Month: January 2011

"Just Being At the Piano", 20th Century music, Amazon, arpeggios, athletic coaching, athletic training, California, cd baby, cdbaby, classical music, counterpoint, Creative Fresno, dream piano, El Cerrito, El Cerrito California, El Cerrito piano studio, Evelyn Glennie, Facebook, Fresno, Fresno California, gymnastics, humor, keyboard technique, Major and minor scales, memoir, Mildred Portney Chase, MTAC, music, music appreciation classes, music history, music teachers association of california, musicology, Musictogether.com, New York, New York City High School of Performing Arts, Northwest Bronx, Northwest Fresno, Oberlin Conservatory, New York City High School of Performing Arts, percussionist, pianist, piano, piano addict, piano lesson, piano maintenance, piano pedagogy, piano room, piano society, Piano Street, piano student, piano teacher, piano teaching repertoire, piano technique, piano warm-ups, pianoaddict.com, Pianostreet.com, pianoworld.com, popular music, Romantic era music, Romantic music, scales, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Kirsten blog, Shirley Smith Kirsten, sports, Steinway M grand piano, Steinway piano, talkclassical.com, Teach Street, technique, trills, Twenty five Progressive pieces by Burgmuller, uk-piano-forums, video performances, whole body music listening, word press, wordpress.com, you tube, you tube video

Music Comes from the Heart

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

Musical expression arises from the deepest part of ourselves so as we relax into the here and now, focused on the flow and shape of phrases, our arms, wrists and fingers work together as an ensemble to produce an artful outpouring. Mildred Portney Chase, author of Just Being at the Piano describes such an approach… Continue reading Music Comes from the Heart

6 degrees of separation, Album for the Young, Amtrak station, antique pianos, antiques, arpeggios, authorsden, Bronx dialect, classical music, Creative Fresno, dream piano, El Cerrito piano studio, Facebook, Facebook friend, Featherbed Lane, Fresno, Fresno California, Fresno Famous, humor, Major Deegan Highway, Marble Hill Projects, memoir, Mrs. Elston, music teachers association, music teachers associationo of California, my space, New York, New York City High School of Performing Arts, Northwest Bronx, Northwest Fresno, Oberlin Conservatory, New York City High School of Performing Arts, pianist, piano, piano addict, piano finding, piano lesson, piano pedagogy, piano room, piano society, Piano Street, piano student, Piano World, pianoaddict.com, Pianostreet.com, pianoworld, pianoworld.com, popular music, public school 122, rats, roaches, Romantic era music, Romantic music, satire, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Kirsten blog, Shirley Smith Kirsten, Sohmer upright, sports, Steinway piano, talkclassical.com, Teach Street, Twenty five Progressive pieces by Burgmuller, used piano, used pianos, veterans, veterans housing, vets, WW II veterans

Rekindling Marble Hill memories, and a remarkable twist of fate

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

I was deeply moved to have discovered the Marble Hill Reunion site which inspired my own cherished memories of the projects in the Bronx where I romped during my childhood and early adolescence. My family moved from Featherbed Lane near Tremont Avenue to Marble Hill when I was about four. It was quite a notch… Continue reading Rekindling Marble Hill memories, and a remarkable twist of fate

100 years, Album for the Young, arpeggios, athletic coaching, athletic training, authorsden, Baroque music, Bay area, California, cdbaby, Circle of Fifths, Classical era, classical music, Classical period sonata, Classical sonatina, counterpoint, Creative Fresno, Dario Marianelli, dream piano, El Cerrito, El Cerrito California, Faber Primer Piano Adventures, Facebook, Fig Garden Village, five finger positions, five finger warm-ups, Five for Fighting, Forever and Always, Fresno, Fresno California, Fresno Famous, Fresno Piano Store, gymnastics, humor, J.S. Bach, Jane Austen, JS Bach, Kabalevsky Op. 39 Children's pieces, keyboard technique, Latour, Liz on Top of the World, Major and minor scales, memoir, MTAC, music appreciation classes, music teachers association, music teachers association of california, music teachers associationo of California, Music Teachers Asssociation of California, musicology, Musictogether.com, my space, New York City High School of Performing Arts, Northwest Fresno, Oberlin Conservatory, New York City High School of Performing Arts, Old Fig Garden in Fresno, pianist, piano, piano addict, piano finding, piano instruction, piano lesson, piano pedagogy, piano purchase, piano room, piano scales, piano society, Piano Street, piano student, piano teacher, piano teaching repertoire, piano technique, piano tutorial, piano warm-ups, Piano World, pianoaddict.com, Pianostreet.com, pianoworld, ping pong, ping pong balls, popular music, Pride and Prejudice, scales, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Kirsten blog, sonatina, Steinway and Sons, Steinway grand piano, Steinway M grand piano, talkclassical.com, Teach Street, teaching piano to teenagers, teenagers, tennis, Theory, uk-piano-forums, video performances, word press, wordpress.com, you tube, you tube video

