064 - How I Plan a Year of Student Repertoire

How I Plan a Year of Student Repertoire in My Piano Studio - Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning podcast with Ashley Danyew, Ep. 064

Last week, I posted a reel on Instagram of my annual planning process for my studio. At the end of the summer, I pull out all my books, curriculum charts, and other planning notes and spend several hours making repertoire plans for each of my students.

One teacher commented that they're very curious about other teacher's approaches to long-term planning because, like many of us, they're not sure if what they're doing is the best/most effective/most efficient way to do things. Can you relate to that? I know I can.

Let me tell you a secret: I still feel this way about my own process.

The truth is it's taken me many years to get to the version of long-term planning you see in the reel and that I'll talk through in more detail today and I tweak it a little each year.

There are lots of ways to go about this—I think it just takes some time to try things and hone in on a process that makes sense to you, helps you feel organized and prepared, and works for your studio.

Today, I'll share a little more insight into my long-term planning process (the reel was a 21-second time-lapse video, but I actually spent about three hours at the piano).

I hope this inspires you and gives you a few new ideas or approaches to take back to your studio planning this year. Know that my process is still very much a work in progress. I will continue adjusting and tweaking it each year as I learn from what worked well and was helpful and what was not.

Gathering Repertoire-Planning Materials

It's 9 a.m. on a Thursday and I have the whole morning set aside for studio planning.

To begin, I gather my materials:

  • Method books and supplemental books sorted by level/year—I make stacks on the floor for Preparatory A through Level 8

  • A planning note in my Notes app where I jotted down popular selections my students requested and other repertoire ideas as I had them at the end of last year

  • A blank spiral notebook and pencil (old school)

  • My curriculum-planning document—something I put together last summer when the new edition of the Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM) Celebration Series came out. This document includes a list of my favorite pieces from each level in order of difficulty (my own analysis), supplemental collections, other method books, and individual pieces at a similar level, and technique requirements based on the RCM Piano Syllabus. A note about this resource: If you're not a piano teacher, RCM has several other syllabi available for free on their website for a variety of different instruments, including voice. View the catalog of RCM syllabi here.

I created my own technique charts to quickly reference things like keys and metronome markings, and so that I could copy them into each student's digital folder in the Notability app.

I talked about this in Ep. 047 when I shared an inside look at my week-to-week lesson-planning process, but I use Notability to write assignment sheets for all my students. I started doing this during the pandemic and found it so helpful to have a record of each student's assignment sheets with me at home so I could plan their next lesson. Plus, it's a way to loop parents into what's happening in our lessons, as I email them a copy of the assignment to print at home.

One thing I like about Notability is that I can create a folder for each student. This includes their weekly assignment sheet document, theory and landmark activities, which I talked about in Ep. 039, and repertoire and technique charts for their current level (pulled from my curriculum-planning document).

Elementary Repertoire Planning

So getting back to my planning session, I gather all these materials in my living room around the piano. I start with my youngest students, three rising 2nd graders. They are all in Piano Safari 1 right now, moving to Piano Safari 2 partway through the year.

In addition to their method, I like to choose 4-6 special pieces from other books that could be challenge pieces or performance pieces for them throughout the year. For this level, I'm choosing pieces from the Celebration Series Preparatory A and B books, Florence Price's Piano Teaching Music, and Chee-Hwa Tan's Through the Windowpane.

Some students will play the same piece, but I try to make sure that they have at least 1-2 that are their own, that no one else in the studio is playing.

This is particularly important for our end-of-year recital, as I like to have as much variety as possible and I think it helps students feel more ownership, but this year, we're celebrating the solar eclipse in April and I thought it might be fun to choose special music that relates to that. Perhaps we'll do an informance in one of our studio classes in the spring? I haven't decided yet. I'll share more about my planning for this event as we get into the school year.

Once I have special pieces picked out, I make a list of any new books students will need. At this level, most of the special pieces will be taught by rote or with off-staff notation that I create, so they won't need a physical copy of the music.

Sometimes, I do this on the computer—in a document or Notes app—but this year, I found it easiest to use pen and paper and make a repertoire list for each student in a plain, spiral-bound notebook.

Late Elementary Repertoire Planning

Next, I move on to my late elementary students.

