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Piano Inspires Discovery

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

  • 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…


  • Piano Inspires Podcast: An Interview with Connor Chee

    Piano Inspires Podcast: An Interview with Connor Chee

    To celebrate the latest episode of Piano Inspires Podcast featuring Connor Chee we are sharing an excerpted transcript of his conversation with Craig Sale. Want to learn more about Chee? 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,…


  • 5 Things to Know about Piano Inspires Kids Composition Contest

    5 Things to Know about Piano Inspires Kids Composition Contest

    Attention budding composers! Piano Inspires Kids invites students to submit a piano solo for our first composition contest! Winning compositions will be featured in the Summer 2024 issue and on our website, kids.pianoinspires.com. Read below for all the details! 1. The composition must be a fanfare. A fanfare is a short and usually brilliant piece…


  • How to Write an Effective Conference Proposal: 5 Tips for Success

    How to Write an Effective Conference Proposal: 5 Tips for Success

    We are delighted to share top tips from Dr. Sara Ernst on writing successful conference proposals. 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 celebrate collegiate groups and their…


  • Collegiate Essay Winner: Emerging Adulthood and Undergraduate Group Piano

    Collegiate Essay Winner: Emerging Adulthood and Undergraduate Group Piano

    We would like to thank Melody Morrison, who was named the winner of the 2023 Collegiate Writing Contest, for this insightful article on adulthood and collegiate group piano. Are you a collegiate student interested in submitting your writing to the Piano Magazine? We encourage all collegiate students to enter the 2024 Collegiate Writing Contest! Materials…


  • Spring 2021: Pupil Saver: Adagio in F Minor by Chevalier de Saint-Georges

    Spring 2021: Pupil Saver: Adagio in F Minor by Chevalier de Saint-Georges

    We would like to thank Leah Claiborne for this insightful article on Chevalier de Saint-Georges’s Adagio in F Minor. Want to learn more about Black composers? Check out our latest publication of Thomas Henderson Kerr Jr.’s Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel? for two pianos! This publication, spearheaded by Susanna Garcia and William Chapman Nyaho, is…


  • Judith Lang Zaimont: “Mandarin Orange” from In My Lunchbox

    Judith Lang Zaimont: “Mandarin Orange” from In My Lunchbox

    We would like to thank Chris Madden for these insightful teaching tips on Zaimont’s “Mandarin Orange” from In My Lunchbox. Interested in learning more about Chris’s publications and research? Check out Technique through Repertoire Book 1 and Book 2, co-authored by Chris Madden and Jani Parsons. If you are attending the Music Teachers National Association…


  • Piano Inspires Podcast: An Interview with Vanessa Cornett

    Piano Inspires Podcast: An Interview with Vanessa Cornett

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


  • This Week in Piano History: The Death of Jazz Pianist Alice Coltrane | January 12, 2007

    This Week in Piano History: The Death of Jazz Pianist Alice Coltrane | January 12, 2007

    THIS WEEK IN PIANO HISTORY, we remember Alice Coltrane, who died on January 12, 2007 in Los Angeles, California. Coltrane was a jazz pianist, harpist, and composer who later transformed her life as a Hindu spiritual teacher (swamini) under the name Turiya Sangitananda. Her recording and performing career spanned the second half of the twentieth…


  • Five Things You Might Not Know About Practicing the Piano

    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…


  • This Week in Piano History: The Premiere of Tchaikovsky’s Ballet “The Nutcracker” | December 18, 1892

    This Week in Piano History: The Premiere of Tchaikovsky’s Ballet “The Nutcracker” | December 18, 1892

    THIS WEEK IN PIANO HISTORY, we celebrate the premiere of Tchaikovsky’s ballet, The Nutcracker, on December 18, 1892. Although the premiere performance of the ballet was not well received, it has become one of Tchaikovsky’s most beloved compositions. The History of The Nutcracker Based on a story by E.T.A. Hoffman, Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker tells the…


  • More Thoughts on Creating a Singing Tone: Special Guest Q&A with Sharon How

    More Thoughts on Creating a Singing Tone: Special Guest Q&A with Sharon How

    This week we invited our followers to submit questions for Sharon How about creating a singing tone. Today, Sharon is answering those questions! We encourage you to read Sharon’s article in the Autumn 2022 issue of Piano Magazine, “Creating a Singing Tone at the Piano“, for her foundational thoughts on teaching a singing tone. Join…


  • The Fundamental Responsibility of Piano Teachers | Honoring Crystal Lee

    The Fundamental Responsibility of Piano Teachers | Honoring Crystal Lee

    We believe passionately that piano teachers change the world through their dedication to students and communities. Our Power of a Piano Teacher campaign shares personal tributes to document the extraordinary contributions of piano teachers. We welcome you to celebrate your teacher and share your tribute with us by making a donation to the Frances Clark Center via our secure online…


  • Opportunities for African American Pianists: Awadagin Pratt on the Nina Simone Piano Competition

    Opportunities for African American Pianists: Awadagin Pratt on the Nina Simone Piano Competition

    We’re pleased to bring you this extended interview between Awadagin Pratt and Artina McCain. Read more about Awadagin Pratt’s accomplishments as a pianist, conductor, and music education advocate in the Winter 2022-2023 issue of Piano Magazine. Not yet a subscriber? Subscribe now for only $7.99/mo or $36/year. Nina Simone was an American songwriter, pianist, and…


  • This Week in Piano History: Death of Ignatius Sancho | December 14, 1780

    This Week in Piano History: Death of Ignatius Sancho | December 14, 1780

    THIS WEEK IN PIANO HISTORY, we remember composer (Charles) Ignatius Sancho who died on December 14, 1780. Sancho, also an abolitionist and writer, impacted eighteenth-century British literature and culture. Sancho’s life began tragically as he was born on a slave ship headed for South America. Both of his parents died in his infancy—his mother died…


  • Every Student Has a Voice the World Needs to Hear | Honoring Carole Ann Kriewaldt

    Every Student Has a Voice the World Needs to Hear | Honoring Carole Ann Kriewaldt

    We believe passionately that piano teachers change the world through their dedication to students and communities. Our Power of a Piano Teacher campaign shares personal tributes to document the extraordinary contributions of piano teachers. We welcome you to celebrate your teacher and share your tribute with us by making a donation to the Frances Clark Center via our secure online…


  • Five Things You Might Not Know About Lita Spena

    Five Things You Might Not Know About Lita Spena

    We would like to thank Florencia Zuloaga for collaboration on this post. We encourage you to watch Florencia Zuloaga’s archived webinar here: “Compositores Mujeres de latinoamerica y la península ibérica“ in Spanish with Ester Vela and Gabriela Calderon Cornjego. 1. Lita Spena (1904-1989) was a student of acclaimed Italian piano pedagogue Vicenzo Scaramuzza. Vincenzo Scaramuzza…


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