Character Conundrum: Literary Lessons for Pianists in Schumann’s Kreisleriana
Summer 2020; Vol. 12, No. 3
Robert Schumann’s oeuvre owes structural and inspirational credit to the works of numerous German romantic authors. However, some aspects of his literature-inspired compositional style are more often discussed than others.1 Numerous authors have written about the highly fragmented nature of Schumann’s piano cycles, including Kreisleriana, Op. 16,...
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?...
Summer 2020: New Music & Materials
Summer 2020; Vol. 12, No. 3
Emilie Lin has arranged five traditional melodies in her publication Hearts of Asia: Chinese Folk Songs, published by FJH. The first four pieces have lovely, cantabile melodies which are divided between the hands. They also have simple, beautifully written duet parts which could be played...
November 2013: Winds of Change
November 2013; Vol. 5, No. 6
I’ve found myself thinking a lot about competitions lately. One of my first pieces for Clavier, even before I started a regular column, dealt with “The Competition Syndrome.” Re-reading it, I’m struck by how little things have changed, other than the fact that I’m much...
November 2013: Questions and Answers
November 2013; Vol. 5, No. 6
Q: Recently I’ve seen the term “Teaching Artist” appear in stories on education and the arts in my hometown newspaper. What is a Teaching Artist? Is a Teaching Artist different from an Artist Teacher? And should I, as an independent piano teacher, learn more about...
September 2013: Variations
September 2013; Vol. 5, No. 5
She always wore a cherry-red coat… She always wore a cherry-red coat. At least that is what I remember she wore, whether that fact is true or not. Her gray hair surrounded her head in a fluff that looked like a halo pushed slightly askew,...
The 2013 Laureates: A Cliburn Wrap-Up
September 2013; Vol. 5, No. 5
The Fourteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition ended with the results many observers had predicted, with the gold medal going to a self-assured Vadym Kholodenko, 26, of Ukraine. He delivered a series of impressive performances throughout the seventeen-day contest, several of which had the audience...
The Drama and Desperation of the World’s Most Famous Piano Competition
September 2013; Vol. 5, No. 5
Eight years ago, someone in Tel Aviv slid a letter under the hotel room door of Dr. Yoheved Kaplinsky. A professor in the piano department at Juilliard, Kaplinsky was in Tel Aviv as a juror for the Rubinstein International Piano Competition. The other jurors received...
Diverse and Above Suspicion: Creative Juror Selection for the Future
September 2013; Vol. 5, No. 5
It’s a good thing I wasn’t planning a leisurely Sunday coffee and croissant. June 9 was the last day of the quadrennial Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, and, as a visiting critic, my afternoon and evening were packed with activity. The last finals round finished...
Adventures in Long Distance Piano Moving
September 2013; Vol. 5, No. 5
Within a single year, I recently experienced many of the trials and tribulations that happen when attempting to move a grand piano from the East Coast to the West Coast. Although I had seen articles about finding new students by networking in a new location, I...
Productive Practicing: The Hidden Part of the Iceberg
September 2013; Vol. 5, No. 5
The demands of playing the piano at an advanced level are varied and complex. The list of skills pianists need to learn seems endless, and many of them are subtle and time consuming to master. How long does it take to understand the pedal (Anton...
September 2013: Create and Motivate
September 2013; Vol. 5, No. 5
One fun and important area of teaching music that sometimes gets overlooked is creativity. While most of us would agree that improvising, composing, arranging, and playing by ear are necessary ingredients for developing comprehensive musicianship, somehow we may not get around to teaching these skills...
Exploring the Teaching of Mary Craig Powell
September 2013; Vol. 5, No. 5
It has been my privilege for many years to know Mary Craig Powell as a colleague and friend. Although Mary Craig is an internationally renowned Suzuki specialist, her pedagogic knowledge and instructional skills reach far beyond the confines of a particular method or philosophy. Watching...
How Do You Introduce Scales?
September 2013; Vol. 5, No. 5
Richard Chronister, the founder of Keyboard Companion, made an astute remark to me one time at lunch. “It may be a scale,” he mused over a Cobb salad, “but is it technic?” We had been talking about the requirements of one of our state assessment programs,...
Interdisciplinary Inspirations: Using Visual Images to Enhance Your Teaching
September 2013; Vol. 5, No. 5
Meaningful connections Successful teachers always try to make connections for students— creating and demonstrating meaningful relationships among various activities and concepts. They strive to show students how a good technique enables them to play their repertoire with greater ease; how understanding music theory makes reading...