Liberty’s Piano Studio is located at 27 North Main St., Shrewsbury, PA, 17361. Miss Liberty Martin is an independent piano teacher and can be reached at 717.515.1037. Having seen the benefits of team sports, and lamenting that her piano students lacked that social aspect, she began having group piano lessons. The goal of these lessons is to encourage her piano students, and to foster friendships among them.
Miss Liberty Martin gives group piano lessons approximately every other month. These lessons last for one hour, with 7-12 students coming all at once. The group lessons are in place of, not in addition to, the weekly individual lesson. During the group lesson, the students play a song for each other (chosen ahead of time during their individual lesson), watch a video clip, participate in flash card competition, have a music related snack, do a musical craft, and play other games such as Music Bingo.
During a recent group lesson, students played songs intermittently with the other activities. First, they completed the craft, which involved gluing the letters of their name (the letters had music notes on them) together with colored popsicle sticks. Then a ribbon was attached so they could hang it in their rooms.
They watched 3 clips from the newest release of the musical, The Music Man. (There are at least 3 versions of this movie). They watched Seventy-Six Trombones, Lida Rose, and Shipoopi. The flashcard race was divided into beginner and intermediate. In each division, two sets of 2 students competed, and then the winners of those sets raced again for the final prize. A variety of prizes were available for their choice, including a music note decorated movie ipod holder, movie, picture frame, stickers, pencil, music hat, music shirt, and more.
The students then enjoyed their snack of cupcakes with treble clefs, bass clefs, sharps, and flats on them; with green lemonade. (Their teacher enjoys making different colored lemonade for them each time). Each student also received a coupon for a free junior frosty from Wendy’s.
Other group lessons have included clips of Leroy Anderson, a pie for the snack (to demonstrate whole, half, quarter, and eighth notes when cutting it), and quarter notes made with Oreos and pretzel rods.
Miss Liberty enjoys being creative and making piano interesting for her students. She also enjoys most things musical. Her kitchen is in black and white (piano key colors, not cows). Her dishes have piano keyboards on them, and her silverware has Fur Elise. She has a piano toothpick dispenser, among other various kitchen items. Even her curtains have music notes on them.
