UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI Date:___________________ I, _________________________________________________________, hereby submit this work as part of the requirements for the degree of: in: It is entitled: This work and its defense approved by: Chair: _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ A Comparison of Akira Miyoshi’s Miyoshi Piano Method with Nancy and Randall Faber’s Piano Adventures Based on Royal American Conservatory Examination (RACE) A doctoral document submitted to the Division of Graduate Studies and Research of the University of Cincinnati in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF MUSICAL ARTS in the Keyboard Studies Division of the College-Conservatory of Music by Takako Hayase 20 August 2006 B.M., University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music, 1998 M.M., University of Rochester, Eastman School of Music, 2000 Project Advisor: Robert Zierolf Ph.D. ABSTRACT Akira Miyoshi’s Miyoshi Piano Method was introduced to me by Dr. Bonnie Wade during her visit to the College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati. Just as I was not aware of the existence of this method at the time, Miyoshi’s method is not currently well known in the United States. However, Miyoshi was the president of the Preparatory School of Toho Gakuen in my childhood, and I was required to play his compositions for juries; therefore, I am familiar with the valuable features in Miyoshi’s compositions. I will document and describe his pedagogical approach in Miyoshi Piano Method and introduce it as a worthy rival to the well- known method in the United States, Piano Adventures by Nancy and Randall Faber. This document concludes with the results of the comparison by analyzing strengths and weakness of both methods. Currently, a Japanese method, the Suzuki Method, is widely accepted as one of the most popular piano method in the United States. I hope to introduce another Japanese method, the Miyoshi Piano Method, to American readers. ii Copyright © 2006 by Takako Hayase All rights reserved iii Acknowledgements I owe great amount of gratitude to professors who have helped me to make this project possible: to Dr. Robert Zierolf, for his time, dedication, contribution of musical, theoretical, and historical knowledge, and suggestions on polishing this project; to Dr. Bonnie Wade, who had spoken to me and shared her knowledge in Japanese music, composers, and their cultural influence on Western music and introduced Akira Miyoshi’s Miyoshi Piano Method to me; and to Dr. Michelle Conda, who originally suggested this research based on grading scales of the Royal American Conservatory Examination (RACE). I also owe a debt of gratitude to my long– time piano professors, Elizabeth and Eugene Pridonoff, for their musical guidance, love, and support to help my understanding of piano performance and the important topics and elements of piano pedagogy which I needed to conduct this research. iv Table of Contents Introduction ……………………………………………………………………………………….1 PART ONE I. Biographies……………………………….…………...………………………………………...3 II. History of piano methods in Japan…..……………...………………………………………….5 A. Available methods……………………………...……...……………………………….5 B. Westernization and Beyer’s method…………...….…..…………………………….....8 C. History of French and American methods…………….……………………………...11 D. Miyoshi’s and Fabers’ methods………………..……………………………………..12 III. Philosophical Underpinning…………………………..……………………………………..14 A. Miyoshi Piano Method……………………….…………………………………….…14 B. Fabers’ Piano Adventures………………….……………………………………...….17 C. Audience for each method………..………….…………………………………..……19 D. Visual presentation….…………………….………………………………………….19 IV. Musical Styles………………………………………………………………………………..21 A. Baroque…………………...….……………….………………………………………21 B. Classical………………….…...…………………………………………….………...23 C. Romantic…….…………..…….………………………………………….…………..24 D. Twentieth-Century…………..….……….…………………………………...…...…..25 1. Miyoshi………………………………………………………………………..25 2. Fabers………………………………………………………………………….26 E. Other..……………………...…………….……………………………………………27 v 1. Nontraditional repertoire………………..……………………………………..27 2. Accompanying repertoire..…………..………………………………………...27 V. Reading Approach…………………………………………………………………………….30 A. Pitches………………….………………………………………………….………….31 B. Rhythm………..……..………………..……….…………………………….………..33 VI. Musicianship……………..………………………………………………………….……….35 A. Key selections..……...………………………………………………………………..35 B. Musicality………………...…………..…………………………………….…………35 C. Historical approach…………………….…………………………………….……….37 D. Theoretical approach………………….….……………………...……………….…...37 E. Supplemental material……………………………………………………….………..39 PART TWO I. Rate of progress... ……………………………………………….……………………………40 II. RACE…………………………………………………………………..