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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Five Things You Might Not Know About Practicing the Piano
We would like to thank Sheryl Iott for collaboration on this post. We encourage you to watch Sheryl’s archived webinar titled, “Music Cognition: Patterns, Predictions and Practice,” by clicking here. Want to watch, but not yet a subscriber? Subscribe now for only $7.99/mo or $36/year. 1. Practice doesn’t make perfect. Not even perfect practice! What…
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The Consummate Role Model for Piano Teachers | Honoring Marvin Blickenstaff
Join us for our first webinar of the season titled “The Life Saving Work of Teachers,” presented by Marvin Blickenstaff on Wednesday, September 27, 2023 at 11:00am EDT. Click here to register! Naegeli van Bergen Metcalf was my first college piano teacher and a beloved mentor. She left Wesleyan College after my freshman year to…
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OLGA KERN: A Consummate and Positive Artist
We are pleased to share this conversation with Olga Kern about her vibrant career and mission as a musician, written by Sara Ernst. This conversation originally appeared in the Summer 2023 issue of Piano Magazine. If you would like to explore other articles from Piano Magazine, please subscribe now for only $7.99/mo or $36/yr. Concert…
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Hats Off to You, George! | Honoring George Litterst
George Litterst is a recipient of the 2023 Frances Clark Center Lifetime Achievement Award. His 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…
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5 Steps for Successfully Incorporating a Sight-Reading App into Your Studio
Check out Anna Beth Rucker’s presentation at the NCKP 2023: The Piano Conference online event, How to Choose and Use Sight-Reading Apps to Enhance Student Learning Experience, on June 11, 2023 from 4:30-4:55PM. There’s still time to Register for NCKP 2023! In recent years, sight-reading apps have quickly populated app stores and captured the minds…
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5 Reasons You Should Include Asian Repertoire in Your Studio
Don’t miss Shuk-Ki Wong’s presentation at NCKP 2023: The Piano Conference online event, Embracing Diversity in Your Studio: A Pedagogical Exploration of Underrepresented Chinese Keyboard Literature, on June 10, 2023 from 4:30-4:55PM. There’s still time to Register for NCKP 2023! 1. Only 1.77% of scheduled pieces in concert halls were composed by Asian composers. Despite…
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5 Things You Might Not Know About Colombian Composer Jaime León
Don’t forget to check out Felipe Calle‘s presentation at NCKP 2023: The Piano Conference, The Piano Works of Jaime Leon: A Pedagogical Approach, on June 11, 2023 from 4:30-4:55PM during our online event. Register now for NCKP 2023! 1. Jaime León was born in 1921 in Cartagena, Colombia, a colonial city on the Caribbean coast. His father,…
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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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Nina Simone: Remembering a Trailblazer
THIS WEEK IN PIANO HISTORY, we remember pianist Nina Simone who died on April 21, 2003. Simone, born as Eunice Kathleen Waymon on February 21, 1933 in Tryon, North Carolina, was a jazz singer, pianist, and civil rights leader. Simone began playing piano at the age of three, learning at first by ear.1 Her initial…
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What to Expect at NCKP: The Piano Conference
Thanks to Trevor Thornton, member of the New Professionals Committee for NCKP 2023: The Piano Conference, for this post! So, it’s your first NCKP. You are probably curious about what to expect. I remember the feeling well. My first NCKP changed my life, and it might change yours too. NCKP has a gift for you…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