Teaching Piano to Teenagers: Classical, Pop, Taylor Swift, Liz on Top of the World and more (Videos)

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

There's always room for flexibility in choice of repertoire, especially when teaching teenagers. Alex, 18, had taken lessons during primary school, took a long break and returned to the piano as a senior in high school. His first request was to study "Liz on Top of the World," by Dario Marianelli from the movie, "Pride… Continue reading Teaching Piano to Teenagers: Classical, Pop, Taylor Swift, Liz on Top of the World and more (Videos)

20th Century music, Album for the Young, arpeggios, athletic coaching, athletic training, authorsden, Bastien "Taco Joe", children's music, Children's pieces, Creative Fresno, dream piano, El Cerrito, El Cerrito California, Faber Primer Piano Adventures, five finger positions, five finger warm-ups, Fresno, Fresno California, Fresno Famous, Gillock "Flamenco", gymnastics, humor, Jane Bastien, keyboard technique, Major and minor scales, MTAC, music appreciation classes, music teachers association, music teachers association of california, Music Together, New York City High School of Performing Arts, Oberlin Conservatory, New York City High School of Performing Arts, Orff Schulwerk, pianist, piano, piano addict, piano finding, piano instruction, piano lesson, piano pedagogy, piano scales, piano society, Piano Street, piano student, piano teacher, piano teaching repertoire, piano technique, piano warm-ups, Piano World, pianoaddict.com, Pianostreet.com, pianoworld.com, ping pong, ping pong balls, Randall Faber, scales, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Kirsten blog, Shirley Smith Kirsten, Steinway and Sons, Steinway grand piano, Steinway M grand piano, Teach Street, technique, uk-piano-forums, Uncategorized, video performances, word press, wordpress.com, you tube, you tube video

Piano Lessons: The Two-Way Learning Process, Teaching Albertina, and her sister, Ilyana

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

First Lesson: "Flamenco" by Gillock (Early Intermediate Level) Student: Albertina, age 10 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2vLku_kxR0 This is a teacher/student musical exploration with the use of the second piano at the studio The second piano provides a unique opportunity to share back and forth, provide rhythmic reinforcement when needed, and remind the student about what dynamics, phrase markings,… Continue reading Piano Lessons: The Two-Way Learning Process, Teaching Albertina, and her sister, Ilyana

19th Century music, 20th Century music, Aeolian piano, Aeolian piano company, Aeolian spinet, American Cancer Society Discovery Shop, antique pianos, antiques, appraisal piano, arpeggios, Ashburnham, authorsden, Barbie doll collection, Barbie dolls, Betty Boop collection, Bluebook of pianos, bluebookofpianos.com, California, Chesterfields, Chickering piano, Classical era, classical music, Clinkscale's Makers of the Piano, Connell York, dream piano, El Cerrito, El Cerrito California, Facebook, Fig Garden Village, Fresno, Fresno California, Fresno Famous, Fresno Historical Society, Fresno Piano Store, humor, J. Fritz piano, Knight piano, Mason and Hamlin piano, memoir, Mr. York, MTAC, music, music history, Music Teachers Asssociation of California, my space, New York City High School of Performing Arts, Oberlin Conservatory, New York City High School of Performing Arts, Old Fig Garden in Fresno, old upright, photos, pianist, piano, piano addict, piano finding, piano finding adventure, piano pedagogy, piano restoration, piano sale, piano society, Piano Street, piano tuner, piano tuning, Piano World, pianoaddict.com, Pianostreet.com, pianoworld.com, Pierce Piano Atlas, private party piano sale, Robert Furst, Romantic era music, Romantic music, Sam Torcaso, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Kirsten blog, Shirley Smith Kirsten, talkclassical.com, Teach Street, The Frederick Collection, The Piano Book, Twenty five Progressive pieces by Burgmuller, used piano, Weber piano, word press, wordpress.com, York, you tube, you tube video

