Of my favorite teaching strategies is bouncing warm-ups back and forth with students. We echo short phrases in legato and staccato as a form of rhythmic rehab. The recordings of these interactions become valuable practicing aids between lessons. Yesterday, an adult pupil and I had fun sharing E Minor/Major penta-scales and five-finger position thirds from… Continue reading Piano Technique: Student/teacher echo exchanges stabilize rhythm and refine articulation
Category: Dozen a Day by Edna-Mae Burnam
The Formative Years of Piano Study and the basic building-blocks of learning (Videos)
Just as a child needs a wholesome diet from birth through adolescence to insure healthy growth and development, a beginning piano student requires the equivalent in musical nourishment. Cocoa Puff pieces that squeeze out whole grain servings of the classics will not in the long term cut the cake. (And I don't rule out compositions… Continue reading The Formative Years of Piano Study and the basic building-blocks of learning (Videos)
A “Glee”-fully Skyping Piano Teacher Sitcom
I couldn't resist writing a story board for a hypothetical Cable network sitcom about a webcam-enslaved piano teacher. Take One: 7:45 a.m. An adult student Skypes in from the Bay area. The camera angle is off. I can see teenage son's untidy room. He's under the covers, snoring. Turn down the Yeti mic volume. ***… Continue reading A “Glee”-fully Skyping Piano Teacher Sitcom