PA Shorts: It’s Warming Up!
This spring I have been busy judging young pianists' evaluations. I love hearing them play. Some are very worried that they are not warmed up and make sure I know…
PA Shorts: Did I Do Good?
I have been doing some judging for various evaluation programs this spring. I love hearing the students. Mostly they are proud of their accomplishments but a little nervous too. I…
Vintage PA: Great Expectations
Last weekend I ended up in the ER and subsequently the hospital with serious anemia. With plenty of time to do nothing, I tried to brainstorm ideas for blog posts…
A Little Perspective
Now that March Madness has come to an end, it's officially recital/evaluation season. Our EAC recital is tomorrow evening. With that comes inevitable worry wart nerves and the polar opposite:…
Vintage PA: Learning In Style
While updating Piano Addict one morning in July of 2010, I ran across an article on why intelligent people fail. Many of the characteristics for failure rang a bell for me. That…
Vintage PA: Middle Parts & Orphans
“I’ve played piano for over 30 years and nobody has ever told me to start in the middle of a measure,” said one of my adult students one week. She…
Great Job!
Being specific with our praise phraseology isn't anything new. Social media is full of articles on parenting language. It helps if we as teachers also think carefully about our language. The student…
Teaching To The Test: A Rant
One of my adult students, whose grandchildren are taking piano lessons, came to me with concerns that the children were not doing anything in their lessons that wasn’t a part…