September 2018: Editor’s Page
September 2018; Vol. 10, No. 5
New Beginnings September, this moment of new beginnings for both teachers and students, always seems to me like a time when anything might be possible. After several decades of teaching, I still look forward to the first day of classes and the first week of lessons as much as I did when...
November 2018: Piano News
November 2018; Vol. 10, No. 6
The 2018 Leeds International Piano Competition winners were announced on September 15, 2018. In April 2018, auditions were held in Singapore, Berlin, and New York. From the preliminary round, twenty-four pianists performed in the second round of competition at the University of Leeds, UK. Following the semi-final and final rounds, twenty-year-old Eric Lu, from the...
November 2018: Editor’s Page
November 2018; Vol. 10, No. 6
Celebrating American Music In this issue, we celebrate American music by taking a closer look at two composers. One whose name and music is familiar throughout the world; the other remains largely unknown even to professional musicians in her home country. In Celebrating Leonard Bernstein at 100, you’ll have an opportunity to explore Bernstein’s...
Autumn 2020: Editor’s Letter
Autumn 2020; Vol. 12, No. 4
One of the hallmarks of being human and living in a knowledge-based society is the ability to learn and adapt throughout our lives.1 Once thought to be a purview of youth, adults now recognize the necessity of continuing to increase knowledge and develop skills. Although...
Summer 2020: Editor’s Letter: Summer: A Time for Renewal of Musical Passion
Summer 2020; Vol. 12, No. 3
Typically, summer is a time of rest and renewal for piano teachers and performers. Even those who are lucky enough to perform and participate in summer festivals benefit from the change in pace and location. Finding time for purposeful renewal is crucial this year. Although...
An Interview with Jane Magrath and E. L. Lancaster
Summer 2019; Vol. 11, No. 3
At the 2019 National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy, Jane Magrath and E. L. Lancaster will receive the NCKP Lifetime Achievement Award. Magrath grew up in South Carolina and earned degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Wesleyan College, and a D.M. from...
Spring 2019: Editor’s Page
Spring 2019; Vol. 11, No. 2
Performance Practice I began subscribing to Clavier within the first month of my undergraduate studies; it was required reading in my studio, but it became essential reading as I developed my piano skills. I initiated my Keyboard Companion subscription once I moved to the United States for graduate studies and became...
How Sleep Impacts Learning (And Why We Should All Sleep More!)
January 2019; Vol. 11, No. 1
Healthy Playing, Healthy Teaching, Vanessa Cornett, Editor A common refrain among teachers in the developed world is that twenty-first-century students are over-scheduled, anxious, and unable to focus during their limited practice time.1 Compounding these stress, anxiety, and distraction issues for my students is that they are...
January 2019: Editor’s Page
January 2019; Vol. 11, No. 1
Celebrating Ten Years of Clavier Companion: Returning to Our Roots and Embracing Change If we do not change, we risk failing to grow and evolve as human beings. The same can be said for organizations and for resources that we depend on for our professional development. At the dawn of the new...
Spring 2021: Editor’s Letter: Embracing the Positive as We Emerge from our Pandemic Cocoons
Spring 2021; Vol. 13, No. 1
After the long, dark winter, springtime represents a time for rebirth and renewal. Yet, as we head into the second year of our new “pandemic” normal, many musicians have grown weary of what they had assumed would be temporary inconveniences—teaching online, physically distant performances, and...
Winter 2021: Editor’s Letter: Celebrating Musical Innovators
Winter 2021; Vol. 12, No. 5
Ludwig van Beethoven was baptized on December 17, 1770, in Bonn. Although unimaginable on that winter day, his influence on generations of musicians across Europe cannot be overstated. To this day, his work occupies an enormous part of our musical canon and playing certain Beethoven sonatas remains a rite of passage for...
Autumn 2021: Editor’s Letter: Preparing for a Successful Year of Music Making
Autumn 2021; Vol. 13, No. 3
As I write the editorial column for this issue, the restful summer days are waning, autumn is on the horizon, and preparations for a new year of teaching are underway. Parker Palmer reminds us that autumn “…scatters the seeds that will bring new growth in...
Musician & Activist: A Conversation with Kayo Anderson
Winter 2020; Vol. 11, No. 5
Kayo Anderson is a musician with LA Community Action Network (LA CAN), who works with Skid Row artists, many of whom are former industry-level musicians, to understand their unique challenges and help them facilitate their return to employability. In the United States, employment brings personal...
Winter 2020: Editor’s Letter: The Transformative Power of Music
Winter 2020; Vol. 11, No. 5
As pianists and educators, many of us excel at creating meaningful musical opportunities for students and audiences whose backgrounds are similar to our own. But, how might we serve people whose experiences are different from ours, in their own communities, in ways that enable them...
Rocherolle’s New Orleans Sketches: Teaching Tips for “Masquerade!”
Spring 2021; Vol. 13, No. 1
Eugénie Rocherolle has written numerous compositions inspired by the music and culture of her hometown of New Orleans. Many of these appealing pieces offer students opportunities to learn about styles of music that permeate the parades and festivals in the city while developing important technical...