a 1A class. She has been reading for 2 years and tested on a second grade level so reading is not an issue for her. Would you put her in Menehune because it is more developmentally appropriate for her age or 1a since she has already has so much music and can already read?
Lauren,
Put your daughter in our Menehune Music Book. She will love it because it is indeed appropriate for her age! Now she can hone her new music skills instead of constantly being hit with all new material.
We wish you all the very best!
--Mayron
SUBJECT: "Private" Lesson Students
Hi,
I started using your method with a new private student, and I love it. It makes so much sense! I don't have room anywhere to teach a class - but I'm looking! I really love this method.
I recently purchased E-Z Keys for 5-yr-olds. I've been looking it over & wondering if there's a lesson plan for the first lesson. I'm a bit unsure how to introduce it, but I thought I had time to figure it out. This morning I got a call for a new 5-yr-old student. I'm meeting her tomorrow afternoon for her first lesson. Help! Suggestions?
Thanks,
Bev. R.
Bev.,
We have a Teacher's Manual for the EZ Keys book that walks you through what to cover in each each lesson. The manual was written for teaching in a group, but the information you will teach will be the same with a private student (you will just manage your time differently than a group teacher).
Please let me know if you have any other questions.
Thanks!
Colleen
SUBJECT: Starting Group Teaching
Hi,
I’m a private piano teacher who is interested in beginning to teach groups. I am interested in using the Mayron Cole method and would like to know what you recommend as the first step in getting started. I am excited about making this addition to my existing business and look forward to hearing from you.
D. A.
D.A.,
Thanks for your interest in The Mayron Cole Piano Method. The best place to start is our website at www.MCpiano.com. We have quite a bit of information in the site with questions and answers, articles, seminar video clip, etc. If you click on "Storefront" you can look through all of our products.
As to what products to start with, well, it depends on how much you want to spend:
- We have a Studio Start-Up Kit for $380 (discounted from $483) with 20 items that you will need to get your studio started.
- We have a couple of training seminars. Teaching the Early Levels of The Mayron Cole Piano Methodis a 3-hour seminar for $49.95 (it is included in the Studio Start-Up Kit). We also have Starting A Group Piano Studio From Scratch a 45 minute presentation for $19.95.
- As for music, the Level 1A student book for $19.95 is a good place to start. Or, you can purchase the Level 1A Teacher's Manual for $39.95. Both of these items are also included in the Studio Start-Up Kit.
Hope this helps. Please let me know if you have any questions or need anything else.
Thanks.
Colleen
SUBJECTS: Theory Levels & Piano Only Accompaniments
Hello Colleen,
Are you familiar with the California Certificate of Merit leveling? How does your method match up with their leveling?
Hi, T.D.
No, we don't have a convention or any workshops scheduled this year beacuse Mayron and I are swamped with all of new products we are trying to get on the market.
The theory in our method coincides directly with the Texas State Theory Exam for each level. I would think the information would all be similar for all states.
For the piano only accompaniments, take a look at our new USB Flash Drives. They are for use in any computer and come with midi sequencing software. You can turn the various instruments on and off, so you can play along with just the piano if you want. You can also completely control the speed without affecting the pitch. I think it is just the thing your advanced students are looking for.
Please let me know if you have any other questions.
Thanks.
Colleen
SUBJECT: Our CDs are not just for listening.
Colleen,
I received my CD, and I have a question for you. Have you made a CD that's sort of just basic, without all of the other instrutments and just playing piano? The music is nice for listening but, I can't seem to get in it.
Thanks!!!
D.D.
D.D.,
All of our CD accompaniments have multiple instruments playing so that you can enjoy playing along with other musicians while you practice. However, if you order our accompaniments on USB Flash Drive, you can turn off all instruments except the piano. The USB Flash Drive is for use in your computer and comes with the neccessary midi-sequencing computer program. Another great feature about the USB Flash Drive is that you can completely control the speed! So, when you are first learning a piece, you can have it play as slowly as you need it to.
