SOUND BEFORE SIGHT:
CONCEPT PREPARATION FOR BEGINNING, ELEMENTARY, AND INTERMEDIATE PIANISTS
Presented to the Pennsylvania Music Teachers’ Association
Penn State University
June 4, 2023
ABSTRACT:
When a student forgets or repeatedly ignores an element in their repertoire, the source of the problem usually is this: the student may not have had a meaningful experience with the concept before they were expected to practice at home in their repertoire. Concept preparation represents the activities that teachers use to introduce students to a musical element before they encounter it in their repertoire. According to Frances Clark, concept preparation includes four steps: hearing, feeling, seeing, and naming. This presentation will provide strategies for preparing concepts of rhythm, pitch patterns, and technique to ensure that students can practice elementary and intermediate repertoire at home correctly and confidently.