Piano Inspires Podcast: Pete Jutras
Discovery homeSign up for email updatessubmit a question To celebrate the latest episode of the Piano Inspires Podcast featuring Pete Jutras, we are sharing an excerpted transcript of his conversation with Jennifer Snow. Want to learn more about Jutras? Check out the latest installment of...
Lessons with (from) Kenya
January 2018; Vol. 10, No. 1
It started with a simple question. On an otherwise normal fall day a few years ago, I was introduced to Bilha Ayieko, a music teacher from Kenya who was visiting the University of Georgia.1 Bilha came into my office and provided a little background about her...
Celebrating our Colleague, Bruce Berr
May 2018; Vol. 10, No. 3
We are blessed in our profession to have opportunities to interact with the best in our field—the best teachers, colleagues, friends. Such has been the case for teachers across the country with our colleague, Bruce Berr. Bruce had been an Associate Editor with Keyboard Companion and Clavier Companion since...
“What’s goin’ on in there?”
Keyboard Companion Winter 2007; Vol. 18, No. 4
Kids today are involved with lots of activities. Sports, music, special academic clubs, and other fun events keep them busy, busy, busy. In our family we try not to overload our two young boys with too much to do, yet we still find them involved in a...
How do you teach students to practice memorization?
Keyboard Companion Spring 2008; Vol. 19, No. 1
from the series: The Other Teacher: Home Practice Pete Jutras, Editor Recital performances often present a study in contrasts. How many times have we seen the youngest students march up to the piano and fearlessly play through their piece, while older students seem to exude anxiety...
Teaching artistic phrasing
Keyboard Companion Spring 2008; Vol. 19, No. 1
from the series: Let’s Get Physical: Technique Pete Jutras, Editor My wife and I have spent a lot of time lately teaching our young children how to read. I’ve never taught anyone to read language before, and it has been a fascinating and enlightening experience. One mild...
It’s just like riding a bike
Keyboard Companion Autumn 2008; Vol. 19, No. 3
That’s a phrase we hear and say all the time, but until recently I hadn’t put too much thought into what it really means. We say it when we want to imply that a task is natural, instinctive, and easily recalled by our memory – typically our kinesthetic memory. We use...
A student’s view of the benefits of piano study
Keyboard Companion Autumn 2007; Vol. 18, No. 3
When a parent (or child) inevitably asks the questions “why piano lessons?”, there are a variety of potential responses. From the purist music for music’s sake perspective to the pragmatic and practical account of the many non-musical benefits of music study, there is much to discuss...
Letter to the Editor: September/October 2017
September 2017; Vol. 9, No. 5
Dear Editor, The Editor’s Page (“Who will save the guitar?” July/August 2017) commented on the 10,000 hour rule of thumb. This has been rumbling around in my mind for a little while as a confluence of discussions that all reference this “law” have been keeping...
Yoda Eats Mushroom Pizza
September 2017; Vol. 9, No. 5
It’s the last lesson before the recital. Garrett, age five, is playing “Graduation March,” the final piece in Time to Begin from The Music Tree. The B section is made up entirely of half notes and whole notes. The good news? Garrett’s rhythm is perfect; a huge improvement...
Thank You
November 2017; Vol. 9, No. 6
This Editor’s column will be my last for Clavier Companion. After eleven years at the helm of this magazine and its predecessor, Keyboard Companion, I have decided to step aside. Eleven years is a long time, and I have enjoyed every moment of this wonderful ride. When...
Another World
March 2017; Vol. 9, No. 2
I recently had the privilege of attending the Winter meeting of the National Association for Music Merchants (NAMM) in Anaheim, California. This is one of the two biggest music industry trade shows in the world, and it was quite a spectacle. The Anaheim Convention Center covers...
May/June 2017: New Music Reviews
May 2017; Vol. 9, No. 3
(S3) Aurora: 5 Original Solos Inspired by the North, by Naoko Ikeda. Japanese composer Naoko Ikeda composed five lyrical character pieces based upon “the Scandanavian landscapes of [her] own imagination.” Aurora has the potential to motivate intermediate students, especially those who enjoy music with lyrical phrasing and...
News and Notes: May/June 2017
May 2017; Vol. 9, No. 3
Actors at the piano Musicians are occasionally disappointed to see inaccurate portrayals of instrumentalists performing in the movies or on TV. For close-up scenes of a character playing a musical instrument, many actors use hand doubles, or act out a performance which is later overdubbed by...
In Memoriam: Robert Vandall
May 2017; Vol. 9, No. 3
Robert Vandall, a beloved composer and teacher, passed away on Feburary 9, 2017. Vandall was born on February 15, 1944, in Ohio, and he earned music degrees from Baldwin-Wallace College and the University of Illinois. He owned and operated the Vandall Piano Studio for thirty-eight years,...