When Sideways Is Forward

Confession time again.  I grew up with The Arts Publication Series method, published through the St. Louis Conservatory (which also reveals that I am as old as dirt).  That series focused on rapid progression of technique and keyboard movement, much like the original Thompson series.  So my teaching over the last thirty-odd years has mirrored that mentality.

Our society loves fast progress.  We are wowed by toddlers who blaze through Bach; cell phones that have everything in them, when a mere generation ago we were tied to corded phones; computers that fit into our hands instead of requiring entire rooms.  We love speed.  We love progress.  Admit it.  We as teachers love students who progress fast.

In my presentations on dyslexia, one of the symptoms I make a big deal of is the fact that while a beginner student learns at a fairly normal rate in the Primer and Level One books, their progress comes to a standstill by Level Two.  After all the preaching I've done about this classic symptom, I missed it in two of my students who have struggled with reading/concentration.  When I finally clued in, I made the difficult choice of moving sideways instead of trying to progress.  So I started researching the same level in several different method books.  Guess what I found?

There is no such thing as Level Two.  Or Level One.  Or any level, for that matter.

The original Bastien method series expects smooth transition over the keyboard and a knowledge of key signatures in level one.  The Glover method series introduces beginning analysis in level two, while Faber utilizes Middle-C position in their level two.  The original Thompson level one practically has the beginning student playing Bach fugues (yes, I'm exaggerating.  A bit.)

In recognizing the wildly different levels in "Level Two", I realized that by going sideways and exploring different methods at the same level, I would still make progress with students with reading issues.  More importantly, we both would avoid frustration to the point of quitting.  Which makes all these choices of method books, which I have snubbed for thirty-odd years, suddenly a cornucopia of invaluable resources.

So now, one of my students is playing arrangements of early songs by Bastien, Glover, and Faber.  This student's reading is improving, their frustration level has dropped, and they are moving around the piano outside of hand positions.

And I am realizing that moving sideways (exploring the same level in different method books) is an excellent way of moving forward.