……………………..42 III. Comparison: two methods with RACE grading system……………………………………..45 A. Prior to RACE Preparatory A…….……………………………………….………….45 B. Preparatory A……………………………...………………………………………….54 C. Preparatory B…………………..…………………………..………………………….59 D. Grade 1……………………………………………………..……..…….…………….66 E. Grade 2 ……………………...………………………………….…………………….72 F. Grade 3…………………………………………………………….…………………..79 G. Grade 4…………………………...……………………………………….…………..83 H. Grades 5-8………………………...………………………………………..…………86 vi I. Grades 9-10…...…………………………………………………………………….…91 J. Completion of the method…………………………………………………………….93 PART THREE: Conclusion I. Advantages and disadvantage of the two methods…………………………………….….….94 A. Repertoire choice.…...…..……...…………….………………….…….……...……...94 B. Theory ……………….…....…………………………………………….………..…..95 II. Choosing a method ………….……….…………………………………….………....………96 Bibliography…………………………….…………………………………………………….....98 vii List of Musical Examples Example 1. Miyoshi Piano Method, vol. 7. p. 135, mm. 1-4 22 Example 2. Piano Adventures, Primer, p. 12 23 Example 3. Miyoshi Piano Method, vol. 7, p. 73, mm. 3-5 25 Example 4. Miyoshi Piano Method, vol. 6, p. 35, mm. 1-4 25 Schumann, Symphonic Etudes, Op. 13 m. 1 25 Example 5a. Miyoshi Piano Method, vol. 6 p. 49, mm. 13-16 26 Example 5b Vandall, Modal Expressions, p. 2, mm. 1-3 26 Example 6. Piano Adventures, Level 5, p. 50, mm. 1-3 27 Example 7. Piano Adventures, Primer, p. 15 31 Example 8. Miyoshi Piano Method, vol. 2. p. 30, mm. 1-5 32 Example 9a. Piano Adventures, Primer, p. 21 33 Example 9b. Piano Adventures, Primer, p. 23 33 Example 10. Piano Adventure, Primer, p. 32, mm. 1-3 34 Example 11. Piano Adventures, Primer, p. 58, m. 1 34 Example 12a. Miyoshi Piano Method, vol. 5, p. 30, mm. 5-8 39 Example 12b. Miyoshi Piano Method, vol. 7, p. 48, mm. 1-4 39 Example 13. RACE, Piano Syllabus 2004, p. 91 44 Example 14. Miyoshi Piano Method, vol. 1, p. 52 47 Example 15. Miyoshi Piano Method, vol. 2, p. 42, mm. 1-2 53 Example 16. Miyoshi Piano Method, vol. 3, p. 36, mm. 1-4 56 Example 17a. Lichner, “A Short Story,” mm. 7, 24-26 56 viii Example 17b. Prokofiev, Piano Concerto No. 1, mm. 15-16 57 Example 18. Miyoshi Piano Method, vol. 3, p. 30, mm. 1-8 57 Example 19. Piano Adventures, Level 2B, p. 6, mm. 1-3 61 Example 20a. Miyoshi Piano Method, vol. 4, p. 32, Exercises 1-3 62 Example 20b. Miyoshi Piano Method, vol. 8, p. 82 62 Example 21. Piano Adventures, vol. 2B, p. 33, mm. 13-14 65 Example 22. Piano Adventures, Level 2B, p. 11, mm. 1-2 65 Example 23. Miyoshi Piano Method, vol. 4, p. 64 66 Example 24a. Miyoshi Piano Method, vol. 5, p. 68, mm. 1-3 68 Example 24b.Miyoshi Piano Method, vol. 5, p. 104, mm. 5-8 68 Example 24c. Miyoshi Piano Method, vol. 5, p. 115, mm. 1-4 68 Example 25a. Miyoshi Piano Method, vol. 5, p. 32, mm. 1-3 69 Example 25b. Miyoshi Piano Method, vol. 5, p. 64, mm. 1-4 69 Example 25c. Mozart, Minuet in F, mm. 1-4 70 Example 26. Miyoshi Piano Method, vol. 5, p. 39, mm. 1-4 71 Example 27. Mozart Minuet in F, mm. 1-4 72 Example 28. Clementi, Sonatina in C, second movement, mm. 4-6 72 Example 29. Piano Adventure, vol. 3B, p. 26, mm. 3-4 73 Piano Adventure, vol. 3B, p. 28, mm. 1-3 73 Example 30 Miyoshi Piano Method, vol. 6, p. 31 73 Example 31. Miyoshi Piano Method, vol. 6, p. 112, mm. 1-3 74 Example 32. Miyoshi Piano Method, vol. 6, p. 36, mm. 1-4 74 Example 33a. Miyoshi Piano Method, vol. 7, p. 136, mm. 1-3 75 ix Example 33b. Miyoshi Piano Method, vol. 7, p. 136, mm. 8-11 75 Example 34. Miyoshi Piano Method, vol. 6, p. 96, mm. 1-8 75 Example 35. Piano Adventure, Level 3B, p. 30, mm. 1-3 76 Example 36a. Bartok, Sorrow, mm. 5-8 79 Example 36b. Piano Adventures, Level 5, p. 24, mm. 1-3 79 Example 37. Piano Adventures, Level 5, p. 15, mm. 7-8 80 Example 38. Miyoshi Piano Method, vol. 6, p. 63, mm. 1-4 82 Example 39. Miyoshi Piano Method, vol. 6, p. 34, mm. 1-4 83 Example 40. Miyoshi Piano Method, vol. 6, p. 21, Exercises 3-5 84 Example 41. B-major scale 84 Miyoshi Piano Method, vol. 6, p. 34, mm. 1-4 84 Example 42. Miyoshi Piano Method, vol. 7, p. 60, mm. 3-4 87 Example 43. Miyoshi Piano Method, vol. 7, p. 114, mm. 1-2 87 Example 44. Miyoshi Piano Method, vol. 7, p. 19 88 Example 45. Miyoshi Piano Method, vol. 7, p. 83, mm. 1-3 88 Example 46. Miyoshi Piano Method, vol. 7, p. 34, mm. 1-3 89 Example 47. Miyoshi Piano Method, vol. 7, p. 73, mm. 3-5 89 Example 48. Miyoshi Piano Method, vol. 7, p. 72, mm. 1-8 89 Example 49. Miyoshi Piano Method,, vol.7, p. 75, mm. 3-5 89 Example 50. Miyoshi Piano Method, vol. 6, p. 58 90 Example 51. Miyoshi Piano Method, vol. 7, p. 16 90 Example 52. Miyoshi Piano Method, vol. 8, p. 81, mm. 13-20 93 x INTRODUCTION Akira Miyoshi’s Miyoshi Piano Method was published in 1997 in Japan. Although it is not currently