Please let me know if you have any other questions or need anything else.
Thanks.
Colleen
SUBJECT: Adult Beginner Books
Colleen,
I am an older adult (smile) and have just finish your Level 1-A book and I am on line looking for another level up and I am not sure which one. Can you help me with this.
Thanks!!!
D. D.
D.D.,
The next book after Level 1A is Level 1B, however I think you would prefer our Older Beginner series of 3 books which moves faster than the books written for children. You can go straight from Level 1A into Older Beginner B. So, I would recommend Older Beginner B for your next book.
Please let me know if you have any questions or need anything else.
Thanks,
Colleen
SUBJECT: Classical Music, Training DVDs, "Certification," & See Your Materials
Hello,
I’m and a professional harpist and piano and harp instructor and I came across your materials as I was looking for a new opportunity to enhance my teaching studio. So here are a few questions.
--Is classical music incorporated into your program?
--Do I have to be “certified” in your program to use your materials?
--Can I learn the necessary information from the DVD training materials that you have available?
--If I incorporate your materials into my teaching studio, may I also incorporate other materials along side?
--What is the best way to see your program and music books to make an evaluation?
Music is such a wonderful gift to share with students.
I appreciate your help with these questions.
Sincerely,
A.W.
A.W.,
Thanks for your interest in The Mayron Cole Piano Method. Below are my answers to your questions...
--Is classical music incorporated into your program?
Yes. Mayron has interspersed classics along with her originals. She picked classics that would specifically teach the new theory that she presents in the lesson. Of course, most of the classics are in the higher levels, but even Level 1 has a couple of arrangements of classics. We also have a supplemental book of arrangements of Beethoven classics for the little kids (Menehune Classical Favorites). For more details about the classics that are interspersed in the method, please visit our website and in the description of each book there is a list of all of the music in the book. Also, we are actually in the process of re-writing our Level 7 and are creating Levels 8 and 9 as well. All 3 of those levels will be 1/2 classics. We hope to have the new Level 7 out this spring.
--Do I have to be “certified” in your program to use your materials?
No. you don't have to be certified in our method to teach it. We are a music publishing company and are happy to sell or products to anyone who orders. Having said that, we do offer certification for those teachers who want it. The certification is part of the "Teaching the Early Levels "training seminar that we sell.
--Can I learn the necessary information from the DVD training materials that you have available?
Yes. We have 2 DVD products. The "Starting a Group Piano Studio from Scratch" DVD focuses more on what you actually need to do to get your studio up and running as well as a brief overview of our products (not training to teach the method). The "Teaching the Early Levels" DVD is the training seminar Mayron used to give around the country. It will show you how to teach our method in groups. We also offer teacher's manuals that walk you through what to teach at each specific lesson for our beginner books.
--If I incorporate your materials into my teaching studio, may I also incorporate other materials along side?
Yes. You may teach any material that you want. We are a publishing company rather than a franchise, so we are not involved in how you run your studio.
--What is the best way to see your program and music books to make an evaluation?
Our website (www.MCpiano.com) has a ton of information about our products. When you are looking at a specific item, click "View Larger Image" to see a full page from that book. Otherwise, I would suggest you purchase a couple of books to take a look at. If you purchase them at full price, you have up to 14 days to return them for a refund (we don't refund shipping either direction and there is a $4 re-stocking fee per returned order).
Please let me know if you have any other questions or need anything else.
Thanks.
Colleen
Colleen,
Thank you for your quick response to my questions yesterday. Some additional thoughts that I have . . ..
--I see that you have teacher’s manuals for the beginning students but not for the older beginner, level 2 and up.
Is the curriculum geared for the student to take private lessons at the point that they get to level 2?
--Do the materials continue to have theory papers and game activities included with the music for the older beginner and level 2 and up?
