Category: MTAC

"The Inner Game of Tennis", athletic coaching, athletic training, Bay area, California, classical music, classissima.com, Creative Fresno, David Freundlich, dream piano, El Cerrito, El Cerrito California, El Cerrito piano studio, Facebook, Facebook friend, five finger positions, five finger warm-ups, Fresno, Fresno California, Fresno Famous, great pianists, humor, hypnosis, Lillian Freundlich, Major and minor scales, mental imagery, Mildred Portney Chase, mind body connection, MTAC, music, music and heart, music history, music teachers association of california, Music Teachers Asssociation of California, musicology, neurosis, New York City High School of Performing Arts, Northwest Bronx, Northwest Fresno, Oberlin, Oberlin Conservatory, Old Fig Garden in Fresno, performance anxiety, pianist, piano, piano addict, piano instruction, piano lesson, piano pedagogy, piano practicing, piano room, Piano Street, piano student, piano teacher, piano teaching repertoire, piano technique, piano tutorial, piano warm-ups, Piano World, Pianostreet.com, pianoworld, pianoworld.com, ping pong, ping pong balls, psychiatrist, psychiatry, publishers marketplace, publishersmarketplace.com, satire, scales, Schumann, self hypnosis, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Kirsten blog, Shirley Smith Kirsten, sports, Steinway and Sons, Steinway grand piano, Steinway M grand piano, talkclassical.com, teaching piano to teenagers, technique, teenagers, tennis, Timothy Gallwey, uk-piano-forums, video performances, whole body music listening, word press, wordpress.com, you tube, you tube video

Performance Anxiety and the Pianist

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

For too long performance anxiety was a taboo subject, always swept under the rug. I remember grappling with paralyzing jitters during my years at the New York City High School of Performing Arts. My piano teacher at the time, a seasoned professional, would always say the same thing: "Honey, the music is bigger than you… Continue reading Performance Anxiety and the Pianist

arpeggios, athletic coaching, athletic training, authorsden, Bay area, California, children's music, Circle of Fifths, classical music, counterpoint, Creative Fresno, diminished 7th arpeggios, diminished 7th chords, diminished chords, El Cerrito, El Cerrito California, El Cerrito piano studio, Facebook, five finger positions, five finger warm-ups, Fresno, Fresno California, Fresno Famous, gymnastics, humor, JS Bach, keyboard technique, Lillian Freundlich, mind body connection, MTAC, music appreciation classes, Music Teachers Asssociation of California, musicology, my space, New York City High School of Performing Arts, pianist, piano, piano addict, piano instruction, piano lesson, piano pedagogy, 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, ping pong, ping pong balls, publishers marketplace, publishersmarketplace.com, scales, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Kirsten blog, Shirley Smith Kirsten, Steinway and Sons, Steinway grand piano, Steinway M grand piano, Steinway piano, Steinway studio upright, talkclassical.com, Teach Street, technique, Theory, trills, uk-piano-forums, Uncategorized, video performances, whole body music listening, word press, wordpress.com, you tube, you tube video

Piano Lesson: Step by step Diminished 7th arpeggio warm-up with a 10 yr. old student

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

I previously discussed diminished 7th chords and how they are constructed as an introduction to an actual warm-up routine. The missing ingredient was the student: https://arioso7.wordpress.com/2011/01/19/piano-instruction-playing-diminished-7th-chords-and-arpeggios-video/ In this video, a ten year old pupil fills the bill, romping over the keyboard, joining in a scintillating choreography with her teacher: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhazCUOzzdI Diminished 7th arpeggio sampled: G#… Continue reading Piano Lesson: Step by step Diminished 7th arpeggio warm-up with a 10 yr. old student

