Keys for Kids is one of over 90 clubs at Berkeley High School. The club is dedicated to teaching kids in third to fifth grade at Washington Elementary School weekly basic music theory and piano skills after school on Tuesdays. Kimia Azadpur, a senior and Maya Gearen, a senior, are the co-presidents this year for Keys for Kids. The club was started last year, and Gearen and Azadpur were both avid members before joining the leadership team this year.
Since the club is newer, this year Gearen and Azadpur have been trying out new learning techniques and lesson plans. “I started thinking about more structure for the classes, because last year we were just kind of winging it every time. So this year, I started off with teaching rhythm and then introducing notes. I think it has a lot more structure. I think possibly introducing more Suzuki pieces, and having them learn by ear more (is the next step),” Gearen said.
This week they started learning “Fur Elise” by Ludwig van Beethoven, first by listening to the full song, then talking about what they noticed. Multiple kids noted that it “looked hard”, and “would probably take them six to seven years to master.” Next, they started going over what a half note and whole note was, with listening exercises to help the students grasp the concepts. After getting their sheet music, members of the club helped the kids clap out the rhythm of the song, going over the differences between an eighth note and a quarter note. Some of the students had their teachers write the music notes with whiteboard markers on their keyboards as they started, as well as writing the notes on the sheet music.
The students mentioned being more enthusiastic about learning from teenagers instead of adults. “I like high school students because they aren’t as strict,” Priscilla, a third grader at Washington, said. About half of the kids jumped right into the song because they have taken piano lessons elsewhere before. “I like the lessons. It can be funny, and then we get treats at the end. I like high school students more because high school students are more funny than grown ups. Because grown ups are not funny,” Henry, a third grader, who had already begun piano lessons before he started coming to Keys for Kids, said. Last week, Henry learned Ode to Joy,” by Beethoven, along with a few of his classmates. Henry has been an avid Keys for Kids participant for five weeks now, and says he has seen a little bit of progress with his piano skills.
“Overall, I think it’s already had a lot more structure this year because we thought out (what having a progression of classes would look like) and what they would learn. We’ve moved to teaching them the scale … so I think they’re learning it, bit by bit,” Gearen said.
“I like that I can help kids get inspired (with music), because I was really easily inspired by music when I was little, and it’s a big part of my life right now,” BHS junior and club member Camila Babij-Ross said. Even though this is her first year in Keys for Kids, she enjoys inspiring young students.
“I like that we get to learn songs and we get treats,” Sage, a third grader who was attending the lessons for the first time, said. After the lesson was over, all the kids scurried to the door and lined up for a Hershey’s kiss.
“It’s really awesome to see when they’re starting to get a piece, and I think that energizes them, because obviously it can be unfocused, but once they start getting a piece individually, I think they want to get better on their own, and it’s not just us convincing them that it’s fun. They see where it could go, and they’re inspired. That’s really cool to see,” Gearen said.
