<p>I am a junior in high school and a serious student of both voice and piano. My mother questions whether my piano teacher includes everything I need to learn in my lessons. I work out of Alfred Level II 3-in-1 Lesson Book, Czerny-Germer Volume I, Easy Piano Classics (Bastien for the Older Beginner), various sonatinas, and some easier Chopin pieces from the Bastien Piano Literature Level 4. I know all major scales up to three octaves in triplets as well as all harmonic, melodic, and natural minor scales up to two octaves in eighth notes. I have a theory book in Level 4 out of ten levels total that I have not touched for weeks; my fault there. The Alfred's lesson book covers chord progressions slowly and in select keys.</p>
<p>My teacher works from the Eastman Community School piano curriculum, yet the curriculum posted on the Community School's includes arpeggios, chord progressions, transposing/harmony, and ear training, none of which I cover with my piano teacher. As a serious student, should I be working on those things? Should I just ask her to start teaching me more theory or should she cover the above areas automatically?</p>
<p>I want to either teach and possibly perform classical singing (opera, oratorio, etc) or accompany and teach piano. I am also interested in vocal coaching. </p>
<p>I have always dreamed of pursuing music but never seriously considered it until the past six months to a year; so I am not completely sure which path I will ultimately choose: piano or voice.</p>
<p>Do you also take an annual theory test? Ear training, arpeggios, etc. are covered on the theory test my daughter takes. I don't know how much outside of the test they cover though :) and ear training is her nemesis. You might ask your teacher about it but I'm a bit surprised your teacher doesn't at least cover some throughout the year.</p>
<p>If there is a Certificate of Merit program in your area, it offers annual theory tests, including aural skills and a kind of "jury" and there is a repertoire list and there are prep books for it; your teacher may know about this and can help you with it.</p>
<p>I think a more basic question that you should consider is:</p>
<p>Do I have the proper background to audition and be accepted as a piano major?</p>
<p>Without knowing your playing and length of study (have you studied for a year or two or more like a month or two?), it's hard to judge your progress, but I believe that you will find your current ability and repertoire are below the level needed to audition and be accepted as a piano performance major or probably even music ed major with piano as your instrument. I'd suggest going to the audition requirements page of the music departments for the schools you are interested in and see what you will need to perfom to be considered for acceptance.</p>
<p>The whole topic of wanting to major in music - possibly piano - is a question you should raise with your current teacher.</p>
<p>All that said, the piano background you describe will serve you well as a START toward keyboard familiarity if you go the vocal route and are accepted as a voice major. Virtually all music schools have keyboard proficiency requirements covering the skills you describe and those skills that you are concerned about acquiring. At most places, there will be proficiency tests to place you at the appropriate starting level and then you will complete the advanced keyboard courses to gain the skills the school deems necessary.</p>
<p>Piano accompanying - or collaborative piano - degrees are generally offered at the graduate level. You would need fine sight reading skills and fast learning abilities in addition to superb piano abilities. </p>
<p>If you are in the second of the Alfred older beginner books and already know all your scales, that's great! Ear training at this level usually only includes recognizing intervals (Google it - you can do this online), identifying major and minor chords by sound, etc. Sounds like you are getting the chord progression in a logical sequence. You can't learn it all at once. I'm guessing you are using the Kjos Theory books (since they come in 10 levels). They are excellent. Level 4 is appropriate (or a bit ahead) of your lesson books. I wouldn't want you to go too much faster -- like learning calculus while in your first year of algebra, it isn't going to make sense.</p>
<p>I don't use the Alfred books anymore, so I'm not sure if they include transposition. If so, it's probably written in tiny letters at the bottom of a particular piece, for "extra credit". Say, a piece is in the key of G and they want you to try playing it in C -- It is an exercising in using all the clues of music reading EXCEPT the actual note. At this level, it will mostly use intervals and key signatures, and, where necessary, finger numbers.</p>
