Group Classes

Group Classes for Private Lesson Students

General Group Class Info:

• Tuition: None. Group classes are offered as an additional “perk” for piano prep school students.
• Participation: Participation is encouraged, but not required.
• Class Length: Varies from 30-60 minutes
• Teachers: Maranatha Faculty and Interns teach group classes.
• Registering for Classes: Please email janet.tschida@mbbc.edu
• Attendance Expectations: Group classes are offered on a weekly basis. Faithful attendance is expected.

Group Class Options:

• Musicianship and Ensemble Classes: Students should attend regularly (12 weeks).
• Tuesday Classes (combined with String Prep): Students should attend regularly (12 weeks). Students take a diagnostic test, and then are recommended an appropriate class.
• Performance Masterclasses: Students should attend as their schedule permits. Dates will be announced in weekly prep school announcement emails.
• Contest Help Days: These times will be scheduled as needed. Dates will be announced in weekly prep school announcement emails.

Group Class Policies:

• Parents of students age six and under are expected to bring their children to the designated classroom on time and pick them up promptly following lessons.
• Students should not arrive earlier than 10 minutes before the class or leave later than 10 minutes after the class unless they have lessons before or after the class.
• For the safety of the students, if a designated person other than the parent will be taking a student home, the parent needs to notify the instructor prior to the lesson/class.

Benefits of Group Classes:

• Provide confidence in playing for others.
• Stimulate critical listening as students hear other students perform and comment on those performances.
• Allow students to broaden their musical experiences.
• Expose students to a variety of piano materials.
• Provide a setting where drills and exercises are more interesting and motivating
• Facilitate the performances of ensembles including duets, trios, quartets and multiple ensembles.
• Provide opportunities for supervised practice.
• Establish a group dynamic that increases motivation.
• Foster the development of communication skills.
• Allow students to learn from peers as well as teacher.

Class Offerings for the Winter Semester:

• Monday Performance and Ensemble Classes (3:45-4:30): In an attempt to accommodate those who do not finish with school until 3:30, we will not be starting group until 3:45 on Mondays. We will meet in Old Main 214 for performance time, and then we will split into 5 ensembles by age/ability. Any student wanting to participate in a duet or ensemble needs to attend this session.
• Tuesday Theory Classes Levels 1-6 (4:40-5:10): Contact janet.tschida@mbbc.edu to take a diagnostic test.
• Performance Classes: Throughout the semester, we offer Performance Masterclasses. Students are encouraged to attend as many as possible, but students should sign up for at least 2 as dates are announced in the weekly prep school announcements. Students attending a Performance masterclass need to perform, even if they only perform one page of a piece. Dates TBA.
• Tuesday Early Childhood Music: See Early Childhood Music for details.