arpeggios, athletic coaching, athletic training, authorsden, Bach Invention, Bach Two Part Inventions, Baroque music, Bay area, California, cd baby, cdbaby, Circle of Fifths, classissima.com, counterpoint, Creative Fresno, El Cerrito, El Cerrito California, El Cerrito piano studio, Facebook, Facebook friend, five finger positions, five finger warm-ups, Fresno, Fresno California, Fresno Famous, gymnastics, J.S. Bach, JS Bach, keyboard technique, Major and minor scales, Mildred Portney Chase, mind body connection, MTAC, music, music history, music teachers association, music teachers association of california, Music Teachers Asssociation of California, musicology, my space, New York, New York City High School of Performing Arts, Northwest Fresno, Oberlin Conservatory, New York City High School of Performing Arts, pentachords, pianist, piano, piano addict, 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, ping pong, ping pong balls, publishers marketplace, publishersmarketplace.com, scales, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Kirsten blog, Shirley Smith Kirsten, sports, Steinway and Sons, Steinway grand piano, Steinway M grand piano, Steinway piano, Steinway studio upright, talkclassical.com, Teach Street, Theory, uk-piano-forums, video performances, word press, wordpress.com, you tube, you tube video

Practicing Bach Inventions 4 and 13 with my 10 year old piano student

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

We had fun videotaping part of a lesson from a different camera angle. My student and I sat in front of our separate pianos, collaborating on two Bach Inventions. (Number 4 in D minor and number 13 in A minor) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Y3CaCycoHE In the first segment, my pupil is playing through the d minor Invention, mostly… Continue reading Practicing Bach Inventions 4 and 13 with my 10 year old piano student

arpeggios, Circle of Fifths, classical music, Classical period sonata, Creative Fresno, El Cerrito, El Cerrito California, El Cerrito piano studio, Exposition in piano sonata, five finger positions, five finger warm-ups, Fresno, Fresno California, Fresno Famous, keyboard technique, Mozart, Mozart sonata in C K545, MTAC, music, music and heart, music history, music teachers association of california, Music Teachers Asssociation of California, musicology, my space, 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 instruction, piano lesson, piano pedagogy, piano room, Piano Street, piano student, piano teacher, piano teaching repertoire, piano tutorial, piano warm-ups, Piano World, Pianostreet.com, pianoworld, pianoworld.com, Rondo form, Shirley Kirsten blog, Shirley Smith Kirsten, Steinway and Sons, Steinway grand piano, Steinway piano, talkclassical.com, technique, used piano, video performances, word press, wordpress.com, you tube, you tube video

Mozart Rondo: Allegretto K. 545, Performance and Analysis

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

Performance: http://youtu.be/Meb-yhioUIo Analysis: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6oSo-WC9OM&feature=related The Rondo, more often than not, is the form used in the last movement of a Classical era Sonata. (The Classical period roughly encompasses the years between 1750 and 1830) The Rondo is usually a brisk, lively and energetic movement that brings a sonata to a definitive conclusion. It is in… Continue reading Mozart Rondo: Allegretto K. 545, Performance and Analysis

6 degrees of separation, Apple iPhone, arpeggios, athletic coaching, athletic training, Bay area, California, Creative Fresno, cyber technology, El Cerrito, El Cerrito California, El Cerrito piano studio, email, Facebook, five finger positions, five finger warm-ups, Fresno, Fresno California, Fresno Famous, Fresno miniseries, humor, Internet, iPad, iPhone, keyboard technique, memoir, MTAC, music, music and heart, music appreciation classes, music teachers association, music teachers association of california, my space, New York City High School of Performing Arts, Oberlin Conservatory, New York City High School of Performing Arts, pentachords, pianist, piano, piano addict, piano instruction, piano lesson, piano pedagogy, piano repertoire, piano room, piano scales, piano student, piano teacher, piano teaching repertoire, piano technique, piano tuner, piano warm-ups, Piano World, pianoaddict.com, Pianostreet.com, pianoworld, pianoworld.com, publishers marketplace, publishersmarketplace.com, pyrotechnical exercises, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Kirsten blog, Shirley Smith Kirsten, Steinway and Sons, Steinway grand piano, talkclassical.com, Teach Street, technique, uk-piano-forums, word press, wordpress.com, worst nightmare, you tube, you tube video

The iPhone Invades Piano Lessons

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

Monday, Jan. 24th, was a first! Esmeralda, a retired attorney, who'd been taking lessons from me for a year, entered my El Cerrito piano studio with a bright red iPhone as a sign of the times. A dangling rectangular prism packed with limitless software had replaced her simple gold cross. This latest "look" included a… Continue reading The iPhone Invades Piano Lessons

"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

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