cultivating the singing tone at the piano, phrasing at the piano, piano instruction, piano lessons, piano playing and relaxation, piano practicing, piano teacher, piano teaching, piano technique, piano tutorial, Pianostreet.com, pianoworld, pianoworld.com, playing piano, producing a singing tone legato at the piano, scales, self-analysis, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Kirsten blog, Shirley Smith Kirsten, singing tone legato, slow mindful practicing, slow piano practicing, studying piano, Teach Street, teaching piano, teaching piano scales, teaching piano to children, teaching scales, technique, uk-piano-forums, whole body listening, whole body music listening, word press, wordpress.com, you tube, you tube video

Piano Lesson: Playing into “putty” to acquire a singing tone legato–An 8-year old gets deep in the keys (Video)

I decided to explore a variation of Irina Gorin's "jello" image to teach an 8-year old how to produce a deep, resonant singing tone. She'd been studying piano with me for two years and relished the opportunity to plunge her tiny fingers into a wad of putty that I had acquired at the Dollar store.… Continue reading Piano Lesson: Playing into “putty” to acquire a singing tone legato–An 8-year old gets deep in the keys (Video)

Chopin Waltz in c# minor Op. 64 no.2, Chopin Waltzes, classissima, El Cerrito, El Cerrito California, El Cerrito piano studio, mind body connection, mindful piano practicing, mindful practicing, muscular memory, musical phrasing, pianist, piano, piano addict, piano instruction, piano lesson, piano lessons, piano playing and relaxation, piano practicing, piano teacher, piano teaching, piano technique, Piano World, pianoaddict.com, Pianostreet.com, pianoworld, pianoworld.com, Romantic era music, Romantic music, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Kirsten blog, Shirley Smith Kirsten, slow mindful practicing, slow piano practicing, talkclassical.com, Teach Street, uk-piano-forums, whole body listening, whole body music listening, word press, wordpress.com, you tube, you tube video

Rolling arm movements and videotaped slow motion replay of Chopin’s Waltz in C# minor, piu mosso section

I demonstrate a swing or roll of the arms to realize the circular flow of the piu mosso section of Chopin's Waltz in C# minor, Op. 64, no 2. At the end, I add slow motion frames. Needless to say a state of relaxation is desirable to achieve Oneness with the piano. Mindful practicing and… Continue reading Rolling arm movements and videotaped slow motion replay of Chopin’s Waltz in C# minor, piu mosso section

Chopin Waltz in A minor, pianist, piano, piano addict, piano instruction, piano instructor, piano lesson, piano lessons, piano practicing, Piano World, pianoaddict.com, playing piano, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Kirsten blog, Shirley Smith Kirsten, skyped piano lessons, slow piano practicing, Steinway M grand piano, Steinway studio upright, Teach Street, teaching piano, teaching piano to children, tempo rubato, Theory, uk-piano-forums, whole body music listening, word press, wordpress.com, you tube, you tube video

More Lesson-in-Progress excerpts, Chopin Waltz in A minor, No. 19, Op. Posthumous (Video)

Preserving teaching moments on video allows students an opportunity to review what transpired at their lesson as a springboard to improve practicing during the week. In this particular situation, I was able to e-mail the You Tube link to Claudia, 10, and Claire 8, both of whom are studying the Chopin A Minor Waltz No.… Continue reading More Lesson-in-Progress excerpts, Chopin Waltz in A minor, No. 19, Op. Posthumous (Video)

Mozart, Mozart MInuet in F K.5, music teachers association of california, musicology, New York City High School of Performing Arts, New York University, Oberlin, Oberlin Conservatory, pianist, piano, piano instruction, piano instructor, piano lesson, piano pedagogy, piano practicing, piano room, piano student, piano studio, piano teacher, piano teaching repertoire, piano technique, Piano World, pianoaddict.com, Pianostreet.com, pianoworld, pianoworld.com, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Kirsten blog, Shirley Smith Kirsten, Teach Street, teaching piano, teaching piano to children, Theory, uk-piano-forums, word press, wordpress.com, you tube, you tube video

Piano Instruction: A Beautiful Mozart Minuet in F Major, K. 5 that enlists the dipping wrist (Videos)

I stumbled upon this musical gem when I purchased Mozart, 14 of his Easiest Pieces (Alfred, publisher) Not at all deceived by the description "easiest," I read through the collection knowing the challenge of interpreting the master's music with expression and refinement. It should be noted that this Minuet was composed by Mozart at the… Continue reading Piano Instruction: A Beautiful Mozart Minuet in F Major, K. 5 that enlists the dipping wrist (Videos)

blog, blogger, blogging, Chopin, Chopin Prelude Op. 28 No. 4, Chopin Preludes, Chopin Preludes Op. 28, El Cerrito, El Cerrito California, El Cerrito piano studio, Fresno, Fresno California, Haddorff, Haddorff piano, mind body connection, MTAC, Murray Perahia, muscular memory, music, music and heart, music teachers association of california, musical phrasing, New York City, New York City High School of Performing Arts, New York University, Oberlin, Oberlin Conservatory, phrasing at the piano, piano instructor, piano lesson, piano lessons, piano repertoire, piano room, piano society, piano studio, piano teacher, piano technique, Piano World, pianoaddict.com, pianoworld, pianoworld.com, playing piano, Romantic era music, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Kirsten blog, Shirley Smith Kirsten, talkclassical.com, Teach Street, teaching piano, uk-piano-forums, whole body listening, whole body music listening, word press, wordpress.com, you tube, you tube video

