piano instruction

Drill & Excel On the Piano

Piano Method Books That Make Teaching Easy!

Hey fellow piano teachers, what if there were piano method books that made your teaching job so easy, you feel you’re hardly working at all? That’s exactly what the “Drill & Excel On the Piano” book series does! Click any book to watch a movie where the author goes through each page with commentary. Most piano method books are songs with little information included. This means you have to explain in detail every new concept. And since piano method books don’t include every part of the lesson needed, you have to supplement books for teaching exercises, scales, theory, note naming, and rhythm games to improve their reading ability. Having multiple books also makes it challenging in the lesson for both you and the student.

Everything in one book

At Melody Music Publishers, the “Drill & Excel On the Piano” series has everything in one book. Each book is in 3 chapters and includes multiple note reading and interval worksheets, rhythm drills, exercises, and special exercises for specific skills, scales, and 20 original songs per chapter (totaling 60 songs per book)! Since the author, Kathi Kerr, writes the songs, a student has to read the notes and not rely on their ear to play. Most method books brag about having songs students are familiar with. However, if reading music fluently is the goal, a student can trick the piano teacher when playing a song if they rely on their ear instead of reading the notes.

Easy Steps to follow

Teaching from the “Drill & Excel On the Piano” series is nice because it lays out the information in an easy to follow step format. Without a book to guide the teacher and student, it’s easy to forget about important steps the student needs. However, with these books, the piano teacher can relax and know each critical step is included, taught straightforwardly with examples, drills, and exercises. The repetition given ensures the student fully understands each step before moving on to the next one.

Written Worksheets

Why are writing assignments so important? I believe writing the information is the first layer of understanding and retaining the information. When a student repeatedly writes the names of the notes or intervals, they’re more likely to retain the information. With the “Drill & Excel On the Piano” books, there are multiple worksheets to help students learn and remember notes. No acronyms are taught, like “Every Good Boy Does Fine.” Instead, the staff’s logic is shown, and five sets of notes are taught at a time with multiple worksheets per set of notes.

Rhythm Drills

Where’s the rhythm in most method books? Most piano method books may give the value of each kind of note, but nothing else. I have found rhythm is the most neglected part of piano method books and lessons. A student needs more than just shown each note’s value. To read rhythm fluently requires playing multiple rhythm drills. In “Drill & Excel On The PIano,” the note’s value is taught with multiple rhythm drills for the student to play. Playing them with a steady beat, and counting the beats out loud is recommended.

Exercises

As mentioned earlier, most piano instructors will use a separate book for exercises. However, many exercise books are not suitable for the beginning student when the pattern includes more than a five-note hand position. In “Drill & Excel On the Piano” books, the exercises correspond with the chapter’s songs and skills needed. For example, in chapter 1 of book 1, only five-note pattern exercises are given that go with the songs. As the hand position expands, the exercises do as well. There are also “special” exercises that go along with the skills needed for the songs. In book 1, chapter 3, an exercise to teach the skill of independence of hands is given. This helps when playing the songs with one hand louder than the other, and one playing staccato while another playing legato. A student first learns the skill in the exercise before applying it to a song.

Scales

Another supplemental book piano teachers often use is scales. In “Drill & Excel On the Piano,” each chapter has one key signature (except the recap chapters), and all the songs, exercises, and scales will be in that key. This makes everything they’re learning correspond to each other and creates a clear path for learning. Also, most scale books show the scale by notation. Playing scales by reading the notes may not help the student remember what sharps or flats are in each scale and key signature, or even understand them. In the “Drill & Excel On the Piano” series, the student plays scales by knowing what’s in each key signature. This helps the student have better retention and understanding of the scales, which is the foundation for learning music theory.

Intervals

Intervals are taught beginning in book 2, chapter 3. The emphasis in book 1 and book 2, chapters 1 and 2, are reading fluently and exercises to acquire the skill of playing. Chapter 3 of book 2 starts by showing the staff’s intervals in the key of C (C/D, C/E, C/F, C/G, etc.), with the interval number beneath. However, it doesn’t stop with merely explaining intervals. There are multiple worksheets for the student to identify the interval number without counting. Once a student can identify the interval at sight, this helps in sight-reading. Without repetitive written assignments, most students are not able to identify them at sight.

Songs, songs, and more songs!

And finally, the best part of “Drill & Excel On the Piano” are all the beautiful songs written by author Kathi Kerr. As mentioned earlier, the songs correspond with the chapter’s key signature. Written melodically, a student will find themselves singing the songs apart from playing them on the piano. Starting from book 2, each piece is in a different style with a commentary written by the composer. And best of all, they’re fun to play!

