How to Teach Pedalling at Beginner and Elementary Levels

Practical & creative ways to teach pedalling in the early stages of learning the piano.

Price: £37

£27 for Community members

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It feels like there is such a journey when moving students from simply pressing down the sustain pedal (and leaving it fixed in place) to having sufficient musical and physical control to manage legato pedalling.

The How to Teach Pedalling at Beginner and Elementary Level course leads you on a clear pathway to help your students to understand these fundamental pianistic skills. The course lasts eight days and is delivered via a mixture of short videos and workbooks. On the last day there is the opportunity for you to attend a live Q & A meeting with Dr Sally Cathcart and Joanna Garcia. This video will be available after the event for anyone who can't make it live.

By the end of it, you will have a step-by-step approach to how to introduce your students to both direct and legato pedalling. You'll be equipped with a varied set of resources and suggested activities to help your teaching of pedalling really come alive!

Throughout this course, we will look at the progression of skills in the initial stages of pedalling as laid out in The Curious Piano Teachers comprehensive overview called The Piano Framework© of the various skills and concepts learning the piano involves.

Introduction

Dr Sally Cathcart, the Course Director, welcomes you to the course and outlines what to expect over the next eight days.

The delivery of the course is as follows:

Day 1 | Module 1 release
Day 2 | Module 2 release
Day 4 | Module 3 release
Day 7 | Module 4 release
Day 8 | Live Q&A with Sally & Joanna

Module 1

In Module One you will discover a wealth of ideas and practical suggestions for exploring the captivating sonorities of the piano from the beginner stages onwards.

You’ll be shown how to encourage a sense of curiosity and exploration in your students with a variety of different activities including Sound Explorers, Hey!, and Al Fresco, a simple improvisation idea.

Module 2

Module Two immerses you and your students in a world of sonic exploration.

You'll discover how to fascinate your students by creating captivating soundscapes harnessing the power of the sustaining pedal. Simple activities to prepare the ankle and foot muscles for using the pedalling are explained and how to expand your students’ musical horizons with a listening exploration.

Module 3

Module Three is the pivotal point of our course, focusing on the crucial distinction between direct pedalling and legato pedalling.

Learn how to introduce direct pedalling effectively, followed by a step-by-step process for systematically introducing legato pedalling.

Soon, you will possess the tools and confidence to teach this essential skill with expertise and precision.

Module 4

Module Four provides a valuable opportunity for you and your students to consolidate and expand upon the skills learnt previously.

This final module introduces a collection of our favourite activities and repertoire specifically designed to help your students practice and refine their legato pedalling skills.

Finish the course with confidence and a strong foundation.

Bonus Videos

As a special bonus, we provide additional repertoire suggestions that will enhance your students' musical journey.

You'll discover the importance of good posture, ensuring optimal playing and pedalling technique.

Finally, there's a video looking at the topic of pedal extenders, gaining valuable insights into their benefits and how they can aid younger students.

Tutors Q&A

Join course tutors Dr Sally Cathcart and Joanna Garcia for a live Q&A meeting on the final day of the How to Teach Pedalling course.

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Sally Cathcart

Course Director

Sally has presented her research and ideas on teaching music notation to 1000s of instrumental and classroom teachers over the past twenty years, often resulting in transformative effects for their students. She is very excited to be bringing everything together in one place for the first time.

Joanna Garcia

Course Tutor

Curious Ambassador Joanna García is the director of her own piano school, a pianist, accompanist and adjudicator, and has become something of a specialist in teaching and coaching piano teachers. Known for her positivity, upbeat style and humorous outlook, Joanna can often be found sharing her expertise on social media.

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