First Looks: January/February 2017
January 2017; Vol. 9, No. 1
Closer Look: (S3-4) Béla Bartók: Ten Easy Pieces, edited by Immanuela Gruenberg. Immanuela Gruenberg creates a real gem for teachers and students alike in her study edition of Béla Bartók’s Ten Easy Pieces, Sz. 39. As a study edition, Gruenberg’s book will fully inform both...
January 2017: Mind Matters: Retirement: A Response
January 2017; Vol. 9, No. 1
In the September/October issue of Clavier Companion, my wife, Julie Jaffee Nagel, wrote an eloquent column entitled “Retirement.” When it appeared, she showed me the article and asked me to read it. I did, and it was not long before I started to develop a...
Making money, making space: Are your marketing strategies deep enough?
January 2017; Vol. 9, No. 1
While we frequently discuss the advantages and disadvantages of certain types of piano lesson marketing, we often stop short of asking deeper questions that can make our marketing more effective. Understanding how people in the twenty-first century respond to the constant barrage of marketing, and...
Perspectives: Diversity in the teaching studio
January 2017; Vol. 9, No. 1
Walk a mile in your neighbor’s shoes: Diversity in the teaching studio by Rachel Kramer and Bennyce Hamilton Music is the universal language. This phrase has been in my vocabulary since I was young enough to understand what it meant. As I have become a...
Perspectives: Managing performance anxiety
January 2017; Vol. 9, No. 1
Mastering the inner game: Three “mind coaches” onmanaging performance anxiety by Ali Snow “Don’t be nervous! You’ll do fine!” “Take a few deep breaths and it’ll all be OK.” “Here, eat this banana. It’ll help your nerves.” “Just picture the audience in their underwear!” “You...
Repertoire: West Coast Youth Ragtime Competition
January 2017; Vol. 9, No. 1
Preparing for the West Coast Youth Ragtime Competition We were languishing in the summer doldrums when Ryan, my fourteen-year-old piano student, reminded me of the upcoming West Coast Youth Ragtime Piano Competition held in November. My initial response was reserved. “You know, Ryan, I’m not...
January 2017: Pupil Saver
January 2017; Vol. 9, No. 1
A cheerful and dependable flower by Adrienne E. Wiley I love finding new pieces for my students! One of my pupils is ready for character pieces; she is playing late-intermediate literature, and I wanted to find something besides the rather frequently used— although rightly so—Schumann, Gurlitt,...
Repertoire: Bach’s Two-Part Inventions
January 2017; Vol. 9, No. 1
Affect in J.S. Bach’s Two-Part Inventions Bach’s oldest son, Wilhelm Friedemann, was born in 1710 when Bach was twenty-five years old. By the time Wilhelm was ten, his father had instructed him in playing—as well as composing—some rather complex pieces. According to The New Bach...
January 2017: Create and Motivate: Learning and Teaching
January 2017; Vol. 9, No. 1
Rhythm boxes, Part II by Bradley Sowash The last column introduced placing Xs in “rhythm boxes” to represent well-known tunes. Here are more ideas to enhance rhythmic understanding by teaching with this versatile tool. Rhythm box activities Start by making and printing blank tables...
A Life-Changing Decision
Summer 2020; Vol. 12, No. 3
In 1981, the year I received my graduate degree in piano performance, advanced degrees in piano pedagogy were just beginning to appear. Thanks to the work of the National Conference on Piano Pedagogy, there would be a blossoming of pedagogy degree programs in the coming years,...
Engaging the Brain: Practice Tips from an Interview with Spencer Myer
Summer 2020; Vol. 12, No. 3
I attended Spencer Myer’s practicing workshop at the NCKP 2019 Conference. His emphasis on engaging the brain in variable practice techniques sparked my interest and supports research on how we learn. I thought I knew every possible practice suggestion, but Spencer presented and demonstrated many new...
bitKlavier: Expanding Musicianship bit by bit
Summer 2020; Vol. 12, No. 3
Jai Raman, a sixth-grade student at the New School for Music Study, was not excited to study Johann Sebastian Bach’s Prelude in C Minor, BWV 999. When he began the piece with instructor Kristin Cahill, Jai was quite adamant that he had no desire to play...
Summer 2020: Questions & Answers
Summer 2020; Vol. 12, No. 3
What is the difference between a fake book and a real book? Both fake books and real books are collections of lead sheets, that is, pieces presented simply as melodies and chord symbols. Some jazz musicians use these collections at gigs to have a wide...
Summer 2020: Pupil Saver: Toccatina No. 5 by Dianne Goolkasian Rahbee
Summer 2020; Vol. 12, No. 3
Toccatina No. 5 by Dianne Goolkasian Rahbee, Modern Miniatures for Piano Solo, Book 2 I had a dull moment this weekend (doesn’t happen too often) and decided it was time to go through my motivating music in hopes that I could find the perfect piece for one of my...
Voices Silenced: Piano Music by Composers Killed in the Holocaust
Summer 2020; Vol. 12, No. 3
Last year, I went through a bit of an existential crisis —feeling like I wasn’t making enough of a difference, questioning what I as a music teacher and performer could do to lessen the hate in the world. During this internal struggle, I had the...