Practical Tips to Solve Common Issues in Teaching Advanced Transfer Students, by Siok Lian Tan
Dr. Siok Lian Tan serves as a professor of piano at Miami University in Oxford, OH. During this session, Dr. Tan discussed how to help solve common issues in advanced transfer students. The areas she discussed were reading, efficient practice, critical listening, memorization, and playing posture. Below are some highlights from her session.
I. Reading Skills
Sometimes, we get students we could call “seasonal readers.” They can play advanced music but cannot sight read simple pieces.
Strategies for sightreading: Just do it, and regularly. Do it at home and at the beginning of the lesson.
Guide the student as they scan it over. Give them reading steps they can do at home (e.g.: Set a pulse, count off, finger the piece silently, etc.). Ask them for the meter and key signature. Look for patterns and sections, modulations, etc. Make a game out of it: What can they notice about the piece in 10 seconds time?
Another strategy: Create situations where students must read a lot and learn quickly. Continue reading “2013 OhioMTA Conference (2) — Solving Common Issues in Advanced Transfer Students, by Siok Lian Tan”