I Failed to Plan
May 2017; Vol. 9, No. 3
I try not to use clichés in this column, but lately I’ve been reminded of the ubiquitous quote, “Failing to plan is planning to fail.” As commonplace as this saying is, it holds great truth. Some say this proverb dates back to Benjamin Franklin, though...
Who Will Save the Guitar?
July 2017; Vol. 9, No. 4
In recent years, there’s been a lot of discussion about the state of the piano teaching industry. We know that piano sales have declined dramatically, but has there been a decline in the number of people studying piano? In the absence of thorough data, we...
A World of Music – Guide to the Seven Cover Story Articles for Jan/Feb 2018
January 2018; Vol. 10, No. 1
In less than forty-eight hours, it is possible to move between almost any two points on the globe. A hundred years ago, many of these journeys might have taken weeks or months. In addition to the incredible ease of physical travel, in the last ten...
January/February 2017: Recent Research
January 2017; Vol. 9, No. 1
So happy together. An upcoming study in the Journal of Organizational Behavior finds that employees showed higher degrees of cooperation and lower degrees of self-interest when listening to happy music. Study participants took part in a public goods game that involved choices that were either...
Musical News and Notes: January/February 2017
January 2017; Vol. 9, No. 1
Benjamin Grosvenor awarded new Philharmonic prize Benjamin Grosvenor is the first recipient of the Ronnie and Lawrence Ackman Classical Piano Prize, the newest prize awarded by the New York Philharmonic. In October, a confidential panel of musicians selected Grosvenor, 24, as the inaugural recipient. The award includes a cash prize...
Appreciation
January 2017; Vol. 9, No. 1
I recently had the pleasure of hosting ten high-school girls from Kenya. This was their first trip to the United States, and the girls have been part of an online music teaching program at The University of Georgia, where I teach. These girls were very...
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...
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...
The value of music
May 2015; Vol. 7, No. 3
Piano teachers have great jobs, and I think most of us are thankful that we get to spend our days sharing something we love with our students. It is immensely gratifying to see our students grow as musicians and watch music become an important part...
The Future of Piano Teaching: Changes and Constants
November 2014; Vol. 6, No. 6
Mixed signals. We live in a time of unprecedented change. This thought is one that is expressed frequently these days—you may even find it to be clichéd. We hear it so often that we may not stop to consider what it really means, or if...
What are your thoughts on the future of piano teaching?
November 2014; Vol. 6, No. 6
What’s next for our profession? Clavier Companion asked twelve pedagogues from around the country to contribute their thoughts on the future of piano teaching. In the following article, each author provides a short musing on this broad question. This series will continue in future...
January 2016: Editor’s Page: In Order
January 2016; Vol. 8, No. 1
For most of our daily activities, there is an order to things. This order is usually logical and almost always functional. Taking an “out of order” approach to a routine task may render it impossible, meaningless, or absurd. Putting our shoes on before our socks,...
A Tribute to Nancy Bachus
Winter 2021; Vol. 12, No. 5
A Tribute to Nancy Bachus It is inevitable that our profession will lose valued members of our community, but that does not make the loss any easier. Our colleagues touch our lives and influence our work and the work of those around us. Nancy Bachus was one...
Fred Kern: A Pedagogical Giant
Winter 2021; Vol. 12, No. 5
Fred Kern could light up any room. Those who knew him—and even those who didn’t—couldn’t help but smile anytime he was near. Dr. Kern, widely known as a clinician, author, teacher, composer, and arranger, published numerous texts on piano pedagogy and wrote more than 500 arrangements and original...
Breakthroughs: The Sweetest Moments in Teaching
May 2009; Vol. 1, No. 3
An Interview with William Westney I have recollections of a day, years ago, in graduate school. Like most days, I was frantically trying to get everything done, self-absorbed in my own personal cloud of pressures and deadlines. Practicing, papers, teaching – there was plenty to...