ARCT • Teachers’ Diploma (RCM) in-progress
Trained Music Together Teacher
Erin Plank (they/he) is a passionate young piano teacher. For their professional development, Erin received the highest exam scores in all of Canada last year for “Teaching Elementary Piano” with the RCM.
Erin’s main goal is to turn students into lifelong music lovers, not just pianists. I seek to provide them with the tools to practice efficiently at home, sight read a song at their friend’s piano, learn the melody to a song off the radio by ear, and nurture a technical foundation that lasts a lifetime so it’s “just like riding a bike” to play the piano. And even better, they’ll want to.
Get to know Erin…Beyond the Bio!
Hobbies: Piano, weightlifting, playing with my cat, and hanging out with friends
Musical influences: Ben Folds, Brad Mehldau, Edvard Grieg
Favourite food: Fried chicken sandwich
Least favourite food: snap peas, because I ate too many as a kid one time and threw up and now I dislike the smell
Favourite music: Romantic era piano music, Beach Boys and similar era music, math rock
Favourite song: “How Dare You Want More” by Bleachers
Favourite movie: Sing Street
Favouirite movie music: main theme for “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” or anything Star Wars
Favourite musical theatre/opera: Wozzeck
Best quote from your teacher: “Don’t show the audience you messed up, they won’t know! Keep going!”
Favourite quote: “That’s what life is, Happy Sad”
Favourite book: Recursion by Blake Crouch
Best thing about teaching at ABC: Getting to reach and connect with so many lovely people!
Latest Homework from Erin
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Thursday October 20 Lessons – Erin P
Hello everyone :)
Fiona
You’re working on the first 8 bars of The Juggler. Great job playing this in class today. Focus on the difference between the light, plucky staccato sections and the smoothness of the legato sections.
You’re also working to fill out the note reading Halloween worksheet. They’re all in the same range your pieces are right now.
Recommended practice: 15-20 minutes
Marita
You’re focusing on the 2nd page of The Infinity Session this week. Remember line 3 is simply a G major descending scale.
You’re also working on putting your scales to the metronome to make them even this week. Everything is usually even except for the thumb-under part. Play C, G or F major with the metronome set to 69 and put 2 notes per tick (making 8th notes).
Recommended practice: 20-25 minutes
Sara
You’re working on Arctic Voices. Practice from the end backwards to gain comfort in playing these parts of the song. You can work on it in chunks to make the position changes come more natural to you.
You’re also working on reviewing your scales. D, F and Bb major. b, d, and g minor. You can already do them above the required tempo which is so awesome!
Recommended practice: 25-30 minutes
Julian
Missed you this week! Also, sorry I’ve been spelling your name with an E this whole time. Look forward to seeing you next week.
Sina
You’re working on The Planets. This piece is about whole steps. It doesnt have ANY half steps (notes right beside each other on the keyboard). It’s going to sound a lot different and more “spacey” (pardon the pun) than your other pieces but don’t worry! Trust your reading skills.
Keep working on Whirlwind and getting the last 2 lines nice and even. Make sure the first two lines are legato and nice and connected.
We also learnt the B Major scale. Play this RH only slow and even. It only has two white keys = B and E. They are your landmarks where your thumb goes, and your fingers play the black keys they so comfortably land on. Fingering is 123 1234 5. Notes are B, C#, D#, E, F#, G#, A#, B. Great work!
Recommended practice: 20-25 minutes
September 10 Saturday Lessons – Erin P
Hello Hello everyone ! It’s lovely to meet you all. My name is Erin Plank and I use they/them or he/him pronouns.
Isabella
You’re working on Charlie Chipmunk. If you forget the notes, a video can be found here. This piece is played on all black keys and can be played by any finger on either hand. The lyrics go “Char-lie Chip-munk scam-pers by. Climbs the oak tree way up high. Cros-ses bran-ches on the run. Chip-munk life is so much fun!” Remember not to let your wrist collapse while playing!
Recommended minutes to practice: 5-10 minutes a day
Parents can support by: Ensuring her physical approach is consistent. Knees and elbows should move form 90 degree angles. Wrist should be inline with forearm (so an eraser could rest on any part of elbow to wrist). Feet should be flat on the floor, back straight and shoulders relaxed. Nothing should feel tense or look awkward.
Jadon
You’re working on Follow My Leader. This piece is all about imitation. The articulations are very important, and more important that each hand does it the same way. Practice hands seperate to learn the notes first, then play each phrase RH followed by LH. It should sound like a teasing conversation, the staccato is there to really make it pop! Notes that have legato markings on them must be connected. Listen for a smooth connected sound with zero space in between.
Recommended minutes to practice: 20 minutes a day
Parents can support by: Referring to a solid recording of the piece like this one can be very beneficial so you know what sound to replicate. You could listen to this and compare the articulations to what Jadon is working on.
Grace
I missed meeting you today! I look forward to connecting soon :)
Marco
You’re working on Pumpkin Boogie. You can omit the inner D in the opening RH vamp until you get the syncopated rhythm correct. When you’re ready to add the D back in, practice rocking back and forth from thumb on middle C to fingers 2-3 on D-Eb until the two notes do not split.
Recommended minutes to practice: 15-20 minutes a day
Parents can support by: Ensuring the syncopated rhythm is being played correctly. You can clap it with him to enforce it, or play the LH while he plays the RH if you’re able.
Daniel
You’re working on Pumpkin Boogie and Ecossaise. For Ecossaise you’re doing great just pay attention to the articulations. Lift where I’ve drawn arrows, it makes the piece dance! For Pumpkin the most important part is the rhythm. Use the written fingering rather than creating your own. Your brain will be so confused if you use different fingers every single time!
Recommended minutes to practice: 20-30 minutes a day
Parents can support by: Monitoring his fingering to be consistent. There is a LH chromatic passage in Pumpkin that is meant to be fingered 1-3-1-3. This is universal chromatic fingering so let’s do it!
Preferred Books for Erin Students
Click to buy them here, and they’ll come right to your house! What could be easier?
BOOK TITLE
COMING SOON
Faber Piano Adventures
The 2nd Edition Level 1 Lesson Book introduces all the notes of the grand staff, elementary chord playing, and the concept of tonic and dominant notes. Students play in varied positions, reinforcing reading skills and recognizing intervals through the 5th. Musicianship is built with the introduction of legato and staccato touches. This level continues the interval orientation to reading across the full range of the Grand Staff. The 5-finger approach is presented here in a fresh, musically appealing way.
Piano Safari
