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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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…
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A Quick Look at Creative Music Making: What Pianists Should Know
Special thanks to the Bradley Sowash, member of the NCKP 2023 Creative Music Making committee, for this post. Why is creative music making an important topic for pianists today? Today’s students benefit from instruction in reading and generating music. Why? Because students that read well, play by ear, and/or create music can play a wider…
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Für Elise: Beethoven’s Infamous Composition
THIS WEEK IN PIANO HISTORY, Beethoven composed his infamous bagatelle Für Elise WoO 59 on April 27, 1810. The short piece is built around a recurring theme that is unceasingly popular with pianists of all ages. One of the central questions regarding this piece is to whom it was written. Scholarship remains unclear about the…
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A Quick Look at Independent Music Teaching: What Pianists Should Know
Special thanks to Jason Sifford, chair of the NCKP 2023 Independent Music Teaching committee, for this post. Why is independent teaching important for pianists today? Today’s emerging professionals and young parents are the first to be born in the 2000’s. This generation enters a world unlike any before, and understanding and embracing the unique challenges…
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A Quick Look at Wellness: What Pianists Should Know
Special thanks to the NCKP 2023: The Piano Conference Wellness Committee for their contributions to this post. Why is wellness an important topic for pianists today? It is known that few pianists go through life without encountering an injury or illness, whether directly related to playing or not. Therefore, it is very important that there…
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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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Teaching Contemporary Music: Q&A with Brendan Jacklin
This week we invited our followers to submit questions for Brendan Jacklin about teaching new and contemporary music. Today, Brendan is answering those questions! We encourage you to watch Brendan’s archived webinar on teaching George Crumb’s Eine Kleine Mitternachtmusik. Join us on social media for the opportunity to have your questions on a variety of…
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This Week in Piano History: The Birth of Muzio Clementi | January 23, 1752
THIS WEEK IN PIANO HISTORY, we celebrate the birth of pianist, composer, and piano manufacturer Muzio Clementi, who was born on January 23, 1752. Although Clementi is most well known today for his sonatinas, he wrote a number of large-scale piano sonatas and achieved great success with his piano manufacturing business. Clementi, born in Rome,…
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Five Things You Might Not Know About Dianne Goolkasian Rahbee
Don’t miss Leonidas Lagrimas’ Inspiring Artistry contribution about Amy Beach’s Improvisation Op. 148, No. 1, which includes exposition on how to effectively teach the piece, all the way from preparation to performance. The piano music of Dianne Goolkasian Rahbee has been steadily gaining popularity over the past several decades, to the point where her work…
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An Inspiring Legacy of Excellence and Advocacy | Honoring Claudette Sorel
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. Together, we will further…
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This Week in Piano History: The Premiere of Charles Ives’ Concord Sonata | January 20, 1939
THIS WEEK IN PIANO HISTORY, we celebrate the premiere of Charles Ives’ Concord Sonata, which American pianist John Kirkpatrick premiered on January 20, 1939. The sonata, Ives’ second piano sonata, lasts over forty-five minutes and is noted for its extremely dense writing and complicated use of leitmotifs. Ives was an American musical pioneer who was…
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Our Experiences Writing for Piano Magazine
Every year, Piano Magazine offers students the opportunity to showcase their research and writing through the Collegiate Writing Contest. We are pleased to present the testimonies of two recent winners of this competition, in hopes that it will inspire other collegiate students to submit their manuscripts for a chance to be featured in Piano Magazine.…
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How to Record an Effective Teaching Demonstration: 6 Tips for Success
We are delighted to share top tips from Dr. Sara Ernst on recording effective teaching demonstrations as you compile your teaching video submissions for NCKP 2023: The Piano Conference. Sara is Director of Teacher Engagement for the Frances Clark Center and a member of the Executive Committee for NCKP: The Piano Conference. We invite you…
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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…
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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…
