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…
PA Shorts: Not Exactly Pre-Reading
My students have been full of questions about how to best help their beginning readers- especially those who look at the score as though it had lobsters crawling out of…
Creativity & Method: Redux
It's the start of the school year and with it has come much discussion among colleagues, questions from new students, and personal observations about transfer student readiness. I have read…
Playing With Wolfgang: Bach’s Groove
“I just can’t get the beats to this song. Where is the groove?”, said one of my college class piano students. I had a moment of panic. My eyes must…
Learning Ogi Matsuri
Everyone who teaches should try to learn a completely new skill every few years. It keeps you humble. It keeps you patient and kind to both yourself and to your…
Great Finds: Teaching Tools for Troubled Readers & Jazz from Elena Cobb
How do YOU learn? It’s an important question that we often ask ourselves as we sit attempting to help an individual student conquer a concept or skill. How do you…
PA Shorts: Resilience
I was perusing a discussion on one of the social media groups I belong to and was struck by a comment on resilience. The discussion concerned judges and whether certain…
Artist Portrait: Matthew Odell
I had the great pleasure of doing this latest Artist Portrait interview with pianist Matthew Odell—and face to face too! He is an energetic and down to earth person who…