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

  • 5 Reasons to Attend The Piano Conference: NCKP 2025 Online Event

    5 Reasons to Attend The Piano Conference: NCKP 2025 Online Event

    The online event of The Piano Conference: NCKP 2025 is just around the corner! Events will occur from June 6-8 and will be packed with music, social events, concerts, and more. If you have not registered, there’s still more time. Learn more and register by clicking here. 1. Accessibility The Piano Conference Online Event is…


  • 5 Things You Might Not Know About Dan Zhaoyi

    5 Things You Might Not Know About Dan Zhaoyi

    We would like to thank Tsz Hin Lam for this article on Dan Zhaoyi. Interested in learning more about Dan Zhaoyi? Attend this session at The Piano Conference: NCKP 2025 online conference on Sunday, June 8, 5:00-5:25pm EDT. Learn more and register for the online and in-person conference here. 1. Dan, born 1940, was a student of renowned Chinese…


  • Frances Clark Center Awards Inaugural Community Impact Grants Initiative to Support Inclusive Piano Education

    Frances Clark Center Awards Inaugural Community Impact Grants Initiative to Support Inclusive Piano Education

    The Frances Clark Center has announced the recipients of its first-ever Community Impact Grants Initiative, a national program supporting innovative, community-driven projects in piano education. Funded by the Elvina Pearce Education Fund, the initiative provides grants of $500 to $2,500 to individuals and organizations whose work expands access, fosters inclusion, and strengthens community engagement through…


  • 5 Things You Might Not Know About Mélanie Bonis (1858–1937)

    5 Things You Might Not Know About Mélanie Bonis (1858–1937)

    We would like to thank McKenna Girdeen for this article on Mélanie Bonis. Interested in learning more about Bonis? Attend this session at The Piano Conference: NCKP 2025 in-person conference on Thursday, July 24, 2025, 1:30-2:20pm CDT. Learn more and register for the online and in-person conference here. Mélanie Bonis, a largely underrepresented composer, remains unknown to many musicians …


  • Happy 90th Birthday to Marvin Blickenstaff!

    Happy 90th Birthday to Marvin Blickenstaff!

    Thanks to the generosity of supporters around the world, The Marvin Blickenstaff Teaching Excellence Fund is advancing high-quality teacher education and raising the standard of piano instruction. We invite you to join this meaningful effort by making a contribution to help complete this tribute in time for his milestone birthday. Gifts can be made online…


  • 5 Things You Might Not Know About Abby Whiteside

    5 Things You Might Not Know About Abby Whiteside

    We would like to thank Stephen Marquiss for this article on Abby Whiteside. Interested in learning more about Whiteside? Attend this session at The Piano Conference: NCKP 2025 online event on Saturday, June 7, 2025, 1:30-1:55pm CDT. Learn more and register for the conference here. 1. Abby Whiteside (1881-1956) transformed her teaching after admitting only her talented students progressed.…


  • Campos Internacionais Disponíveis – Inscreva-se Já!

    Campos Internacionais Disponíveis – Inscreva-se Já!

    A Conferência de Piano expandiu seu escopo para incluir campos em coreano, mandarim, inglês, espanhol e português.* Todas as sessões em línguas estrangeiras incluirão legendas em inglês para torná-las acessíveis a todos. A inscrição completa na conferência inclui acesso ao evento online e aos arquivos do evento online. Inscreva-se agora para conferir apresentações de especialistas,…


  • 国际会议分会场开放 。 立即注册!

    国际会议分会场开放 。 立即注册!

    钢琴峰会已扩展至韩语、普通话、英语、西班牙语和葡萄牙语分会场。*所有外语会议均提供英文字幕,方便所有人观看。 完整的会议注册包含在线活动和在线活动档案的访问权限。立即注册,聆听来自世界各地教师和研究人员的专家演讲! 在线会议:2025年6月7日至8日 线下峰会及会议:2025年7月23日至26日 想了解更多关于在线活动和国际会议分会场的信息?委员会主席Luis Sanchez将分享2025年钢琴会议(NCKP)的精彩内容。 MORE ON THE PIANO CONFERENCE: NCKP Not yet a subscriber? Join for only $7.99/mo or $36/yr.


  • 국제 트랙 개설. 지금 등록하세요!

    국제 트랙 개설. 지금 등록하세요!

    피아노 컨퍼런스는 한국어, 중국어(만다린어), 영어, 스페인어, 포르투갈어 트랙을 포함하도록 그 범위를 확장하였습니다.* 모든 외국어 세션에는 영어 자막이 제공되어 누구나 쉽게 접근할 수 있습니다. 전체 컨퍼런스 등록 시 온라인 행사 및 온라인 자료 아카이브에 접근할 수 있습니다. 지금 등록하셔서 전 세계의 교사들과 연구자들의 전문적인 발표를 직접 경험해 보세요!  온라인 컨퍼런스: 2025년 6월 7-8일 Online Conference: June…


  • Q&A with Marvin Blickenstaff: Part Two

    Q&A with Marvin Blickenstaff: Part Two

    We invited our followers to submit questions for Marvin Blickenstaff about all things teaching. In honor of his birthday (May 19), we are posting his answers! You can read Part One here. Join us on social media for the opportunity to have your questions on a variety of interesting topics answered by additional experts in…


  • Q&A with Marvin Blickenstaff: Part One

    Q&A with Marvin Blickenstaff: Part One

    We invited our followers to submit questions for Marvin Blickenstaff about all things teaching. In honor of his birthday today (May 19), we are posting his answers! Join us on social media for the opportunity to have your questions on a variety of interesting topics answered by additional experts in the coming weeks. I love…


  • The Consummate Role Model for Piano Teachers | Honoring Marvin Blickenstaff

    The Consummate Role Model for Piano Teachers | Honoring Marvin Blickenstaff

    Naegeli van Bergen Metcalf was my first college piano teacher and a beloved mentor. She left Wesleyan College after my freshman year to get married, and we stayed in touch throughout the remainder of her teaching years. So, during my junior year, she was in touch and encouraged me to go to the University of…


  • Happy Birthday, Marvin Blickenstaff!

    Happy Birthday, Marvin Blickenstaff!

    THIS WEEK IN PIANO HISTORY, we celebrate one of our own—Marvin Blickenstaff—who was born on May 19, 1935. A world-renowned music educator and pianist, Blickenstaff’s career as a leader in the field of piano pedagogy has spanned nearly six decades. Blickenstaff grew up in Nampa, Idaho and credits his teacher Fern Nolte Davidson with helping…


  • Five Principles to Help you Prepare and Practice Orchestral Reductions

    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…


  • A Quick Look at Teaching Adults: What Pianists Should Know

    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…


  • Always give your maximum: A conversation with Menahem Pressler

    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…


  • Bach Meets with the King!

    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…


  • A Quick Look at Technology: What Pianists Should Know

    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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