Tag Archives: You Tube

Trading places with our piano students

Posted on July 12, 2017 by

As teachers, the empathy we have for a pupil’s budding learning process with its slips and slides, is at the foundation of good mentoring. By remembering what it’s like to be in the student’s position, sitting at the piano under … Continue reading →

Posted in piano blog, piano blog by Shirley Kirsten, piano blogger, piano blogging, piano blogs, piano instruction, piano instructor, piano learning, piano lesson | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Before and After the Fall, Music Heals

Posted on July 5, 2017 by

As I sit under a webcam mounted on a 7 foot tripod, I have an uneasy feeling that the cam will dislodge, reviving the nightmare of my head injury, sustained in a backwards fall on June 29th. What made things … Continue reading →

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Piano Student: “I don’t know what I want to hear?”

Posted on June 22, 2017 by

A commonly registered concern among my brood of adult students circumscribes an uncertainty about phrasing and overall musical expression. Many don’t trust their native musical instincts as they might apply to practicing fledgling pieces that are in early stage development. … Continue reading →

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Chamber music and pianists: seamless interaction, ensemble, and musical growth

Posted on June 9, 2017 by

Most piano students don’t get ample opportunity to play piano trios, quartets, quintets, etc. because they’re consumed with learning solo repertoire and developing their technical/musical skills. Thankfully, the ongoing Cliburn International Piano Competition, in progress, fills this common void by … Continue reading →

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An Ear-grabbing Cliburn 2017 Piano Competition!

Posted on May 29, 2017 by

I couldn’t tear myself from my big Mac, savoring a big serving of tantalizing musical artistry via Medici TV. The sparing LIVE performances that I’d ingested through the opening days of the celebrated Fort Worth-based Cliburn event, had been other … Continue reading →

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Two-timing scale practice

Posted on May 13, 2017 by

I appreciate two-timing piano students who practice their scales with acutely sensitive ears. They are made keenly aware of what it takes to repeat a faulty step-wise sequence that’s been thrown out of rhythmic alignment along a 4-octave route. (Auditory … Continue reading →

Posted in piano, piano blog, piano instruction, piano scales | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

A Happy Day for a 9-yr. old piano student playing on her first recital

Posted on May 6, 2017 by

Maeve, aka “Liz” was welcomed into the universe of music sharing in the beautiful Oakland Hills of California. What better backdrop, cloaked in nature, as breezes wafted through branches, shaking out leaves in graceful patterns. The images, extracted from the … Continue reading →

Posted in piano, piano lessons, piano recital, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments