pianoinspires.com
Piano Inspires Discovery
A space dedicated to inspiring the love of piano and music making through educational and inspirational content.
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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…
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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.…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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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Teaching Students to Love Classical Period Repertoire: Q&A with Suzanne Newcomb
Don’t miss Suzanne Newcomb’s Inspiring Artistry contribution about Beethoven’s Sonatina in G Major, which includes information on how to effectively teach the piece. Why is it important for students to learn Classical-period repertoire? What are some of the benefits? Classical-period repertoire represents the foundation of much of the piano music that follows it! Baroque composers…
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How To Travel to NCKP 2023: The Piano Conference without Breaking the Bank!
Register for NCKP: 2023! Click here to register. Having spent a good amount of the last 30 years zig-zagging the skies as a music technology consultant, I have personally experienced nearly every curveball air travel can toss my way. In all this time, through quite a bit of trial and error and by picking up…
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Five Things You Might Not Know About Claude Debussy
Check out Andy Villemez’s video of Debussy: La Fille aux Cheveux de Lin, L. 177/8 where he explores the preparation, practice, and interpretation of this unique piece. 1. When referring to his own music, Debussy hated the term “impressionism.” The life of most composers includes small, or even lengthy battles in how their music is…
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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…
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Always give your maximum: A conversation with Menahem Pressler
With deep sadness at the recent passing of Menahem Pressler and in greatest honor and memory of his legacy, we share this article by Jerry Wong as it originally appeared in the March 2016 issue of The Piano Magazine: Clavier Companion. Menahem Pressler, best known as the pianist of the unparalleled Beaux Arts Trio for…
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Bach Meets with the King!
THIS WEEK IN PIANO HISTORY, Bach met King Frederick the Great of Prussia on May 7, 1747. During this visit, Frederick the Great inspired one of Bach’s most important final works, his Musical Offering, BWV 1079. Bach arrived in Potsdam on May 7, 1747 at the court of Frederick the Great. Bach’s son, Carl Philipp…
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A Quick Look at Technology: What Pianists Should Know
Special thanks to the Stella Sick, chair of the NCKP 2023: The Piano Conference Technology committee, for this post. Why is technology important for pianists today? The last three years have expanded everyone’s base-level of technology usage. This newly found familiarity opened doors to immersive music experiences, exciting collaborations, reaching new audiences, and expanding repertoire.…
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A Quick Look at Teaching Young Musicians: What Pianists Should Know
Special thanks to the Janet Tschida, chair of the NCKP 2023: The Piano Conference Young Musicians: Birth to Age 9 committee for this post. Why is working with young musicians important for pianists today? The Young Musicians Track’s theme of “Learning Music from the Inside Out” endeavors to support teachers aspiring to implement an aural/experiential…
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Blending East and West: Ma Shui-Long
THIS WEEK IN PIANO HISTORY, we remember Taiwanese composer Ma Shui-Long who died on May 2, 2015 at the age of 75. A composer of a wide oeuvre of works, Ma is known for his efforts to blend Eastern and Western compositional traditions. Ma Shui-Long, born on July 17, 1939, grew up in Ji-long and…
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Five Ways to Improve Your Website
Don’t miss Clinton Pratt’s presentation at NCKP 2023: The Piano Conference, From Solo to School, on July 26, 2023 from 1:30-2:20PM. Register for NCKP 2023 before May 1, 2023 to receive the early bird discount! 1. Have a clear call-to-action. Don’t confuse prospective clients with too many things to do. Should they call you? Email…
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An Inspirational Force of Nature | Honoring Michelle Conda
Michelle Conda is a recipient of the 2023 Frances Clark Center Lifetime Achievement Award. Her extensive contributions to the field of piano pedagogy are extraordinary and exemplify outstanding dedication to the field of music and piano teaching. The Frances Clark Center Lifetime Achievement Award is the highest honor and is presented on behalf of the…
