Arrangements for Your Holiday Season
November 2013; Vol. 5, No. 6
All jazz/pop musicians are expected to have a repertoire of tunes. It’s commonly referred to as the “Standard Jazz” repertoire and its content is broad and varied. However, when we get close to the month of December, another repertoire becomes relevant and it is important...
The Science of Artistry (The Fourth String)
November 2013; Vol. 5, No. 6
The Blüthner waits on the stage. The top three octaves of the piano include a fourth string for each tone, strings which are never struck directly, but vibrate sympathetically to enhance the overtones of the instrument.1 More than 6,000 parts comprise its Renner keyboard action. Fifteen...
The Mentoring Dance
November 2013; Vol. 5, No. 6
What does the word “mentor” mean to you? Perhaps you believe your college piano teacher is your mentor because you value and trust his opinions musically and personally. Or maybe you recall someone from the past as being a pivotal figure in shaping your professional...
Winning Essay for 2013 Collegiate Writing Contest: Learning Away from the Piano à la Gieseking
November 2013; Vol. 5, No. 6
2013 Winning Essay Clavier Companion Collegiate Writing Contest In the Spring of 2013, Clavier Companion sponsored its sixth annual Collegiate Writing Contest, inviting college students from around the world to submit 1,500-word essays on a pedagogical topic of their choice. The esteemed panel of judges was...
An Interview with Dennis Alexander
March 2013; Vol. 5, No. 2
Last summer, my son Andrew learned a Dennis Alexander composition entitled “Full Moon Rising” (from Simply Sensational, Book 1).Like many students playing many Dennis Alexander pieces before him, he was completely enthralled by the sound of the piece. As a teacher (and in this case...
Committed to Record: An Appreciation of Walter Legge
March 2013; Vol. 5, No. 2
We now take it for granted that we can walk into a store and find multiple recorded interpretations of the great musical masterpieces, make a few clicks on a computer to order CDs online, or hear a variety of performances on YouTube and other websites....
Diminished seventh chords, and, pardon the expression, half-diminished seventh chords in jazz and popular music
March 2013; Vol. 5, No. 2
Diminished seventh chords In jazz and popular music, diminished chords are invariably played as four-note chords, rather than triads, whether the chord symbol says Cdim (C °) or Cdim7 (C ° 7). A diminished seventh chord consists of a diminished triad plus a diminished seventh above...
What Aspects of Teaching Pedaling Do You Think are Most Important?
March 2013; Vol. 5, No. 2
Most aspects of piano playing and teaching show characteristics of both science and art. Some appear to be more on the “method” side of that spectrum, others on the “intuition” side. Pedaling seems to be significantly more than fifty percent art, due to the enormous...
The Chinese Phenomenon in the Piano World
March 2013; Vol. 5, No. 2
During the past twenty or so years,most professional pianists and piano teachers have noticed the influx of Asian pianists. They appear at piano recitals and competitions locally and internationally, often comprising the majority of the performers. The names of Yundi Li, Yuja Wang, and certainly...
Solfeggio in C minor (Wq. 117/2, H. 220), by Carl Phillip Emanuel Bach
March 2013; Vol. 5, No. 2
First, what are we to call the composer of this well-loved piece? Sometimes his first name is given as “Carl,” sometimes as “Karl,” and thus his initials are sometimes “C.P.E.” and sometimes “K.P.E.” He spelled his name “Carl,” so only misguided chauvinism can account for...
How Do You Choose Repertoire for Your Adult Students?
March 2013; Vol. 5, No. 2
“I’m too old to play pieces I don’t like,” said Heather at one of our first lessons. Heather is a retired Professor in Romance Languages and Literatures, as well as an expert on the composer Schubert. It’s no surprise that her repertoire is steeped in Schubert’s...
A Party for the Fingers
March 2013; Vol. 5, No. 2
Margaret Goldston’s Jazztoccata (Alfred) has been a huge success with my late-intermediate students. The composition’s strong rhythmic drive exudes energy, and the C-minor key gives the piece an introspective quality that my older students welcome. One student beamed with delight as she told me that...
Making Time for Happiness
May 2013; Vol. 5, No. 3
When will I eat breakfast?” This question came from eleven-year old Irene during a recent interview with a family seeking piano lessons. The mother called me wanting to transfer Irene and her eight-year-old brother to a new piano teacher so “We can get our life...
Mother (and Father) Musicians
May 2013; Vol. 5, No. 3
Having a baby and trying to manage a piano teaching/playing career is a lot like juggling. Just remember: it’s OK to have balls dropping all around you sometimes! The musician’s path is a self-motivated one. For the most part we choose how many students to accept, which concerts to take on, what courses...
Overwhelmed: music educators as part of the “sandwich generation”
May 2013; Vol. 5, No. 3
The nightmare scenario went like this: I had an eight-year-old on the piano bench, five minutes into the lesson. My own daughter was at daycare. The assisted living/rehabilitation center/Alzheimer’s facility called to tell me my mother had fallen/hit someone/had a stroke and that I needed...