Getting Started

by Kirsten Levorson
Originally published in the January 2014 issue of the MMTA Newsletter

The Piano Exam Development Committee would like to thank all of you for responding to our survey this fall with helpful feedback about this program! Your responses are being reviewed to guide our work. Our first impressions: You affirmed the value of this comprehensive program, and you want tools to help you make this program even more accessible for more students.

As a result, we’ve decided to make “Getting Started with the Syllabus” our theme for this year. Our newsletter articles will detail a variety of ways teachers use the syllabus with their students, discuss the tools and resources we use to manage syllabus planning for our students, and give tips for mentally preparing students for the exam experience and for interpreting the adjudicator’s comments so that the student gets the full benefit of the program.

One comment that we heard many times from survey respondents was, “the syllabus provides the framework for my curriculum; I use it with all my students, even if they don’t go to the site and take the test.” That really sums up the value our members find in the syllabus.

So how do you get started using this fabulous curriculum with your students, if you haven’t before?

 1. Some teachers get started by using one part of the exam with all their students. It might be the technical
skills, or it might be the sightplaying. Students can prepare these portions of the exam and test them
separately if the comprehensive exam seems too daunting for a first step.

2. Some teachers learn the syllabus level by level. One year, they enter a bunch of students in the Prep level.
The next year, those students advance to Level One and a new bunch of students start Prep. Each year, the
teacher is simply learning the requirements for one new level of the syllabus.

3. Some teachers use the syllabus just for their hardest working students.

4. Some teachers limit the choices – for instance, having all students at a certain level play the same
repertoire selections.

5. Many let repertoire selections do double duty – contest pieces can be substituted, so that a piece the
student has already learned well can be the start of a full program.

6. Use your mentors. If you don’t have one, find one or ask a committee member for help. Check in
with a mentor when you are planning repertoire selections, and ask questions when requirements
seem confusing.

7. Volunteer on testing days. It’s a great way to get some hands on experience with the program. Helping at
the desk, you will see how things work and what you can do to make it a good experience for your
students. You’ll have time for conversation with seasoned teachers, too.

8. Check out the resources available to support the syllabus: 2010 Resource List helps you find syllabus
pieces in many anthologies; Piano Exam Prep Packet includes sample skills tests plus reproducible planning
forms; Style Characteristics Chart helps students prepare for oral questions; reproducible Keyboard Skills
sheets are available for Prep and Level One (more coming soon). All of these are available online at
www.mnmusicteachers.com on the Teachers Resources page.