Piano Boot Camp: Special Ops has everything you need in a 22-page teacher guide and a 30-page student workbook that includes a personal journal and musical exercises. The only materials called for beyond these books are things you are likely to have around the house already. Cardstock, envelopes, markers, etc. You'll also use your computer or tablet to access some YouTube videos and other free resources online. To read the entire 4-page introduction to the teacher's guide, click here.
This curriculum will allow you to conduct a five-day, one-and-a-half-hour camp for tweens and young teens, with classes for 2-3 students at a time, using one piano. If you have a piano lab, you can adapt it for a larger group as well. Special Ops is meant to be challenging, and students will sign a commissioning document promising to work at home in addition to their time in camp. When I held this camp last summer, I was heartened to see that my students were quite willing to embrace a lot of hard work in a short burst of time! Your students will rise to the occasion if you give them that occasion!
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| Sample page from the student book |
The “secret mission”
of this camp is metacognition. Metacognition
is awareness of one's
own learning or thinking processes. My goal in Special Ops is to help students
learn to plan their goals for practicing and to think about what might be
preventing or helping them to achieve their goals whether it is a mental
roadblock, procrastination, or a technique problem. Students at the tween+ age
are ready to think about their own thinking. Special Ops helps them take
command of their own learning.
Special Ops is appropriate for approximately ages 10-15. Students should be in at least a level 2A method book such as Faber or Alfred Premier, and should know their lines and spaces and basic theory up to that point. You can customize the levels of the literature and exercises to fit your students. Some of my students were in Alfred 2A, while others were playing sonatinas and simple Chopin. You choose the literature.
Before I went back to college to study music, I earned a degree in secondary education, and I am certified to teach English in grades 6-12. I've had classroom experience, so I know what teachers need! This curriculum is practically scripted for you! The teacher's guide does not duplicate the student book - it is crammed full of highly-detailed instructions for how to conduct every activity, and even includes a suggested time limit for each one to be sure you can get all the material in to the lesson.
Special Price for a Limited Time!
From now until April 25th, 2015, Piano Boot Camp: Special Ops is available for download in my Etsy store at a special price of $25. This includes the rights to reproduce the student workbook for all of your students. The price will increase to on April 26th, so be sure to check it out soon!
Giveaway!
There's still time to enter a giveaway for a free copy until noon on Saturday, 4/18/15! Visit this page and leave a comment to enter the giveaway! UPDATE: Giveaway is now closed!
2 comments:
Is the Piano Boot Camp available to purchase in physical hard copy form? I have dial-up internet and cannot download large files.
Thank you.
Hi, Mary Beth, and thanks for your interest! I would be happy to print the material and mail it to you, but I'd need to charge an additional fee for the paper/ink/shipping. If you're interested, please email me using the email link in the "connections" box in the left sidebar and I'll work up a price for you.
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