Tag Archives: piano lessons

An interview with Rada Bukhman, pianist, teacher, author, about the “Russian School of Piano Playing”

Rada Bukhman, a Vancouver-based piano teacher with native Russian roots, has produced a 212-page soft cover volume that entices with its interspersed selections of compositions at various learning levels. The text offers a variety of fascinating topics, “Developing Initial Musical … Continue reading

Posted in classissima, classissima.com, Discovering Color Behind the Kyes The Essence of the Russian School of Piano Playing by Rada Bukhman, Journal of a Piano Teacher from New York to California, piano, piano instruction, piano lessons, piano teaching, Rada Bukhman, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Smith Kirsten, The Essence of the Russian School of Piano Playing, The Russian School of Piano Playing, word press, word press.com, wordpress, wordpress.com, you tube video, you tube.com, yout tube, youtube.com | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Romantic era piano repertoire: A murmuring stream and the supple wrist (Burgmuller creates beauty from simplicity)

“The Clear Stream” from Friedrich Burgmuller’s Twenty-Five Progressive Pieces offers a student an opportunity to create limpidly beautiful phrases from unraveled broken chords spun out in triplets. In order to create the “mormorando” (murmuring effect) in the treble, it’s best … Continue reading

Posted in Harmony of the Angels by Burgmuller, Journal of a Piano Teacher from New York to California, piano instruction, piano lessons, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Smith Kirsten, word press, word press.com, wordpress, wordpress.com, you tube.com, yout tube, youtube.com | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Tribute to traveling piano teachers

I’m lucky that for decades I’ve been a stationary piano teacher, home-based for Skype, but having two youngsters whom I teach at their house up in the El Cerrito Hills. Fortunately, I get chauffeured to and from the location so … Continue reading

Posted in piano instruction, piano teaching, you tube, yout tube, youtube.com | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Learning J.S. Bach’s B minor Invention No. 15 (BWV 786) in baby steps

Both embedded videos track my step-by-step approach to learning this beautiful composition. In the part one Instruction, I play slowly through the right hand to explore the subject, its articulation, fingering, execution of ornaments, and follow-up strand of 16th notes. … Continue reading

Posted in classissima. om, classissima.com, J.S. Bach, J.S. Bach two part Inventions, Journal of a Piano Teacher from New York to California, piano, piano instruction, piano lessons, word press, word press.com, yout tube, youtube.com | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

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

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

Attentive listening, singing, and awareness of harmonic rhythm improve phrasing at the piano

I notice a common thread among many piano students, young and old. They tend to play measure to measure, doting heavily on downbeats as if the first beat of each bar begs for reinforcement. Perhaps a Marching Band might fall … Continue reading

Posted in attentive listening and phrasing at the piano, classissima, classissima.com, Minuet in G from Anna Magdalena's Notebook, piano lessons, word press, wordpress.com, you tube video, you tube.com, yout tube, youtube.com | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Should a piano student be a carbon copy of the teacher?

The whole universe of music teaching and learning became crystallized when I found myself bouncing ideas back and forth with two parents of Suzuki-trained children on a blog COMMENTS forum. First, I questioned the purist form of the Japanese imported … Continue reading

Posted in classissima, classissima.com, Mozart Sonata in C K. 545, piano, piano instruction, piano lessons, Piano Street, Piano World, piano worldwide, W.A. Mozart, word press, wordpress.com, you tube.com, yout tube, youtube.com | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

I have to practice to keep up with my piano students

I have one particular adult pupil who’s pushed the envelope to its limit. He sends me demanding “new” pieces he wants to learn in short order. Not that I necessarily approve of the rapid turnover of compositions, but I have … Continue reading

Posted in Bach Little Fugue in C BWV 952, classissima, classissima.com, J.S. Bach, Johann Sebastian Bach, piano, piano instruction, piano lessons | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The polishing stage of learning can be dessert for a piano teacher and student

I relish time spent with a student who’s baby-stepped a musical journey with patience and self-acceptance. The polishing stage is icing on the cake, a dessert following the main course. In this case, an adult pupil kept to a regimen … Continue reading

Posted in Chopin, Chopin Waltz in A minor no. 19, Frederic Chopin, piano, piano instruction, piano lessons, word press, you tube | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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

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