Student base and curriculum design of functional keyboard skills and group piano courses in higher education: a pilot study at the University of Macedonia, Greece

Abstract

The present thesis presents and discusses the findings of a pilot study conducted at the Department of Music Science and Art of the University of Macedonia in Spring 2022. The study aimed to investigate how the keyboard skills curriculum could be revised to better serve the needs of the students. The existing status of instruction suffered from a narrow student base including only non-piano performance majors, one-on-one instruction of minimal duration, and the content focused on technique and solo repertoire, against literature findings and established practices around the world. To address these limitations, a pilot study was designed that would guide further steps in the curriculum’s revision. The study consisted of: (a) an initial questionnaire assessing students’ perceptions, beliefs, expectations, and background in regard to keyboard skills; (b) a pre-test evaluating the students’ abilities in areas such as technique, harmonization, transposition, chord progressions, and score-reading; (c) semester-long comprehensive instruction focusing on functional skills development; (d) a post-test measuring the students’ progress; and (e) a final questionnaire gathering feedback and examining changes in students’ perceptions after the curriculum’s implementation. An effort was made to incentivize participation among students from various major areas, including applied music studies and music education, composition, and piano majors. Additionally, the study explored the potential benefits of teaching technique classes for beginners separately as well as offering advanced classes to pianists. These classes ran parallel to functional skills. The findings indicate that all students recognize the significance of functional skills as a part of their music education. Moreover, non-pianists considered piano technique and solo repertoire less relevant to their major areas compared to functional skills. The separate instruction of basic technique for beginners was met positively, while pianists embraced functional skills, understanding the connection between harmony and piano performance. In addition, the average performance of piano majors in the pre-test showed that they should receive some form of training in functional skills. Lastly, the majority of the students expressed their desire for more extensive training in keyboard skills throughout their college studies. These results are preliminary but provide valuable insights that can guide future research in this area, which has long evaded scrutiny in Greece and other parts of Europe.