Category Archives: philosophy of eduction

The Transfer Piano Student

Posted on February 8, 2012 by

I would hate to pigeon hole all “transfer” students in one way or another. It would be unfair, and unfortunately many piano teachers shy away from prospects who were immersed in learning environments where little progress was made over a … Continue reading →

Posted in classissima, classissima.com, My Music Life Blog spot, philosophy of eduction, phrasing at the piano, pianist, pianists, piano, piano blog, piano blogging, piano instruction, piano instructor, piano lesson, piano lessons, piano lessson, piano studio, piano study, piano teacher, piano teacher and student relationships, piano teachers, piano teaching, Piano World, piano world-wide, pianoaddict.com, pianoworld, pianoworld.com, Seymour Bernstein, Seymour Bernstein author Monsters and Angels, Seymour Bernstein author With Your Own Two Hands, Seymour Bernstein pianist, Seymour Bernstein With Your Own Two Hands, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Kirsten blog, shirley s kirsten, studying piano, teaching piano, teaching piano scales, teaching piano to adult students, teaching piano to adults, teaching piano to teenagers, teaching piano to teens, teaching scales, the transfer piano student, Uncategorized, whole body listening, whole body music listening, With your own Two Hands by Seymour Bernstein, word press, word press.com, wordpress.com | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Piano Lesson: Rina, 4, climbs the staircase, and then learns about happy and sad in music

Posted on December 15, 2011 by

The first video below showcases the partial content of today’s lesson. Because I am a staunch believer in introducing black keys early on in the course of piano study, I explored mood affect in music and lowered the E of … Continue reading →

Posted in philosophy of eduction, phrasing at the piano, pianist, piano, piano instruction, piano instructor, piano lesson, piano lessons, piano lessons and parental support, piano pedagogy, piano teacher, piano teaching, Pianostreet.com, pianoworld, pianoworld.com, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Kirsten blog, Shirley Smith Kirsten, Teach Street, teaching a piano student about melody, teaching piano, word press, wordpress.com, you tube, you tube video | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The nitty gritty reasons why piano students drop out: Two staunchly different opinions

Posted on August 24, 2011 by

The current rage on the Internet surrounds a Facebook posting that claims a 95% dropout rate among piano students. The nitty gritty reasons cited by the poster are contained in what I view as a tirade against what he terms … Continue reading →

Posted in Facebook, philosophy of eduction, pianist, piano, piano drop-outs, piano instructor, piano lesson, piano lesson dropouts, piano lessons, piano lessons and parental support, piano pedagogy, piano practicing, piano scales, piano student, piano students who drop out, piano teacher, piano teaching, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Kirsten blog, Shirley Smith Kirsten, summer piano lessons, summer piano study, talkclassical.com, teaching piano, teaching piano scales, teaching piano to children, teaching piano to teenagers, word press, wordpress.com | 7 Comments

Rina, age 4, has her second piano lesson using “Tales of a Musical Journey” (videos in 6 parts)

Posted on August 11, 2011 by

I’m videotaping all of Rina’s lessons as I travel with her through the “Magical Kingdom of Sounds” from Irina Gorin’s Tales of a Musical Journey. Part 1: Part 2: Part 3: Part 4: Part 5: Part 6: RELATED: Rina’s first … Continue reading →

Posted in "Tales of a Musical Journey", "Tales of a Musical Journey" by Irina Gorin, New York City High School of Performing Arts, New York University, Oberlin Conservatory, philosophy of eduction, pianist, piano, piano instruction, piano instructor, piano lesson, piano lessons, piano pedagogy, piano practicing, piano studio, piano teacher, piano technique, piano tutorial, Piano World, Pianostreet.com, pianoworld, pianoworld.com, playing piano, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Kirsten blog, Shirley Smith Kirsten, Teach Street, teaching piano, teaching piano to children, teaching piano to teenagers, whole body listening, whole body music listening, word press, wordpress.com, you tube, you tube video | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Piano Instruction: Learning from our colleagues (Videos)

Posted on June 28, 2011 by

Since we are very isolated as piano teachers, nurturing one-to-one relationships with our students for months and years at a time, we sometimes forget that there are other teaching universes beyond our own with repositories of ideas that may enrich … Continue reading →

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How long should a piano student stay with a piece?

Posted on May 12, 2011 by

As a teacher, I’ve often pondered this question, concluding that there are varying answers which depend on the advancement and motivation of individual students. Certainly no fixed formula addresses the length of time a pupil needs to fully realize his … Continue reading →

Posted in adult piano students, arpeggios, Beethoven, California, Celebration MTAC Fresno, Chopin Waltz in A minor, Classical era, classissima, classissima.com, Creative Fresno, El Cerrito California, El Cerrito piano studio, Frederic Chopin, Fresno California, Fur Elise, harmonic analysis, MTAC, music, music and heart, music teachers association of california, music theory, New York City, New York City High School of Performing Arts, New York University, Oberlin, Oberlin Conservatory, philosophy of eduction, piano, piano addict, piano instruction, piano instructor, piano lesson, piano lessons, piano pedagogy, piano repertoire, Piano Street, piano student, piano teacher, piano teaching repertoire, Pianostreet.com, pianoworld, pianoworld.com, playing piano, publishers marketplace, publishersmarketplace, publishersmarketplace.com, self-analysis, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Kirsten blog, Shirley Smith Kirsten, sightreading at the piano, Teach Street, teaching piano, teaching piano scales, teaching piano to teenagers, technique, word press, wordpress.com | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments