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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 Composers You Might Not Know Were Influenced by Indonesian Gamelan
We encourage you to watch Regina Tanujaya’s archived webinar here: “Piano Music by Composers of Asian Heritage, Part 2,” who’s joined by Chee-Hwa Tan and Li-Ly Chang, and Luis Sanchez. This webinar shares appealing and accessible piano teaching music by composers of Asian heritage. 1. Claude Debussy (1862-1918) Debussy first heard the gamelan at the…
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Five Things You Might Not Know About Cécile Chaminade
Don’t miss Angela Miller-Niles’s Inspiring Artistry contribution about Chaminade’s Aubade, which includes information on how to effectively teach the piece, all the way from preparation to performance. 1. She was the first woman to receive the Légion d’honneur in 1913. The Légion d’honneur is the highest French order of merit. At 56, Chaminade was enjoying…
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This Week in Piano History: The Concert with an Audience of Legends (Including Liszt, Mendelssohn, and Wieck!)
THIS WEEK IN PIANO HISTORY, Chopin had his premiere at the Salons de Pleyel in Paris on February 25, 1832.1 Chopin’s first concert after arriving in Paris, this debut marked one of the few times the Parisian public was able to hear Chopin’s performances. Chopin initially left Poland for a concert tour throughout Europe, but…
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Effectively Teaching Young Students: Q&A with Sara Ernst
We invited our followers to submit questions for Sara Ernst about effectively teaching young students to practice. Today, Sara is answering those questions! We encourage you to read Sara’s article, “Practicing Alongside Our Intermediate Students,” in the Winter 2022 issue of Piano Magazine. Additionally, enroll in our self-guided, online course titled The Beginner Course: Establishing…
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This Week in Piano History: The King of Etudes
THIS WEEK IN PIANO HISTORY, we celebrate the birth of pianist and composer Carl Czerny who was born on February 21, 1791. Although primarily known for his numerous etudes, Czerny was a prolific composer publishing over 800 works with opus numbers. Czerny was born into a middle class family in Vienna, Austria. His father, Wenzel…
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Five Ideas for Choosing a Spring Recital Theme
We encourage you to watch Holly Kessis’ archived webinar here: “Piano Inspires… Innovation in Practice“ with Igor Lipinski, Brianna Matzke, Joy Morin, Melody Ng, Jason Sifford, and Jennifer Snow. This webinar is a celebration of innovation in organizations, teaching practices, and teacher education. 1. Less is more. It’s easy to get overwhelmed with ideas, so…
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This Week in Piano History: The Ragtime “Scott” You Might Not Know
THIS WEEK IN PIANO HISTORY, we celebrate the birth of major ragtime composer James Sylvester Scott who was born on February 12, 1885. Scott produced a number of hits including Ophelia Rag, Frog Legs Rag, and Grace and Beauty. Originally from Neosho, Missouri, Scott was born to former slaves James Scott Sr. and Molly Thomas…
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What We Can Learn From Historical Pianos: Q&A with Charlotte Tang
We recently invited our followers to submit questions for Charlotte Tang about historical pianos. Today, Charlotte is answering those questions! We encourage you to watch Charlotte’s Inspiring Artistry repertoire video on teaching Scarlatti’s Sonata in D Minor, K. 213. 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 Pianist Who Could Crack a Joke
THIS WEEK IN PIANO HISTORY, we remember the debut of The Victor Borge Show on NBC-TV on February 3, 1951. Borge’s brilliant comedic routines brought humor to the classical music concert hall in ways previously not experienced. Born in Copenhagen, Borge’s musical studies with his parents, who were both musicians. His father supervised his early…
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Recollections with Robert Weirich
We would like to thank Robert Weirich for his insightful commentary regarding his latest book, Recollections: A Pianist’s Essays on Teaching, Performing, and Living. Learn more and purchase here: https://pianoinspires.com/recollections-by-robert-weirich/. I guess you could say that my pandemic project was to go back through my writings for Clavier and other journals and see if there was…
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A Lifetime Collaboration with Frances Clark
In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week, we are sharing this excerpted article by Louise Goss about her lifetime collaboration with Frances Clark. On behalf of The Frances Clark Center for Keyboard Pedagogy, thank you to all teachers for sharing the incredible and transformative power of music. Being invited to look at the changes in keyboard…
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Piano Inspires Podcast: Sara Davis Buechner
To celebrate the latest episode of Piano Inspires Podcast featuring Sara Davis Buechner, we are sharing an excerpted transcript of her conversation with Craig Sale. Want to learn more about Buechner? Check out the latest installment of the Piano Inspires Podcast. To learn more, visit pianoinspires.com. Listen to our latest episode with Buechner on Apple Podcasts,…
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Publication Project: Piano Works of Thomas H. Kerr Jr.
We hope you enjoy learning about one of the publication projects of the Frances Clark Center—publishing piano works of Thomas H. Kerr Jr. Please join us for our Publications Launch Party with Susanna Garcia and William Chapman Nyaho celebrating the first of these publications, Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel?: Concert Scherzo for Two Pianos, Four…
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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 and repertoire? Register for our 2024 Summer Intensive Seminar “An International Exploration of Piano Teaching Literature” lead by Leah Claiborne and Luis Sanchez. Early bird registration…
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Piano Inspires Podcast: Angelin Chang
To celebrate the latest episode of Piano Inspires Podcast featuring Angelin Chang we are sharing an excerpted transcript of his conversation with Andrea McAlister. Want to learn more about Chang? Check out the latest installment of the Piano Inspires Podcast. To learn more, visit pianoinspires.com. Listen to our latest episode with Chang on Apple Podcasts, Spotify,…
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Marvin’s Enduring Legacy
We would like to thank Marianne Williams for this tribute to her 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…
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Young Professional Highlights: Inspiring Artistry
We are delighted to share a few highlights from the work of young professionals throughout the United States and Canada. Each of these videos comes from our Inspiring Artistry video collection. To learn more and submit a proposal for a future Inspiring Artistry or From the Artist Bench video, please click here. D. Scarlatti: Sonata…
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Piano Inspires Podcast: Chee-Hwa Tan
To celebrate the latest episode of Piano Inspires Podcast featuring Chee-Hwa Tan, we are sharing an excerpted transcript of her conversation with Alejandro Cremaschi. Want to learn more about Tan? Check out the latest installment of the Piano Inspires Podcast. To learn more, visit pianoinspires.com. Listen to our latest episode with Tan on Apple Podcasts, Spotify,…
