How to Teach Beethoven Sonatina in G Major
Today we’re talking about how to teach the Sonatina in G Major by Ludwig van Beethoven. This piece seems easy, but contains several technical skills and valuable learning objectives.
Do you ever struggle to accurately evaluate the difficulty of any given piece? Improve your skill with my FREE Repertoire Difficulty Worksheet here:
Recommended Editions:
Festival Collection book 3 (Helen Marlais)
Journey Through the Classics book 4 (Jennifer Linn)
Method books containing this piece:
Alfred Premier Performance book 6 (Dennis Alexander, Gayle Kowalchyk, E. L. Lancaster, Victoria McArthur, and Martha Mier)
Syllabus listings for difficulty level:
RCM Level 3
Illinois AIM Level 5
Jane Magrath Level 3-4
Topics highlighted in the videos below:
G major key signature, scales, and chords in a simple form
Grace notes
Left hand accompaniment styles: broken chords, Alberti bass, and waltz bass
Great introduction to 7th chords and secondary dominants
G major scale patterns
Articulation and fingering
One-octave arpeggio figures
Steady tempo
As noted above, this piece does show up in at least one beginning method series. Have you checked out "Method to Masterworks" yet? It’s your guide to smoothly transitioning your student from a method series into intermediate repertoire.
Sometimes it’s difficult to find quality recordings of student repertoire. Access Diane Hidy’s recording of this piece and other easy Beethoven works here:
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