Structure

Keyboard skills associated with jazz, pop, and other improvisatory styles may be taught so that, instead of working against or being separated from the classics, they complement and enhance students’ understanding of traditional piano repertoire, and vice versa.  This is one of the main principles of integral keyboard teaching. Instead of looking only at the usual notes and fingerings, classically trained pianists benefit from understanding the structure of pieces.

The Aural Tradition

Music literacy, that is, being able to read music, is one aspect of primary importance in learning to play keyboard music. However, piano players, if they are complete musicians, should be ready to sit down and just play something, whether they have their music with them or not, or whether they have a piece memorized or not. This way of playing involves skills that come from the aural, or oral traditions of music from around the world, and include improvising, arranging, composing and playing by ear.