Curriculum

Level 1 Basic Scope

Repertoire

Suzuki Piano School Volume 1
  1. Twinkle Variations
  2. Lightly Row (German Folk Song)
  3. The Honeybee (Bohemian Folk Song)
  4. Cuckoo (German Folk Song)
  5. French Children’s Song (French Folk Song)
  6. London Bridge (English Folk Song)
  7. Mary Had a Little Lamb (American Nursery Song)
  8. Go Tell Aunt Rhody (Folk Song)
  9. Au Clair de la Lune (Jean-Baptiste Lully)
  10. Long, Long Ago (Thomas Haynes Bayly)
  11. Little Playmates (F.X. Chwatal)
  12. Chant Arabe (Anonymous)
  13. Allegretto 1 (Carl Czerny)
  14. Goodbye to Winter (Folk Song)
  15. Allegretto 2 (Carl Czerny)
  16. Christmas Day Secrets (T. Dutton)
  17. Allegro (Shinichi Suzuki)
  18. Musette (Anonymous)

Musicianship

Solfegge
  • Daily Do (Michiko Yurko)

Technical Concepts covered

  1. Finger strokes for playing legato: paste, walk, pull
  2. Finger strokes for playing staccato: flick, jump, drop, pop
  3. Alberti bass
  4. Chords
  5. Thirds
  6. Slur
  7. Phrasing
  8. Portamento
  9. Rests: wrist float
  10. Tonalization

Musical Concepts covered

  1. Legato
  2. Staccato
  3. Non-legato
  4. Interval singing: M2, M3, P4, P5, m6, m7, P8
  5. Forms: ABA, AABA, AA’BB’, ABAC
  6. Repeats, Fine, da capo
  7. Ostinatos
  8. Chords: I IV V V7
  9. Keys: C major, G major, a minor, d minor
  10. Time Signatures: 4/4, 3/4, 2/4, 2/2
  11. Note patterns: tiri-tiri, ti-ti, ta, ti-tiri, syncopa, tay ti ta,

Level 2 Basic Scope

Repertoire

Suzuki Piano School Volume 2
  1. Ecossaise (Johann Nepomuk Hummel)
  2. A Short Story (Heinrich Lichner)
  3. The Happy Farmer (Robert Schumann)
  4. Minuet in G Major (Johann Sebastian Bach)
  5. Minuet in G Major (Anonymous)
  6. Minuet in G Minor (Johann Sebastian Bach)
  7. Cradle Song, Op. 13, No. 2 (Carl Maria von Weber)
  8. Arietta (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
  9. Hungarian Folk Song (Bela Bartok)
  10. Melody (Robert Schumann)
  11. Minuet in G Major (Christian Petzold)
  12. Sonatina in G Major, Anh. 5 (Ludwig van Beethoven)
  13. Children at Play (Bela Bartok)
Hymn Playing

* Optional. Hymns assignments depend on the age, maturity, and learning curve of the student. Other pieces outside of this list are also given depending on the circumstances.

*Early Advent Hymns, arr. by Irene Bennett

  1. O When Shall I See Jesus
  2. What A Wonderful Saviour
  3. O Day of Rest and Gladness
  4. You Will See Your Lord A-Coming
  5. The Three Angels Messages
  6. Come Come Ye Saints
  7. Welcome Welcome Day of Rest
  8. We Love Thy Sabbath Lord
  9. The Judgment Has Set
  10. I’m a Pilgrim
  11. I Saw One Weary

*Immortal Hymns, arr. by Phillip Keveren

  1. And Can It Be
  2. Be Thou My Vision
  3. Christ the Lord Has Risen Today
  4. Come Thou Almighty King
  5. Come Thou Fount
  6. I Surrender All
  7. Immortal, Invisible
  8. In the Garden
  9. Softly and Tenderly
  10. O God Our Help
  11. O Worship the King
  12. This Is My Father’s World

Musicianship Activities

Reading
  • Method Rose by Van de Velde
Sight-Reading
  • Mini Books by Kristine Gore
Solfegge
  • Kodaly 333 by Zoltan Kodaly
Rhythm Exercises
  • Rhythm Graded Series by ComposeCreate
Music Theory
  • Music Mind Games by Michiko Yurko
  • Notation
Ensemble
  • Diabelli Duets
  • Suzuki Book 1 Duets
  • Hymn Duets

Technical concepts covered

  • Note-reading
  • Scales and triads
  • Potato or ‘dab’
  • Slurs
  • Rotation
  • Independence of hands
  • Holding the bass line or upper melodic line
  • Ornaments
  • Arpeggiation
  • Tonalization
  • Phrasing
  • Finger substitution

Musical concepts covered

  • Dynamics
  • Forms: Uni-sectional, Binary, Ternary, and Through-composed
  • Keys: CGF majors, adg minors
  • New time signatures: 3/8, 6/8
  • Tempo markings: Allegro, Moderato, Allegretto, Con moto, Andante, Andante cantabile, Andantino, Quasi adagio
  • Modulation