Beethoven As An Icebreaker?
Do you teach classes or small groups as a part of your studio or music center curriculum? I do. One of the toughest parts of my year is sizing up…
Take that Trouble Spot Out of the Box
In a perfect world we would all be perfectly prepared to tackle a piece before we ever attempted to learn it. Spoiler alert! The world is rarely perfect and neither…
When Being a Contrary Pianist is a Good Thing
Do you have contrary elementary level students? I do. I encourage them. It’s not what you think. Contrary motion at the piano trains the ear to perceive 2 voices moving…
Baroque Dolphins vs. Sharks
My 7 year old student, Gini, grinned at me as she neared the end of Dolphins Play Everyday. She suddenly played a huge handful of low bass keys and wiggled…
The Anti-Masterclass: Refresh
Antimatter: Any substance that, when combined with an equal amount of matter, results in the complete and direct conversion of all substance to energy. ()Anti-Masterclass: Any masterclass that, when combined…
Vintage PA: My Dog Ate My Minuet
The first time I ever worked on a Bach dance movement I felt like I had encountered an alien landscape. I had grown up on Bach chorales but somehow those…
So Bad It’s Good
You all know I'm all about reverse thinking and using what something isn't to shine a light on what it actually is. I learned something new about this last week…
When Tigger is Feeling Bouncy at Piano Lessons
As two grinning young people blasted through my door and ricocheted off the walls, I thought that, like Tigger, they were “feeling bouncy today.” So, what do you do when…