Canadian Course Instruction for Gordon's Music Learning Theory
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Classic Dance
Piano Adventures, Lesson Book 1, p. 16

Lesson 1 - Acculturation
January 16, 2019
Video Length: 2:35 minutes

​This first lesson is to acculturate students to the piece "Classic Dance".  They will be taking this to the piano in 3 or 4 lessons.  Only a minute or two is needed for this acculturation activity.  Depending on your students you may find you can cover more than one of these activities in the lesson.  In this first lesson, the purpose was to acculturate them to the piece, and I then started to move to formal instruction by having them find the Macrobeat and Microbeats.

​Here is a video of the activities in the first lesson.
Teaching Commentary on Lesson 1 Video
Video Length: 11:29 minutes

​​The following video offers some teaching commentary of a few things to be aware of as you teach. 

Lesson 2 - Tonal Patterns
January 23, 2019
Video Length: 1:58 minutes

In this lesson, I re-acquainted them with "Classic Dance" by giving them two FLOW activities.  One is Free, the other is more Bound. I then selected two tonal patterns.  The first based on the tonic and the second based on the dominant.  I took them through the following:
  • Aural/Oral
  • Verbal Association
  • What I refer to as a sublevel of Partial Synthesis
  • A variation on Generalization - Verbal Association

The following is the video of the second lesson and the activities covered for "Classic Dance" this lesson.
Teaching Commentary on Lesson 2 Video
Video Length: 11:17 minutes
​
​The following video offers some teaching commentary on the video above. 

Lesson 3, 4, and 5
January 30, 2019
Video Length: 14:17 minutes

Due to life being life, this video became a combination of Lesson 3, 4, and 5.  The student lesson video is all one video.  The teaching commentary video is divided into three parts, due to the file size. I have outlined before activities and where they could occur in each lesson.

Lesson 3:
Rhythm Patterns:
  • Teacher plays the piece and students move their upper body in a circular motion.  Feelt are "glued" to the floor.
  • Teacher plays and asks students to find the Macrobeats and microbeats
  • Ask students to chant Du Da Di pattern if having difficulty finding the MB/mb
  • Ask students to find the rhythm patterns in "Classic Dance"

Lesson 4:
  • Compare Phrases
  • Preparatory Exercise Away from the Piano

Lesson 5:
  • Take preparatory exercise to the piano
  • Learn to play "Classic Dance" on the piano

The following is the Lesson 3, 4 and what could be considered Lesson 5

Teaching Commentary on Lesson 3 Video - Part 1: Finding the Macro and Microbeats
Video Length: 10:12 minutes
Teaching Commentary on Lesson 3 Video - Part 2 (of 4 videos): Finding the Rhythm Patterns in "Classic Dance" 
Video Length: 9:14 minutes
Teaching Commentary on Lesson 3 Video - Part 3 (of 4 videos): This could be considered Lesson 4 in the series: Comparing Phrases and Preparatory Exercises
Video Length: 10:27 minutes
Teaching Commentary on Lesson 3 Video - Part 4 (of 4 videos): This could be considered Lesson 5 in the series: Learning to Play "Classic Dance" on the piano
Video Length: 12:09 minutes

Lesson 4 - Singing and Playing Chord Roots
February 6, 2019
Video Length: 9:45 minutes

Although this is the fourth lesson with these students, it really would be more like Lesson 5 or 6 where this would occur.  Due to the inquisitiveness of these students, this lesson does touch on the lessons that would come after this lesson.

Singing Chord Roots
  • Teacher plays the piece and students listen
  • Teacher sings the chord roots, while students imitate
  • Teach the students the chord roots, phrase by phrase
  • Have students sing the chord roots (DO - SO) while indicating the chord with their fingers
  • Alternative activity would be to then move the chord roots to boomwhackers, bass bars, then played on the piano
  • Have one student play the piece on the piano while the other(s) play the chord roots on the boomwhackers (switch)
  • Have one student play th piece on the piano while the other(s) play the chord roots on the piano (again switch)

Although not planned, the students started to discuss how they could arrange and alter this piece.  A short discussion and demo at the end is included.

During one student's private lesson, after playing the I - V - I melodic cadence, he then transposed "Classic Dance" into the Keyality of G.  

I did not create a Teaching Commentary video for this video, rather the few comments I had, I included them as pop ups in the lesson video.

Enjoy. 
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  • Home
  • Courses
    • MLT in the Private Piano Studio
    • Course Registration
    • Introduction to MLT for Piano Teachers
  • Workshops
    • Upcoming Workshops
    • Developing Musicianship
  • Clinicians & Instructors
  • Contact