A Table Style Piano with Three Leaves–the whole story in lurid detail

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

Two days following my encounter with the towering no name upright, I was drawn to a Fresno Bee Classified ad, that listed an antique ”Counsel piano” for sale at “$1500 or best offer.” (First thing that popped into my head was Indian pow-wow- tribal "council?") What on earth was a Counsel? I snatched up my… Continue reading A Table Style Piano with Three Leaves–the whole story in lurid detail

19th Century music, Album for the Young, arpeggios, Bach Prelude in C Major, Burgmuller, California, children's music, Children's pieces, classical music, counterpoint, Creative Fresno, dream piano, El Cerrito, El Cerrito California, Facebook, five finger positions, five finger warm-ups, Fresno, Fresno California, Fresno Famous, Fresno Piano Store, great pianists, keyboard technique, Major and minor scales, MTAC, music, music history, Music Teachers Asssociation of California, musicology, New York City High School of Performing Arts, Oberlin Conservatory, New York City High School of Performing Arts, Old Fig Garden in Fresno, piano, piano instruction, piano lesson, piano pedagogy, piano repertoire, piano room, piano scales, piano society, Piano Street, piano student, piano teacher, piano teaching repertoire, piano technique, piano tutorial, piano warm-ups, Piano World, pianoaddict.com, Pianostreet.com, pianoworld, pianoworld.com, pyrotechnical exercises, Romantic era music, Romantic music, scales, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Kirsten blog, Shirley Smith Kirsten, Steinway and Sons, Steinway grand piano, Steinway piano, talkclassical.com, Theory, Twenty five Progressive pieces by Burgmuller, uk-piano-forums, word press, wordpress.com, you tube, you tube video

More piano teaching favorites: Burgmuller’s 25 Progressive Pieces, op. 100

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ncr1BMTtvOQ Burgmuller, a German composer living in France during the Romantic era composed these delightful programmatic pieces in order of "progressive" difficulty; I've chosen 3 favorites to showcase: "Arabesque," "La Chasse" (The Chase) and "L'Harmonie des Anges" (Harmony of the Angels) Arabesque ("beautiful decoration") is a sprightly, fast paced miniature in "A" minor, that basically… Continue reading More piano teaching favorites: Burgmuller’s 25 Progressive Pieces, op. 100

Album for the Young, athletic training, Bay area, California, cat, cats, cd baby, cdbaby, children's music, Children's pieces, classical music, Clowns by Kabalevsky, Creative Fresno, dream piano, Faber Primer Piano Adventures, Facebook, five finger positions, five finger warm-ups, Gallop by Kabalevsky, games, gymnastics, humor, Kabalevsky, Kabalevsky Op. 39 Children's pieces, Major and minor scales, MTAC, music teachers association, music teachers association of california, music teachers associationo of California, Music Teachers Asssociation of California, Music Together, Musictogether.com, New York City High School of Performing Arts, Oberlin Conservatory, New York City High School of Performing Arts, old upright, pentachords, pianist, piano, piano addict, piano finding, piano finding adventure, piano instruction, piano lesson, piano pedagogy, piano room, piano society, Piano Street, piano student, piano teacher, piano warm-ups, Piano World, pianoaddict.com, Pianostreet.com, pianoworld.com, ping pong, ping pong balls, Randall Faber, scales, Schumann's Album for the Young, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Kirsten blog, Shirley Smith Kirsten, Steinway and Sons, Steinway grand piano, Steinway M grand piano, Steinway studio upright, talkclassical.com, Teach Street, technique, Theory, used piano, used pianos, word press, wordpress.com, you tube, you tube video

The Joy of Teaching Piano to Young Children (Videos)

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyY3XSl5Wuc Starting a very young child on a musical journey is joyful, exciting and challenging. The first baby steps taken at the piano will be memorable for both teacher and student, so careful thought and preparation are needed. At the very outset, I believe in nurturing an awareness of the singing tone and how it… Continue reading The Joy of Teaching Piano to Young Children (Videos)