Piano Instruction: Chopin Prelude No. 4 in E minor, Op. 28, Teacher, Shirley Kirsten

http://youtu.be/By2h_rr9JSM http://youtu.be/TIWxLbW3Z38 Chopin composed 24 Preludes in Op. 28 exploring 24 different keys (Major and minor) with each Prelude having its own mood and character. In my step-by-step practicing of the E minor Prelude, I start with the Left Hand with its chordal mosaic, and listen attentively for descending chromatic movement between chords. In the… Continue reading Piano Instruction: Chopin Prelude No. 4 in E minor, Op. 28, Teacher, Shirley Kirsten

keyboard technique, long distance piano teaching, mental imagery, mind body connection, MTAC, muscular memory, music, music and heart, music and the breath, music teachers associationo of California, music theory, music video, musical inspiration, musical phrasing, New York City, New York City High School of Performing Arts, New York University, Oberlin, Oberlin Conservatory, pentachords, pentascales, phrasing at the piano, pianist, piano, piano addict, piano instruction, piano instructor, piano lesson, piano pedagogy, Piano Street, piano student, piano studio, piano teacher, piano technique, piano warm-ups, Piano World, pianoaddict.com, Pianostreet.com, pianoworld, pianoworld.com, playing piano, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Kirsten blog, Shirley Smith Kirsten, Skype, skyped piano lessons, Skyping piano lessons, slow piano practicing, Steinway M grand piano, Steinway studio upright, summer piano lessons, talkclassical.com, Teach Street, teaching piano, teaching piano scales, teaching scales, technique, Theory, uk-piano-forums, video uploading, videotaped replay, virtual piano lessons, whole body listening, whole body music listening, word press, wordpress.com, you tube, you tube video

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

blog, blogger, blogging, California, ear training, El Cerrito, El Cerrito California, El Cerrito piano studio, Fresno, Fresno California, mind body connection, MTAC, Murray Perahia, muscular memory, music, music and heart, music and the breath, music history, music teachers association of california, music theory, New York City, New York City High School of Performing Arts, New York University, Oberlin, Oberlin Conservatory, phrasing at the piano, pianist, piano, piano instruction, piano instructor, piano lesson, piano lessons, piano pedagogy, piano practicing, piano teacher, piano teaching repertoire, piano technique, Piano World, pianoaddict.com, Pianostreet.com, pianoworld, pianoworld.com, playing piano, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Kirsten blog, Shirley Smith Kirsten, sight-singing, slow piano practicing, talkclassical.com, Teach Street, teaching piano, teaching piano to children, technique, Theory, uk-piano-forums, whole body listening, whole body music listening, word press, wordpress.com, you tube, you tube video

Should piano students listen to recorded performances of pieces they are first beginning to learn?

I was thinking of Palmer's edition of Chopin, an Introduction to His Music, and when I first purchased it years ago there was no inserted CD of recorded selections contained in the album. With subsequent published editions, a CD popped into an envelope, beckoning a player to sample another pianist's interpretation of music he had… Continue reading Should piano students listen to recorded performances of pieces they are first beginning to learn?

classissima.com, Claude Debussy, Debussy Arabesque No. 1 by Claude Debussy, Haddorff, Haddorff piano, New York City, New York City High School of Performing Arts, New York University, Oberlin, Oberlin Conservatory, phrasing at the piano, pianist, piano, piano instruction, piano instructor, piano lesson, piano lessons, piano pedagogy, piano repertoire, piano studio, piano teacher, piano technique, Piano World, pianoaddict.com, Pianostreet.com, pianoworld, player piano, self-analysis, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Kirsten blog, Shirley Smith Kirsten, slow piano practicing, talkclassical.com, Teach Street, teaching piano, Theory, uk-piano-forums, whole body listening, whole body music listening, word press, wordpress.com, you tube, you tube video

Piano Instruction: Part Two Debussy Arabesque, No. 1, Teacher, Shirley Kirsten (Video #2)

Part two transitions to A Major. (The composition is in E Major) and has a different character though motifs and ideas from the opening section intersperse this portion of the Arabesque. A very noteworthy change that occurs with the modulation to A Major, is a prevalence of chords, some of which move homophonically (in the… Continue reading Piano Instruction: Part Two Debussy Arabesque, No. 1, Teacher, Shirley Kirsten (Video #2)

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

Bay area, blog, blogger, blogging, California, Chopin, Chopin Waltz, Chopin Waltz in A minor, Creative Fresno, El Cerrito, El Cerrito California, El Cerrito piano studio, Facebook, Fresno California, keyboard technique, long distance piano teaching, memorizing piano music, mind body connection, MTAC, muscular memory, music, music and heart, music and the breath, music teachers association of california, music video, musical inspiration, musical phrasing, New York, New York City, New York City High School of Performing Arts, New York University, Oberlin, Oberlin Conservatory, phrasing at the piano, pianist, piano, piano instruction, piano instructor, piano lesson, piano lessons, piano pedagogy, piano practicing, piano society, Piano Street, piano student, piano studio, piano teacher, piano teaching repertoire, piano technique, piano tutorial, Piano World, pianoaddict.com, pianoworld, pianoworld.com, playing piano, Shirley Kirsten blog, Shirley Smith Kirsten, Skype, skyped piano lessons, Skyping piano lessons, slow piano practicing, talkclassical.com, Teach Street, teaching piano, uk-piano-forums, video uploading, virtual piano lessons, virtual piano teaching, word press, wordpress.com, you tube, you tube video

Between California and Oregon: Skyping Chopin with an eight-year old student (Video of lesson in progress)

At the cue of a SKYPE musical trademark ring, I tapped the green-colored phone icon and brought an eight-year old, her dad, and a grand piano into view. A second virtual lesson beamed between California and Oregon officially began! Featured composition: Chopin's Waltz in A minor, no. 17, Op. Posthumous. This time I aimed my… Continue reading Between California and Oregon: Skyping Chopin with an eight-year old student (Video of lesson in progress)