Using Pop Music in Piano Lessons

This is Grace. Grace is an 8th grader that loves current pop music. Her most recent request was to learn “Wildest Dreams” by Taylor Swift. We believe in meeting our students in the middle. Yes, you can play pop music, and how can we learn from this? Turns out, we can learn a GREAT DEAL!

Some concepts taught in the context of pop music include the following:

  • key signature
  • time signature
  • rhythmic patterns
  • melodic ideas and motifs
  • chord progressions
  • harmonic and melodic intervals within phrases
  • phrase structure
  • articulation
  • dynamics

Grace’s playing grew quick momentum when we started learning her favorite pop tunes along with standard piano repertoire. Peek a student’s interest, and they will be more than excited to sit down and practice their piano lesson.