Importance of solfeggio in my piano class

After not writing anything for a long time in holiday season, I wrote a lengthy new year blog about “mindfulness” in my teaching but today, I will write about things more practical.

Today’s topic is importance of solfeggio

2 areas of solfeggio

1, Singing ( vocalizing )

2, Rhythm patterns exercise

In my understandings, music has 3 basic parts;

1, Pitch( sound) 2, Beats and 3, Rhythm

It is important to be able to discern pitches ( both read notation and hear the sound)

Pianist can play piano without singing or breathing but in my piano class, it is imperative to sing( right now, with masks though , not online) and breathe. I believe breathing is the core of music , especially in order to identify phrasing and tempo. ( Perhaps with exceptions of virtuosic super fast tempo pieces? )

From beginners to advanced students, I make them to sing melodies or tenor, alto or bass lines. Often, though singing(voicing) we get how we should articulate musical phrases.

It is also one of learning process ”Output part”

Therefore,

Solfeggio( read and sing) from early age is a must in my class!!

I use for beginners these famous solfeggio books by Ms. Aki KURE

pic

Now, it’s a fun part .The stuffed animals , I hid and kept after my children were gone, have been often useful in my piano lessons (both for children and adults.)

This little bunny on the right side has been always the most popular cutie, It has been hopping and jumping on piano keyboard always but recently a bigger one joined. How I use them?

The larger one represents a string beat and the smaller one represents weaker beats and they jump and hop according to designated meta.

Also various musical instruments I had to purchase when I took KINDERMUSIK course are now very much utilized in RHYTHM lessons.

This hand drum set ( A big and small ) can be used to represent strong beat with big one and weak beats with smaller one like bunnies

The other very good quality hand drum, which I also purchased through Kinder Musik has been useful to learn beat , as well as how to flex wrists. We have to have relaxed and flex wrist in order to get good sound. We have to feel the bouncing back force in order to continue pulses( beat )= the force of moving music forward. For that purpose, this hand drum is an ideal instrument.

I believe that we have to have flex wrist and firm fingertips attached to keyboard surface, we have to hit the bottom of the keys and finger tips have to feel that bouncing back force, after feeling the connectedness with piano strings and hammers.

Piano playing is not just hitting the keys but bouncing back and get continuation to next notes and next phrases.

We have to incorporate breaths, listening, touches fine motor skills,, everything to control the sound. That’s why it requires MINDFULNESS= to focus our mind on one thing for a certain period of time.

So,, I am going back to mindfulness again, I better stop here..

During the holiday, I also cleaned the white board with 5 lines for music reading, made new clefs magnet and quarter rest magnets.

Rhythm patterns exercise board for young children to practice with Left/ Right/ Both hands,

Young children will starts learning Left/ Right/ Both hands, alternating exercise with beats, then, Rests Finger number exercise, SPACE & LINE notes concepts in reading. And off course all the time voicing!

On of my friend, who is a famous violin teacher testified that those who did singing( voicing with DOREMI or CDE did 100 % better than those who did not.

SO, sometimes Japanese people are so shy or very often all the children are shy to voice but in my class, everybody has to vocalize. ( for a while with masks though)

And I have witnessed this practice will help building self confidence in public speaking and socialization.

KOTOSHIMODOZO YOROSHIKUONEGAIIATASHIMASU！

Two students singing and either playing piano or clapping. They both used to be very shy but not any more!!