Pianotime

As an alternative to singing or playing shared instruments, students have been learning the basics of piano in a new and safe way.

Using the extension “Pianotime” on school-issued computers, which is free to download with a quick search, students can learn the basics of piano without an instrument in front of them. While using the touchscreen and tablet mode, students press the keys on a keyboard as one would with a real piano. Students have learned right-handed scales and a few basic songs; they are currently learning to play chords and how to use the left and right hand simultaneously. While using a computer in tablet mode instead of a real piano has its setbacks. For example, it can be hard to play multiple notes at the same time accurately. This alternative has been overall successful in teaching the basics of piano.