Teaching Adult pupils

Teaching Adult pupils

by Rachel Cook -
Number of replies: 4

Use this forum thread to share your experiences of teaching adult pupils.  

We expect everyone to abide by ABRSM's Netiquette Policy (etiquette on the Net).  Feel free to discuss repertoire, technique, troubleshoot  teaching concerns or share positive news. 


In reply to Rachel Cook

Teaching adult beginners

by Kate Andrews -

Hello everyone,

What are you thoughts about books for adult beginner pianists? I often find that books specifically aimed at adults are too wordy and take so long to get past the blurb and actually onto the music; on the other hand, books aimed at children can feel a bit patronising!

What are your thoughts? Are there any fantastic resources for adult beginners that I haven't found?

In reply to Kate Andrews

Re: Teaching adult beginners

by Hilary Smethurst-Evans -
Sorry Kate cannot help with piano books, but recently I actually asked my saxophone pupils which tutor book they preferred. We tried a couple of books in their lesson (group of two adults) and they saw the layout, the fonts and pictures/diagrams and decided themselves. I gave them the option of a range of books where I liked the progression and they actually decided upon a book that I would have thought would have been a bit childish. It worked brilliantly for them, we were adding a few different tunes along the way (as you do) and rehearsing some of their band music as well. Worked really well - they always had a good fingering chart to check if there was something they didn't know in band and had a book of tunes that they knew.
In reply to Kate Andrews

Re: Teaching adult beginners

by Cole Bendall -
Can highly recommend Penelope Roskell's The Complete Pianist (Edition Peters) which I've used in conjunction with ABRSM Theory resources and some Kodaly methodology work. The price point does put some off, but the wealth of repertoire inside, plus the online and video resources that come with it are particularly worthwhile. Pedagogically sound, perhaps *slightly* wordy, but use in conjunction with other elements to ensure the musicianship is well established and I feel it works brilliantly!
In reply to Cole Bendall

Re: Teaching adult beginners

by Kate Andrews -
Thanks, Cole - I haven't come across this. Sounds great to use in a holistic way alongside other resources. I think *slightly* wordy is OK - it's the pages and pages of text before anyone gets to play a note that I find depressing!