Music Instruction - Piano and Other Instrumental Instruction
Charlotte Mason's P.N.E.U. (Parents' National Education Union) Programs had piano instruction under the heading of Music. Exam questions asked that parents report upon the stage reached in the students lessons.
Forms 1 (Ages 6-9, 1st-3rd Grade) and Form 2 (ages 9-12, 4th - 6th Grade):
The PNEU used The Child Pianist by Mrs. Curwen for piano instruction.
You can find The Teachers Guide to Mrs. Curwen's Pianoforte Method ( the Child Pianist) here. Parents who have some piano experience and would also like to save money could easily use this program at home with their children. I suggest that you read this guide first thourougly so you understand the methods and then you can work through it with your children.
The only free Student book I have been able to find online is herStep One Child Pianist book. You could print this and then try using the teachers guide with the student book. The other Steps could be purchased from England if you so desired.
Form 3 (Ages 12-13, 7th and 8th Grade) and Form 4 (Ages 14-15, 9th and 10th Grade) :
Students were encouraged to continue their piano playing by studying pieces by the term's Composer that they were studying for Music Appreciation. So if the PNEU was studying Bach for that specific term, the children would also work specifically on piano pieces by Bach that were at their level of playing ability. Along with playing pieces by the terms composer, the book Introduction to Music by H.E. Piggott was scheduled. Introduction to Music is a "living" introduction to music theory. Page numbers aren't given in the programmes. I believe this is because Music/Piano Instruction was to be done in afternoon time. I don't see it scheduled in morning lessons on the timetable.
Piano Lessons were taught either by a teacher (one hour lessons were typical in that time period) or by the mother. If the mother taught her child, lessons were to be done daily for 15 minutes in the younger forms, gradually moving to a 30 minute time period. Short Lessons! To learn more you can read a Parent's Review article The First Music Lessons by Mrs. Curwen. I suggest Suzuki Lessons for the modern Student. I think that the philosophies line up nicely. A parent could probably bring Mrs. Curwen's Teachers Guide to a modern teacher and ask them to try some of the lessons as well if they were so inclined.
Here's a couple of pictures from Introduction to Music the form 3 and 4 music theory book that Mason used:
Forms 1 (Ages 6-9, 1st-3rd Grade) and Form 2 (ages 9-12, 4th - 6th Grade):
The PNEU used The Child Pianist by Mrs. Curwen for piano instruction.
You can find The Teachers Guide to Mrs. Curwen's Pianoforte Method ( the Child Pianist) here. Parents who have some piano experience and would also like to save money could easily use this program at home with their children. I suggest that you read this guide first thourougly so you understand the methods and then you can work through it with your children.
The only free Student book I have been able to find online is her
Form 3 (Ages 12-13, 7th and 8th Grade) and Form 4 (Ages 14-15, 9th and 10th Grade) :
Students were encouraged to continue their piano playing by studying pieces by the term's Composer that they were studying for Music Appreciation. So if the PNEU was studying Bach for that specific term, the children would also work specifically on piano pieces by Bach that were at their level of playing ability. Along with playing pieces by the terms composer, the book Introduction to Music by H.E. Piggott was scheduled. Introduction to Music is a "living" introduction to music theory. Page numbers aren't given in the programmes. I believe this is because Music/Piano Instruction was to be done in afternoon time. I don't see it scheduled in morning lessons on the timetable.
Piano Lessons were taught either by a teacher (one hour lessons were typical in that time period) or by the mother. If the mother taught her child, lessons were to be done daily for 15 minutes in the younger forms, gradually moving to a 30 minute time period. Short Lessons! To learn more you can read a Parent's Review article The First Music Lessons by Mrs. Curwen. I suggest Suzuki Lessons for the modern Student. I think that the philosophies line up nicely. A parent could probably bring Mrs. Curwen's Teachers Guide to a modern teacher and ask them to try some of the lessons as well if they were so inclined.
