As course selection has arrived for the 2022-2023 school year, there are many new classes available for De High School students to choose from. 

One of the new additions is a Piano for Beginners class, taught by choir teacher, Mindy Fry. A year ago, Fry had the idea of bringing a larger variety of music classes to De Soto High School.

This new piano class presents students with that variety by giving them the opportunity to learn piano from the ground up.

“This class is for anybody, not just music students. We’re hoping that this class will draw in new students to the performing arts program,” Fry said.

Students should take this class because it is a great opportunity to learn and improve their music skills. It can help band, choir or any other students willing to learn music.

“Piano is the best way to learn the fundamentals of music when you talk about theory, key signatures and rhythms,” Fry said.

However, those who are already advanced piano players should not sign up for this class because they might not find it useful if they already know how to play the piano. 

“It’s a piano class for truly beginners’ and we will start with the very basics. It will be like private piano lessons only as a slightly larger group class,” Fry said. 

By the end of the semester, Fry hopes students will be able to play a simple version of a song the students genuinely like to listen to. With that, students should be able to play melodies with both hands, learn independent rhythms, and read music in both clefs. 

“I’m hoping I can pick some easy versions of songs they know because I think students will feel most successful if they can sit down and play a song they love,” Fry said.

With the recent rise noticed by Fry, this class will fit right in. Fry hopes it will be a great opportunity for those willing to learn, and could be an exciting new hobby for students involved.