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Pete Jutras
Assistant Professor of Piano
Editor-in-Chief, Keyboard Companion Piano
Pedagogy Specialist
Class Piano Specialist
University of Georgia
Q. What are the advantages to you of using a Clavinova over an acoustic piano?
A. With the Clavinova, students can work in a variety of settings at the touch of a button. They can exist in their own virtual practice room, get one-on-one instruction from the teacher, play a duet with their neighbor, join a small ensemble, or play with the whole class. All without interfering with the work of other students in the class.
Q. What makes the Clavinova CVP more "user friendly" than other digital pianos?
A. I have to admit that I've never looked at the manual – the interface is truly easy to use, and it is amazing how simple it is to access the most advanced features of the instrument. Finding the wide library of sounds, generating authentic accompaniments, changing tempo and key on the fly, and performing with split or layered sounds has been as easy as looking at the screen and pressing the most obvious button.
Q. What one feature of the Clavinova CVP is most valuable?
A. As an aural tool, the versatility and variety of the CVP are unmatched. Using the intuitive interface, I can instantly access a wide variety of authentic sounds, rhythm patterns, and harmonic accompaniments. This allows us to transform routine activities of group piano instruction into fun, aurally rich ensembles. A chord progression that used to be boring can turn into a great lesson on Latin rhythm or legato pedaling when the students are inspired to match the sounds they hear coming from the CVP. Class piano is fun again, and students have a myriad of creative options.
Q. What is the product mix in your lab?
A. – 12 Student stations, each with Clavinova CLP-230 and 20"
iMac computer
– 1 Teacher station with Clavinova CVP-305, PowerMac G5,
and Sympodium Monitor
– Yamaha LC2 Lab Controller with Expansion Pack
– 1 Yamaha Disklavier DU1A digital/acoustic piano
– Teacher station integrated with Smart Classroom
Presentation Technology
– Remote Desktop, which allows the sharing and projection
of information among and between student and teacher
stations
– Light pen illustration via Sympodium Monitor
– Sound reinforcement 4-speaker PA system
Q. Do you use software in your CVP based instruction? If so, what method?
A. Yes. We use a number of computer-based activities for instruction and practice. Each student station includes Band-in-A-Box, Logic Express, Home Concert Xtreme, Finale, and Sibelius.
The teacher station includes Band-in-A-Box Pro, Logic Pro, Home Concert Xtreme, Classroom Maestro, Finale, Sibelius, and advanced presentation tools.
With the MIDI interface of the Clavinova, each student has a range of advanced creative and analytical tools for music learning. In addition to being able to play MIDI files and generate instrumental accompaniments, students can also create their own professional sequences, notate projects, and generate files that they can transport to the practice room with an iPod or mp3 player.
Q. Do you have any comments you'd like to add?
A. Besides helping to improve and enhance our traditional class piano instruction, these Clavinova-based workstations also teach our students valuable skills that will equip them to function in the 21st-century workplace. While working in our piano lab, students are learning the basics of MIDI, sequencing, computer notation, and computer music.
Pete Jutras is the Editor-in-Chief of Keyboard Companion, a leading piano pedagogy publication. His writings and research can be found in The Journal of Research in Music Education, Georgia Music News, and Keyboard Companion, and he has a solo composition in The Hal Leonard Student Piano Library. He has been a frequent presenter at local, national, and international conferences, including the MTNA National Conference, the ISME World Conference, the World Piano Pedagogy Conference and the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy, among others.
Features listed above are not available on all models.
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