--If I am reading correctly, the audio CD, SMF disk, and the new thumb drive all have the same music accompaniments on them—correct? I just need to select the one that fits my studio the best. Obviously the thumb drive is more versatile.
I appreciate your help as I continue to ponder your curriculum.
Sincerely,
A. W.
A. W.,
You are very welcome. We enjoy helping teachers who are new to our method get their studio up and running.
--You will use the 1A Teacher's Manual for Older Beginner A and the 1B Teacher's Manual for the first half of Older Beginner B. We only continue teacher's manuals through Level 1B because that is all our teachers have needed. Once you have taught our method through Level 1B, then you know how to teach our method in groups and can continue through all levels without the need of a manual. Our method was created to be taught in groups even in the higher levels. In fact, I have a class in Level 6A that will be walking in the door at any moment. But, of course the material can also be used for private lessons.
--Yes, the theory pages and game activities continue all the way through Level 6 and soon through Level 7.
--Yes, our 3 types of accompaniments have the same sound files on them. The SMF disk is for use in a sequencer; the CD is for use in any CD player and plays the music at 3 speeds; the flash drive is for use in your computer and comes with midi sequencer software. Of the 3, I would choose the flash drive if you have an old computer available to use in your studio. With a midi sequencer you can completely control the speed which is helpful when the students are first learning a piece of music. The additional benefit of the flash drive is that you don't have to buy a sequencer!
Please let me know if you have any other questions.
Colleen
SUBJECT: Setting-Up My Studio
Hi Colleen,
I've been researching keyboards on the internet, but before I talk to any dealer, I would like to narrow down the options of what I'd buy. I haven't gone to a store to try out a keyboard yet. As of last week, all I could think about was accoustic, so learning about your teaching method is a whole new shift in thinking for me, (and I'm really excited about that).
Here are some Yamaha keyboards that I thought sounded good (all with a pedal jack and touch response keys):
PSR: 225 GM, 260, and 450
PSRE: 303, 313, 403, 413
YPT: 310, 400, 410
If you have any recomendations, please let me know. If there are good models that I've missed, or some that I shouldn't consider, I'd appreciate the heads-up. Also, I believe that you mentioned that you order another brand of foot pedal - I'd love that information as well.
These are all new models, I believe. As I'll probably be ordering up to 10 keyboards, I thought that I'd try a dealer in my city to see what price they'd come up with. (I've never ordered from e-bay, so I don't even know if I could get an order of 10 from one place - if so, I could go that route to save money). If you have good ideas about that, please let me know: I like easy, and you're the one with all the experience.
Thanks again for all your help. I think I've pretty much read everything on your site, and I can't wait to get my Studio start-up kit.
Sincerely,
M. L.
M.,
I personally would stick with the 200 and 300 series. When you get up into the 400 series you are paying for a lot of bells and whistles that you won't need (ie: 500 insturment sounds). I don't know why Yamaha makes so many models, but any of the 200 or 300 series should suffice.
The pedals are Yamaha pedals and you can get them through AmericanMusical.com if your local store doesn't carry them. They are only about $10 each.
Please let me know if you have any other questions.
Thanks!
Colleen
Hi Colleen,
Thanks so much for the help - I feel overwhelmed when it comes to looking at keyboards, so this makes my task much easier.
For getting started, how many keyboards do you think that I should buy for my studio?
I saw pictures on your site with the keyboards sitting on a big table, and kids on either side - that looks like a good idea, because then I wouldn't need to buy stands, and wouldn't have to worry about the keyboards falling over. Is this how you recommend doing it?
Thanks again,.
M.
M.,
...........How many keyboards do you think that I should buy?
Depends on how many students you plan to teach at one time. At the very beginning, you can put 2 kids at each keyboard, but once they start reading staff notes they will each need their own. You could see how many sign up to get an idea of how many you will have in each class and then buy the keyboards; or you could start out with just a few and if you need more then add some later.
