Process

Our method at its heart is about process.  "Give a man a fish and he eats for a day; teach a man to fish and he eats for a lifetime".  We give students a repeatable process by which they can learn music on their own.  Beginning students are empowered to learn two or three pieces each week on their own, and with each one they become more comfortable with the process.  We then gradually expand the process to allow students to learn more and more complex music.  Each piece adds a new element, and each element fits into the framework that is already established.  We do not worry about perfection or memorization early on, but rather allow students to gain confidence with their reading and note-learning.  This also allows us to focus on musical elements and expression relatively early on during the lessons.

There are huge emotional benefits to this method beyond the pedagogical benefits.  Students have the tools to learn music on their own, and this is empowering.  I refer to this as "progress momentum", and it is the secret sauce of our method.  Student's often learn pop, Broadway or holiday music on their own and we encourage this.  This is also very good for the brain, and a virtuous cycle is quickly established.  Instead of having one or two memorized pieces that they can play almost mindlessly, students have experienced scores of pieces and learned something new from each of them.  After one year our students are usually playing at a 3rd or 4th year level, and this accelerated learning continues.

Goals and Focus

At Concept Music, our priorities and focus gradually shift as the student becomes more advanced.

Early lessons focus on reading, listening, and gaining familiarity with the piano, the music, and themselves.  Our method teaches students the framework for learning new music, and we reinforce that framework with each new piece.  Each week adds new pieces with new challenges and skills, and at each skill level the student is able to teach themselves any other music at that level.  Many students get a book of pop or holiday songs that they can learn on their own.  The goal is not the perfection of an individual piece, but rather the ability to bring any music from sheet to life.  This is also the point where the student is guided to understand personal responsibility, discipline and organization in a nurturing environment.  We gradually transition these responsibilities from the teacher and parent to the student as the student is ready for them.

Intermediate lessons focus on musicianship and expression within the context of each new piece of music.  Students are already able to learn the notes on their own, and lessons are spent exploring each piece.  We learn the nuances of dynamics and score direction and discuss what sound each composer may have been looking for.  It's important to understand music history in this context, because as society evolves, cultures change and the arts change.  As students study, they become familiar with western cultural movements through the musical perspective and gain a "time skeleton" around which specific dates gain meaning in context.  We choose pieces from different eras to see western music evolve, and study the compositional techniques that each composer employs.  Music theory, in this context, is the study of the technology of music, and it mirrors the technology of the other arts and society in general. It is also at this level that we spend more time on each piece and bring more pieces to a performance level.  The efforts of honing technique and physical skills can be seen to be in service of a desired sound rather than in service to themselves.

Advanced lessons narrow focus according to the desires of the student.  We delve deeper into music theory and add counterpoint, 18th century harmony, ear training, jazz and pop study and eventually music composition.  Students see how compositional techniques translate to sound and more subtly, to expression.  We use the ideas of Schenkerian analysis to analyze melodic structure and learn musical forms.  Some students opt to take the College Board's Music Theory AP exam for college credit.  Some students enter competitions and focus heavily on their technique.  We learn to read from "fake books" and chord sheets, and to improvise accompaniments.  At this level, students have the skill and the understanding to choose their own path, and the lessons are highly individualized.