What will students learn in Hunt & Peck Classes? 

Hunt & Peck Piano Courses begin with an introductory 6-week course.  If students choose to continue, they can take three subsequently advancing 8-week courses in the same time slot as long as there are sufficient students.  The skills and concepts students will learn are as follows:

Introductory Course skills and concepts (no keyboard necessary):

• Identify treble clef notes using fun figures from the story The Carrot, the Dog, the Egg and the Frog (… and the Bunny)
• Identify piano keys using the story figures
  
• Sing a song to learn left and right (helpful in identifying piano keys)
  
• Color in simple treble clef music and jump it on piano key sock mats
• Sing and act out simple songs that reinforce the treble clef notes and piano keys

 The skills and concepts listed above are taught using dry-erase clef and keyboard mats and associated small game pieces, clef and piano key floor mats made from socks, and associated large game pieces (all but the socks are included with the class materials).
 
Level 1 skills and concepts (using keyboard – fold-up keyboard is fine):

• Begin “hunting and pecking” treble clef notes on keyboards  
• Understand sharps and flats, whole and half steps and find them on the keyboard
• Follow note patterns (jump them on sock mats and play on keyboards)
• Learn to count and jump 1, 2 and 4-beat notes and rests using Clap & Jump Rhythms
• Color in simple treble clef music, jump it on the sock mats and play it on keyboards
• Review treble clef and keyboard notes

 
Level 2 skill and concepts: 

• Identify bass clef notes using figures from the story Zipping Along
• Begin “hunting and pecking” bass clef notes on keyboards
• Build measures from Clap & Jump Rhythms using the “Build-A-Measure” Mat
• Add ½-beat notes and rests to rhythms (jump or clap rhythms)
• Color and play simple music in the bass clef
• Review and improve skills from level 1

 
Level 3 skills and concepts: 

• Color, jump and play simple music containing both treble and bass clef notes
• Play simple duets
• Recognize pitch changes and jump them on sock mats
• Jump more complicated rhythms and learn to jump/clap one rhythm while the teacher is jumping/ clapping another

 
 When students have completed the Level 3 course, they may wish to find a local piano instructor.