The Value of Class Lessons.--Class piano instruction is a development
of piano teaching that is destined to occupy an increasingly important place
in music education. More and more the social side of education is being
stressed, and the day has gone by when the "private" piano lesson was the
extent of the student's musical education. As in all teaching, the success of
the enterprise depends upon the way the class is conducted. When well
organized and musically presented, the class piano lesson can be highly
stimulating and profitable, while in the hands of an unskilled, unmusical
teacher, it can deteriorate into a dull and uninteresting routine with one
pupil "taking" a lesson at the piano while the other members of the class
sit awaiting their turn to perform, with feelings ranging from boredom to
apprehension.

The ideal arrangement for the piano student is undoubtedly a combina-
tion of class lessons and individual lessons. However, it is the opinion of
the writer that if it were a choice between giving class lessons only, or
individual lessons only, there is no doubt that the student would get a far
broader musical education through studying in a group rather than having
solely "private" lessons in piano playing.

Therefore, the class lesson is not an apologetic substitute for the individual
lesson. On the contrary, it occupies a unique place that the individual
lesson cannot fill. From the student's standpoint, it is usually more inter-
esting to study in a group; from the teacher's standpoint, an immense
amount of time is saved in imparting to a group the necessary informa-
tion that each student must have, instead of giving it to each one separately
in a series of private lessons. For example, all students must learn that
four quarter-notes equal a whole note, that the signature of G Major is
F sharp, that crescendo means to grow louder, etc.; it is no more necessary
to impart this information privately than it would be to engage a private
tutor in order to learn that the Amazon is the largest river in South America,
or that the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock in 1620.

Three Objectives in Piano Teaching.--Every piano lesson has a three-
fold objective: first, to enlarge the student's hearing capacity; second, to
increase his understanding of music; and third, to teach him to play. The
first objective, enlarging the hearing capacity, ear-training, is, of course, the
basis of all music study since obviously the student must hear music intel-
ligently before he begins to play it; so, a sensitive, well-trained ear must
be cultivated at the outset; experience shows that this can be accomplished
more advantageously with a group of students than with an individual,
and details of study will be given later on under the heading "Curriculum."

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