Teaching Piano Lessons

We have taught piano lessons to 16 students while we've been in Botswana.  We used the keyboarding course kit that the church uses which includes a set of flashcards for learning the names and positions of the piano keys, a CD so students can listen to the hymns they are learning, a cardboard keyboard, and two song books, one of basic instruction and one called "Hymns Made Easy" which has simplified hymns.  It is an excellent program and students make good progress using it. 



Onalenna Gasafete

Jennie Ntwayagae

Elder Naku




 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The church provides keyboards for the dedicated students and we were able to obtain five that had been used around the mission for use with our Young Single Adults.  Several had keyboards of their own.  Bob repaired four keyboards during our stay which otherwise would have been unusable. On one he had to move the keys around so that the missing keys were not in the middle of the keyboard.



Watson Rwada

Tshenolo Dick Pholoba











We gave students a one hour lesson once a week.  Some stuck with us the entire time and are playing prelude and postlude music and using the automatic piano to accompany for Sacrament Meeting.  Hopefully they will continue to practice and make progress after we have gone so they can accompany the singing in meetings.  Others weren't so dedicated and petered out, or moved, or if they were missionaries were transferred.



Maria Maile and Lefang Molobi

Elders Richardson and Epstein

Celeste Sibanda

 


Sister Banda


Sometimes if we had a male and female student taking a lesson at the same time, Elder Rands would teach the male and Sister Rands would teach the female on a piano and a keyboard at the church.  Sister Rands did most of the teaching. Sometimes we traveled 20 minutes to the Broadhurst Chapel to give lessons, and sometimes we gave lessons 5 minutes away at the Gaborone West Building. We taught lessons during the day, at night,  before or after we taught an institute lesson, after church,  or whenever our schedule and the student's schedule would match up.



Thembile Majafe

Kelly Thelo

Coulson Kgathi