Rina, 5, has embarked upon her 7th month of study and is scaling my staircase before settling down to the piano. I've used this routine to imbue a sense of music's topography before a keyboard transfer. It's working. Videotaped samples: On the stairs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2dkza8FehU At the Piano: (with a preliminary five-finger position legato roll between… Continue reading Rina’s Lesson-in-Progress: From the staircase to the piano (Reinagle Minuet in G) Videos
Tag: Word Press
Teaching Piano to Young Children, A Creative New Approach
I will be giving LIVE webcam classes for Book I, Tales of a Musical Journey by Irina Gorin. http://www.powhow.com/classes/shirley-kirsten Class Title: Teaching Piano to Young Children (4 to 7 years old) with a Creative New Approach Saturday, May 19, 2012 1:00pm-2:00pm PDT I will lead parents and piano teachers, chapter-by-chapter through Irina Gorin's Tales of… Continue reading Teaching Piano to Young Children, A Creative New Approach
Piano Instruction: Domenico Scarlatti Minuetto in C, L. 217 (Videos)
Many of Scarlatti's compositions are not within easy reach of most piano students, but Margery Halford, editor, has compiled an Introductory album published by Alfred, with technically and musically attainable works. And it's a blessing that she's eliminated ones with crossed-hand acrobatics. Yet trills, so emblematic of the composer, are an ever-present challenge. Wrist Flexibility… Continue reading Piano Instruction: Domenico Scarlatti Minuetto in C, L. 217 (Videos)
Rina, 5, and a review of her staircase activity: The Playground as Piano Teacher (VIDEOS)
I updated the last blog-embedded video that previewed staircase activity planned for Rina's next lesson. It explored the tricky last line of Reinagle's Minuet which has a mix of rhythms and more complex melodic motion compared to the first three staves of music. What I added to the footage, however, was my plan to insert… Continue reading Rina, 5, and a review of her staircase activity: The Playground as Piano Teacher (VIDEOS)
Quality spot-practicing by an adult student: Beethoven’s “Fur Elise” (Video)
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, short character works, sonatinas and the Chopin Waltz in A minor No. 19, Op. Posthumous,… Continue reading Quality spot-practicing by an adult student: Beethoven’s “Fur Elise” (Video)
Launching a LIVE Webcam Piano Class at POWHOW! (Videos)
Yesterday was an experience! A writer friend had referred me to POWHOW, an online conduit for webcam-driven classes, and my first thought was HOW ON EARTH did this apply to piano lessons which held a sanctimonious ONE-to-ONE student/teacher space for centuries? (It had started in Italy with Cristofori and his miraculous pianoforte invention) Would I… Continue reading Launching a LIVE Webcam Piano Class at POWHOW! (Videos)
Piano Technician Call Back: Please fix these notes! (Before and After Video)
Growing up in New York City, I had a memorable, rotund tuner named Buchbaum, who talked my ear off while tuning a Sohmer upright. Consequently, he left the piano with "beating" octaves, thirds, and sixths. In so may words, the piano not only took a beating, but it warbled all over the place, causing widespread… Continue reading Piano Technician Call Back: Please fix these notes! (Before and After Video)
Piano Instruction: Teaching “Flamenco” by Gillock with chord blocking and wrist forward spring motions (Videos)
A favorite piece bundled with color and energy, Gillock's "Flamenco" is a joy to teach. The good news is that it has many chordal patterns built into its fabric, making it a easier to learn than works with less symmetry. In my instructional video, I use a "blocking" technique to map out the topography and… Continue reading Piano Instruction: Teaching “Flamenco” by Gillock with chord blocking and wrist forward spring motions (Videos)
“The Secret Genius” of Pianist, Vitaly Margulis
A serendipitous Facebook Friend request from Jura Margulis on the eve of my birthday, led to this bundle of love delivered on You Tube. As oxymoronic as it may sound, the pianist's father, Vitaly, channeled through cyber, wooed me into a sanctuary of beauty by his liquid phrasing and total immersion in Chopin's palette. It… Continue reading “The Secret Genius” of Pianist, Vitaly Margulis
Preparing for a Skyped piano lesson to Europe by tweaking a Logitech Cam (Videos)
Since there's a 9-hour difference between my West Coast locale and London, England, I had ample time to prep my external cam for the right keyboard angle. Conversely, the student beaming in from Europe had her SWEEX HD all lined up, with a link to Amazon where she purchased it, but not to THE AMAZON,… Continue reading Preparing for a Skyped piano lesson to Europe by tweaking a Logitech Cam (Videos)
