The more music students play in different positions, the better they become at sight reading. Well, that’s my theory. When students freak out, just remind them to follow the steps and skips. Once they do this and don’t think about individual notes, they sound more musical and less mechanical. In my own teaching, however, I have found that if students learn pentascales in all positions, they take to learning pieces in different positions with ease. Midnight Snack
Sometimes I ask students to play the A section of this piece in a major key and then think of a new name. This is one way to get students composing.
