Piano Fair

The Piano Fair is a carnival-type event held annually in the spring. Manhattan (Kansas) area teachers and college students oversee piano fair booths which test students over the requirements of KMTA Music Progressions.

Booths include performance, rhythm, scales and chords, intervals, listening, symbols, note identification, and a bonus booth.

At each booth, there is some type of game of chance which selects which skills students will demonstrate within that area. Students demonstrate the required skill and receive points. When they have completed all of the booths, they may use their points to purchase prizes.

There is a fee to participate in this event.

(Text by Nancy Blockcolsky)

Here are the requirements:

(For a printable list, please go here. For a list of the piano fair requirements by subject, please go here.)

The requirements for the Performance booth are the same for each level: Each student will perform one memorized piece. The performance is worth 50 points. The student is evaluated based on the accuracy and musicianship of the performance. Students need to bring the printed music for the judge to see. If the student does not perform the music by memory or does not bring music for the judge to look at, the performance will receive an automatic deduction of 20 points.

Please note that each level builds upon the previous one. Ensure that the student is proficient with the previous level before encouraging them to move up a level. Also, the requirements for the Bonus Booth may change from year to year.

Pre-reading

Symbols: barline, double barline, repeat sign. (note values: quarter, half, whole.)

Scales: play any 2 scales. May be pentascales, one octave scales in tetrachord position, or one octave scales – one hand or both hands, hands separate or together

Intervals: play step or skip, up or down, and repeated notes

Listening: loud, soft, up, down, tempo (slow, fast), character (bouncy, happy, sad, etc.)

Rhythm: clap quarter, half, whole notes

Note ID: Letter names of the white keys – keyboard ID only

Bonus Booth: the student will prepare a simple piece (a folk tune, for example) to play by memory. The student may either demonstrate an improvisation of the piece or transpose the piece into two other keys. (Levels Pre-reading through 3 may play melody only.)

Level 1

Symbols: identify and/or draw treble and bass clef; recognize and/or give definition for f, p; identify steps and skips, up or down, and letter names of white keys; identify and/or draw whole and half steps.

Scales: play any 5 scales, both hands, HS or HT – may be pentascales, one octave scales in tetrachord position, or one octave scales

Chords: play triad or chord shell in the keys of prepared scales

Intervals: play steps and skips on white keys, up and down; play whole and half steps, up or down; identify steps and skips, moving up or down, on staff or pictured keyboard; identify and/or draw whole and half steps on a pictured keyboard.

Listening: identify low, middle, high sounds; identify f and p; identify direction of 5 notes – move up, down, repeat; know the general quality of music by choosing the best description(s) from a multiple-choice list.

Rhythm: clap quarter, half, whole notes; identify the number of beats for quarter notes & rests, half notes, whole notes.

Note ID: identify note direction as up, down, repeat. Letter names of notes on the grand staff from first line bass G to fifth line treble F.

Level 2

Symbols: recognize and/or give definition for f, p, leg., stacc.; identify white or black keys on a pictured keyboard; draw sharp, flat, natural.

Scales: play any 5 scales, both hands, HS or HT– may be pentascales, one octave scales in tetrachord position, or one octave scales

Chords: play a triad in the keys of prepared scales

Intervals: play 2nds, 3rds, 4ths, 5ths on white keys only, up and down; identify 2nds, 3rds, 4ths, 5ths on a pictured keyboard and staff, white keys only.

Listening: listen and identify steps and skips (these examples will be played melodically and harmonically). Also identify:

– leg, stacc.

– f and p.

– direction of 3 notes – move up, down, repeat.

– general quality of music by choosing the best description(s) from a multiple-choice list.

– 2nds, 3rds, 4ths, 5ths, distance only. 2nds and 3rds will be major.

– triads – major and minor.

– select a rhythmic pattern from two written examples (played twice).

– add a sharp or flat in front of a note to indicate movement up or down.

– general quality of music in regard to tempo (English terms), dynamics (English terms), mood and touch by choosing the best descriptions from a multiple-choice list.

Rhythm: clap quarter notes & rests, half notes & rests, dotted half notes, whole notes; identify the number of beats for quarter notes & rests, half notes & rests, dotted half notes, whole notes & rests.

Note ID: identify letter names of notes on the grand staff from first line bass G to fifth line treble F.

Level 3

Symbols: recognize and/or give definition for p, mp, mf, f, ties, slurs; draw a sharp, flat, and natural on the staff in proper placement.

Scales: play four scales – 2 major and 2 harmonic minor; play a tetrachord or one octave both hands, separate or together

Chords: play root position, tonic, and dominant triads in the keys of prepared scales --single hand or both hands, HS or HT.

Chord progression: I-V-I or I-V7-I in the keys of prepared scales both hands, HS or HT.

Arpeggios: two-octaves, hand-over-hand

Intervals: play 2nds, 3rds, 4ths, 5ths, 6ths in the keys of prepared scales up from tonic only, using appropriate black keys; identify 2nds, 3rds, 4ths, 5ths, 6ths by distance only on a pictured keyboard and staff; identify whole and half steps on the staff.

Listening: Identify the following:

– 2nds, 3rds, 4ths, 5ths, distance only. 2nds and 3rds will be major.

– triad, both major and minor.

– select a rhythmic pattern from two written examples (played twice).

– add a sharp or flat in front of a note to indicate movement up or down.

– general quality of music in regard to tempo (English terms), dynamics (English terms), mood and touch by choosing the best descriptions from a multiple-choice list.

