Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Teachers Forum Russian School of Piano Playing

Zombie Thread arises!

I agree, HOWEVER, I do love and teach from Book I.

Why do you think that this is how every lesson goes with every teacher? Also, you have outlined three items - scale, etude, piece - but the items are not the teaching, or what is taught within those items. Something is missing here.

She talks to my daughter about the pieces. She goes home knowing what to do. I just figured that is how pretty much every piano lesson went. She also goes over the theory pages.

MaggieGirl,

You are mostly correct, but I think the issue is the simplification.

A piano lesson will result in a combination of: theory, repertoire, technique, and skills. Not every lesson will cover each component and not every student will even be doing all of the above. But, in essence, those are the large 'groups' of assignments for piano students.

At my classical lesson today, we went over scales/arpeggio technique and one piece. Theory happened through both of these. Didn't even come close to discussing skills.

At my jazz lesson right after that, we went over skills (accompanying patterns and chords), which included theory, and also went through a couple of standards. Didn't talk about technique.

It all depends on what the goals and focuses are. For a beginner/early-on student, scale+repertoire+theory is usually a typical assignment and progression.

Yes, I am amazed at what is covered in a lesson. It seems the backbone is reviewing work and discussing it. I think that is why effort outside of class by the student matters so much, if they don't practice, they seem (from just observing) to be on a hamster wheel with progress. It appears to me you can't "cram" or "fake" a lesson. And how disappointing for a teacher to prepare a lesson only to have a student show up who did almost nothing during the week and have to quickly reconfigure expectations.

Wow, out of the graveyard of forgotten favorites, a two and a half year old thread! Out of no where, even. But it is fun seeing some of the old names of posters who we haven't seen for long, long, time. I wonder if some of them are still lurking????

I know that is the old post, but still if you dear Elk are still interested then my post will be helpful. I am from Russia too and i tried the Bastien and other methods. The Russian School for piano playing i find the best. My students play scales, arpeggios, chords, Czerny, Hanon. Only students with an aptitude for music and strong and determined parents, or serious adults stay with my program, but it really works and students appreciate. And I decided i don't need those who can not commit him/herself to piano.

In the first place, what is so Russian about these books? What is the Russian school? Czerny and Hanon were not Russian, and scales, arpeggios, etc. are not the invention of the so-called Russian school. The notion is absurd.

The so-called Russian school is academically descended from the German school. Liszt might be said to have been the originator of the Russian school given the impact his tour of Russia had, and that Anton Rubinstein openly acknowledged Liszt as "the father of us all." The history of the great Russian teachers is too extensive to recount in one post. Broadly speaking, the best Russian pianists were known for virtuosic technique and a singing tone. Not all of them lived up to that description, but the best did (Anton Rubinstein, Rachmaninoff, Lhevinne, etc.)

How is the Russian school distinctly different from the requirements of the Berlin or Paris conservatories? No difference. There really is nothing particularly Russian in any meaningful way about this books series, and I regard the title as flatly fraudulent. At this point in time, there is only one international school - the so-called national schools have effectively disappeared. Using the magical incantation of "Russian" is both antiquated and an exploitation of those ignorant enough to fall for such a shallow line.

I find this book series staggeringly boring and unimaginative, and I will not inflict them on my students. Any teacher who relies on one particular book series cannot remain flexible to the individual needs of students whose progress is in no way enhanced by obedience to someone else's marketing gimmick.