Jan. 21 - Mar. 4, 2025

Tuesdays | 8:30 am - 9:30 am

Register

Class Size: 8

Course Overview:
Group Piano Fundamentals is a piano course designed for complete adult beginners, offering a supportive and welcoming environment to explore the basics of piano playing and music theory. Using a variety of materials, including printed and digital scores, participants will learn fundamental skills with no prior experience required—just a desire to enjoy the journey of making music.

What the Course Covers:

  • Healthy Piano Technique (Taubman Approach):
    Learn proper body alignment, hand position, movements and coordination.
  • Basic Music Theory:
    Understand music notation, intervals, scales, and chord progressions using a mix of traditional methods and engaging tools like apps, software, and gamification.
  • Piano Ensemble:
    Play multiple-part piano pieces with peers, learning ensemble skills in a fun, collaborative setting.
  • Improvisation:
    Develop basic improvisation skills to foster creativity and musical expression.

Course Topics:

  1. Music Notation: Clefs, notes, durations, and time signatures.
  2. Musical Terms: Essential terminology for playing and interpreting music.
  3. Intervals, Pentachords, Triads, and Inversions: Build a solid foundation in theory and harmony.
  4. Major Scales: Learn how to play scales and apply them to melodies and exercises.
  5. Chord Progressions: Focus on primary chords and their role in music.
  6. Repertoire: Play melodies in homophonic textures as well as melodies with basic accompaniments (block and broken chords).

Materials Provided:

  • Printed and digital sheet music and handouts tailored for beginners.
  • Access to engaging practice tools and resources: apps for theory, sight-reading, and online video tutorials.

NOTE: If the course is full and Musicfest’s keyboards are all booked, a student may be allowed to join the class if they bring their own instructor-approved keyboard. Contact josh@azmusicfest.org for more information.

Getting Here

Community Room at Arizona Musicfest

7950 E Thompson Peak Pkwy
Scottsdale, AZ 85255

Directions

Community Room Parking

7950 E Thompson Peak Pkwy

7950 E Thompson Peak Pkwy, Scottsdale, AZ 85255, USA

Led By

João Paulo Casarotti

João Paulo Casarotti

João Paulo Casarotti is a Brazilian pianist and pedagogue. He received a Doctoral in Musical Arts in Piano Performance from Louisiana State University, M.M in Piano Performance and Piano Pedagogy from Temple University, M. M. in Piano Pedagogy from the University of North Dakota, a B. M. in Music Performance from the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil, a Performance Diploma from the “Maestro Ernst Mahle” Music School of Piracicaba-Brazil, and a Performance Certificate from the National Academy of Music in Sofia–Bulgaria.

Dr. Casarotti maintains an active schedule as a performer, clinician and researcher. He has performed as a solo and chamber pianist in Brazil, the US, UK, Portugal,Ukraine, Bulgaria, Taiwan, South Korea, Thailand, Argentina, Chile, Uruguai, and Paraguai. He has also performed with orchestras in Brazil, Ukraine and the United States.

Dr. Casarotti specializes in the Taubman Approach and studied under the tutelage of Maria Del Pico Taylor and Dorothy Taubman. He became the editor for the Booklet of Musical Examples of the Taubman Seminar at Temple University and served as the Taubman Seminar Assistant for 3 years. Casarotti was recently named faculty in training of the Keyboard Wellness Seminar at University of North Texas and he is currently studying with Sheila Paige.

In 2009, Dr. Casarotti began developing research to create an online piano studio. Since then, he has taught students at a distance from several locations including Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Louisiana, Brazil and Europe. Mr. Casarotti created the Southern University Online piano studio in 2013. This initiative has been a major asset for the music program at Southern University. He has become a consultant for private studios and universities in Brazil and the US and has been presenting at the MTNA National Conference as well as the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy (NCKP).

Dr. Casarotti has a prolific career as teacher in both Brazil and the United States. Previous teaching appointments include St. Norbert College, Southern University, University of North Dakota, Temple University, Temple Preparatory School, Darlington Arts Center and Escola de Música de Piracicaba “Maestro Ernst Mahle” (Brazil). Currently, Mr. Casarotti is the Assistant Professor of Piano and Piano Pedagogy at Glendale Community College in Glendale, Arizona.