Teaching Method of Piano Performance in ‘Childcare Expressive Technology’ Based on Body Knowledge Research :

<p>  This study proposes an introductory piano teaching method that enable students learning piano for the first time as an adult to tackle tasks easily and enjoyably within a limited number of lessons.</p><p>  The piano teaching method for such students is identical to the method their teachers learned in their childhood. By practicing one piece at a time, starting with easy pieces, students acquire piano playing techniques. Although beginner piano students must acquire the basics of piano playing techniques in 15 lessons, reaching the level of proficiency their teachers expect is challenging due to students' lack of time and the short duration of the course. To ascertain whether the conventional teaching method is appropriate for students learning to play the piano as adults, I attempted a method of teaching which separates the reading of music, which is the input, and the act of playing, which is the output.</p><p>  This approach was based on the view that physical knowledge is the foundation of the performance act, including visual and auditory senses. Therefore, I attempted to model the act of piano playing by referring to the results of research on motor learning theory and kinematics. I then focused on “reading music,” “practicing,” and “memory retrieval” as the factors that make performance possible and proposed a method by which beginner piano students should tackle these factors.</p><p>  Examining the outline of the class practice reveals that from the first to the seventh class, emphasis is placed on acquiring physical knowledge and a variety of exercises are incorporated. The learning activities, divided into reading music and practicing the act of playing (hand movements), were easy for students who found engaging with the piano to be challenging. Since the practice materials were created based on an analysis of the assigned pieces, beginner piano students could play the assigned pieces without difficulty at the time of introduction, which increased student motivation and self-efficacy.</p><p>In the future, I would like to create teaching materials that will enable beginner piano students to systematically acquire the piano playing techniques needed for ‘Childcare Expressive Technology’.</p>