How Do You Teach Polyrhythms?
January 2009; Vol. 1, No. 1
In my college years I encountered a recurring four-against-five pattern in a 20th-century piece, and my initial attempts to do it were not successful. My teacher recommended that I approximate the pattern (“fake it”) while I learned the rest of the music. He also suggested that I...
How can student notebooks be more effective?
May 2011; Vol. 3, No. 3
When I first started teaching, I was determined not to make my students fill out the dreaded practice log. As a young teacher, I still had fresh memories of my own student days, and times spent scrambling right before a lesson to reconstruct (or perhaps...
Thoughts on the Tiger Mom debate
July 2011; Vol. 3, No. 4
To say that Amy Chua has touched a nerve with parents is an understatement akin to saying that Franz Liszt had an influence on piano performance and teaching. Since the publication of her book Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother in January, and the subsequent Wall Street Journal article...
A Musical Voice: An Interview With Yuja Wang
September 2012; Vol. 4, No. 5
At age twenty-five, Yuja Wang has already compiled a list of accomplishments that could define a full career. A Gilmore Artist and recipient of the Avery Fisher Career Prize, she has released four recordings on Deutsche Grammophon and performed recitals to critical acclaim across the...
Driving Practice Home
November 2012; Vol. 4, No. 6
by Shirley Penzi The first piece of furniture my husband and I bought for our new home was a fine Mason & Hamlin piano. We placed it prominently in the sunset room and cared for it meticulously. But it sat mostly idle, beckoning to be...
The Piano on Film: An Interview With Director Peter Rosen
November 2012; Vol. 4, No. 6
Chances are you’ve seen a film by Peter Rosen. From his award-winning documentaries of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition to biographical portraits of legends from Claudio Arrau to Van Cliburn and Leonard Bernstein to Yo-Yo Ma, he has produced a legacy of more than...
The Career Challenge: Problems Facing Today’s Pianists
May 2012; Vol. 4, No. 3
The career challenge: Problems facing today’s pianistsAn interview with Jacques Leiser The twenty-first century is blessed to be an era with no shortage of talented young pianists, many of whom are armed with impressive technique and a commanding repertoire. For the pianists themselves, this poses...
I saw Mozart in Motown
May 2016; Vol. 8, No. 3
You may think that I’m losing my mind—that my elevator no longer stops at all of the floors (and you may be right), but I just saw Mozart in Motown. I wasn’t in Detroit, and there wasn’t any time travel involved. Indulge me for a...
May 2017: Keyboard Kids
May 2017; Vol. 9, No. 3
Edvard Grieg: Romantic Period Composer Born: Bergen, Norway 1843 Died: Bergen, Norway 1907 Famous works: Concerto in a minor Peer Gynt Suite Lyric Pieces for Piano Edvard Hagerup Grieg was born into a wealthy family in Norway on June 15, 1843. He had a brother and...