This question, posed on numerous Internet piano forums, elicited varied opinions from teachers and students. One participant asked about Dorothy Delay, who taught some of the most celebrated violinists at the Juilliard School. When this esteemed mentor had reached an advanced age, would she have been able to demonstrate challenging technical passages for her pupils?… Continue reading Should a piano teacher be able to play pieces assigned to students?
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A Piano Room with a View
I thought of E.M. Forster's novel as an inspiration for this blog, but "The Hills are alive with the Sound of Music" would have more aptly described what I was writing about. Every week, a breathtaking view of the El Cerrito Hills streams into my piano room through an open, maple-paneled door. Depending on the… Continue reading A Piano Room with a View
Piano Technique: Thumb Shifts in Playing Scales and Arpeggios (Video)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lk7Bnd6xD9Y The great pianist, Josef Hofmann, imparted words of wisdom when he answered the following question posed by a student that related to the thumb and piano technique: "What is the matter with my scales? I cannot play them without a perceptible jerk when I use my thumb. How can I overcome the unevenness?" The… Continue reading Piano Technique: Thumb Shifts in Playing Scales and Arpeggios (Video)
Music Theory and Piano Study: It doesn’t have to be drudgery
Music Theory doesn't have to be drudgery If I turn the clock back to my early days as a piano student, I can say without a doubt that I absolutely HATED “Music Theory” or anything remotely related to it. And I can clearly thank my very pedantic teacher, Mrs. Schwed for this aversion. She made… Continue reading Music Theory and Piano Study: It doesn’t have to be drudgery
Appel Farm Music Camp and the Chicken Coops
Was I dreaming? Did I wake up in a chicken coop on a hot and humid July morning? The summer before I was a Merrywood camper, encapsulated in a forest of pines bordering Lenox, Massachusetts. A short journey to Tanglewood for a Sunday morning BSO rehearsal, was followed by a breakfast of sizzling waffles and… Continue reading Appel Farm Music Camp and the Chicken Coops
In a Piano Teacher’s Arsenal: The Magic bullet piece (VIDEO with Aiden Cat joining in)
There's always a piece of music lurking somewhere that can save a young student from quitting piano. For those of us who teach the great masterworks, passing a cultural legacy to the next generation, we know lickety-split when it's time to break out our ammunition: the magic bullet piece. Example: An 11-year old had gotten… Continue reading In a Piano Teacher’s Arsenal: The Magic bullet piece (VIDEO with Aiden Cat joining in)
PULLS AND TUGS: Two sides of the piano student/teacher relationship
There are two sides to every story, so in all fairness I've posited a number of situations that crop up in the piano lesson environment, with an analysis from the Teacher and Student's point of view. In some instances, I've substituted PARENT for STUDENT where I think it applies. RESOLUTIONS of various issues are explored.… Continue reading PULLS AND TUGS: Two sides of the piano student/teacher relationship