AYB Music currently offers:
Skills
- Classical piano beginning through advanced
- Popular (printed pop, by-ear improvisation, lead sheet playing & arranging)
- Jazz (printed or stylized jazz, improvisation)
- Preparation for high school keyboard jazz band auditions
- Composition
- Songwriting
- Piano pedagogy
- Music theory (beginning through advanced)
Evaluation Programs
- The MTAC Certificate of Merit™ (C/M) program offers 12 levels of piano proficiency—Preparatory through Advanced Panel. Five areas of piano study are evaluated—memorized and non-memorized repertoire, technique proficiency, written theory exam, ear training exam, and sightreading exam. Improvisation is an optional element. Theory proficiency at the advanced level serves as an excellent prerequiste for AP music theory preparation.
- The National Piano Teachers Guild's National Guild Auditions offers 21 levels of piano proficiency—Level Elementary A (EA) through Artist D (AD). Memorized repertoire (including jazz, popular, and student compositions), and extensive technique are evaluated. No written theory exam is required, but written theory will be supplemented in the studio. Sightreading, ear training, and improvisation are optional musicianship phases.
Electronic Assistance
- Electronic practice partner
- Computer rhythm drills
- Computer theory tutoring
- Computer theory drilling
- Computer ear training
- Sequencing
- Computer notation
Group Sessions
Group Sessions provide many musical and social benefits for students—added incentive to practice, familiar faces at recitals, faster and more fun learning especially of theory concepts and technical elements, ensemble playing which reinforces counting and sightreading, adds new dimension to the solitary nature of piano study.
- Scheduled quarterly in addition to individual lessons.
- Structured as a piano class, large group, and also individual round robin modular learning
- Performance (memorized or works in progress) with emphasis on ear training and analysis
- Students are also asked to teach an aspect of their piece to classmates
- Activites include performance, games, rhythm, theory, sightreading, ear training, improvisation, analysis, and ensemble playing.