by Kristine Peters, Education Coordinator
Wharton Music Center
Last week my piano students and I had the amazing experience of performing for the local senior center, an event enthusiastically arranged by the parent of one of my students. When she stood up to speak at the advent of the program, she described me as “an incredible teacher with lots of creativity.” I have to admit that “creativity” is not an adjective that I readily apply to myself. As a musician, I usually feel very rigid. Many pianists can just sit down and play--that is not something I’m comfortable doing. But lately, my students have inspired me to be more creative. Children are naturally free of boundaries and, lacking the self consciousness and inhibitions plaguing many adults, explore and bend rules without the fear of the unknown. They compose, they improvise so easily. I often find myself jealous of their creativity.
Early childhood music is such a magical time for this kind of creativity. In an effort to foster this in children, I open all my Pathways to Piano classes with an instrument exploration that includes many variations of pitched and unpitched percussion instruments, egg shakers and rhythms sticks. A few weeks ago, I taught them the folksong Closet Key. Today in class yet another magical thing happened: they decided to do their own “cover” of the song using triangles, the piano, and finger cymbals.
Moments like these are so special, not just as a teaching moment, but also because they represent the creative independence and abilities inherent to young children.
Watch video from the Pathways to Piano class here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMC_fwXofIs
Pathways to Piano classes meet on Wednesdays at 3:45-4:30 p.m. and Fridays at 4:00-4:45 p.m. at 60 Locust Avenue in Berkeley Heights. To register for Pathways to Piano or for more information, call Wharton Music Center at 908-790-0700 or visit www.WhartonMusicCenter.org.
Wharton Music Center
Last week my piano students and I had the amazing experience of performing for the local senior center, an event enthusiastically arranged by the parent of one of my students. When she stood up to speak at the advent of the program, she described me as “an incredible teacher with lots of creativity.” I have to admit that “creativity” is not an adjective that I readily apply to myself. As a musician, I usually feel very rigid. Many pianists can just sit down and play--that is not something I’m comfortable doing. But lately, my students have inspired me to be more creative. Children are naturally free of boundaries and, lacking the self consciousness and inhibitions plaguing many adults, explore and bend rules without the fear of the unknown. They compose, they improvise so easily. I often find myself jealous of their creativity.
Early childhood music is such a magical time for this kind of creativity. In an effort to foster this in children, I open all my Pathways to Piano classes with an instrument exploration that includes many variations of pitched and unpitched percussion instruments, egg shakers and rhythms sticks. A few weeks ago, I taught them the folksong Closet Key. Today in class yet another magical thing happened: they decided to do their own “cover” of the song using triangles, the piano, and finger cymbals.
Moments like these are so special, not just as a teaching moment, but also because they represent the creative independence and abilities inherent to young children.
Watch video from the Pathways to Piano class here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMC_fwXofIs
Pathways to Piano classes meet on Wednesdays at 3:45-4:30 p.m. and Fridays at 4:00-4:45 p.m. at 60 Locust Avenue in Berkeley Heights. To register for Pathways to Piano or for more information, call Wharton Music Center at 908-790-0700 or visit www.WhartonMusicCenter.org.
