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Piano Inspires Discovery
A space dedicated to inspiring the love of piano and music making through educational and inspirational content.
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Piano Inspires Kids: David, Plays!
The Winter 2024 Issue of Piano Inspires Kids is coming soon! Subscribers will be receiving the print issue in their mailboxes in the coming weeks. Not yet a subscriber? Click here to receive the issue and give the gift of music to the musicians in your life! Keep reading for a sneak peek into the…
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Collegiate Essay Winner: Emerging Adulthood and Undergraduate Group Piano
We would like to thank Melody Morrison for this insightful article on adulthood and collegiate group piano. This year more than a dozen collegiate students submitted essays in the collegiate writing competition. The topics were varied and the entrants, who came from eleven different universities, were at different stages of undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral degrees.…
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5 Reasons You Should Include Asian Repertoire in Your Studio
We would like to thank Shuk-Ki Wong for this insightful article on including repertoire by Asian composers in the piano studio. Want to learn more about music from Asia? Register for the free webinar, “Composers and Music of Asian Heritage” presented by Yoshiko Arahata, Kairy Koshoeva, and Gulimina Mahamuti, with Chee-Hwa Tan, moderator and Luis Sanchez,…
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Create to Motivate: Using Repertoire to Incorporate Creativity in Lessons
We would like to thank Chee-Hwa Tan for this insightful article on creative activities to explore with your students. Want to apply these tips with your students? We encourage your students to submit to the Piano Inspires Kids 2024 Composition Contest. Student applicants are tasked with composing a fanfare inspired by the upcoming 2024 Summer…
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Gratitude from the Frances Clark Center Team
As we continue the season of gratitude and giving, we pay tribute to piano teachers from around the country who are transforming the lives of their students. Students, parents, and colleagues are honoring piano teachers from their communities as part of the “Power of a Piano Teacher” campaign. We welcome you to celebrate your own…
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Five Things You Might Not Know About Florence Price
We would like to thank Lia Jenson-Abbott for this insightful article on Florence Price. Want to learn more about Florence Price? The winter issue of Piano Inspires Kids will explore her life, music, and work. Our first batch just shipped, but there is still time to receive a copy by subscribing today. 1. At age 18, Florence Price graduated from the…
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A Genuine Place of Love and Kindness: Honoring Marvin Blickenstaff
We would like to thank Rebekah Hood for this tribute to her teacher, Marvin Blickenstaff. As we continue the season of gratitude and giving, we pay tribute to piano teachers from around the country who are transforming the lives of their students. Students, parents, and colleagues are honoring piano teachers from their communities as part…
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Piano Inspires Kids: Winter Issue Sneak Peak
The Winter 2024 Issue of Piano Inspires Kids is coming soon! Subscribers will be receiving the print issue in their mailboxes in the coming weeks. Not a subscriber? Subscribe by Thursday, December 14 at kids.pianoinspires.com/subscribe to receive the issue and give the gift of music to the musicians in your life! Keep reading for a…
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Four Powerful Lessons in Piano Pedagogy: Honoring Carmen Cambronero, Katia Guevara, Gregory Sioles, and Willis Delony
We would like to thank Carla Salas-Ruiz for this tribute to her teachers, Carmen Cambronero, Katia Guevara, Gregory Sioles, and Willis Delony. As we continue the season of gratitude and giving, we pay tribute to piano teachers from around the country who are transforming the lives of their students. Students, parents, and colleagues are honoring…
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The Value and Survival of Music – Philosophies of Frances Clark
We are pleased to share some of our favorite quotes by Frances Clark, the pioneer pianist and educator for whom the organization is named. To read more of Clark’s writing, you can purchase her book, Questions and Answers, by clicking here. On the Value of Music “To understand music is to know an entire range…
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5 Things You Might Not Know About Career-aged Adult Piano Learners
Check out Pei-Chen Chen‘s presentation at NCKP 2023: The Piano Conference, It’s Never Too Late – Lived Experiences of Amateur Adult Piano Learners, on June 11, 2023 from 3:00-3:25PM during our online event. Register now for NCKP 2023! 1. They take lessons to fulfill a long held-dream. Fulfilling a long-held dream is one of the most common…
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How to Teach like Kodály in 5 Easy Steps
Don’t miss Megan Rich‘s Lightning Talk at NCKP 2023: The Piano Conference, Singing in the Piano Lesson: Zoltán Kodály’s 333 Elementary Exercises in Solfège Singing, on July 26, 2023 from 4:00-4:50PM during our in-person event. Register now for NCKP 2023! 1. Sing! Zoltan Kodály said that “To teach a child an instrument without first giving him preparatory…
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Q&A with Marvin Blickenstaff: Part Two
We invited our followers to submit questions for Marvin Blickenstaff about all things teaching. In honor of his birthday (May 19), we are posting his answers! You can read Part One here. Join us on social media for the opportunity to have your questions on a variety of interesting topics answered by additional experts in…
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Q&A with Marvin Blickenstaff: Part One
We invited our followers to submit questions for Marvin Blickenstaff about all things teaching. In honor of his birthday today (May 19), we are posting his answers! Join us on social media for the opportunity to have your questions on a variety of interesting topics answered by additional experts in the coming weeks. I love…
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The Consummate Role Model for Piano Teachers | Honoring Marvin Blickenstaff
Naegeli van Bergen Metcalf was my first college piano teacher and a beloved mentor. She left Wesleyan College after my freshman year to get married, and we stayed in touch throughout the remainder of her teaching years. So, during my junior year, she was in touch and encouraged me to go to the University of…
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Happy Birthday, Marvin Blickenstaff!
THIS WEEK IN PIANO HISTORY, we celebrate one of our own—Marvin Blickenstaff—who was born on May 19, 1935. A world-renowned music educator and pianist, Blickenstaff’s career as a leader in the field of piano pedagogy has spanned nearly six decades. Blickenstaff grew up in Nampa, Idaho and credits his teacher Fern Nolte Davidson with helping…
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Five Principles to Help you Prepare and Practice Orchestral Reductions
Don’t miss Cecilia Lo-Chien Kao‘s presentation at NCKP 2023: The Piano Conference, Piano as Orchestra: Creating Artful Orchestral Reductions, on June 11, 2023 from 2:00-2:50PM during our online event. Register now for NCKP 2023! 1. Listen to a Recording When you are learning a new orchestral reduction, it is very important to listen to the original orchestral…
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A Quick Look at Teaching Adults: What Pianists Should Know
Special thanks to Jackie Edwards-Henry (JEH) and Mary Sallee (MKS), members of the NCKP 2023 Teaching Adults committee, for this post. Why is teaching adults important for pianists today? JEH: Teaching adults shows us that we’re never too old to learn and experience the joy of music-making at the piano. So many adults say, “I…