............keyboards sitting on a big table?
The table is a good idea. I have 2 studios, one with the keyboards on tables and one with the keyboards on stands. The tables are much easier. But, you have to get a table with adjustable heighth legs. A regular folding table is too high.
Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other questions.
Colleen
Thanks, Colleen!
All these great tips that you're giving me will make my initiation into group teaching much more pleasurable. I'll look into the table today.
I can see that I'll be introducing this method to other teachers that I know. I've talked to a few teachers already about this course.
Thanks again,
M.
Subject: Fingering
Hello Colleen,
Here (below) is an email comment from a parent on teaching fingering. Would you happen to have any suggestions? I find that many students just don't want to use their first fingers and getting them to follow the correct fingering is such a challenge. I joke that they might be "allergic" to playing with their first fingers and fifth fingers.
Thanks so much.
J.
"Hello J,
I'm happy with the progress B. is making now, so please don't take the following comments as an overcritical parent. I think he needs to learn and pay attention to correct finger position (whatever happened to thumbs on middle-C?). I try to point out to him the finger notations in his music, but he complains and goes right back to using whatever fingers suit him to play the notes. The result is that he rarely strikes any keys with his thumbs or pinky fingers. When do you start reinforcing proper finger position in your classes?
Thanks, K."
J,
The parent that sent you the e-mail was really asking 2 different questions. First, why are you not teaching the student to put both thumbs on middle C? And second, why are you not teaching the student to play with the thumbs and little fingers? I'll address these questions separately.
To answer the first question... The Mayron Cole Piano Method goes to great lengths to NOT train students to always put their thumbs on middle C. If they are locked into that hand position, then they will find it very difficult to ever play more than those 9 keys. Also, when locked into that hand position, those students quickly realise that instead of reading the notes, all they have to do is read the fingering, thus not learning to read notes. The catch is that obviously there are more than 9 keys on a piano. Starting as early as the beginning of Level 2, students will be moving their hands to other parts of the piano. Those that are locked into both thumbs on middle C find it virtually impossible to move past Level 1. Take a look at any advanced piece of music (whether it is in our method or not) and you will realise that if a pianist is locked into only playing certain hand positions - both thumbs on middle C or any of the other short-cut hand positions that are out there - they will NOT be capable of reading advanced music. We as advanced pianist are reading the NOTES, not the fingering, and are prepared to play any key with any finger. We need to train our beginners to also be prepared to play with any finger on any key so they will have to ability to become advanced pianists. By the way, the classical composers never wrote fingering in their manuscripts. Fingering is a recent addition intended only as a helpful tip.
When I teach fingering, I tell the students that when they get more advanced they will be moving their hands to play keys all over the piano. So, the composer uses the fingering numbers as a helpful hint because she knows what is coming up in the music - she knows how many fingers you are going to need to play the upcoming keys. With the fingering numbers the composer is whispering to you, "Psst... in your right hand, you should put your thumb on this E, because three measures from now, you will need to have a finger available to play that B."
As far as requiring students to always play the keys with the finger numbers that are indicated, that comes down to the age and piano level of the student. As beginners, especially young beginners, teach them what the fingering numbers mean. Have them start the piece with the correct fingering, but if they move their hands in the middle of the piece, I suggest you let it slide. The youngters are doinig their best to figure out what the staff notes mean, then push down the correct key, and hold it down for the correct legth of time. That is A LOT of information for a beginner to process. If we start bogging them down with too many details, they will get frustrated and quit - thus never becoming advanced pianists. If beginners know what the fingering means and why it is there, then as they become more advanced and actually need the finger numbers to move their hands, then they'll use them.
