Lessons with Slenczynska
Summer 2021; Vol. 13, No. 2
My heart pounded as I stepped out of the elevator of the 27th floor and nervously approached the West End Avenue apartment in New York City where Madame Ruth Slenczynska worked and lived. “What was I thinking to ask to take a lesson from the...
Tips for Healthy Remote Teaching
Summer 2021; Vol. 13, No. 2
While preparing for the 2021 National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy, members of the Committee on Wellness for the Pianist collaborated to establish wellness tips specifically for teachers. At the beginning of the pandemic, most students and instructors were obliged to cope with the challenge of...
Tech Gear for Online Lessons and Recording
Summer 2021; Vol. 13, No. 2
The circumstances of the pandemic taught teachers in 2020 and 2021 to be creative and use technology in ways that they might not have otherwise. While there appears to be a relative return to normalcy and face-to-face lessons in sight, we have learned a lot this past year in order to...
How Slow is Slow? A Practical Guide for Implementing Slow Practice
Summer 2021; Vol. 13, No. 2
Many years ago, my undergraduate piano professor, Dr. Robin Hancock, told me a story regarding the pre-recital preparation of his teacher, the legendary pianist Anthony di Bonaventura. My teacher sneaked into the Tsai Performance Center at Boston University and hid behind the chairs, eager to find out what Mr. Di Bonaventura did...
Summer 2021: Pupil Saver: Russian Dancer
Summer 2021; Vol. 13, No. 2
The Janice K. Hodges Contemporary Piano Competition and Festival held annually in San Antonio, TX, is unique in its focus on twentieth- and twenty-first century repertoire. Norman Dello Joio’s (1913–2008) “Russian Dancer,” the sixth piece from his Lyric Pieces for the Young, appeared as a...
Summer 2021: Book Review: The Lost Pianos of Siberia
Summer 2021; Vol. 13, No. 2
As you read this review, it is summer in the Northern Hemisphere; I expect the days are warm, possibly humid, and you’re enjoying, I hope, being outside in the sunshine. As I write this, I’m ensconced in blankets, a warm sweater, and scarves (yes, multiple),...
Summer 2021: First Looks: Recordings
Summer 2021; Vol. 13, No. 2
GABRIEL FAURÉ: LES 13 BARCAROLLES Namji Kim, Piano Centaur CRC 3820 [Total Time: 53:49] centaurrecords.com Gabriel Fauré’s thirteen Barcarolles were composed between 1882 and 1921, and they present an overview of the evolution of his style. The language of the early Barcarolles conforms to nineteenth-century...
Summer 2021: Questions & Answers
Summer 2021; Vol. 13, No. 2
Q. My elementary students want to explore the piano pedals, but they are too small to reach without straining or dangling off the bench. What do you recommend? A. The piano pedals are certainly wonderful for the resonance and color they provide, and this does spark interest...
Brahms Rediscovered: The Solo Piano Transcription of His Last Opus by Busoni
Summer 2021; Vol. 13, No. 2
When Clara [Schumann] suffered a series of strokes in 1895, Brahms realized that the woman he had always loved could not live forever…His deepest feelings about her are revealed in his last great songs, the Vier ernste Gesänge, written in May 1896, as she lay dying in Frankfurt… Clara’s death came on...
D. E. I.: “I, Too,”
Summer 2021; Vol. 13, No. 2
I know. Maybe you’re pondering if this article will discuss how to engage students in music reading using the Middle C approach included in many pedagogical methods and piano theory manuals? However, the article’s title is inspired by the initial words of Langston Hughes’ poem I Too— “I, too, sing America.” (Hughes,...
Need Info? We’ve Got It!
Dr. Scott Price There is a growing abundance of high-quality information on teaching special learners, but it is often difficult to find it referenced in one place. The following list of books, articles, webinars, and online resources is intended to be a starting point for those...
Inclusive Piano Teaching at The National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy!
Dr. Melissa Martiros Registrations are open for the 2019 National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy, to be held July 24-27 in Lombard, IL. This conference program can be found on the NCKP 2019 website and will feature many helpful sessions related to Inclusive Piano Teachingthat will include workshops,...
Preventing and Managing Challenging Behavior Part II: When Small Things Become Big Things
Dr. Melissa Martiros and Mrs. Michelle Bastien Small Successes can be BIG Successes! Last Fall, I began working with a youngster who faces big learning challenges at the piano, the result of his inability to self-regulate external stimulation. His senses are heightened—because of this, any...
Repertoire Choices for Students with Autism
Dr. Scott Price Enjoy a guest blog post that Dr. Scott Price authored for Alfred Music: One of the most frequent topics teachers ask about during my workshops and lectures on teaching students with autism centers on which pieces I use with my students. This...
Finger Numbers (not finger knots!)
Dr. Scott Price Numbers seem integral to music study, but they can be very problematic for our students with special needs. We use numbers to assist us in our process, but meter and rhythm are beat units that are heard and felt. Our fingers are...