Start Date TBA

Tuesdays | 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Class Size: 8

Course Overview

Group Piano Fundamentals is a welcoming course designed for adult beginners with no prior piano experience. In a supportive group setting, students explore the foundational elements of piano playing and music theory, progressing from elementary to intermediate levels. The course incorporates technology such as digital sheet music, interactive apps, music theory games, and ear training tools to create a dynamic and engaging learning experience.

A key component of the course is the use of the Piano Marvel app, a powerful learning platform that enhances practice, progress tracking, and sight-reading development. Piano Marvel provides instant feedback on accuracy and rhythm, structured curriculum levels, video tutorials, and personalized learning paths that align with each student’s goals.

What You’ll Learn

  • Healthy Piano Technique (Taubman Approach):
    Develop proper body alignment, hand positioning, coordinated movements, and ergonomic technique for long-term success and injury prevention.
  • Basic Music Theory:
    Learn to read music, understand intervals, scales, and chord progressions through traditional instruction, interactive apps, and gamified learning.
  • Piano Ensemble:
    Collaborate with fellow students in multi-part pieces, fostering rhythm, listening, and ensemble skills in a fun, community-based format.
  • Improvisation:
    Explore basic improvisation techniques to enhance creativity and confidence in self-expression at the keyboard.

 

Course Topics Include:

  • Music Notation: Clefs, notes, durations, and time signatures
  • Musical Terms: Essential vocabulary for reading and interpreting music
  • Intervals, Pentachords, Triads, and Inversions
  • Major Scales and Application in Repertoire
  • Chord Progressions: I, IV, V, and vi chords in various keys
  • Repertoire: Simple melodies, homophonic textures, block and broken chord accompaniments

Materials Provided:

  • Printed and digital sheet music tailored for beginners
  • Practice resources including sight-reading and music theory apps
  • Access to online video tutorials and supplementary learning tools

Course Levels and Piano Marvel Equivalency

Course Piano Marvel Level SASR (Standard Assessment of Sight Reading) Score Range
Piano Fundamentals 1 Levels 1–2 (Method & Technique) 100–250
Piano Fundamentals 2 Levels 2–3 200–350
Piano Fundamentals 3 Levels 3–4 300–450
Piano Fundamentals 4 Levels 4–5 400–550

 

Resources

To get the most out of your Piano Marvel experience, we recommend the following:

  • How to create a student account: Watch here
  • In-App Tutorials:
    When you open the Piano Marvel app, navigate to the “Videos” section on the top left of the screen. This includes Tour Videos and Set-Up Videos that guide you through the basic features and functionality of the app.
  • Piano Marvel YouTube Channel:
    Explore curated playlists to help you navigate the platform effectively:

  • Need Help?
    If you’re still having trouble after exploring the videos, Piano Marvel has excellent customer support. Click the arrow next to your name in the top-right corner of the app and select “Support.” From there, you can search for help articles or submit a support ticket. Many users report receiving prompt and even personalized phone support.
  • Connecting Your Piano to a Device:
    Need help with MIDI/USB connections? Check out this helpful cable guide:
    List of Cables and Connections

About the SASR Test

The SASR, or Standard Assessment of Sight Reading, is an innovative, data-driven sight-reading test built into Piano Marvel. It features thousands of short sight-reading excerpts across 90 sublevels organized into 18 levels. During the test, the app selects pieces tailored to your current ability—if you play accurately (over 80%), the difficulty increases; if not, it decreases until three setbacks end the test. Your final SASR score ranges from 100 to 1900, with each 100 points equating to a new level (e.g., a score of 300 = Level 3). This test provides objective, non-subjective feedback, helping learners track improvement over time facebook.com+14pianomarvel.com+14standardassessmentofsightreading.com+14.

To learn more, watch the video above that demonstrates how the SASR test works in real time. You can also explore additional tutorials like How To Take the SASR and Common SASR Questions on the Piano Marvel YouTube channel.



Getting Here

Community Room at Arizona Musicfest

7950 E Thompson Peak Pkwy
Scottsdale, AZ 85255

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.