TTTV071: Exploring Piano Safari with Dr Julie Knerr and Katherine Fisher

When I started to explore Piano Safari I was excited. I've looked at many piano methods and none made quite as much sense to me as Piano Safari does. The books include rote teaching, intervallic reading, technique and improvisation all in one method. What's not to love?

The way they approach technique is truly inspired. Julie and Katherine have distilled the essential movements needed by pianists down into animal themed exercises.

Not only do kids love this animal theme, but it makes the exercises more memorable. And when they remember the technique exercises better, they practice them more - and more accurately.

Today on the podcast the creators of Piano Safari, Dr. Julie Knerr and Katherine Fisher are talking technique, sight reading and inspiration. They also give their top five piano teaching tips, and you're not going to want to miss those.

PS. This is an audio-only podcast. Please take this opportunity to click here and subscribe to my podcast on iTunes using the Podcast Player on your phone. Get into the habit of listening while you're driving, walking, cleaning or cooking!

Transcript

Please find a full transcript of this episode at the bottom of this page. If you are a TopMusicPro Member, you can download a PDF of the transcript in the Member Resources Area. Not a member? See below for how you can get $1o0 off your membership today. 

In this episode, you’ll learn

• How the Piano Safari method came about
• The thinking behind the progression of the technique exercises
• Why legato playing should be delayed longer than you think
• What Julie and Katherine mean by the term rote teaching
• The benefits of learning pieces by rote
• How Piano Safari approaches teaching reading
• How to get started with the Piano Safari method
• Katherine & Julie's top 5 teaching tips

Links Mentioned

• Piano Safari
• Teaching Piano Safari Facebook group
• Piano Safari stuffed animal guide blog post
• Piano Safari reminder videos
• Piano Safari teaching guides
• Piano Safari blog
• Piano Safari mini essays

Piano Safari Special Offer

The wonderful Katherine and Julie are offering all Tim Topham TV listeners 15% off any order for the next 5 days. Enter the code topham15 at checkout.

The offer expires December 21st so act quickly!

Get $100 off Annual TopMusicPro Membership

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Thank you for Tuning In!

There are a lot of podcasts you could be tuning into today, and I’m grateful that you’ve chosen mine.

Being a full-time teacher myself, I know how busy teachers are and how much time, effort and passion we put into our students. Sometimes, the last thing we want to do in our time off is listen to more piano teaching stuff! So, well done for using this time for self-improvement.

Whether you’re at the gym, on the bike or in the car, I know that you and your students will get lots out of what you learn in the long run. Just make sure you try out some of the ideas before they get lost in the business of your next lessons.

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Full Transcript

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What's your favourite beginner piano method?

Have you tried Piano Safari yet? How do you approach teaching technique?

What do you think about rote teaching, do you teach by rote already?