Aeolian piano, Album for the Young, Amsterdam Avenue and 74th Street, antique pianos, antiques, authorsden, bluebookofpianos.com, cd baby, cdbaby, children's music, Children's pieces, Classical era, classical music, dream piano, Facebook, Fig Garden Village, five finger positions, five finger warm-ups, Fresno, Fresno California, humor, keyboard technique, Major Deegan Highway, Marble Hill Projects, memoir, music, music history, music teachers association, music teachers association of california, music teachers associationo of California, Needle Park, New York City High School of Performing Arts, Northwest Bronx, Northwest Fresno, Oberlin Conservatory, New York City High School of Performing Arts, Old Fig Garden in Fresno, old upright, pianist, piano, piano addict, piano finding, piano lesson, piano pedagogy, piano room, piano society, Piano Street, piano teacher, Piano World, pianoaddict.com, Pianostreet.com, pianoworld, pianoworld.com, Pierce Piano Atlas, public school 122, satire, scales, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Kirsten blog, Shirley Smith Kirsten, Sohmer upright, Steinway and Sons, Steinway console, Steinway grand piano, Steinway M grand piano, Steinway piano, Steinway studio upright, talkclassical.com, Teach Street, uk-piano-forums, used piano, used pianos, West San Ramon Fresno, word press, wordpress.com

Housing my Dream Pianos

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

I grew up in the Marble Hill projects of the Bronx and lived on the ninth floor. The walls of our housing development were so paper thin that when I practiced on my Sohmer 1922 studio upright, my first dream piano, it would elicit nerve-racking thumps from the neighbor down below. To my embarrassment, I… Continue reading Housing my Dream Pianos

20th Century music, Album for the Young, California, Clowns by Kabalevsky, counterpoint, Creative Fresno, El Cerrito, El Cerrito California, five finger positions, five finger warm-ups, Fresno Famous, Gallop by Kabalevsky, gymnastics, humor, Kabalevsky Op. 39 Children's pieces, keyboard technique, Major and minor scales, music, music teachers association, music teachers association of california, music teachers associationo of California, New York City High School of Performing Arts, Oberlin Conservatory, New York City High School of Performing Arts, pentachords, pianist, piano, piano addict, piano finding, piano lesson, piano pedagogy, piano society, Piano Street, piano student, piano technique, piano warm-ups, Piano World, pianoaddict.com, Pianostreet.com, pianoworld, pianoworld.com, Romantic music, scales, Schumann's Album for the Young, Shirley Kirsten blog, Shirley Smith Kirsten, Steinway and Sons, Steinway console, Steinway grand piano, Steinway M grand piano, Steinway piano, Steinway studio upright, talkclassical.com, Teach Street, technique, Theory, video performances, Wild Rider by Schumann, word press, wordpress.com, you tube, you tube video

Piano Instruction: Favorite Children’s Pieces (Video)

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

I've highlighted three favorite children's pieces by Dimitri Kabalevsky and Robert Schumann that are very catchy, colorful and harmonically engaging. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suVPK_RDxM8 They fall into the category of programmatic music because the character of the compositions match the titles. Even though Schumann and Kabalevsky dedicated their compositions to a youthful generation, the music is quite sophisticated… Continue reading Piano Instruction: Favorite Children’s Pieces (Video)

Aeolian piano, antiques, appraisal piano, authorsden, Bach Invention, Bach Prelude in C Major, Bach Two Part Inventions, Beethoven, bluebookofpianos.com, Brahms, California, cd baby, cdbaby, Chickering grand piano, Chickering piano, Chopin, Classical era, classical music, Classical period sonata, Craigs List, Creative Fresno, Domenico Scarlatti, El Cerrito, El Cerrito California, essay, Facebook, Fig Garden Village, Fresno, Fresno California, Fur Elise, humor, J.S. Bach, JS Bach, Kawai, Larry Fine, Major and minor scales, Mariposa, memoir, mountain lions, Mozart, Mr. York, music, music history, music teachers association, music teachers association of california, New York City High School of Performing Arts, Oberlin Conservatory, New York City High School of Performing Arts, Old Fig Garden in Fresno, photos, pianist, piano, piano addict, piano finding, piano finding adventure, piano instruction, piano lesson, piano pedagogy, piano purchase, piano repair, piano restoration, piano room, piano sale, piano scales, piano society, Piano Street, piano student, piano teacher, piano technique, piano tuner, piano tuning, Piano World, pianoaddict.com, Pianostreet.com, pianoworld, pianoworld.com, Pierce Piano Atlas, private party piano sale, private party piano sale, Riverdale California, satire, talkclassical.com, used piano, used pianos, word press, wordpress.com, York

A Day with Two Piano Finalists

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

A Kawai and Chickering were in a tight race, until one took off and surpassed the other. My whole Saturday was consumed with evaluating two pianos: a practically brand new "Kawai" 5'1" grand and a larger, nearly 5'8" size "Chickering," 1980. The Kawai captured my interest because a smaller studio upright of the same brand… Continue reading A Day with Two Piano Finalists