pianoinspires.com

Piano Inspires Discovery

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

  • 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…


  • Five Composers You Might Not Know Were Influenced by Indonesian Gamelan

    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…


  • Five Things You Might Not Know About Cécile Chaminade

    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…


  • Piano Inspires Podcast: Annie Jeng

    Piano Inspires Podcast: Annie Jeng

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


  • A Master at Work: Marvin Blickenstaff

    A Master at Work: Marvin Blickenstaff

    We would like to thank Gail Berenson for this tribute to 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 of the…


  • 5 Reasons to Submit a Proposal to The Piano Conference: NCKP 2025

    5 Reasons to Submit a Proposal to The Piano Conference: NCKP 2025

    We would like to thank Megan Hall and Curtis Pavey for this insightful article about why you should submit a proposal to The Piano Conference: NCKP 2025. The last chance to submit your proposals via our proposal submission portal is 11:59pm PDT on Monday, October 21, 2024.  1. Share your teaching practices, scholarship, and research.…


  • Recreational Music Making: 5 Discoveries We Made as RMM Teachers

    Recreational Music Making: 5 Discoveries We Made as RMM Teachers

    We would like to thank Debra Perez, Craig Sale, Rebecca Bellelo, and Emily Book McGree for their contributions to this article on Recreational Music Making. Interested to learn more about RMM? Our latest course, A Pianist’s Guide to Teaching Recreational Music Makers, is available for presale purchase. Learn more and enroll here. Use code RMMLAUNCH2024…


  • 5 Reasons to Submit a Proposal to The Piano Conference: NCKP 2025

    5 Reasons to Submit a Proposal to The Piano Conference: NCKP 2025

    We would like to thank Megan Hall and Curtis Pavey for this insightful article about why you should submit a proposal to The Piano Conference: NCKP 2025. The last chance to submit your proposals via our proposal submission portal is 11:59pm PDT on Monday, October 21, 2024.  1. Share your teaching practices, scholarship, and research.…


  • Piano Inspires Podcast: Karen Walwyn

    Piano Inspires Podcast: Karen Walwyn

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


  • Piano Inspires Kids: A Look Inside the Autumn Issue

    Piano Inspires Kids: A Look Inside the Autumn Issue

    Exploring the piano through improvisation unlocks endless creativity, and the Autumn issue of Piano Inspires Kids equips young pianists with exciting new tools to ignite their musical imagination. In addition to the print magazine, students can explore additional activities on our website to get their creative juices flowing. Not yet a subscriber? Click here to…


  • Piano Inspires Podcast: Tim Topham

    Piano Inspires Podcast: Tim Topham

    To celebrate the latest episode of the Piano Inspires Podcast featuring Tim Topham, we are sharing an excerpted transcript of his conversation with Sara Ernst. Want to learn more about Topham? Check out the latest installment of the Piano Inspires Podcast. To learn more, visit pianoinspires.com. Listen to our latest episode with Topham on Apple Podcasts,…


  • Improvising with Piano Inspires Kids: Use the Autumn 2024 Issue in Your Studio Today!

    Improvising with Piano Inspires Kids: Use the Autumn 2024 Issue in Your Studio Today!

    Exploring the piano through improvisation unlocks endless creativity, and the Autumn issue of Piano Inspires Kids equips young pianists with exciting new tools to ignite their musical imagination. In addition to the print magazine, students can explore additional activities on our website to get their creative juices flowing. Below are excerpts from our new teacher…


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