Using Piano in a Group Setting

[Kristen Crouch]

Can anyone share how they have successfully used piano in a group setting? My concern is that while I play piano I wouldn’t be on the same level of those sitting and the piano is somewhat of a barrier between me and the group. Would love your thoughts!

[Barb Blackburn]

I’ve used a keyboard/piano in a group before during my internship. It was with school age children. The piano can definitely be a barrier but with the keyboard if you sit on the floor and and have it in front of you it’s no more of a barrier than a guitar or a large drum would be. I recommend a keyboard. When I used the piano, I tried to stand up so that I was looking over the piano and still making eye contact and interacting with them. It’s tricky though, and these kids were in chairs so they were closer to my level than if they were sitting on the floor. If they are sitting on the floor, I would try having them sit to your right or left that way you can angle your body to interact with them as well as play. It would be best to have music memorized so you’re not turning back and forth from the music to the kids.

Hope that helps a little. Piano with groups is definitely tricky!

[Elizabeth Schwartz]

Great question! I use an acoustic piano all the time in my music therapy work at the therapeutic pre-school. I have a chair on wheels and so use my left hand to keep the music flowing and my right hand to interact with the children (and put in some right handed melody/exploration as I can). As Barb says, it is important to have the music memorized. If you would like, I can try and put up some video of how this happens in my therapy sessions.

I don’t use either a piano or guitar when working with families on the floor. It is my preference to use just my voice or voice and percussion to send a clear message to the grownups that they can do the same thing that I do. Hope this helps.

[Meredith Pizzi]

Kristen, Beth does do an amazing job engaging the children and keeping the music going on the piano. She also positions the piano in a way so that it is almost a part of the circle. All of the children see her and the keyboard and she creates a horseshoe shape in which the children wrap around the left and the right of the piano. But again, that is with preschoolers in chairs. As for Sprouting Melodies classes on the floor, we have not used any keyboards in our groups. I do reiterate what Beth says about the importance of demonstrating for parents that they don’t have to play an instrument to be able to make music with their little ones. We use the guitar for maybe 1-3 songs each group, but we do a lot of our songs acappela.

[Ann Dardis]

I have never used the piano in my early-childhood music groups. I have occasionally used the guitar and allowed the children to strum with me. It is my understanding that for proper tonal development it is important for the children to be able to sing acappela. And also so that they and their parents realize that you don’t need an instrument to make music. As one of the chants from this class says, “Where is the music? Where could it be? I looked around…and found it in me. I’ve got it…got the music in me!” I do use knee patting, hand clapping and sometime rhythm instruments to keep the beat while singing.

[Sarah Gagnon]

I might do it if I had a super small group where turn taking on such an instrument could be done. Pianos feel like desks to me unless I’m working in 1:1 MT sessions. It’s not my primary instrument and can often feel…foreign.

The same can also apply to guitar. I bring it out only if, in my small MT parent/child/family groups, there are adults and the music/session is flowing.

Ergonomics is tough enough when one works out of their car. A piano has unfortunately never been a luxury that I could accommodate.

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