Online presentation
Dr. Jenna Braaksma
Versatility at the Piano: Exploring a Developmental Curriculum for Beginning Collaborative Pianists
A pianist’s life is diverse and multi-faceted, requiring skills that extend beyond solo performance. Collaborative skills are often introduced later in a pianist’s training, leaving students with few opportunities to develop listening, communication, and ensemble skills.
This session will explore strategies for introducing collaborative piano skills in beginner and elementary lessons through games, interactive activities, listening exercises, and engaging repertoire. Rather than treating collaboration as an advanced skill, teachers will learn how to incorporate ensemble experiences from the earliest stages of piano study to develop rhythmic awareness, active listening, flexibility, and confidence.
The presentation will introduce a developmental collaborative piano curriculum designed to guide the sequencing of collaborative skills and repertoire for pianists. Using examples from four progressive levels, we will explore how collaborative concepts can be introduced gradually from maintaining a steady pulse and listening for another musician to responding to musical cues, balancing parts, following, and leading.
Participants will experience activities that can be adapted for individual or group lessons, including rhythmic games, listening challenges, call-and-response exercises, movement-based activities, and collaborative repertoire. We will also examine how teachers can use simple developmental criteria to select repertoire while reinforcing specific ensemble skills.
The session will conclude with a collection of resources, repertoire ideas, and collaborative activities that teachers can incorporate into their studios. Participants will leave with concrete strategies for making collaboration a natural, engaging, and developmentally appropriate part of beginner piano instruction.
About the Presenter
Dr. Jenna Braaksma serves as Assistant Professor of Collaborative Piano/Piano Pedagogy at the University of Northern Colorado. She is an active presenter, adjudicator, and collaborative pianist. Dr. Braaksma holds a PhD from Florida State University.
