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TEACHING POPULAR MUSIC AND JAZZ
Adele Dreyer played by ear as a child and enjoyed playing popular music. She played in a dance band where keeping the beat was essential. She took a two year correspondence course on line in jazz with Dan Delaney and learned the language of jazz: chords, scales and riffs. Her handout with suggestions on teaching students how to play the blues is included. She teaches students how to make arrangements of simple songs and used "Morning Has Broken" as an example of how to do this. After learning the melody, she has students add blocked chords using 2 notes of the chord, and then adding a 7th to make it "colorful," and using 1st inversions. Then a student can mix and match from these ideas to make their own arrangements. In helping students play chords, she uses a technique called "grab the chord": she has them land on the middle note and adding the "wings" with the top and bottom note. Her handouts include an explanation of chords and symbols and variations of scale practice as well as improvisational ideas. She suggested an article "15 Tips for Getting Started in Jazz Improvisation" which can be found at creativekeyboard.com/jun08/hinz.pdf Janice Zaganjori has a background of playing and performing popular piano with her brothers in addition to classical music. She teaches the blues scales after one or two years of study, followed by chords and the circle of 5ths. In teaching chord progressions, her students play the root in the bass. Her biggest challenge in teaching popular music is rhythm due to lots of syncopation. Using "Can you Feel the Love Tonight" by Elton John, she demonstrated some techniques for teaching rhythm (see the copy of "Beginning Strategies to Teaching Pop Music" handout below). Beginning Strategies to teaching Pop Music by Janice Zaganjori. The following are the basic concepts that all of us "Classically pianists know". However, it takes young students quite a "bit of practice" to absorb and learn these concepts. These are the prerequisites (I feel) to learn before attempting to be creative in Pop Music: Use the Circle of Fifths to learn all major and minor scales. Use the Circle of Fifths to establish rhythmic patterns. Beginning Chord progressions of: I IV V7 I, and ii V7 1. Transpose in all major keys. These chord progressions are in many folk songs, and Christmas Carols. The ii V7 1 are in numerous Pop Songs. Looking at the scales in terms of numbers: (Using the Circle of Fifths as your Center) Have students memorize and learn all 12 Major and minor keys. To reinforce, you can have them write the scales - then play what they wrote. EX. C Major C D E F G A B C 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Basic Chords can be built on this formula -- It will work on all 12 major keys. 5 5 b5 #5 3 b3 b3 3 1 1 1 1 C Major C min C dim C Aug CM C- Co C+ (Chord symbols used on lead sheets) These numbers can be expanded to learn 6ths, 7ths (Ex. 1 3 5 6 - 1 3 5 7) Also the Chord Progressions work with these numbers: (Transpose in all keys) 1 IV V7 1 ii V7 1 5 6 5 5 6 7 8 3 4 4 3 4 5 5 1 1 7 1 2 2 3 One of the most challenging concepts in learning "POP" is RHYTHM. Here are some creative rhythm exercises to experiment with: you can make up your own rhythms. I would suggest beginning with simple rhythms. Using the example of rhythms below, you can start with the 8-tone scale ascending and descending, using the tetra chord position for small hands. Once students have accomplished this, they can advance to the two-octave scale, and 3 octave scales. The teacher can make this four-hand music by harmonizing with basic 1 IV V7 chords for secondo. Example: Key of C Major (be creative and use all of the chord tones of C, using skips, repeated notes and steps, keeping in mind your time signature) counting out loud is helpful. Eventually, as each lesson progresses, transpose to all 12 keys.
C D E F G A B C I V7 I IV V IV V7 I Janice recommended the following Repertoire: Technique books: Edna Mae Burnham series are excellent for beginning students to intermediate, because of the multi-key approach. For scales and developing rhythm, I found a great book, which you can use either on one piano or two: Get Ready for Major Scale Duets Get Ready for Minor Scales, Get Ready for Chord Progressions (by Wynn-Anne Rossi and Victoria McArthur ,FJH Piano Teaching Library. All my students love doing these!
It takes a year or two (depending of the student) to learn all 12 major keys. I feel this is very crucial to understanding and learning POP music. For more advanced students, Hanon and Czerny are basic technique repertoire for the keyboard. Hanon for the technical aspects, and Czerny for wonderful melodic lines.
Theory Books: Most piano methods have theory books. From experience over the years, there are certain students who enjoy writing, and others who don't want anything to do with them. I found it's a waste of time to assign them as homework...they never do them...So, that's why I love flash cards, and use them in their lessons. They are great for reviewing musical concepts. The Pace method has great flash cards, available at Spectrum Music.
Keyboard Strategies: Stecher & Horowitz Piano Library have very creative ideas and activities. I recommend their Rock with Jazz series. I have used most of the pieces in Book l and although they are fun, they are not as easy as they look.
Jazzed up Classics! Arranged by Kevin Olson (Late Intermediate piano solos, FJH Piano Teaching Library. Nicely arranged solos.
Popular Movie Hits Piano Library: arranged by Gail Lew and Chris Lobell by Alfred.These are nicely arranged and I've had great success with this Pop Book (Elementary Level One, with an Orchestrated CD) All of Martha Mier's books are great especially Jazz, Rags & Blues Books 1 -4 Easy Piano Collections: The Beatles Best (easy piano arranged by Dan Fox, Hal Leonard Publishing) Note: I have used many of these pieces...they work great for middle to high
school students. Nice basic arrangements. The Best of Elton John easy piano The Best of Billy Joel easy piano Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and other Harry Potter books ** Broadway (All Easy Piano Collections)
** Les Miserables
** The Phantom of the Opera
** Sound of Music **Baby Elephant Walk (arr. Mona Rejino) Henry Mancini
** The Pink Panther
** Moon River Wicked
High School Musical ** Highly Recommended Colleen Campbell came to popular music from a theatre background. All students appreciate the vocal line so it is helpful to have students sing. After playing a simple version of "My Favorite Things", she elaborated with a waltz bass. Often times, students are confused by what is missing from an arrangement. She finds "easy" arrangements a good starting point for teaching chords. She has students learn chords in groups: CFG, DEA, DbEbAb and BBbGb, starting with the shell of the chord; 5th and then progressing to triads. She recommended the following arrangements of pop and jazz music for students: Linus and Lucy by Vince Guardaldi Take Five by Paul Desmond Pride and Prejudice Soundtrack, Piano Solos by Dario Marianelli Twilight by Carter Burwell River Flows in You by Yiruma Microjazz Series by Christopher Norton Jamey Aebersold Jazz Series, esp. by Jim Snidero "Nothin' But the Blues", and "Maiden Voyage" published by Aebersold Jazz Jazz Conceptions
by Jim Snider Folk Songs for Singers
by Jay Althouse The Singer's Musical Theater Anthology published by Hal Leonard The Best Broadway Songs Ever, Easy & Intermediate published by Hal Leonard Rock, Rhythm and Rag Series published by Stecher, Horowitz & Gordon Jazz, Rags and Blues by Martha Mier Very Best of John Williams published by Hal Leonard Selected Beatles, Disney Collections published by Hal Leonard Children's Songs by Chick Corea | 
