MUS-P 214 Piano 2
2 hrs, 1 credit
This course is a continuation of MUS-P 213 (Piano 1). The prerequisite is MUS-P 213,
or departmental permission. It is open to declared music majors and to non-majors with
departmental permission. Interested non-majors are encouraged to request
permission, which will be granted to students with basic piano skills if there is
room in the class.
The goal of Piano 2 continues development of keyboard skills introduced in Piano 1,
leading to performance of more advanced repertoire, and greater technical proficiency.
Applied topics include scales, triads, arpeggios, seventh chords, finger independence,
rhythmic coordination, texture, harmony, sight-reading and ensemble playing.
Strategies: Keyboard music cannot be learned overnight, and certainly not the night
before a performance quiz or exam. In order to succeed in this course, it is essential that
each student spends a little time each day working on the material. One-half hour a day
of study is far more beneficial than 3 ½ hours at one time. Because the assigned pieces
and exercises become progressively more difficult as the course transpires, if you fall
behind it will be very difficult to catch up. By the end of the semester, you will be able to
play a number of piano pieces in different styles, read some music at sight, understand
basic chord progressions in different keys, and have a good understanding of the most
commonly-used music terminology.
Grading is based on attendance, keyboard quizzes, mid-term and final examinations.
The Final Exam in Piano 2 is equivalent to the Piano Proficiency Exam, required of all
Music Majors. Specifications of the Piano Proficiency Exam can be found at the following
link:
http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/music/undergraduates/piano_proficiency_requirements.pdf
Required Texts vary somewhat from section to section, but all cover the same skills,
materials and competencies, and all are available in the Hunter Bookstore. Some basic
texts include:
Elyse Mach: Contemporary Class Piano
Denes Agay (ed.): Easy Classics to Moderns
James Bastien: Czerny and Hanon for Intermediate Grades