<p>I also think you are not advanced enough yet to consider majoring in piano. However, it will produce excellent ground work for being a vocal performance major or any other music-related career. Many schools' piano requirements come out to about 3 years worth of solid piano training. So you will cut back drastically or eliminate any piano requirements in college.</p>
<p>I took lessons in fourth grade for less than a year; I stopped at the beginning-middle of level I study. After a six year hiatus from formal study, I picked up lessons again in July 2008. I am now studying somewhere around Level II with a few extra skills (all the scales and a few harder pieces). I do not know if I am learning quicker, on pace, or slower than the average piano student. </p>
<p>Fiddlestix: You bring up a good point that I have definitely considered. I know I am very, very far behind in my piano training; that's why I never considered majoring in piano until recently. When I asked my piano teacher if I had a chance at studying piano in college, she said yes. I was surprised, too. I think I will bring up the subject again in the next lesson. </p>
<p>Highland Mom: I do not think I have an annual theory test. The only annual event I know of is the piano festival run through the studio I attend. The festival involves playing two memorized pieces and four scales: two major and two harmonic minor.</p>
<p>I started I-IV-V chord progressions and triad arpeggios myself. I can just ask my piano teacher to help me with theory. Thanks so much to everyone for your input!</p>
<p>Sounds like you are looking into this with both eyes open. Good for you!</p>
<p>I had another idea for you if you're interested in experimenting a bit more on some keyboard skills - transposing, chord progressions, etc. There are several fairly standard texts that many colleges use for group keyboard skill classes that present some of the skills you're concerned about. I checked my files - I have several books including:</p>
<p>Keyboard Strategies by Stecher, Horowitz, Gordon, et al. published by Schirmer. I'm looking at Master Text II, obviously there's a lower level available as well.</p>
<p>Keyboard Musicianship: Piano for Adults by Lyke, Caramia, et al. published by Stipes. There are two volumes for this also.</p>
<p>There are other texts as well. I'm sure you can search Amazon and probably even review the table of contents to check for the skills you want to develop. </p>
<p>Realistically, judging only as the parent of a pianist, you don't seem at this point to have the experience, skills, or repertoire to be competitive in a conservatory level program; by your senior year, you would need to be playing, with skill, a Bach fugue, a classical sonata by Beethoven or Haydn, a Romantic sonata by Schumann or Chopin, and a 20th century piece of some difficulty even to send in audition tapes for prescreening for a conservatory. You might consider applying to a summer program on piano and see how you fare, though it is somewhat late at this point for many of them.</p>
<p>Another conservatory piano mother here, and I agree with Mamenyu. Even at less competitive music schools in universities, there are still requirements for at least three pieces, usually including one movement of a sonata, a Bach (not always a prelude/fugue, which is the conservatory standard), and a romantic piece. At that level, usually only two pieces need to be memorized, whereas all five at the conservatory level do.</p>
<p>Down a level or two (a non "flagship" state school) and the requirements are like this:</p>
<p>Most conservatory pianists will be playing pieces substantially more advanced than this, but these requirements indicate that there are schools with more relaxed, lower level audition requirements. It would probably be wise to talk to your teacher and get a sense of what type of school he/she is thinking would be appropriate for your current level or rate of progress.</p>
<p>Well, I suppose I won't be able to major in piano, but it is nice to know that I am studying or about to study the above listed audition requirements. At least I will have a solid beginning in piano skills before beginning college--probably to study voice.</p>
<p>My dd (a high school junior) takes piano at SMU, which has a piano pedagogy program for grad students. One of the students majored in something else in undergrad and he's now getting his masters in piano pedagogy - so don't fret your "late" entry in the field of piano! My dd started lessons at age 11 but quickly forged ahead - motivation was a key factor :)</p>
<p>Thanks for your encouragement, HighlandMom! I do hope to continue piano lessons through college, so perhaps I will have a few options open as far as grad school.</p>