Creative Pedagogy For Piano Teacher's Book

Creative Pedagogy For Piano Teacher's Book 📚

Using Musical Games and Aural Pedagogy Techniques as a Dynamic Supplement

Jeffrey Agrell and Aura Strohschein's "Creative Pedagogy for Piano Teachers" is a refreshing take on combating the obstacles that often stifle the inherent creativity in piano students. The book challenges the notion that creativity is reserved for a select few and instead offers a rich array of musical games that serve as springboards for artistic expression. These games encompass a wide range of areas, from rhythmic and melodic to aural and stylistic, ensuring holistic musical development.

The activities are meticulously crafted to set boundaries, which paradoxically frees students from the paralysis often caused by unlimited possibilities. With the right guidance, beginners can harness the potential of these exercises, while the more advanced can explore them independently. Infused with humour and wisdom, the authors underscore the importance of joy in music-making. 68 pages.

Dr. Arthur Houle, Professor of Piano, Colorado Mesa University and Director of the Festival for Creative Pianists commends the book for its innovative approach and emphasises its value in making piano learning a delightful journey rather than a mundane task.

Jeffrey Agrell and Aura Strohschein start out with the premise that Homo sapiens is also Homo ludens and that play is an essential part of any cognitive development, especially musical play and musical development. In this brilliantly conceived book, the authors by no means negate the importance of musical literacy.

But they do advocate for the too-often neglected “first step” of listening and creating, even before reading, and remind us that music is a primal part of human activity. Above all, Agrell’s and Strohschein’s exercises are fun! Adults and children will be engaged and are certain to develop improvisational skills of which they may have never known they were capable.—John Salmon,  Recording artist, author, Professor of Piano at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro.