Affective and musical understanding in piano chamber music pedagogy at the fundamental level

Abstract

Individual piano lessons have limitations for peer interaction and cooperation, which leads to insufficient stimulation for children to achieve affective and musical understanding. This paper attempts to set up a piano chamber music program at the fundamental level in the first four years of learning piano, corresponding to children around five to nine years old) to close this gap. The program is a supplementary measure to solve problems deriving from a model of only individual lessons. It assists children in strengthening their existing knowledge as well as developing their abilities. The program is based on Piaget’s theory regarding cognitive development, and it combines theories of musical embodiment and music pedagogy. It promotes a rich musical environment and multiple opportunities for peer interaction so that children can make up for deficiencies arising from a single lesson model, using moderate stimulation from a suitable environment.