Each book recaps the previous books

Whatever the student’s level, he or she can start with any book in this series, since from book 2, the first chapter is a recap of the previous books—this way, no critical steps, and information are missing. For a beginning student ages 8-adult, book 1 is recommended. If a student has played a little piano, they can start with book 2 that begins chapter 1 with hands together. This book is also great for a self-taught student that plays well but may have missing information or someone taught incorrectly. Book 3 is excellent for the early intermediate student. And finally, book 4 is for the late intermediate student. There are more exercises, special exercises, rhythm drills, and lots of theory worksheets in books 3 and 4. “Drill & Excel On the Piano Book 5” is set to come out in late 2021 for the advanced student.

My first experience with this piano method book

When I had finished book 1, I used it on the students I was teaching at the time (I called them my guinea pigs). One of my students in particular had struggled in reading. However, when he started playing the multiple songs in each position, he was so accomplished at reading, he began sight-reading the songs nearly perfectly by the end of the chapter! I remember feeling so at ease and thinking “The book is doing all the work!” It was so much fun to see him go from struggling to sight-reading!

Order today and enjoy teaching

Order your copy of “Drill & Excel On the Piano” to relax and have a great time teaching your students, knowing they’re getting all the essential steps. Using drills and repetition, your students will have a deep understanding of all concepts and play the piano like a pro. It’s exciting to see the students’ progress and growth. If you’re a piano teacher who hasn’t registered, click here to sign up to receive discount codes for free shipping and 50% off your first copy, then free shipping and 20% off all recurring orders! Thank you for your passion and dedication to teaching private piano. We welcome your comments and suggestions to this post.

Kathi Kerr - owner Melody Music Publishers

Kathi Kerr founded Melody Music Studios in 1989, a nationwide music instruction studio. In 2017, she founded an independent publishing company called Melody Music Publishers. They offer piano and singing method books using small steps and repetition, how students think and learn.

Piano Method Books That Make Teaching Easy! Read More »

Piano Lessons

How To Teach a Piano Transfer Student

Teaching a piano transfer student can be the most difficult type of student for a teacher. This is the student that has had lessons for 6 months or more, ranging from late beginning to late intermediate level. Inevitably, the student is going to compare you to their previous instructor. And since no two people teach the same, you’re going to offer a different style and approach. If the student has bad technique, or wrong or missing information, this can create even more difficulty. So what are the best ways to create a smooth transition into your teaching style?

Be Prepared

Before the first lesson, find out what books the student has been using and ask for any notes from the previous instructor. Take the time to become acquainted with the curriculum if needed, and read the notes if possible. This will also give you insight into the previous teacher’s style and approach, as well as the direction of the student’s past lessons.

Establish a Rapport

The very first lesson is the most critical. It’s important to start out by getting to know the student and letting the student get to know you. Spend a few minutes to let the student know your training background and experience. Then take a few minutes to ask the student questions about their past piano experience and what he or she is interested in learning. The student will feel more comfortable with you and will feel you’re interested in what their interested in. Then have the student play the last song they were studying or their favorite song. Ask him or her a lot of musical questions to find out what they know or don’t know. Even an intermediate student may have missing or wrong information.

Make Changes Slowly

Changing too much too soon for the piano transfer student is usually the biggest mistake made. This is especially true for an intermediate student that has been playing a year or more with wrong technique or information. Changing a bad habit is the most difficult part of learning. Most students want you to validate their ability, so begin by complimenting him or her on anything done well. Even though it may go against your grain to allow bad technique, it’s best to wait until you’ve given several lessons and established a rapport before making huge changes. If there are multiple changes needed, take one at a time so not to overwhelm the student. That being said, it’s also important to show the student you can challenge them to the next level, so give the new student a few bread crumbs of information and things to work on in the assignments.

Be Careful Commenting on the Previous Piano Teacher

Each piano transfer student will have had a positive or negative experience from the previous instructor. With either scenario, it’s important to keep your comments about him or her at a minimum, especially negative comments. First, you want keep the focus on the direction between you and the student. Second, if you tell the student he or she was taught incorrectly, it may cause frustration and a sense of wasted time and money. If the student had a good rapport with the previous instructor, it may create a division between you both. Once you’ve received the curriculum and notes from the previous instructor, keep the conversation on how you will be teaching and the direction you would like to take.

Not every student-teacher is a match

I believe being the right instructor for a transfer student is more difficult than for the beginning student. If the student is an intermediate level, he or she may have specific interests. You may not be able to take the student where their interests lie. If that is the case, be honest with the student, letting him or her know you have THEIR best interest at heart, and kindly refer them to another instructor you may know that can offer what they want to learn. Also, not every personality types are a match. If this should happen, don’t beat yourself up over it. There are plenty of other students your teaching style and personality will be a great fit for.

It Gets Easier

While you may feel like you’ll be the “new” instructor forever, before long, you’ll be their new favorite! Just like any relationship, it takes time to establish. Be patient and soon you’ll be the instructor they compare others to!

Kathi Kerr - owner Melody Music Publishers

Kathi Kerr founded Melody Music Studios in 1989, a nationwide music instruction studio. She also founded Melody Music Publishers in 2017, an independent piano method books written how students think and learn.

How To Teach a Piano Transfer Student Read More »