Teaching Major Scales (using Moveable Solfa of Course!)

Scales - are they the bane of your teaching or do you love them?

Personally, I have always loved teaching scales. Yes, sometimes they can feel a bit tedious, and helping a student navigate tricky fingering patterns can take a long time, but ultimately I love it when a student is ready for scales because every minute we spend learning scales gives them a deeper understanding of the music they are playing. When our students understand scales (and harmonic theory) we have so many more things to talk about and explore in each piece of music. They have so many more ways to be creative, and as their theoretical understanding grows, their musical confidence becomes stronger.

I teach scales using Moveable Solfa, where Tonic is ‘Do’. This is easy for students who have been learning with the PianoForte method because they know what a ‘Do’ scale sounds like. I also teach scales clockwise around the Circle of Fifths - ALL the way around. I don’t stop part way and go back to the other side of the circle for the Flat keys.

I explain all about this is this video. Plus I share some really useful resources I use to support teaching scales. - including the Scale Finger Charts and the printable Key Signature Flashcards that can be printed with a PianoForte Membership.