This year, I have several rising 4th and 5th graders in Piano Safari 2 or Piano Safari 3. I spend some time playing through pieces in the Celebration Series Level 1 and 2 repertoire and etude books as well as Chee-Hwa Tan's A Child's Garden of Verses. Again, I choose 4-6 special pieces (including some from the public domain and some popular selections like Hedwig's Theme, Pink Panther, James Bond, and Jurassic Park) and write down any new books or music I want parents to purchase.

I have two students transitioning from Faber Level 3A into early intermediate repertoire this year—I've found that this is a good point in the series to start introducing other methods like the Celebration Series and curating repertoire from different style periods. I play through some repertoire from Levels 2 and 3 and review some of Chrissy Ricker's books (Let's Quest 2 and Perfect Patterns Plus).

This year, I'm making more of an effort to choose pieces from each style period (in the Celebration series, they're categorized as List A, B, or C) and an etude or two that focuses on a technical concept that could be helpful to review or reinforce.

At the end of last year, I asked if my students had any pieces they wanted to learn this year and I got all kinds of responses: movie themes, Taylor Swift, Für Elise, Bohemian Rhapsody, Coldplay, Florence Price, and in the words of one student, "hemiola anything."

I spend a little time searching MusicNotes for suitable arrangements or lead sheets and adding these links to my list of new music to send to parents.

Early Intermediate Repertoire Planning

Next, I plan music for my early intermediate students. I have two students who are going into high school, both ready for Level 4-5 repertoire.

I like the selections in the Celebration series, but the books are expensive and several of the pieces are in the public domain, which we can download and print for free. So, I started by making a list of pieces from each style period I thought they'd enjoy playing, then evaluated how many selections were in the public domain and if it was worth them buying the book.

I am recommending that both students purchase a copy of William Gillock's Lyric Preludes, which I love—so many interesting composition styles, keys to explore, and expressive skill-building opportunities. In addition, we will continue using a few books from last year: Kevin Olson's Preludes in Patterns and Andrea Dow's Sessions books. Popular selections range from the James Bond Theme (found on MusicNotes) to Clocks by Coldplay (learning by ear).

Finally, I move on to my intermediate students who are playing anywhere from Levels 5-8 (and beyond). These students use the Celebration Series plus Valerie Capers' Portraits in Jazz, Phillip Keveren's Disney Songs for Classical Piano, Melody Bober’s Melody’s Choice, Book 4, Martha Mier's Jazz, Rags, and Blues, Book 5, some public domain music (Scriabin, Schubert, Bach), and a range of popular selections including "Test Drive" from How to Train Your Dragon and "Married Life" from Up.

Again, I spend some time playing through the music in the Celebration books (repertoire and etudes) and choosing pieces from each list/style period. I also research popular arrangements on MusicNotes to try to find something that would provide a good amount of challenge while still being playable (does anyone else have this problem with some of the online arrangements? Everything written in octaves, awkward leaps or rhythm notation, etc.). It really does take careful review sometimes.

Once I have a repertoire list for each student (and I've grouped the pieces into Fall and Spring so I can keep track of what to assign when), I copy them into a note on my computer so I have a digital copy.

Then, I add repertoire and technique charts to each student's Notability folder, as I mentioned at the beginning. This way, during a lesson, I can quickly hop over to their repertoire chart for the year and see what special pieces they've completed and what new pieces I still want to assign. I highlight piece titles in blue for pieces I've chosen and green for ones they've completed.

Last year, I kept the repertoire and technique charts in two separate documents, which was a little cumbersome, so this year, I combined them into one and I think that will be easier for me to quickly assess how a student is tracking toward the goals of a particular level.

One final note: Remember, this is just a plan and it can shift and change as you go. Nothing is set in stone. Some students may really excel and be ready to level up before the end of the year. Others may need more time learning a piece than I anticipated, meaning we don't get to everything I planned.

I find it helpful to begin the year with a goal—what I want students to accomplish and where I want them to be at the end of the semester or year.

Conclusion

I hope this helps clarify my process and offers you a new or different perspective on long-term repertoire planning for your students.

I'd love to hear about your approach—we're always learning and tweaking and figuring out how to do this better or more efficiently, right?—we can learn from each other. Share a post or video about your planning process and tag me—inquiring minds want to know!

Follow along with my creative work and daily adventures: @ashleydanyew

In honor of #smallbusinesssaturday2024, here are my ✨2025 predictions✨ for musicians and creative entrepreneurs: 1️⃣ Pivoting will still be essential: Flexibility and adaptability will define success—embrace change and be willing to evolve.
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