When a piano student is not working up to potential, the meeting and e-mail that are needed…

I was reminded by a reader of my post titled, "When love for the piano dies.." and in that particular writing I focused on situations where certain pressures brought by parents and/or the piano teacher can trigger practicing avoidance, leading to the obvious, piano lesson termination. In these scenarios, mom or dad may live through…

The Metronome, a blessing or curse?

My original opinion on this topic was unequivocal. I would never use a metronome under any circumstances in my teaching except to consult for overall tempo. The expression, to be “ticked off” summed up my attitude toward the robotic beat counter. Setting the wand to any magic number created a despairing search for the downbeat…

The Complete Piano Work-out in 3 parts (Videos)

Most of my late intermediate and advanced students know the routine at lessons. The first twenty minutes are spent warming up in the Key they've been assigned the previous week. Once seated at the piano, they're ready for a challenging kinetic whirl around the keyboard as scales and arpeggios dance through the cosmos in various…

Skyped Piano Lessons: Using video supplements as reinforcement (Video sent to an 8-year old student)

Today I Skyped a third piano lesson between California and Oregon, and learned that the student I was mentoring was not 10-years old as I had thought all along, but only 8! Dad told me she had 10 months of lessons altogether, wherein I became involved only weeks ago at the father's invitation. But the…

Summer Piano Lessons and Musical Progress

I used to believe that summer was a time to let go of piano lessons, to allow students a break from the tight schedule of weekly meetings during the school year. That was my perception until I slowly but surely realized how many holidays and Teacher institute breaks made September to June feel like 7…

Piano Instruction: Attentive listening to the end of a note before playing the next (E minor arpeggio in TENTHS) Video

In the course of practicing an E minor Arpeggio, (E, G, B, E) in TENTHS (Right hand begins on G, finger no. 1) I reinforced the idea that listening attentively to the very end of a note before the next is played is an essential ingredient of beautiful phrasing and fluid playing. The video expands:…

Piano Technique: Rolling out a four-note E minor arpeggio in all inversions (using a supple wrist and relaxed arm)-Video

The key to achieving fluidity in playing these arpeggios, is having a relaxed arm and supple, "spongy" wrist. The wrist, I would add is a SPRING, or shock absorber. If you freeze your wrist, you might as well play the piano with a pencil. I dip my wrist with each inversion, and I roll into…

Piano Instruction: The Virtues of Slow Motion Practicing and Attentive Listening

It takes patience to approach a piece well behind tempo, tuning in to every nuance and turn of phrase. With ears alert and sensitive, the player tries to create a feeling state where he's submerged in sound to the exclusion of all else. At the pinnacle of concentration, he's "in the zone," attaining Maslow's "peak…

The Art of Phrasing at the Piano: Starting the process with Beginners (Videos)

For some unexplained reason, my earliest piano studies never included the art of phrasing. My primer teacher stressed naming notes, finding them, affixing correct fingering and counting out robotic beats. I knew nothing about feeling a melodic landscape; putting the vocal model center stage in my playing, and breathing through contoured musical lines. My pieces…

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…