Rowan Keyes

Piano | Music Theory | HSC Help. - available Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays

I have extensive knowledge of a range of AMEB syllabuses including classical, contemporary and Rockschool of which I have completed myself meaning that I have been able to develop more effective ways of teaching not only set-pieces but the aural tests, sight-reading and general knowledge components which are all important in terms of musical development. In addition, I have an in-depth knowledge of advanced music theory that is a crucial aspect of teaching.

During my time teaching, I have refined my teaching methods to include a mixture of all of the skills listed above in order to ensure that my students become well-rounded musicians. For high school students, I offer a teaching method that works concurrently with the NESA Curriculum and will prepare students for HSC Music 1/Music 2 and Extension Music courses. This involves work with aural skills to be able to recognise intervals, tonality, cadences and chord progressions and define these under the concepts of music as well as choosing a repertoire that is suitable for HSC Topics.

In 2021, I will further my own learning as I complete my theory and diploma exams. This will provide me not only with official qualifications but also further knowledge that I can pass on to my students. I hope to incorporate more of the AMEB Rockschool syllabus into my teaching this year as the practical, aural and theory skills provided in this syllabus are very effective. More importantly, the repertoire is interesting to the students so they will have more motivation to practice and refine their pieces. I found this to be the case as I started to teach this syllabus in late 2020.

My goal is to inspire a love of music in my students as well as improve their skills across all areas of their musicianship including theory, aural skills and practice. If these skills are developed from the beginning of a student’s tuition, it will benefit them greatly as they progress in their learning.

Another goal is also to motivate my students to practice more effectively as this is often a problem – especially for younger students. I do this by selecting repertoire from a wide range of genres that interests students and also using a variety of platforms including Musico, musictheory.net and AMEB workbooks. The range of platforms allows me to select the most effective way for students to learn individually.