Category Archives: piano student

Piano Practicing: Breathing into phrases and blocking out passages (Mozart Sonata, example)

Posted on July 20, 2013 by

I’ve picked the first two pages of Mozart’s Sonata in Bb Major, K. 281, last movement, Rondeau, Allegro to explore breathing and blocking techniques in the learning process. (These principles can be applied to practicing music from a variety of … Continue reading →

Posted in breathing and piano lessons, classissima, Mozart, Mozart Sonata in Bb K. 281, Mozart Sonata in Bb K. 281 Rondeau, piano, piano addict, piano blog, piano blogs, piano instruction, piano lessons, piano lessons by Skype, piano lessons for adults, piano lessons in Berkeley California, piano lessons in El Cerrito California, piano practicing, piano student, piano technique, playing the piano, playing the piano with a singing tone, practicing difficult piano passages, practicing piano, practicing piano in slow tempo, practicing piano passages with rhythms, practicing piano with relaxation, Shirley Smith Kirsten, shirley smith kirsten blog, Shirley Smth Kirsten, Skype piano lessons, skyped piano lessons, Steinway piano, Steinway pianos, supple wrist in piano playing, teaching a piano student about melody, teaching an adult student, teaching piano, teaching piano to adult students, teaching piano to adults, the art of piano playing, whole body listening, whole body music listening, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, word press, word press.com, wordpress, wordpress.com, you tube video, you tube.com, youtube.com | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

“Flamenco” by Gillock is a winner! (Intermediate Level piano repertoire)

Posted on April 15, 2013 by

Over the years, Gillock’s music has sparked the enthusiasm of piano students who sometimes need a kick start piece to lift them out of a rut. “Flamenco” can be such a game changer! For Fritz, age 9, who’s infatuated with … Continue reading →

Posted in Gillock "Flamenco", piano, piano instruction, piano student, piano teacher, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Smith Kirsten, William Gillock, word press, word press.com, wordpress, wordpress.com, yout tube, youtube.com | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Piano Technique: A Bouncy Scale workout with forward arm rolls and supple wrist motions–Enjoy the romp! (Videos)

Posted on May 3, 2012 by

Scales can be a great workout routine if you let your arms loose, dip your pliant wrists and go with the flow. And it’s a great cardio. (No treadmill or weights required) Just apply principles of balance and buoyancy. Here … Continue reading →

Posted in phrasing at the piano, pianist, pianists, piano, piano arpeggios, piano blog, piano blogging, piano blogs, piano instrruction, piano instructor, piano lessson, piano playing, piano playing and breathing, piano playing and phrasing, piano playing and relaxation, piano practicing, Piano Street, piano student, piano studio, piano study, piano teacher, piano teachers, piano teaching, piano technique, Piano World, piano world-wide, pianoaddict.com, Pianostreet.com, pianoworld, pianoworld.com, playing piano, POWHOW, POWHOW instruction, POWHOW piano instruction, scale fingerings, scales, scales and arpeggios, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Kirsten blog, Shirley Kirsten certified piano instructor at POWHOW, Shirley Kirsten on POWHOW, Shirley Kirsten teaches classes at POWHOW, shirley s kirsten, Shirley Smith Kirsten, shirley smith kirsten blog, singing tone legato, studying piano, teaching piano, technique, video piano instruction, virtual piano lessons, virtual piano teaching, whole body listening, word press, word press.com, wordpress, you tube, you tube video, yout tube, youtube.com | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Piano lesson-in-progress: Shaping a solo for the right hand in Beethoven’s “Fur Elise” ( a “vocal” transition) Videos

Posted on April 21, 2012 by

Marie, an adult student practiced measures 32-40 of “Fur Elise,” enlisting the model of a singer who shapes and nuances phrases with meticulous breath control. While pianists are not operatic performers, they must imagine that their arms, wrists and fingers … Continue reading →

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Learning a new piano piece quickly and thoroughly (Videos)

Posted on April 20, 2012 by

I challenged myself to quickly learn the shortest Scarlatti sonata on record (K. 431 in G) and share the principles of developing this piece to a level of fluidity with interested students. Perhaps it would help them navigate a new … Continue reading →

Posted in Domenico Scarlatti, how to learn a new piano piece, learning a new piano piece, pianist, piano, piano instruction, piano lessons, piano student, piano teacher, playing piano, Scarlatti sonata in G K. 431, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Smith Kirsten, teaching piano, video instruction, word press, word press.com, wordpress, wordpress.com, you tube, you tube video, yout tube | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Quality spot-practicing by an adult student: Beethoven’s “Fur Elise” (Video)

Posted on April 14, 2012 by

Marie, a motivated adult student, revisited piano studies after a decades-long hiatus. When she resumed lessons about 6 years ago, she made “Fur Elise” her goal-setting piece. Following long-term scale and arpeggio exposure accompanied by a detailed focus on minuets, … Continue reading →

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Teaching piano to Rina, 5, with a supplementary video for mom that outlines our lesson plan and goals

Posted on April 12, 2012 by

Rina’s mother attends her daughter’s lessons, takes notes, and receives a follow-up assignment. Today, I sent her a video that summarized what we had accomplished yesterday along with a goal-setting outline. *** The child has been working on her legato … Continue reading →

Posted in "Tales of a Musical Journey" by Irina Gorin, Journal of a Piano Teacher from New York to California, Minuet by Reinagle, phrasing at the piano, pianist, piano, piano addict, piano blog, piano blogging, piano blogs, piano instruction, piano instructor, piano keyboard, piano lesson, piano lessons and parental support, piano lessson, piano playing, piano playing and breathing, piano playing and phrasing, piano playing and relaxation, piano playing and the singing tone, piano student, piano studio in El Cerrito, piano study, piano teacher, piano teaching, piano technique, Piano World, piano world-wide, pianoaddict.com, Pianostreet.com, pianoworld, pianoworld.com, playing piano, playing the piano, playing the piano with a singing tone, practicing piano, practicing piano with relaxation, practicing the left hand at the piano, teaching piano, teaching piano to children, whole body listening, whole body music listening, word press, word press.com, wordpress, wordpress.com, you tube video, yout tube | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment