An Invitation to the Piano Inspires Book Club – Part 2

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As we approach the new school year, we invite you to join us for the Piano Inspires Book Club! The first book club will focus on Marvin Blickenstaff’s new book Inspired Piano Teaching. Learn more and register here.

August 26, 2024

Dear Frances Clark Center Community,

As we approach the new school year, we invite you to join us for the Piano Inspires Book Club! The first book club will focus on Marvin Blickenstaff’s new book Inspired Piano Teaching.

Join author Marvin Blickenstaff and host Sara Ernst for a four-part, open-access series discussing Inspired Piano Teaching by Marvin Blickenstaff. Each meeting will cover one portion of the book, with guided conversation. Participants are encouraged to attend all four meetings, or attend as their schedule permits. All are welcome!

• Tuesday, September 10, 2024, 11AM EDT | Introduction: Why We Teach – Foundational Principles in Piano Pedagogy
• Tuesday, October 8, 2024, 11AM EDT | Exposition: Practical Teaching Principles in Piano Pedagogy
• Tuesday, November 12, 2024, 11AM EDT | Development: Advancing Piano Pedagogy – Theory, Performance, and Technique
• Tuesday, December 10, 2024, 11AM EDT | Recapitulation: Interpretation and Stylistic Performance in Piano Pedagogy

The first meeting (September) will center around foundational principles of music making and piano teaching, along with important questions such as “Why do we teach?” and “Why should students learn?” Participants are recommended to read pp. ix-23, and to prepare any questions or thoughts they would like to share.

Yours,

Piano Inspires

An Excerpt from Inspired Piano Teaching (ix-x)

Foreword

by Sara Ernst

It is humbling to write the preface to a book on piano teaching by Marvin Blickenstaff, a man who has transformed the piano teaching profession throughout his phenomenal career of more than sixty years. Marvin is a paragon in our profession: a pianist of expressive artistry and technical command, a master teacher of all ages and stages, an affirming person who teaches anyone with a desire to learn, an encouraging and altruistic mentor, and a model of the richness found in lifelong teaching and learning. He was even unofficially given the title “the best-loved piano teacher in America” by Louise Goss and Samuel Holland. As former student Joel Harrison (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1970–73) stated, “Marvin is a ‘giver.’ He offers you the best he has, whether it is musical or otherwise, virtually without limits.”¹ With this indomitable spirit, Marvin has provided us with this impressive compendium of his work as a piano teacher. This resource details the philosophies and approaches behind the tens of thousands of lessons Marvin has taught and the hundreds—if not thousands—of workshops he has given. It is with honor that I will share a snapshot of Marvin Blickenstaff, the educator, musician, and person, as an introduction to his book.

Marvin’s teaching is reverently described with words like magical and transformative. He makes the student feel immediately valued and full of potential, and his approach inspires joy-filled music making. This is palpable for the students on the bench, others sharing in the class, and those observing. During his master classes at conferences, a scan of the audience will reveal faces in awe of the ease of his instruction and his uncanny ability to heighten a student’s understanding and artistry. His former student Nina Austria at the New School for Music Study (NSMS, 2011–20) eloquently expressed:

Every lesson is a joy and a highlight of my week; Mr. Blickenstaff’s passion for music is so contagious, and his kindness and positivity constantly inspire me to push myself to improve…Because of Mr. Blickenstaff, practicing piano does not feel like a task, but rather a treat or even a gift.²

Marvin ensures that his students know he appreciates them and enjoys their work, and this sentiment was echoed by Kelly Marquis Freije (precollege student in Indiana, 1995–97): “All I knew was he loved being there with me, helping me with music, and helping me to grow.”³ His group instruction is equally invigorating, especially how he cultivates artistic growth through peer collaboration. Zack Kleiman (NSMS, 2005–14) described Marvin’s skillful process:

It was through this class, too, that Marvin cultivated my love for the deeply collaborative nature of solo piano—seemingly paradoxical but as we performed for each other during class, Marvin’s great big laugh and smile served as a warm invitation for us to provide feedback and give our two cents. I distinctly remember hearing other students perform and, after several rounds of class input, being able to trace certain parts of their performances to individual comments we had each made—and of course, present in each was a deeply musical narrative guided by Marvin’s expert hand.⁴

Marvin has an impressive depth of knowledge in piano literature, and at the core of his teaching is the artistic interpretation of the repertoire. His students learn to carefully read the score and to express the meaning and emotion behind the music: “Mr. Blickenstaff enables us to not merely learn a piece, but to understand and feel it,” Anya Smith (NSMS, 2014–20).⁵

Notes

1. “A Tribute to Marvin Blickenstaff,” Piano Magazine 12, no. 1 (Spring 2020), 12. This tribute was printed in celebration of Marvin’s eighty-fifth birthday.
2. “A Tribute to Marvin Blickenstaff,” 16.
3. Kelly Marquis Freije, telephone interview by Sara Ernst, March 5, 2010.
4. “A Tribute to Marvin Blickenstaff,” 13–14.
5. “A Tribute to Marvin Blickenstaff,” 16.

About Inspired Piano Teaching

Questions? Please contact teachereducation@francesclarkcenter.org.

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