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Piano Inspires Discovery

A space dedicated to inspiring the love of piano and music making through educational and inspirational content.

  • A Pianist’s Approach to Research

    A Pianist’s Approach to Research

    We would like to thank Carla Salas-Ruiz for this contribution on writing articles for research publications such as the Journal of Piano Research. Learn more about the Journal of Piano Research by clicking here. Writing, akin to music, provides a platform for self-expression. It also fosters critical thinking and enables us to articulate diverse perspectives,…


  • It is essential that the focus be on how…

    It is essential that the focus be on how…

    We would like to thank Jane Magrath for this insightful article. Want to learn more about teaching piano technique? Join us on Wednesday, April 17th at 11:00am ET for our latest webinar, Foundations on Technique, with Julie Hague and Alejandro Cremaschi, host. To learn more and register, click here. The first years of piano study…


  • Gratitude for Marvin

    Gratitude for Marvin

    We would like to thank Scott Donald for this tribute to his 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…


  • Piano Inspires Podcast: Susanna Garcia

    Piano Inspires Podcast: Susanna Garcia

    To celebrate the latest episode of Piano Inspires Podcast featuring Susanna Garcia we are sharing an excerpted transcript of her conversation with Luis Sanchez. Want to learn more about Garcia? Check out the latest installment of the Piano Inspires Podcast. To learn more, visit pianoinspires.com. Listen to our latest episode with Chee on Apple Podcasts, Spotify,…


  • Teaching Transformation: My Experience as a Postgraduate Teaching Fellow

    Teaching Transformation: My Experience as a Postgraduate Teaching Fellow

    We would like to thank Savannah Royston for this insightful article on The New School for Music Study’s Postgraduate Teaching Program. Want to learn more about the Postgraduate Teaching Program? Learn more and apply by clicking here. When I began the Postgraduate Teaching Program at The New School for Music Study, I knew three things:…


  • A Haven for Musical Learning and Excellence: The New School for Music Study

    A Haven for Musical Learning and Excellence: The New School for Music Study

    We would like to thank Adam Salas for this insightful article on The New School for Music Study’s Postgraduate Teaching Program. Want to learn more about the Postgraduate Teaching Program? Learn more and apply by clicking here. The New School for Music Study stands as a haven for musical learning and excellence, leaving a mark…


  • A Continuum Between Teaching Styles: Reflections from the US and Chile

    A Continuum Between Teaching Styles: Reflections from the US and Chile

    We would like to thank Paulina Zamora for this insightful article on her experiences growing up as a musician in Chile. Want to learn more about international teaching practices? Attend our webinar, “International Perspectives: Piano Methods from Different Corners of the World,” with guests Yuval Admony, Rae de Lisle, and Carla Reis, with Luis Sanchez,…


  • Norwegian Folk Songs: Making Rhythmic Complexities Easy and Enjoyable

    Norwegian Folk Songs: Making Rhythmic Complexities Easy and Enjoyable

    We would like to thank Sarah Jenkins, our 2020 Collegiate Writing Contest Winner, for this insightful article on Norwegian folk songs. Are you a student interested in sharing your research and projects with the piano pedagogy community? On Friday, April 26th at 11am ET, the Frances Clark Center is hosting “Collegiate Connections,” an event to…


  • My Experience at The New School for Music Study

    My Experience at The New School for Music Study

    We would like to thank Esther Hayter for this insightful article on The New School for Music Study’s Postgraduate Teaching Program. Want to learn more about the Postgraduate Teaching Program? Learn more and apply by clicking here. As the 2017-2018 Postgraduate Fellow, I came to the New School eager to teach, and put into practice…


  • A Quick Look at Business and Entrepreneurship: What Pianists Should Know

    A Quick Look at Business and Entrepreneurship: What Pianists Should Know

    Special thanks to the NCKP 2023: The Piano Conference Business and Entrepreneurship Committee for their contributions to this post.Join them for their webinar, “The Hidden Landscape of Business and Entrepreneurship,” on Wednesday, April 19th, 2023 at 11:00AM ET. Registration is free! Why are business and entrepreneurship important topics for pianists today? Developing business and entrepreneurship…


  • The Birth of Argentina’s Musical Advocate: Alberto Ginastera

    The Birth of Argentina’s Musical Advocate: Alberto Ginastera

    THIS WEEK IN PIANO HISTORY, we celebrate the birth of Argentine composer Alberto Ginastera, born on April 11, 1916. Ginastera has been described as an important composer in the history of Argentina, with an impact on the collection and dissemination of folk music similar to that of Bartók in Hungary.1 Ginastera was born in Buenos…


  • This Week in Piano History: Happy 150th, Sergei!

    This Week in Piano History: Happy 150th, Sergei!

    THIS WEEK IN PIANO HISTORY, we celebrate the birth of composer, pianist, and conductor Sergei Rachmaninoff, born on April 1, 1873. Despite his enduring fame as a composer, Rachmaninoff was largely known in his day as one of the greatest pianists of the twentieth century, touring around the world. Rachmaninoff was most likely born in…


  • What’s New at NCKP This Year

    What’s New at NCKP This Year

    We are excited to welcome you this summer to NCKP: The Piano Conference as we celebrate 25 years of excellence in piano teaching, learning and performing. We stand on a rich legacy of piano educators who for more than two decades have cultivated the conference to provide relevant and needed resources to piano teachers. This…


  • The Benefits of NCKP: The Piano Conference and Why You Should Attend

    The Benefits of NCKP: The Piano Conference and Why You Should Attend

    Register for NCKP: 2023! Click here to register. The list of sessions for the upcoming NCKP 2023: The Piano Conference has been posted, and it looks to be a best-ever conference. I wouldn’t miss it. If memory serves me correctly, I have attended every NCKP since its founding by Richard Chronister some 25 years ago.…


  • E-Posters: Why You Should Submit and Tips for Success

    E-Posters: Why You Should Submit and Tips for Success

    With gratitude we welcome one of our NCKP 2021: The Piano Conference Research E-Poster Award Winners, Robin S. Heinsen, to our Discovery page. Heinsen is Assistant Professor of Music Education at Miami University, and has provided helpful insight into her experience as an NCKP poster presenter. We hope it will inspire you to join us…


  • This Week in Piano History: Beethoven’s Viennese Debut

    This Week in Piano History: Beethoven’s Viennese Debut

    THIS WEEK IN PIANO HISTORY, we celebrate Beethoven’s debut as a pianist in Vienna on March 29, 1795. At just twenty-four years old, Beethoven’s performance marked the beginning of a lifelong musical relationship with the residents of Vienna. Beethoven came to Vienna in November 1792 to study with Haydn. His journey to Vienna was funded…


  • Five Things You Might Not Know About Margaret Bonds

    Five Things You Might Not Know About Margaret Bonds

    Check out Sarah Rushing’s archived webinar of Margaret Bonds: Troubled Water, where she explores the preparation, practice, and interpretation of this unique piece. 1. Margaret Bonds was raised by four independent, career-oriented women. At the tender age of four, Bonds’s parents divorced. Instead of growing up in a traditional family structure, Bonds was raised by…


  • This Week in Piano History: The Demise of Hanon

    This Week in Piano History: The Demise of Hanon

    THIS WEEK IN PIANO HISTORY, we remember composer and organist Charles-Louis Hanon, who died on March 19, 1900 in Boulogne-sur-Mer, France. Author of the infamous collection The Virtuoso Pianist, Hanon is little known besides this work. Hanon was born in Renescure, a village in northern France. He learned to play organ and later moved to…


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