Piano Instruction: Using the wrist to taper phrases

I've always believed that it's not enough to rely on fingers, or finger action alone, to play the piano expressively. For me, enlisting the wrist, and rolling into notes, especially those that are shaped down at the conclusion of phrases are recommended. In the attached video, I compare the progression of shorter notes to a…

The Emotionally Abusive Piano Teacher and Suggested Rehab

Over the years my ears have been pinned back by stories from students who experienced emotionally abusive teachers. One who transferred to my studio from another, described her head having been shoved into the music after striking a wrong note. In biographies of well-known performers, strands of anecdotes about foot-pounding, screaming master instructors remind readers…

The Piano Universe of Discussion Boards, Digital Feedback, and Self-analysis (Video)

I love to scan the Boards at Piano World, UK Forums, Piano Street, Piano Addict, and other stop-off points such as My Music Life Blogspot and Color in my Piano to get a feel for the concerns of piano students at all levels of study. This form of feedback that flows in and out of…

Taking Piano Lessons: Skimming the surface or getting deeply involved?

I often think about a prevailing atmosphere of depersonalization these days fostered by cell phones, text messaging, being on the periphery of things, touching bases, not really getting deeply connected to any one subject. Social networking, video games, compulsive school testing, and a dearth of hands-on learning experiences keep many children at bay, floating from…

Appealing piano repertoire for students: Ballade by Burgmuller (Video) and a Lesson-in-Progress

http://youtu.be/JKFxWVFRK4M A piece that's popular among piano students and often steers them back on course, is Burgmuller's "Ballade." In previous blogs, I highlighted "The Chase," "Harmony of the Angels," and "Tarentelle," from this Op. 100 Collection of 25 Progressive Pieces. Burgmuller's tableau in C minor, ("Ballade") seems to capture the spirit of Halloween in its…

To use or not to use a Metronome in the piano studio

There's no doubt that one of the biggest challenges in teaching piano students of all ages is imbuing a rhythmic or metrical consciousness. In my experience, younger students, especially, at the primer level of study, want to race off like there's no tomorrow. They might begin a piece in a steady rhythmic frame but succumb…

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

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…

A Piano Room with a View

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…

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

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/

Piano Instruction: Out of a Rut with Spot Practicing

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…