Category Archives: piano teacher

“Flamenco” by Gillock is a winner! (Intermediate Level piano repertoire)

Posted on April 15, 2013 by

Over the years, Gillock’s music has sparked the enthusiasm of piano students who sometimes need a kick start piece to lift them out of a rut. “Flamenco” can be such a game changer! For Fritz, age 9, who’s infatuated with … Continue reading →

Posted in Gillock "Flamenco", piano, piano instruction, piano student, piano teacher, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Smith Kirsten, William Gillock, word press, word press.com, wordpress, wordpress.com, yout tube, youtube.com | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Piano Lesson to Brazil: Trills and Spills (Beethoven Presto, “MOONLIGHT” Sonata)

Posted on March 27, 2013 by

This was a SKYPE Day to remember! Not a sinking ship, but a catastrophic event at a musical climax. The Brazilian student, in good form, however, was SAVED by the NEAPOLITAN! He rendered the UNEXPECTED with show-stopping emphasis! Bravo, cavalheiro! … Continue reading →

Posted in Beethoven, Beethoven Moonlight, Beethoven Moonlight Sonata Presto movement, classissima, classissima.com, Ludwig Van Beethoven, piano teacher, wordpress.com, you tube, you tube video, you tube.com, yout tube, youtube.com | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The piano learning process at all levels of study

Posted on March 2, 2013 by

In spite of my having studied piano for decades, each learning experience is filled with challenges that I must approach with a glut of patience. A new composition has its own form, architecture, harmonic rhythm, fingering that requires a big … Continue reading →

Posted in "Tales of a Musical Journey" by Irina Gorin, Chopin Waltz in A minor no. 19, classissima, classissima.com, Irina Gorin, phrasing at the piano, pianist, piano, piano blogs, piano instrruction, piano lessons, piano lessons for adults, Piano Street, piano studio, piano studio in El Cerrito, piano study, piano teacher, piano teaching, piano technique and breathing, pianoaddict.com, Pianostreet.com, pianoworld, practicing piano, practicing piano in slow motion, practicing piano in slow tempo, practicing piano with relaxation, relaxed arms in piano playing, scales, scales and arpeggios, separate hand piano practicing, Shirley Kirsten blog, shirley s kirsten, Shirley Smith Kirsten, shirley smith kirsten blog, Shirley Smth Kirsten, slow mindful practicing, slow piano practicing, teaching Beethoven Fur Elise, teaching Fur Elise, teaching piano scales, teaching piano to adult students, teaching piano to adults, teaching piano to young children, whole body listening, whole body music listening, word press, word press.com, wordpress, wordpress.com, you tube, you tube.com, yout tube, youtube.com | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Launching my new Berkeley Piano Studio! (Video)

Posted on September 26, 2012 by

Yesterday, a stone’s through from Fat Apple’s on Martin Luther King Jr. Way, I began my official teaching relationship to Berkeley. It was just weeks after touchdown in the Hopkins neighborhood, a storehouse of delights beckoning me at every corner. … Continue reading →

Posted in classissima, classissima.com, Dennie Mehocich violin teacher, El Cerrito piano studio, Fat Apples in Berkeley California, piano instruction, piano lessons, piano lessons in Berkeley California, piano teacher, you tube, you tube video, you tube.com, yout tube, youtube.com | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Right Age for a Child to Start Piano Lessons (Videos)

Posted on June 7, 2012 by

Is there a right time in a child’s life to embark upon piano study? The answer is not clear as I’ve discovered from years of teaching. With technology creating an environment in which children as young as two or three … Continue reading →

Posted in acoustic piano, Daniel Mori, Irina Gorin, Irina Morozova, piano, piano instruction, piano lessons, piano teacher, piano teaching, playing piano, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Smith Kirsten, the right age to begin piano lessons, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 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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Supplementing piano lessons with videos

Posted on May 25, 2012 by

Just a few years ago, the furthest thing from my mind would be to send videos to piano students between lessons. In the past, I had routinely e-mailed assignments for the coming week along with practicing suggestions. (This created an … Continue reading →

Posted in Beethoven "Tempest" Sonata, Beethoven Sonata Op. 31 no 2, Beethoven Tempest sonata, No. 2, piano, piano instrruction, piano learning, piano lessons, piano teacher, repertoire for piano students, word press, word press.com, wordpress, you tube, you tube video, yout tube | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Growing piano technique in baby steps: Rina, 5, advances to hands together five-finger positions (adding in 10ths)

Posted on May 10, 2012 by

Rina may not know the words “pentascales” and “tenths,” but she has the intelligence to notice when her fingers move up and down together, playing the same notes an “octave” apart. With a sound knowledge of the music alphabet in … Continue reading →

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Valley Music Center in Fresno, California resurrects the acoustic piano!

Posted on May 6, 2012 by

Given the surge in digital piano sales, most of us thought acoustic pianos were on their way out. And when our local Fresno Piano dealership closed its doors back in March 2011, piano mavens who wanted to purchase prized Steinways … Continue reading →

Posted in acoustic pianos, Fresno Caliornia, Heynor and Hans Oviedo, Journal of a Piano Teacher from New York to California, piano, piano teacher, playing piano, selling pianos, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Smith Kirsten, Valley Music Center in Fresno, whole body listening, word press, word press.com, wordpress, wordpress.com, you tube, you tube video, yout tube, youtube.com | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Rina, 5, performs at our Spring Recital (after 8 months of piano lessons) Video

Posted on May 5, 2012 by

Rina is moving right along. She can spin a legato phrase with finesse after having practiced her detached-note playing for months. Now she’s working on using featherlight thumbs to craft smoother lines. Notice her supple wrist approach to the piano: … Continue reading →

Posted in end of the year piano recitals, Journal of a Piano Teacher from New York to California, piano, piano instruction, piano playing, piano recital, piano recitals with themes, piano repertoire review, piano room, piano scales, piano society, piano teacher, piano teacher nearly falls asleep, piano teachers, piano teaching, piano teaching repertoire, piano technician, pianoworld.com, player piano, POWHOW instruction, POWHOW piano instruction, POWHOW webcam online piano class, private party marketplace of pianos, private party piano sale, producing a singing tone legato at the piano, publishersmarketplace.com, Ravel Piano Concerto for the left hand, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Smith Kirsten, Uncategorized, Weber upright piano, word press, wordpress.com, Yeti microphone, Yevgeny Sudbin, you tube, You Tube Cantata no. 78 performed at the First Moravian Church in New York City, You Tube interview with Lugansky from Israel, you tube video, yout tube, youtube.com | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment