Discovery Blog

Always give your maximum: A conversation with Menahem Pressler

Discovery homeSign up for email updatessubmit a question With deep sadness at the recent passing of Menahem Pressler and in greatest honor and memory of his legacy, we share this article by Jerry Wong as it originally appeared in the March 2016 issue of The...

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The Legacy of Miriam Hyde

Winter 2022; Vol. 13, No. 4

When I relocated to Melbourne, Australia, from the United States in June of 2019, I was immediately struck by the sense of tradition and cultural reverence that was deeply felt and clearly acknowledged by new colleagues, acquaintances, and students. Recurrent themes included the widely held...

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Lessons from Teachers in China

Introduction by Jerry Wong Years from now I suspect we will all have our own stories to tell of how we were affected by COVID-19. From my own perspective, colleagues in China, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan were the first to share updates of school closings...

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Seymour: More Than an Introduction

September 2018; Vol. 10, No. 5

My Introduction to Seymour My earliest exposure to Seymour Bernstein came during childhood, after hearing several student performances of his beloved impressionistic suite, Birds. Inspired by one of Bernstein’s own pupils, Birds charts the progress of a precocious student named Christopher as he moves towards...

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An Asian Perspective on Study Abroad

Summer 2020; Vol. 12, No. 3

In my new role as Co-head of Keyboard at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music in Australia, I find myself checking in frequently with colleagues here about the future of their students. Will they pursue graduate studies abroad? If so, in the US, Europe, or elsewhere?...

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How do you avoid assigning repertoire that is too difficult too soon?

September 2015; Vol. 7, No. 5

​Each spring, I adjudicate festivals and write comments, review auditions for a summer program that I co-direct, and judge precollegiate competitions. Sitting with other pianists on these panels, the conversation is often something like: “Wasn’t it wonderful the way Student X played repertoire at his or...

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A Tribute to Nancy Bachus

Winter 2021; Vol. 12, No. 5

A Tribute to Nancy Bachus It is inevitable that our profession will lose valued members of our community, but that does not make the loss any easier. Our colleagues touch our lives and influence our work and the work of those around us. Nancy Bachus was one...

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How do you use DVDs and YouTube videos of historical pianists in your teaching?

March 2010; Vol. 2, No. 2

A few years ago I asked piano majors in a piano pedagogy class to name some twentieth-century pianists. Elton John and Liberace were mentioned, but few classical pianists were identified. I later did a presentation to the group on historical pianists, beginning with Ludwig van Beethoven, his...

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A Master Class on Three Favorite Beethoven Sonata Movements

March 2012; Vol. 4, No. 2

The thirty-two sonatas of Beethoven are often cited as the pianists’ New Testament, with Johann Sebastian Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier being the Old Testament. These treasured works are a staple in piano teaching studios throughout the world, and are also required repertoire in the most demanding...

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Always give your maximum: A conversation with Menahem Pressler

March 2016; Vol. 8, No. 2

Menahem Pressler, best known as the pianist of the unparalleled Beaux Arts Trio for more than fifty years and a revered Distinguished Professor at Indiana University’s Jacob School of Music for even longer, continues a daunting schedule of performing and teaching. At age ninety-two, he...

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