What repertoire do you use when a student can play with only one hand, and how do you assign it?
Keyboard Companion Autumn 2004; Vol. 15, No. 3
from the series: Putting It All Together: Repertoire Marvin Blickenstaff, Editor All teachers become skilled in dealing with the unexpected. Most of us have had stud en ts enter the studio with an arm in a sling or cast, or fingers wrapped in heavy bandages. Our...
How Can We Find Out More About Our Students’ Home Practice? Part II
Keyboard Companion Autumn 1995; Vol. 6, No. 3
by Elvina Pearce Evaluating a student’s home practice is getting a lot of attention these days. In KEYBOARD COMPANION‘s most recent issue, we reported on a project at North Central College in Naperville, Illinois, that was designed to help their teachers find out more about their...
Let’s Get Physical: Technique
Keyboard Companion Autumn 1995; Vol. 6, No. 3
Scott McBride Smith is Executive Director of the Young Keyboard Artists Association, in which capacity he directs a Summer Piano Institute involving some of the nation’s top artist-teachers and students. He is a well-known private teacher in Southern California. He received his doctorate from the...
What qualities do families that support their children’s piano study share?
Keyboard Companion Autumn 2004; Vol. 15, No. 3
from the series: The Magic Triangle: Teacher/Student/Parent Barbara Kreader, Editor Gather together a group of piano teachers and the topic often turns to their students and practicing or, more often, the lack of it. Everyone recognizes the Cliffhanger Family. Whether or not they show up each...
How do you teach students to listen to themselves as they practice?
Keyboard Companion Autumn 2004; Vol. 15, No. 3
from the series: The Other Teacher: Home Practice In an interview with Nelita True which appeared in the Home Practice column of the Autumn 2002 issue of Keyboard Companion, she was asked, “What do you consider to be the most important thing you do when practicing?”...
How do you teach reading in group lessons?
Keyboard Companion Autumn 2004; Vol. 15, No. 3
from the series: Independence Day: Music Reading Craig Sale, Editor Group lessons are able to facilitate the learning of music reading concepts in an efficient, effective manner. A recent Keyboard Companion readership survey showed that roughly half of those responding utilize group instruction in some way –...
Is there a way to make technical practice fun?
Keyboard Companion Autumn 2004; Vol. 15, No. 3
from the series: Let’s Get Physical: Technique Scott McBride Smith, Editor A child need not be very clever To learn that, ‘Later, dear’, means ‘Never’. Ogden Nash, Grandpa is Ashamed He makes a good point, don’t you think? Is there ever time for “fun” in a...
How Do You Teach A Piece Containing Both Duplet and Triplet Eighths?
Keyboard Companion Autumn 1993; Vol. 4, No. 3
from the series: The Heart of the Matter: Rhythm Subdividing a beat is not such a formidable task to experience and understand. Many of the words we use are made of polysyllables (that one has five!). Our names and the names of towns and states are...
Are Adults Able to Learn to Play the Piano as Readily As Children?
Keyboard Companion Autumn 1993; Vol. 4, No. 3
from the series: It’s Never Too Late: Adult Music Study In addition to giving us specific information about adult learners, Michelle Robison’s response to our question addresses the myth that adults quit learning after a certain age. You may have noticed in conversations with many adults...
What Is Your Favorite Recital Repertoire for 1st-, 2nd-, and 3rd-Year Students?
Keyboard Companion Autumn 1993; Vol. 4, No. 3
from the series: Putting It All Together: Repertoire Recital–the very word sends a tremor of anxiety through any piano teacher. Some teachers cleverly disguise this event by giving it another name: Piano Party, Spring Keyboard Festival, or Music for a Sunday Afternoon. Whatever the title, repertoire must...
What Special Tips Do You Have for Preparing Multi-Keyboard Ensembles
Keyboard Companion Autumn 1993; Vol. 4, No. 3
from the series: Tomorrow Today: Technology Recycling is a buzzword of the ’90s! You will probably agree that our topic for this issue, Multi-Keyboard Ensembles, is a recycled version of the Monster Concert. Earlier in this century, many concert pianists enjoyed this activity as a diversion. It...
Should Parents Attend Their Children’s Lessons?
Keyboard Companion Autumn 1994; Vol. 5, No. 3
As I interviewed a series of parents, students, and teachers about whether or not parents should attend their children’s lessons, some interesting patterns and responses began to occur. It seems that the answer to this issue’s question depends on several different variables such as: The...
What Steps Would You Suggest for Practicing the Kabalevsky Etude, Op. 27, No. 3?
Keyboard Companion Autumn 1994; Vol. 5, No. 3
Probably every teacher would agree that a student’s ultimate success with a new piece depends, for the most part, on how that student approaches it during the first week or two of home practice. Going one step further, I would say that the productivity and success...
What Do You Do When the Notes Go Up and Your Students Plays Down?
Keyboard Companion Autumn 1994; Vol. 5, No. 3
Every aspect of piano teaching has its share of problems that relate to the question for this issue–those things that seem so natural and easy for us, but are not always so natural and easy for our students. Even though we readily recognize that some things...
How Do You Teach Pedal to Young Students?
Keyboard Companion Autumn 1994; Vol. 5, No. 3
I often begin thinking about topics for Keyboard Companion by doing my own informal survey of currently available literature on subjects I am considering for the Technique Department. After all, what is the point of duplicating information that is already readily available? When I began working on...