Method

More Than Just Piano Lessons

The Hoffman Method is a rigorous and comprehensive music curriculum. The aim of the Hoffman Method is to create well-rounded musicians who not only play, but who truly comprehend music. Students who use the Hoffman Method develop a broad array of musical skills and a sense of empowerment in knowing they can express themselves creatively and meaningfully through the language of music. To achieve this, the Hoffman Method emphasizes the following areas of learning:

Ear Training

Great musicians are great listeners. From the very first lesson, the Hoffman Method trains students to hear a melody, to identify its unique patterns (using a system called solfège), and finally to recreate it as music on the piano. Learning to play “by ear” develops the musical memory and improves the student’s appreciation and enjoyment of music. And, best of all, if students hear a song they love, they know they can play that song, any song, for themselves!

Rhythm

The foundation of music is rhythm. That’s why from the beginning Mr. Hoffman teaches the relationship between beat and rhythm as he guides students to recognize, identify, and write down the rhythmic patterns of the songs they learn. As they progress, students will learn to read, write, and even compose their own rhythms.

Sight Reading

With the Hoffman Method, students become well versed in both playing by ear and by sight. In a carefully sequenced, step-by-step progression, students learn all the intricacies of written music, including clefs, time signature, rhythmic notation, pitch notation, key signature, dynamics, articulations, and how to apply them, so that in time, the students will be able to sit down, open up any piece of music, and start jamming!

Technique

From the very beginning, students of the Hoffman Method learn the importance of good posture and hand position. They’re taught how to position the piano bench at the right height and distance from the keyboard, how to hold their body, arms, and hands, and how to shape their fingers and use their wrists for the most effective playing. Exercises to strengthen hands and fingers help students feel more comfortable at the keys now and prepare them for more challenging performance in the future.

Improvisation

Learning to play other people’s music is great, but it’s only half the fun. Mr. Hoffman believes that musicians are not truly fluent in the language of music until they feel comfortable and confident creating their OWN music. Relax–it’s not as hard as it seems. It just takes a little practice and the assurance that when improvising there are no right or wrong notes. Just like a conversation, you play whatever you want to express!

Music Theory

The Hoffman Method equips students to be able to understand music at a deep level. Music theory concepts, such as chords and meter, are taught in clear and creative ways throughout the method, and these same concepts are reinforced in the activity and learning pages found in the Complete Materials, which are available for instant download from our store. Mr. Hoffman is helping to change the old notion that music theory is boring as students realize what fun it can be when taught the right way.