The answer to the second question about playing with all 10 fingers completely depends on the age of the student. Young beginners are still learing fine motor skills - they can barely write - so requiring them to use fingers that they naturally don't use could cause the same frustrations as the fingering issue above. So, I would aprroach it the same way as the fingering issue above. At the beginning of a piece, tell the student to put all 10 fingers on the keys. As he/she plays the piece, the thumbs and little fingers might drop off the keys, but I suggest to let that slide. Continue to tell all the beginning students to put all 10 fingers on the keys and as they become more advanced, they will start remembering to play with all of their fingers.
One example of worse case scenario, 4 years ago I had a tiny kindergarten student that didn't play with thumbs or little fingers. For years at the beginning of EVERY piece we played, I told the class to put all 10 fingers on the keys. During every piece we played, her thumbs and little fingers dropped off the piano. But one day the music became so difficult, that without my saying a word, she started using all 10 fingers - try playing a sixth with only 3 fingers! She is now in 4B and plays with perfect hand position. Of course I would have prefered for her to play with perfect hand position from the start, but I knew that when the music hit a certain level of difficulty, she could no longer afford to short herself out of 4 fingers.
If the students are older beginners (I'd say 4th grade or older), yes, go ahead and stress using all 10 fingers form the beginning of their piano career. They are old enough to have control over their fine motor skills and should always play with all 10 fingers.
I know my response is a bit longer than you expected, but fingering is a much bigger issue than most people suspect. Improperly teaching the correct use and function of fingering is in my opinion one of the biggest problems in piano teaching today.
Hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions.
Colleen
Subject: What to do with the VERY young student?
Hi,
This is my fourth year teaching the Mayron Cole method. I love it! A few years ago I talked a colleague into trying it and she loves it too. This summer we opened our own studio, The Piano Place & Arts Conservatory. I have two questions.
1. How can we get a link on your web site? I was certified in your program a few years ago. We are located in Mansfield, TX and our web site address is http://www.pianoplacearts.com
2. Last year I started teaching EZ Keys. I tried teaching 4 and 5 years olds many years ago and they could not handle the intensity of a private lesson. Group is a completely different story. The students all did fantastic! This year I moved them to Menehune, but we have now run into a quandry. They are in Kindergarten and not yet readers, but great piano players! They have been very successful with the Menehune book and will complete it in January. (They could have completed it sooner, but we slowed it down for them.) They are ready for the staff, but we are concerned about them beginning Level 1A because they are not yet reading. We are not sure where to go from here. Do you have any suggestions as to what we can do for the remainder of this year? We offered another EZ Key class this year and again they are doing great! My guess is we will have the same issue next year.
Thank you for your time!
Sincerely,
Alice Bishop
President
The Piano Place & Arts Conservatory, Inc.
http://www.pianoplacearts.com
AliceBishop@pianoplaceartscom
Alice:
Thanks for your nice email! It is truly appreciated!
(1.) It's easy to get on our teacher link. Email us all the info you'd like to include about your studio: address, contact information, etc. Read some of the other email links to get an idea of what to include. Send the info to us and--presto!--we'll put it up immediately.
(2.) We don't normally recommend Level 1 for Kindergarten students, but yours are exceptional and there is no sense in keeping them at the Menehune level when they are clearly ready to move on to learning staff notes. So yes! Graduate your great young Kindergarten kids to our Level 1-A in January since they have completed EK Keys and Menehune Music. But go slowly with them! You can read all the theory questions to them (since they cannot yet read!) and let them answer the questions orally. Play lots of theory games where the students identify staff notes in order to move on the game boards. (They usually love playing theory games!) Remember that you do not need to teach a "complete" lesson from the book each week. Sometimes, only 1/2 a lesson is all that these very young students need. Just always be sure that they understand the concepts before you move on.
Plus, we have a supplemental Level I Sing Along Favorites (Folk Songs) Book that your students can enjoy this coming summer. And in the fall your students will be in the first grade and will easily complete Level 1A and probably Level 1B.
Best wishes with your studio, The Piano Place & Arts Conservatory. We look forward to getting your Teacher Link information!
--Mayron
