Category Archives: adult piano students

Adult Piano Student Themes and Issues

Posted on January 11, 2013 by

Thoughts about the adults I so dearly teach… Continue reading →

Posted in adult piano students, Berkeley piano studio, classissima, classissima.com, El, El Cerrito piano studio, piano, piano addict, piano learning, piano lessons for adults, piano teaching, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Smith Kirsten | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Piano Technique: Focusing on Rotation in arpeggios, and building up a scale (Videos)

Posted on May 27, 2012 by

These are two supplementary videos that I created for adult students between lessons. As previously mentioned, they clarify and reinforce the content of our class, and map out ways to practice. I. ROTATION at the turnaround of a B minor … Continue reading →

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Quality spot-practicing by an adult student: Beethoven’s “Fur Elise” (Video)

Posted on April 14, 2012 by

Marie, a motivated adult student, revisited piano studies after a decades-long hiatus. When she resumed lessons about 6 years ago, she made “Fur Elise” her goal-setting piece. Following long-term scale and arpeggio exposure accompanied by a detailed focus on minuets, … Continue reading →

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Profile of a courageous adult piano student (with a video out-take)

Posted on October 9, 2011 by

I’m fortunate to be working with five adult students who love the piano and its repertoire. Their enthusiasm is at high volume–keeping the live wire connection between student and teacher bristling with energy. Regardless of busy work schedules, they still … Continue reading →

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Piano Instruction: Avoiding Injuries, using “Butterfly” by Edvard Grieg as a slow practicing example (Videos)

Posted on July 10, 2011 by

About twenty years ago, before I was enlightened about the risk of injuries when I practiced and how to avoid them, I sustained a ligament tear of my ring finger, right hand. It was while playing the Schumann Carnaval, and … Continue reading →

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My Anna Magdalena Bach Notebook favorites, and why it’s best to play the real deal (Video)

Posted on July 6, 2011 by

I was thinking about an adult student I currently teach in the Bay area who thumbed through her Faber Older Beginner Adult Accelerated Piano Adventures Method Book, and was instantly drawn to “Musette,”one of the many pieces contained in Anna … Continue reading →

Posted in adult piano students, Anna Magdalena Bach Notebook, Baroque music, Bay area, blog, blogger, blogging, classissima, classissima.com, Faber Older beginner Accelerated Piano Adventures, Faber the Developing Artist Series, piano practicing, piano repertoire, piano student, piano studio, piano teacher, piano teaching repertoire, Piano World, pianoworld, pianoworld.com, playing piano, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Kirsten blog, Shirley Smith Kirsten, talkclassical.com, Teach Street, teaching piano, traditional piano teaching, uk-piano-forums, word press, wordpress.com, you tube, you tube video | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Piano Instruction: Avoiding a Crash and Burn in Fast Tempo (Video)

Posted on June 12, 2011 by

One of my adult students asked about how to stay in control when playing fast passages on the piano. She had found herself stumbling in brisk tempos, getting anxious, over-crowding the notes, and finally becoming so tangled up that she … Continue reading →

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Piano Instruction: Practicing the Middle Section B/ Robert Schumann’s “Of Foreign Lands and Peoples” (Kinderszenen) TWO Videos

Posted on May 18, 2011 by

PART B, “Of Foreign Lands and Peoples” (Kinderszenen by Robert Schumann) The middle section introduces a counter-melody in the Bass that deserves attention. It’s in the rich range of the cello and it has the same RHYTMIC OUTLINE as the … Continue reading →

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How long should a piano student stay with a piece?

Posted on May 12, 2011 by

As a teacher, I’ve often pondered this question, concluding that there are varying answers which depend on the advancement and motivation of individual students. Certainly no fixed formula addresses the length of time a pupil needs to fully realize his … Continue reading →

Posted in adult piano students, arpeggios, Beethoven, California, Celebration MTAC Fresno, Chopin Waltz in A minor, Classical era, classissima, classissima.com, Creative Fresno, El Cerrito California, El Cerrito piano studio, Frederic Chopin, Fresno California, Fur Elise, harmonic analysis, MTAC, music, music and heart, music teachers association of california, music theory, New York City, New York City High School of Performing Arts, New York University, Oberlin, Oberlin Conservatory, philosophy of eduction, piano, piano addict, piano instruction, piano instructor, piano lesson, piano lessons, piano pedagogy, piano repertoire, Piano Street, piano student, piano teacher, piano teaching repertoire, Pianostreet.com, pianoworld, pianoworld.com, playing piano, publishers marketplace, publishersmarketplace, publishersmarketplace.com, self-analysis, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Kirsten blog, Shirley Smith Kirsten, sightreading at the piano, Teach Street, teaching piano, teaching piano scales, teaching piano to teenagers, technique, word press, wordpress.com | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Piano Universe of Discussion Boards, Digital Feedback, and Self-analysis (Video)

Posted on April 24, 2011 by

I love to scan the Boards at Piano World, UK Forums, Piano Street, Piano Addict, and other stop-off points such as My Music Life Blogspot and Color in my Piano to get a feel for the concerns of piano students … Continue reading →

Posted in adult piano students, blog, blogger, blogging, California, Chopin Black Key Etude, classissima, classissima.com, El Cerrito, El Cerrito California, El Cerrito piano studio, Facebook, Fresno California, harmonic analysis, humor, Mildred Portney Chase, MTAC, music, music and heart, music teachers association of california, musicology, New York City High School of Performing Arts, Oberlin Conservatory, piano, piano instruction, piano instructor, piano lesson, piano lessons, piano pedagogy, piano society, Piano Street, piano student, piano studio, piano teacher, pianoaddict.com, Pianostreet.com, pianoworld, pianoworld.com, publishers marketplace, publishersmarketplace, publishersmarketplace.com, Romantic music, self-analysis, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Kirsten blog, Shirley Smith Kirsten, Sony Camcorder, technique, uk-piano-forums, video performances, videotaped replay, whole body music listening, word press, wordpress.com, you tube, you tube video | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments