Vintage PA: Yodeling Puff The Magic Dragon
It started with a performance of a method book piece with the word Yodel in the title. “It sounds weird,” said my young student, “and I don’t understand why that…
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…
How I Discovered What Methods Were Really About
Methods are tools. And, with the advent of self-publishing, there are a lot of them available. Unfortunately, no single perfect method exists. I used to wish it did but now…
Beethoven on Social Media: Teaching Advice
I encountered the following tidbit on Twitter last week and it immediately sent my thoughts whirling. It is from one of the letters of Beethoven. In it Beethoven gives advice…
Vintage PA: One Musical Leaf Falling
A few years ago, my husband and I took a daytrip to Madera Canyon, near Tucson. At 5000 plus feet, the aspens were just losing the last of their leaves.…
The Enterprising Pianist: Story, Music, Art, Video
When I was a kid, I was kind of addicted to the Choose Your Own Adventure book series. The idea of reading a story and being able to proactively change…
Finding Inspiration: Redux
It is human nature to have a gut belief that everyone finds musical inspiration just as you do. The way we operate is just so intrinsic to who we are…
The Size of the Problem
Students come in with baggage from their week. Ok, sometimes from their lives. Some of them are overwhelmed, some guilty, others defiant. Occasionally they get in a preemptive strike. Here's one…