Tag Archives: piano blog

Hand-switching and Chopin (making a piano duet out of a solo)

Posted on March 7, 2013 by

I did a double take watching footage of yesterday’s lesson in the El Cerrito Hills. Seeing two arms, one half-sleeved, and the other firmly wrapped in olive green, made me wonder if an alien from Mars had landed squarely at … Continue reading →

Posted in Chopin, Chopin Waltz in c# minor Op. 64 no.2, classissima.com, classsisima, duet playing in the piano lesson, swtiching piano parts in a collaboration, whole body listening, whole body music listening, word press, word press.com, wordpress, wordpress.com, you tube video, you tube.com, yout tube, youtube.com | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Well-known Haydn Piano Sonata is pinned!

Posted on January 21, 2013 by

I don’t mean to inject pins into this post, but it amply introduces Haydn’s vibrant Sonata no. 35 in C Major. Yesterday, as I diligently embarked upon learning this masterpiece, I had to deal with basic housekeeping matters: How to … Continue reading →

Posted in Berkeley CA, classissima, classissima.com, Haydn Sonata no. 35 in C, Joseph Haydn, Journal of a Piano Teacher from New York to California, piano addict, piano instruction, piano lessons by Skype, piano teaching, Piano World, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Smith Kirsten, word press, word press.com, wordpress, wordpress.com, you tube, you tube video, you tube.com, yout tube, youtube.com | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

An afternoon of all that Jazz with pianists, Dick Hyman and Dave Frank

Posted on December 16, 2012 by

Dick Hyman, jazz pianist, shared his art with an engaged NYC audience in the good company of moderator, Dave Frank. Continue reading →

Posted in "A Century of Jazz" with Dick Hyman, Dave Frank, Dick Hyman, jazz, Woody Allen movies and Dick Hyman, word press, word press.com, wordpress, wordpress.com, you tube.com, yout tube, youtube.com | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Playing the piano expressively with a full gamut of emotions (Blogged from Mo’ Joe’s Cafe in southwest Berkeley)

Posted on November 10, 2012 by

Today I attended a well-promoted “Shut Up and Write Meet-up.” The environment: An easy jazz backdrop with companion coffee mocha, whip cream swirl. No cell phone ring-tones or e-mail heart-song alerts. Just a noisy backdrop–children, adults, plates, forks, your order’s … Continue reading →

Posted in classissima.com, classissma, Elissa Milne, Facebook The Art of Piano Pedagogy, piano instruction, piano lessons, piano students and the imagination, piano teaching, Uncategorized, word press, you tube | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Angela Hewitt, pianist, plays J.S. Bach beautifully on a Fazioli

Posted on November 6, 2012 by

I must admit that when I journeyed to Piedmont Pianos before it moved out of downtown San Francisco, I wasn’t taken by a huge, 10-foot plus Italian piano with extra keys that was the featured attraction. (The Giraffe piano at … Continue reading →

Posted in Andras Schiff, Angela Hewitt, Angela Hewitt plays Bach, classissima, classissima.com, J.S. Bach French Suite no. 5 in G Major BWV 816, piano, playing Bach on the modern-day piano, wordpress, wordpress.com, you tube, you tube.com | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

How things have changed since I took piano …

Posted on November 4, 2012 by

Let’s be honest. There are climate changes in the piano lesson environment. Continue reading →

Posted in Journal of a Piano Teacher from New York to CA, piano, piano blog, piano instruction, piano lessons, piano teaching, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Smith Kirsten | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

An El Cerrito “Moonlight” Walk to Beethoven (Video)

Posted on July 4, 2012 by

I joined a congenial group of hikers for a challenging trek through the El Cerrito Hills. It was my first, eye-opening, exploration of the California city’s rugged terrain and dense brush. Prior to this rustic romp, my sidewalk sauntering took … Continue reading →

Posted in Beethoven Moonlight Sonata, El Cerrito Hills, El Cerrito nature trails, El Cerrito Patch, El Cerrito Patch blogger, El Cerrito Trail Trekkers, Friends of Five Creeks, piano blog, piano blogging, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Smith Kirsten, word press, word press.com, wordpress, wordpress.com, you tube, you tube video, you tube.com, yout tube, youtube.com | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Rina, 5, plays “Little March” by Turk–10 months of piano lessons–and a flashback to my childhood

Posted on June 27, 2012 by

Rina marches forward making great progress. For a child of 5, her gains are remarkable. By comparison, my early piano studies were unremarkable. When I embarked upon lessons at age 6, I lived in the Marble Hill Projects, (Bronx, New … Continue reading →

Posted in piano instruction, piano lessons, Rina takes piano lessons, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Smith Kirsten, teaching piano to children, teacing piano to children, word press, word press.com, wordpress, wordpress.com, you tube, you tube.com, yout tube, youtube.com | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Piano Technique: The dipping wrist, and how it defies convention (Videos)

Posted on May 13, 2012 by

One of my adult students echoed a belief that has resonated for generations in piano studios across the country, if not the world. The OLD school of thought was that you played piano with a rigid, arched hand, and if … Continue reading →

Posted in "Tales of a Musical Journey", El Cerrito, El Cerrito piano lessons, Ena Bronstein, Ethel Elfenbein, Irina Gorin, Irina Morozova, Journal of a Piano Teacher from New York to California, pianist, piano, piano technique, playing piano, POWHOW, Seymour Bernstein, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Smith Kirsten, supple wrist in piano playing, undulating wrist in piano playing, You and the Piano Seymour Bernstein, You and the PIano Seymour Bernstein on You Tube, you tube, you tube video, yout tube, youtube.com | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Teaching piano to Rina, 5, with a supplementary video for mom that outlines our lesson plan and goals

Posted on April 12, 2012 by

Rina’s mother attends her daughter’s lessons, takes notes, and receives a follow-up assignment. Today, I sent her a video that summarized what we had accomplished yesterday along with a goal-setting outline. *** The child has been working on her legato … Continue reading →

Posted in "Tales of a Musical Journey" by Irina Gorin, Journal of a Piano Teacher from New York to California, Minuet by Reinagle, phrasing at the piano, pianist, piano, piano addict, piano blog, piano blogging, piano blogs, piano instruction, piano instructor, piano keyboard, piano lesson, piano lessons and parental support, piano lessson, piano playing, piano playing and breathing, piano playing and phrasing, piano playing and relaxation, piano playing and the singing tone, piano student, piano studio in El Cerrito, piano study, piano teacher, piano teaching, piano technique, Piano World, piano world-wide, pianoaddict.com, Pianostreet.com, pianoworld, pianoworld.com, playing piano, playing the piano, playing the piano with a singing tone, practicing piano, practicing piano with relaxation, practicing the left hand at the piano, teaching piano, teaching piano to children, whole body listening, whole body music listening, word press, word press.com, wordpress, wordpress.com, you tube video, yout tube | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment