Assigning Repertoire - The Balanced Approach

Assigning Repertoire - The Balanced Approach

For the inaugural post of this blog, I am going to write about a topic that I feel is integral in piano teaching but strangely rarely discussed even in many pedagogical literatures.

When it comes to choosing and repertoire for students, teachers often do this in linear fashion. Meaning, the next pieces a student learn would be incrementally more difficult than the current ones. So, for example, once a Grade 4 student completed Grade 4, they would move on the Grade 5 and only work on pieces set for Grade 5.

Many teachers I know of follow this system, and to them it seems to be logical and fuss-free. But is it really? Consider that assigning repertoire this way means students would most likely be working only on pieces that are challenging for them. Motivated students might relish the challenge, but for majority of average students this might mean increasingly slow and frustrating progress that would gradually erode motivation.

In addition, this approach might also result in woefully minute amount of repertoire that a student might acquire in their learning journey. The practice of learning only 3 pieces per grade is tragically not uncommon. Students would only learn the bare minimum number of pieces necessary to complete a grade or exam so they could be promoted to the next grade. There are plenty Grade 8 holders who were barely exposed to the vast piano oeuvre and have little knowledge of what the instrument has to offer.

So, is there a better way? Yes, I do think so. I have always espoused a balanced approach towards assigning repertoire. Put it simply, this means a student should have a mix of pieces of various difficulties and genres. At minimum, a student should be simultaneously working on one challenge piece, one current level piece, and one easier piece. Then depending on the motivation and level of proficiency of the student, more pieces of appropriate difficulties could be added. So, for example, a very motivated and technically competent student might be working on more than 1 challenge piece. Whereas a more average student might have more easier pieces in the mix.

Increasing difficulties of learning are of course essential to move students forward. This balanced approach ensures that this objective is still met, but without the risk of stretching students beyond what are comfortable and realistic for them. With larger amount of repertoire acquired, this approach also enriches students’ learning experience more with added positive effect of maintaining their motivation level.

In addition to mixing difficulty levels, also consider the various genres that you would like your students to be more familiar with. Jumping into deep end of unfamiliar genres might not be the wisest thing to do. If say, the first jazz-like piece that a grade 8 student attempted was Gershwin’s 1^st Prelude, it might be overwhelming. Instead, easier pieces of lower grades e.g., Oscar Peterson’s Jazz Exercises could be assigned first to familiarise a student with the jazz idiom. You could also explore collaborative works such as piano duets or instrumental accompaniments to further enrich students’ learning experiences.

Current level and easier pieces could also be used to introduce or further reinforce a technical aspect. For example, a Grade 6 student who was weak at chord voicing might be assigned Macdowell’s “To Wild Rose” to master it further.

If you would like to start to adopt a balanced approach of assigning repertoire but unsure where to start, there are numerous repertoire anthologies grouped according to grades for example ABRSM’s Core Classics and Encore series. There are also reference books such as Jane Magrath’s “The Pianist’s Guide to Standard Teaching and Performance Literature” and Maurice Hinson’s “Guide to the Pianist’s Repertoire” that provide descriptions and approximate grade levels of most standard pedagogical repertoire.

One last thing - don’t forget to involve your students in the selection process. Ask them if they had any pieces they would like to learn. Let them choose from a selection of pieces you had shortlisted. This way, they would take greater ownerships in the pieces they were learning and would be more likely to be motivated to practice them.