Lansing Everett High School gets new piano lab

Lansing Everett High School gets new piano lab

February, 2002

Imagine teaching piano to twenty high school students from beginners to advanced students, in the same class, twice a day. Twenty students pounding on old studio upright pianos in a confined classroom where they can’t hear what they are trying to practice.

Mary Had a Little Lamb is being picked out on the keys while the student at the next piano is trying to perfect Mozart. A little Scott Joplin is heard at another piano. And you can bet some student is banging out Heart and Soul.

Obviously, the harder it becomes for the students to hear themselves, the louder they play. The louder they play, the harder it becomes to hear, so, well, you get the picture.

Imagine your difficulty as you move about the room and try to help a student in the midst of this din of dissonance. How can you possibly monitor students to offer suggestions for improvement? And, just try to make yourself heard over all of this.

This might appeal to you if your name was Cage or Stockhausen. It did not appeal to Judith Evans who teaches piano lab - more like cacophony survival - at Everett High School in Lansing.

The Lansing schools have offered class piano in their magnet schools in the elementary and middle schools for many years. The high schools continue the class offering. It has become a vibrant and viable part of the curriculum.

Students who may not be able to afford lessons or a piano are able to study as a part of their normal class load. Others, who are studying privately, take the class as an opportunity to practice.

At the elementary and middle school levels students study on desk top pianos. Teachers utilize software instruction to augment the teaching. The district teaches theory, as well, utilizing the desk top keyboards.

The problem arose at the high school, where Judy taught the piano lab classes. She had been teaching the class for several years. Twelve to twenty students, twice a day, trying to practice on studio pianos. Some of her students were studying privately and needed little help. Others were at various levels of ability and had only received instruction at the schools and relied upon Judy to offer suggestions for improvement.

Finally, Judy had decided this environment could not continue. The students were not in an atmosphere conducive to learning and the challenges of trying to work in this environment were actually causing her to become ill.

Last year, she approached her principal, Dale Glynn, and explained the situation. Judy suggested the school get rid of the pianos in the lab and install Clavinovas. Dale took the suggestion to the superintendent. Fortunately, the school district had received grant money for enrichment projects and this fit the category’s need.

This year, Judy is teaching in an electronic piano lab set up by Marshall Music. She is able to monitor her class through her headphones as they practice and is able to offer suggestions to her students through their headsets. She and the students are able to be far more productive and Judy can enjoy the classes.

Stockhausen and Cage would be disappointed, but Judy Evans and her students are happy, and Judy feels much better.

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