Helping Students Find Their Musical Voice
Many times over the years, I have heard so many people say “I started piano lessons, got frustrated and quit, but I wish I knew how to play!” Sound familiar? I realized they had not connected to the piano by playing songs, because they had gotten bogged down in the reading music process. This began a search for a better way to teach piano, which basically gave me a choice of either a playing-based approach or a traditional approach. With my background of traditional music education, I was eager to try the playing-based approach.
I loved the immediate connection to the piano and quality of songs beginning students experienced, which motivated them. However, reading music was delayed too long, which eventually hindered progress, because their playing ability was far beyond their reading ability. This led me to find a better solution by combining the best of both worlds, both traditional and playing-based. In writing and using the Sunrise Music Piano Curriculum, I saw positive improvement in my students with this combined approach.
This combination has equipped my piano students better than either of the other two approaches by themselves.
Combining the two approaches still gives the student that immediate connection to the instrument, which is highly motivating. However, from the first lesson, they are seeing the written music of the song and learning step by step to understand this musical language and how it relates to the piano and the songs they are playing. Relating to the written music from the first lesson made it familiar to the student and lesson by lesson laid the foundation for this essential musical tool. Students embrace reading music & musical concepts because they understand how it relates to the songs they play. They also use these skills to compose, improvise, arrange, & produce the music they love.
Helping students find their musical voice to enrich their lives and those around them is my passion!
This website makes available Sunrise Music Piano Curriculum to students, teachers, parents, and anyone who wants to learn piano or keyboard. If you do not have a teacher, some knowledge of music is important for you to use these books. Homeschool families can use this innovative piano curriculum for their music classes.
Playing piano or keyboard lays a wonderful foundation in music for eventually playing other instruments, composing, arranging, or producing music. A famous neurosurgeon stated that nothing you do in life fires your left brain & right brain cells as much as piano playing.
Piano playing, understanding musical concepts, is proven to help a person in other areas of their learning and all areas of life.
I attended a session on “Music & Memory” in 2018 at Aspen, Colorado, where research scientists presented their several year study after following the musical journeys of 5 year olds and 70 year olds. Across the board, everyone in this study that had musical education had better memory skills and life skills. The 70 year olds, engaged in music, each had an identical twin who did not have a musical activity. The ones engaged in music had a 70% less cognitive decline than their twin.
Music is amazing in so many ways! Most of all, music is a God given gift that ministers to us whether we are happy or hurting. Everyone, of all ages and abilities, who wants to learn piano or keyboard to enrich their lives with music should have that opportunity. Realize your musical dreams to find your musical voice!
Suzanne Solum
Sunrise Music & Sunshine Piano Studio