Rhythm: clap eighth note pairs, quarter notes & rests, half notes & rests, dotted half notes, whole notes & rests, tied notes; write in the counting for rhythm examples in 2/4, 3/4, and 4/4 meter; explain the meaning of the numbers in a time signature; listen & select a rhythmic pattern from two written examples.

Note ID: draw stems for notes on the staff in the proper direction; sharps, flats, and naturals on the staff in proper placement; letter names of notes on the grand staff, including exterior space notes adjacent to the staff.

Level 4

Symbols: recognize and/or give definition for pp, p, mp, mf, f, ff, accent, 8va, D. C. al fine; complete major triads built on white keys by marking the middle note with an X.

Scales: play four scales – 2 major and 2 minor (natural and harmonic minor) one octave, both hands, HS or HT; recognize and/or write the pattern of whole and half steps for major and harmonic minor scales.

Chords: play root position primary triads single hand or both hands, HS or HT; play tonic triad in root position and inversions, up and down, both hands, HS or HT; write: on a pictured keyboard, complete major triads built on white keys by marking the middle note with an X.

Chord Progression: I-IV-I-V-I or I-IV-I-V7-I – in the keys of prepared scales, both hands, HS or HT.

Arpeggios: one-octave-- both hands, HS or HT in the keys of prepared scales.

Intervals: play 2nds, 3rds, 4ths, 5ths, 6ths, 7ths, octave, in the keys of prepared scales, up only, beginning on any pitch in the scale. All intervals will fall within the one-octave range of the scale; identify 2nds, 3rds, 4ths, 5ths, 6ths, 7ths, octave by distance only on a pictured keyboard or staff.

Listening Test: Identify the following (the listening test is the same for Levels 4-6):

--Vivaldi: Four Seasons, Spring

--Johann Sebastian Bach: Toccata in d minor and Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring

--Wolfgang Mozart: Rondo Alla Turca and Eine kleine Nachtmusik

--Beethoven: Fifth Symphony (first movement) and Fur Elise

--Chopin: Fantaisie-Impromptu

--Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody #2

--Copland: Cat and the Mouse

--Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue

--Debussy: Claire de Lune

We will start at the beginning of each piece and play 1 minute or so. It will be multiple choice. There will be no need to know spelling.

Rhythm: clap eighth note pairs, quarter notes & rests, dotted quarter followed by eighth note, half notes & rests, dotted half notes, whole notes & rests, upbeats; write in the counting for rhythm examples in 2/4, 3/4, 4/4 meter; explain the meaning of the numbers in a time signature.

Note ID: identify letter names of notes on the grand staff up to 2 ledger lines above or below staff.

Level 5

Symbols: Name the sharps in order and the flats in order (by letter name and symbol only, not on the staff); identify major key signatures.

Scales: play six scales – 2 white-key major, 2 black-key major, 2 minor (natural and harmonic) one octave, HT; write additional accidentals to form major, natural minor, harmonic minor scales built on white keys.

Chords: play primary triads in root position and inversions, up and down in the keys of prepared scales; Play a complete dominant 7th chord in root position and resolve to a 2nd inversion tonic triad in two keys of the student’s choice; read and identify triads on a pictured keyboard as major or minor, any white or black key; write white-key major and minor triads on the staff.

Chord Progression: I-IV-I-V-I or I-IV-I-V7-I, HT in the keys of prepared scales.

Arpeggios: one-octave, HT in the keys of prepared scales.

Intervals: play major and perfect intervals, up from tonic only, in the keys of prepared scales.; identify written major and perfect intervals on staff, giving distance and quality, built on white keys.

Listening Test: Same as Level 4.

Rhythm: clap eighths notes & rests, quarter notes & rests, dotted quarter followed by eighth note, half notes & rests, dotted half notes, whole notes & rests, eighth note triplets, and upbeats --pattern may be in 3/4, 4/4, 3/8, 6/8 meter.

Note ID: identify all notes as stated in Levels 1-4.

Level 6

Symbols: identify major key signatures and give the relative minors; write major key signatures.

Scales: play all white-key major scales, 2 black-key major scales, and 2 minor scales (natural & harmonic) in two octaves, HS or HT; play chromatic scale, HS, 2 octaves up and down.

Chords: play a complete dominant 7th chord and resolve to a tonic triad in root position and inversions, using common-tone voicing, in 2 keys of the student’s choice; identify and write major and minor chords on the staff, built on any white or black key.

Chord Progression: I-IV-I-V-V7-I. First, with chords in both hands, HT, then, RH playing the chords, while LH plays the chord roots.

Arpeggios: two-octaves, HS or HT in keys of prepared scales.

Intervals: play major, minor, perfect intervals, up from tonic only, in the keys of prepared scales; identify major, minor, perfect intervals on staff, giving distance and quality, built on any white key.

Listening Test: Same as level 4.

Rhythm: clap sixteenth notes (grouped only in fours), eighth notes & rests, quarter notes & rests, dotted quarter followed by eighth note, half notes & rests, dotted half notes, whole notes & rests, eighth note triplets, and upbeats --pattern may by in 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 3/8, 6/8 meter.

Note ID: identify and be able to write all notes as stated in Levels 1-5.

Manhattan Area Music Teachers Association

Welcome to MAMTA!

PIANO FAIR

Here are the requirements:

(For a printable list, please go here. For a list of the piano fair requirements by subject, please go here.)