Smiling Faces and Adapted Approaches in Online Lessons with Children
COVID-19 Special Issue; Vol. 12, No. 2
My recent lessons with elementary and intermediate students have been filled with music making and sweet moments of personal connection. I enjoyed a student’s smile with a first lost tooth, another’s excitement in showing off her scales with both hands, and exclamations of “I love this piece!” and “That’s...
Quick Teaching Tips: Uploading Videos to Google Drive
COVID-19 Special Issue; Vol. 12, No. 2
Already a subscriber to PianoInspires.com? Login. It’s more than just a subscription. It’s a community of pianists and educators. Subscribe today to PianoInspires.com. Access studio lesson plans and resources for every issue of Piano Inspires Kids… and so much more! From private studios to concert...
Quick Teaching Tips: Uploading a Video from Your Phone
COVID-19 Special Issue; Vol. 12, No. 2
Already a subscriber to PianoInspires.com? Login. It’s more than just a subscription. It’s a community of pianists and educators. Subscribe today to PianoInspires.com. Access studio lesson plans and resources for every issue of Piano Inspires Kids… and so much more! From private studios to concert...
Inclusive and Online Lessons for Students Who are Special Learners
COVID-19 Special Issue; Vol. 12, No. 2
Like most of you, I am currently working from home. At the time of this writing, our city is under a stay-at- home order, and our public schools, colleges, and universities are closed. Like most of you, I have moved all my teaching online including my...
Keeping a Studio Running Effectively
COVID-19 Special Issue; Vol. 12, No. 2
On a Wednesday afternoon last month, one of my colleagues and I stood in the hallway of my studio between our lessons, and he asked me “What are we going to do about lessons if the schools close because of the virus?” I shrugged it off, thinking...
Quick Teaching Tips: Uploading to Dropbox
COVID-19 Special Issue; Vol. 12, No. 2
Already a subscriber to PianoInspires.com? Login. It’s more than just a subscription. It’s a community of pianists and educators. Subscribe today to PianoInspires.com. Access studio lesson plans and resources for every issue of Piano Inspires Kids… and so much more! From private studios to concert...
Winter 2022: Questions & Answers by Jane Magrath
Winter 2022; Vol. 13, No. 4
Q. I want to include some diverse literature for my intermediate students as we prepare for recitals, festivals, and competitions this spring. What are some collections or pieces that I might look into for their piano study? A. Yours is a timely question since so much fresh solo piano...
Music Teaching & Performing Beyond the Studio and Concert Hall
Winter 2022; Vol. 13, No. 4
Many people enjoy music—listening to it, teaching it—even coping with stage fright to perform it. Why is music (with emphasis here on classical music) valuable in our mental and social lives? Despite its value, musical performers were among the most adversely affected victims of losing...
Remaking Ourselves and the Standard Canon: Perspectives and Resources for Promoting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Classical Music
Winter 2022; Vol. 13, No. 4
The life-altering events of the past year have been a wake- up call for all of us to reassess our values and practices as artists and educators. Our musical community has developed a collective sense of advocacy and accountability that has been tremendously overdue, geared towards...
Gabriela Montero: From Advocacy to Artistry
Spring 2022; Vol. 14, No. 1
An Interview with Luis Sanchez. This interview was conducted in Spanish and translated and condensed by the author for clarity. Born in Venezuela, Gabriela Montero has performed with many of the world’s leading orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Dresden Philharmonic, Oslo...
The Seven Types of Rest: Steps for Recovery
Spring 2022; Vol. 14, No. 1
by Paola Savvidou The return to in-person learning has required intense mental and emotional effort. Our students have had to navigate new challenges such as the return to awkward social situations, intermittent disruptions to learning, and the stress of contracting the virus. (1) When they come to lessons with a...
Sounding Florence Price for a New Century
Spring 2022; Vol. 14, No. 1
Florence Price was a twentieth-century American composer who is rightfully finding her place in the performance canon. Dr. Samantha Ege is one of the preeminent musicologists following in the footsteps of Rae Linda Brown and others recording and promoting the work of Price. In this article she gives us a...
Spring 2022: Pupil Saver: “Scherzo” from Four Fleeting Pieces, Op. 15 by Clara Wieck Schumann
Spring 2022; Vol. 14, No. 1
Are you interested in teaching piano music by Clara Wieck Schumann to your students but don’t know where to start? While Schumann’s music is becoming more known and popular, it is typically her advanced works that are performed. She often wrote pieces for her own concerts—therefore, fast passagework, thick textures, and...
Spring 2022: Questions & Answers
Spring 2022; Vol. 14, No. 1
QUESTION: “I’ve recently begun teaching adult leisure classes. I realize that I must plan and teach differently than for private lessons and I want to work on more than technique and repertoire. Do you have suggestions for activities that would engage everyone in the group?” ANSWER: This is such...
What Is the New Monster Concert? Part II
Your response to the question, What is the new monster concert?, in the Summer, 1994, Keyboard Companion, convinces me that many piano teachers are looking for an alternative to what, too often, has become the annual, long, boring, piano recital. I was also reminded that, as music...