Here's a couple of pictures from Introduction to Music the form 3 and 4 music theory book that Mason used:
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Introduction to Music by Piggott
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Forms 5 and 6 ( Ages 16-18, 11th and 12th Grade): As you can see in the chart above, Forms 5-6 don't have a piano curriculum suggested, as in forms 3-4, but continue to play pieces by the Composer for the term. They also are supposed to read several more intermediate and advanced level theory books. The Growth of Music by H.C. Colles is a Study in Music History about instruments, forms, comparisons of composers styles, and genres of music. ( I think this book would have been used for students who maybe didn't have as much piano background, but still needed to learn about the basics of musical form) Elements of Music by Francis Davenport is a small booklet that teaches the basics about rhythm, pitch, intervals, scales, key signatures, musical notations and abbreviations, etc. ( It seems to me that this book is a more beginner level of music theory for maybe later beginners. Maybe students who didn't begin piano study at a younger age in elementary school) |
Foundations of Practical Harmony and Counterpoint by Reginald Owen Morris is unavailable as far as I can tell, but we do have the table of contents so we can see the types of things the Upper High School Students would have been studying for their piano/instrumental studies. ( This book is similar to what I learned in my college music theory courses, so I suspect it would have been used by students who were much more serious about pursuing musical studies. I can't imagine that a student new to music would be able to understand this book well, BUT I could be wrong. )
Here is the Table of Contents for this book:
COMMON CHORDS 3
FIRST INVERSIONS OF THE COMMON CHORD 14
HARMONIZATION OF MELODIES 21
Two OR MORE NOTES TO ONE 29
THE CHORD OF THE DOMINANT TTH IN ROOT POSITION 35
SUSPENSIONS 41
THE INVERSIONS OF THE DOMINANT SEVENTH 49
APPOGGIATURAS CHANGING NOTES AND ANTICIPATIONS 53
ELEMENTARY MODULATION 59
THE SECONDARY CHORDS OF THE SEVENTH 65
THE DOMINANT MAJOR AND MINOR NINTH 72
PART II 81
MELODY AND RHYTHM 83
THE HARMONIC ASPECT 89
COMBINATION OF Two PARTS IN THE FIFTH SPECIES 94
COUNTERPOINT IN THREE PARTS 101
CHAPTER PACE 107
SUSPENSIONS 117
THREE FREE PARTS 135
APPENDIX I 143
Copyright
Here is the Table of Contents for this book:
COMMON CHORDS 3
FIRST INVERSIONS OF THE COMMON CHORD 14
HARMONIZATION OF MELODIES 21
Two OR MORE NOTES TO ONE 29
THE CHORD OF THE DOMINANT TTH IN ROOT POSITION 35
SUSPENSIONS 41
THE INVERSIONS OF THE DOMINANT SEVENTH 49
APPOGGIATURAS CHANGING NOTES AND ANTICIPATIONS 53
ELEMENTARY MODULATION 59
THE SECONDARY CHORDS OF THE SEVENTH 65
THE DOMINANT MAJOR AND MINOR NINTH 72
PART II 81
MELODY AND RHYTHM 83
THE HARMONIC ASPECT 89
COMBINATION OF Two PARTS IN THE FIFTH SPECIES 94
COUNTERPOINT IN THREE PARTS 101
CHAPTER PACE 107
SUSPENSIONS 117
THREE FREE PARTS 135
APPENDIX I 143
Copyright
My thoughts:
As you can see, the PNEU had a full scale instrumental music curriculum in place. For many years, before I studied the Charlotte Mason Digital Collection, I was under the impression that Mason's music curriculum was sorely lacking. I was familiar with folksongs, and composer study, but as a music major, I didn't feel that it was enough. I was so pleased and surprised to find this complete program in place. Along with Instrumental Music, Mason used musical movement in Physical Education through Drill and Dance. She also included not only singing of folksongs, but choral music, music of the term's composer, and best of all Sol-fa ( ear training and sight singing lessons).
If you want your children to have a full, and joyful adult life I highly encourage you to pursue these subjects since Mason did in fact believe that a Feast should be Spread for the children's sake!
You may wonder how to begin! I suggest you just start reading some of the books linked here on this page. If you can't afford private piano, or other instrumental music, try out Mrs. Curwen's Guide. Hoffman's Academy also offers free online piano lessons. I haven't used these lessons, so I don't know that the philosophy lines up at all with Mrs. Curwen, but baby steps are important. So if this is where you need to start, then start there.
If you feel overwhelmed by teaching piano lessons at home, maybe try the recorder, or drumming. You won't get the full effects that you can through piano, which allows a student to play Bach's beautiful counterpoint melodies and harmonies, but it's a simple start. Instrumental music helps a child develop self-control and mastery over their body and their senses. They learn to feel the beat, listen carefully, read another (musical) language. These are the things Mason was striving for in the pursuit of a Musical Education. She didn't want to simply turn out performers, but life-long, Joy-filled, habit forming musicians! I hope to build video lessons for these music subjects over the coming year, so check back often!
If you want your children to have a full, and joyful adult life I highly encourage you to pursue these subjects since Mason did in fact believe that a Feast should be Spread for the children's sake!
You may wonder how to begin! I suggest you just start reading some of the books linked here on this page. If you can't afford private piano, or other instrumental music, try out Mrs. Curwen's Guide. Hoffman's Academy also offers free online piano lessons. I haven't used these lessons, so I don't know that the philosophy lines up at all with Mrs. Curwen, but baby steps are important. So if this is where you need to start, then start there.
If you feel overwhelmed by teaching piano lessons at home, maybe try the recorder, or drumming. You won't get the full effects that you can through piano, which allows a student to play Bach's beautiful counterpoint melodies and harmonies, but it's a simple start. Instrumental music helps a child develop self-control and mastery over their body and their senses. They learn to feel the beat, listen carefully, read another (musical) language. These are the things Mason was striving for in the pursuit of a Musical Education. She didn't want to simply turn out performers, but life-long, Joy-filled, habit forming musicians! I hope to build video lessons for these music subjects over the coming year, so check back often!
