Month: April 2011

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Piano Lesson: Fritz, Age 7, performs his composed piece, “FINDING GOLD” (Video)

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFObHOAwNV0 Over a period of three weeks, seven year old Fritz, who'd been taking piano lessons for about 7 months, composed a piece that he titled, "Finding Gold." The student has been using Faber Primer Piano Adventures, with my inserted modifications. He warmed up this past Monday with Lesson Book p. 24, C-D-E-F-G March transposed… Continue reading Piano Lesson: Fritz, Age 7, performs his composed piece, “FINDING GOLD” (Video)

"A Room with a View", "The Hills are Alive with the Sound of Music", Bay area, blog, blogger, blogging, E.M. Forster, El Cerrito, El Cerrito California, El Cerrito piano studio, Molly Goldberg, piano instruction, piano instructor, piano lesson, piano lessons, piano room, piano society, piano student, piano studio, Piano World, pianoaddict.com, Pianostreet.com, pianoworld, pianoworld.com, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Kirsten blog, Shirley Smith Kirsten, South Bronx, talkclassical.com, Teach Street, Uncategorized, video performances, word press, wordpress.com

A Piano Room with a View

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

I thought of E.M. Forster's novel as an inspiration for this blog, but "The Hills are alive with the Sound of Music" would have more aptly described what I was writing about. Every week, a breathtaking view of the El Cerrito Hills streams into my piano room through an open, maple-paneled door. Depending on the… Continue reading A Piano Room with a View

Beethoven, Beethoven Moonlight Sonata, blog, blogger, blogging, Circle of Fifths, Classical era, Classical period sonata, classissima, classissima.com, composers, Creative Fresno, diminished chords, El Cerrito, El Cerrito California, El Cerrito piano studio, Fresno California, fresno filmmakers alliance, keyboard technique, MTAC, music, music and heart, music teachers association of california, New York City High School of Performing Arts, New York University, Oberlin Conservatory, pianist, piano, piano addict, piano instruction, piano instructor, piano lesson, piano lessons, piano pedagogy, piano society, Piano Street, piano teacher, piano teaching repertoire, piano tutorial, pianoworld, pianoworld.com, playing piano, presto agitato from Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, publishers marketplace, publishersmarketplace.com, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Kirsten blog, Shirley Smith Kirsten, Steinway M grand piano, talkclassical.com, Teach Street, Timothy Gallwey, video performances, you tube, you tube video

Piano Instruction: Spot Practicing, Presto Agitato movement 3, Beethoven’s “Moonlight” Sonata

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RraBDtDo9Nw Beethoven's C# minor Sonata, Op. 27, No. 2, the "Moonlight") RELATED: https://arioso7.wordpress.com/2011/04/03/piano-instruction-out-of-a-rut-with-spot-practicing/

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Piano Instruction: Out of a Rut with Spot Practicing

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

I've discovered a way to advance a piece that's found itself in the doldrums --held back by the same snags that most students dread and want to avoid. The remedy boils down to spot practicing with a generous serving of patience. We all remember our teacher's mantra to separate the hands and play very slowly… Continue reading Piano Instruction: Out of a Rut with Spot Practicing

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Piano Technique: Thumb Shifts in Playing Scales and Arpeggios (Video)

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lk7Bnd6xD9Y The great pianist, Josef Hofmann, imparted words of wisdom when he answered the following question posed by a student that related to the thumb and piano technique: "What is the matter with my scales? I cannot play them without a perceptible jerk when I use my thumb. How can I overcome the unevenness?" The… Continue reading Piano Technique: Thumb Shifts in Playing Scales and Arpeggios (Video)

Aiden Cat, Aiden the Cat, blog, blogger, blogging, cat, cats, feline, felines

The Life of a Cat on April Fool’s Day

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

There's no doubt who's King of the Castle with his Keyboard Crown. What else would I expect? He really wanted the whole piano bench to himself: How did he manage to sneak off with my sneakers? They weren't there the last I saw them. He's decided I can't go anywhere without him. Better yet, he… Continue reading The Life of a Cat on April Fool’s Day