pianoinspires.com

Piano Inspires Discovery

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

  • 2024 Collegiate Connections

    2024 Collegiate Connections

    Students throughout the United States responded to our call for proposals for the 2024 Collegiate Connections virtual event, which will highlight innovative group projects at universities throughout the United States. The Frances Clark Center is pleased to announce the selected proposals for our event on Friday, April 26, 2024 from 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM…


  • 5 Reasons to Enroll in a Summer Seminar

    5 Reasons to Enroll in a Summer Seminar

    We would like to thank Sara Ernst for this article about our 2024 Summer Intensive Seminars. Interested in learning more about our 2024 Summer Intensive Seminars? Learn more by clicking here. 1. Summer is a great time for learning! We are offering two summer seminars in the month of July: An International Exploration of Piano…


  • 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,…


  • 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…


  • Teaching Students to Love Classical Period Repertoire: Q&A with Suzanne Newcomb

    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…


  • How To Travel to NCKP 2023: The Piano Conference without Breaking the Bank!

    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…


  • Five Things You Might Not Know About Claude Debussy

    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…


  • This Week in Piano History: The Birth of “Mr. Harmony”

    This Week in Piano History: The Birth of “Mr. Harmony”

    THIS WEEK IN PIANO HISTORY, we celebrate the birth of composer Mario Ruiz Armengol, who was born on March 17, 1914. A Mexican composer, Ruiz Armengol wrote a number of important piano works including a sonata, the 31 Piezas para niños, and 12 Estudios. Ruiz Armengol was born into a large family in Veracruz, Mexico.…


  • “Piano Inspires” Webinar: William Chapman Nyaho Interview

    “Piano Inspires” Webinar: William Chapman Nyaho Interview

    The Frances Clark Center was thrilled to welcome William Chapman Nyaho to our “Piano Inspires” Webinar series. Please enjoy his engaging conversation with Dr. Jennifer Snow, CEO of the Frances Clark Center, and we encourage you to join us for all of our upcoming webinars. https://pianoinspires.com/webinars/ In this installment of our Piano Inspires… series, Dr. Jennifer…


  • Five Things You Might Not Know About Filip Lazăr

    Five Things You Might Not Know About Filip Lazăr

    Check out Danny Milan’s video of Lazăr: Pièces minuscules pour les enfants, Op.16 where he explores the preparation, practice, and interpretation of this unique piece. 1.  He was a founding member of the Society of Romanian Composers. Also known as the Romanian Composers’ Society (Societatea Compozitorilor Romani), this organization was founded by Romanian composers George…


  • This Week in Piano History: National Black Women in Jazz and the Arts Day

    This Week in Piano History: National Black Women in Jazz and the Arts Day

    Happy National Black Women in Jazz and the Arts Day! Created by the organization Black Women in Jazz, this day celebrates the remarkable impact of Black women in jazz and all the arts. Today, we are highlighting several Black women pianists and composers who have made special contributions to our field. Nina Simone, born February…


Search
piano inspires logo, black with colored stripes in the tail of the piano