Claude Debussy, Debussy, Debussy Arabesque No. 1 by Claude Debussy, ear training, El Cerrito, El Cerrito California, Fresno California, Haddorff, Haddorff piano, Impressionist Music, long distance piano teaching, mental imagery, mind body connection, molasses, MTAC, music, music and heart, music and the breath, music history, music teachers association, music teachers association of california, music theory, musical inspiration, musical phrasing, New York City, New York City High School of Performing Arts, Oberlin, Oberlin Conservatory, phrasing at the piano, pianist, piano, piano instruction, piano instructor, piano lesson, piano lessons, piano pedagogy, piano repertoire, piano student, piano studio, piano teacher, piano technique, piano tutorial, Piano World, pianoaddict.com, Pianostreet.com, pianoworld, pianoworld.com, playing piano, public school 122, self-analysis, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Kirsten blog, Shirley Smith Kirsten, singing tone legato, slow piano practicing, Teach Street, teaching piano, technique, Theory, uk-piano-forums, whole body listening, whole body music listening, word press, wordpress.com, you tube, you tube video

Piano Instruction: Debussy Arabesque No. 1 (Video)–and playing through the whole composition

I first came to know this piece when a fifth grader at P.S. 122 in the Bronx was selected to play it at our student assembly. The ebb and flowing beauty of this work was so poignant, that I stored it away in my memory until I was able to personally experience this composition years… Continue reading Piano Instruction: Debussy Arabesque No. 1 (Video)–and playing through the whole composition

6 degrees of separation, Album for the Young, Amtrak station, antique pianos, antiques, arpeggios, authorsden, Bronx dialect, classical music, Creative Fresno, dream piano, El Cerrito piano studio, Facebook, Facebook friend, Featherbed Lane, Fresno, Fresno California, Fresno Famous, humor, Major Deegan Highway, Marble Hill Projects, memoir, Mrs. Elston, music teachers association, music teachers associationo of California, my space, New York, New York City High School of Performing Arts, Northwest Bronx, Northwest Fresno, Oberlin Conservatory, New York City High School of Performing Arts, pianist, piano, piano addict, piano finding, piano lesson, piano pedagogy, piano room, piano society, Piano Street, piano student, Piano World, pianoaddict.com, Pianostreet.com, pianoworld, pianoworld.com, popular music, public school 122, rats, roaches, Romantic era music, Romantic music, satire, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Kirsten blog, Shirley Smith Kirsten, Sohmer upright, sports, Steinway piano, talkclassical.com, Teach Street, Twenty five Progressive pieces by Burgmuller, used piano, used pianos, veterans, veterans housing, vets, WW II veterans

Rekindling Marble Hill memories, and a remarkable twist of fate

I was deeply moved to have discovered the Marble Hill Reunion site which inspired my own cherished memories of the projects in the Bronx where I romped during my childhood and early adolescence. My family moved from Featherbed Lane near Tremont Avenue to Marble Hill when I was about four. It was quite a notch… Continue reading Rekindling Marble Hill memories, and a remarkable twist of fate

Aeolian piano, Album for the Young, Amsterdam Avenue and 74th Street, antique pianos, antiques, authorsden, bluebookofpianos.com, cd baby, cdbaby, children's music, Children's pieces, Classical era, classical music, dream piano, Facebook, Fig Garden Village, five finger positions, five finger warm-ups, Fresno, Fresno California, humor, keyboard technique, Major Deegan Highway, Marble Hill Projects, memoir, music, music history, music teachers association, music teachers association of california, music teachers associationo of California, Needle Park, New York City High School of Performing Arts, Northwest Bronx, Northwest Fresno, Oberlin Conservatory, New York City High School of Performing Arts, Old Fig Garden in Fresno, old upright, pianist, piano, piano addict, piano finding, piano lesson, piano pedagogy, piano room, piano society, Piano Street, piano teacher, Piano World, pianoaddict.com, Pianostreet.com, pianoworld, pianoworld.com, Pierce Piano Atlas, public school 122, satire, scales, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Kirsten blog, Shirley Smith Kirsten, Sohmer upright, Steinway and Sons, Steinway console, Steinway grand piano, Steinway M grand piano, Steinway piano, Steinway studio upright, talkclassical.com, Teach Street, uk-piano-forums, used piano, used pianos, West San Ramon Fresno, word press, wordpress.com

Housing my Dream Pianos

I grew up in the Marble Hill projects of the Bronx and lived on the ninth floor. The walls of our housing development were so paper thin that when I practiced on my Sohmer 1922 studio upright, my first dream piano, it would elicit nerve-racking thumps from the neighbor down below. To my embarrassment, I… Continue reading Housing my Dream Pianos

arpeggios, baseball, football, humor, memoir, music, Oberlin Conservatory, New York City High School of Performing Arts, performance anxiety, pianist, piano, piano instruction, piano teacher, pianoaddict.com, public school 122, scales, Shirley Kirsten, sports, Steinway piano, tennis, Uncategorized, you tube

Sports and Piano Technique: How about chunking–On You Tube

It's a no brainer to compare piano study to athletics. Both have been my passions throughout most of my life. At age 6 I competed with my brother for music lessons but lost out. Nearly five years my senior, he got first licks at studying the clarinet, quashing my hopes of holding a shimmering saxophone… Continue reading Sports and Piano Technique: How about chunking–On You Tube