In Stage C students should start to use the sustain pedal in specific areas of a piece, but they don’t need to use it with great control at this stage. They should learn the ‘solid line’ style symbol that indicates where the sustain pedal should be used (often used in the Piano Adventures series).
Activities
- When starting a new piece encourage the student to look for and identify any pedal markings in the piece. This includes any written instructions, which are popular in some method books.
- Encourage the student to add pedal markings to pieces they know.
- Discuss how adding or removing the pedal affects the character or mood of a piece of music.
- Ask the student to compose their own pieces that includes some use of the sustain pedal.
piano TRACKS Project 