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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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How to Write an Effective Conference Proposal: 5 Tips for Success
We are delighted to share top tips from Dr. Sara Ernst on writing successful conference proposals to support you as you draft your session ideas for The Piano Conference: NCKP 2025. Sara is Director of Teacher Engagement for the Frances Clark Center and a member of the Executive Committee for The Piano Conference: NCKP. We…
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Piano Inspires Kids: Student Spotlights
The Summer 2024 Issue of Piano Inspires Kids is here! Not yet a subscriber? Click here to receive the issue and give the gift of music to the musicians in your life! Keep reading for a sneak peek into the Summer Issue. Calling all Piano Inspires Kids readers; we want to hear from you about you! What is a Student Spotlight? You can…
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Effective, enforceable studio policies
We would like to thank Wendy Stevens for this article about studio policies. To read the full article, click here. Between August 5 and September 15, The Frances Clark Center is offering 20% off all full-length courses such as A Pianist’s Guide to Studio Management. Check out our other courses here and use this discount…
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Does Piano Study Help Children in Other Aspects of School Study?
We would like to thank Madeleine Crouch for this article about piano study and how it affects academic achievement. To read the full article, click here. Between August 5 and September 15, The Frances Clark Center is offering 20% off all full-length courses such as A Pianist’s Guide to Studio Management. Check out our other…
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Piano Inspires Book Club Announcement
As we approach the new school year, we invite you to join us for the Piano Inspires Book Club! The first book club will focus on Marvin Blickenstaff’s new book Inspired Piano Teaching. Learn more and register here. Join author Marvin Blickenstaff and host Sara Ernst for a four-part, open-access series discussing Inspired Piano Teaching…
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How Do You Plan A Student’s Repertoire for the Coming School Year?
We would like to thank Martha Appleby, Sara Krohn, Leanne Hedges, and James B Lyke for this insightful article about planning repertoire. To read the full article, click here. Although few teachers of my acquaintance indulge in a languid state of inactivity during the summer, it is a time when we re-evaluate the progress of our students…
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This Month in Piano History – August 2024
August 8, 1857 French pianist and composer Cécile Chaminade, whose work inspired the creation of numerous women’s musical organizations, was born on this day in Paris. Her initial musical studies were with her mother, but Chaminade also studied privately with members of the Paris Conservatoire faculty after her father prohibited her official enrollment.1 Her career…
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Breaking Out of the House of Corrections
We would like to thank Craig Sale for this insightful article about preparing students for their practice. To read the full article, click here. I will always remember Frances Clark stating that our lessons should not be a “house of corrections.” Instead, she felt we should do all we can to ensure a week of…
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Body Mapping in the Piano Studio
We would like to thank Kay S. Hooper for this insightful article about body mapping. To read the full article, click here. On the count of three, point to the place where your upper arm meets your torso. One, two, three! See Figure 1 below and find the place where you pointed. Most people point…
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How to Write an Effective Conference Proposal: 5 Tips for Success
We are delighted to share top tips from Dr. Sara Ernst on writing successful conference proposals. Are you a student interested in sharing your research and projects with the piano pedagogy community? On Friday, April 26th at 11am ET, the Frances Clark Center is hosting “Collegiate Connections,” an event to celebrate collegiate groups and their…
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Collegiate Essay Winner: Emerging Adulthood and Undergraduate Group Piano
We would like to thank Melody Morrison, who was named the winner of the 2023 Collegiate Writing Contest, for this insightful article on adulthood and collegiate group piano. Are you a collegiate student interested in submitting your writing to the Piano Magazine? We encourage all collegiate students to enter the 2024 Collegiate Writing Contest! Materials…
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Spring 2021: Pupil Saver: Adagio in F Minor by Chevalier de Saint-Georges
We would like to thank Leah Claiborne for this insightful article on Chevalier de Saint-Georges’s Adagio in F Minor. Want to learn more about Black composers? Check out our latest publication of Thomas Henderson Kerr Jr.’s Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel? for two pianos! This publication, spearheaded by Susanna Garcia and William Chapman Nyaho, is…
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Judith Lang Zaimont: “Mandarin Orange” from In My Lunchbox
We would like to thank Chris Madden for these insightful teaching tips on Zaimont’s “Mandarin Orange” from In My Lunchbox. Interested in learning more about Chris’s publications and research? Check out Technique through Repertoire Book 1 and Book 2, co-authored by Chris Madden and Jani Parsons. If you are attending the Music Teachers National Association…
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Piano Inspires Podcast: An Interview with Vanessa Cornett
To celebrate the latest episode of Piano Inspires Podcast featuring Vanessa Cornett, we are sharing an excerpted transcript of her conversation with Alejandro Cremaschi. Want to learn more about Cornett? Check out the latest installment of the Piano Inspires Podcast. To learn more, visit pianoinspires.com. Listen to our latest episode with Cornett on Apple Podcasts, Spotify,…
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Teaching Contemporary Piano Techniques to Intermediate Students with Alexina Louie’s Star Light, Star Bright
We would like to thank Lynn Worcester Jones for this insightful article on teaching Alexina Louie’s Star Light, Star Bright. Want to learn more about music by women composers? Check out our course, Hidden Gems: Four Centuries of Piano Music by Women Composers. Learn more and enroll here. Introducing intermediate piano students to twentieth-and twenty-first-century compositional…
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Celebrating International Women’s Day 2024
Today, we celebrate International Women’s Day, a time to honor and reflect upon the remarkable music and contributions of women. In this Discovery Page post, we have curated a collection of Piano Inspires resources to help everyone discover something new. From our international webinar series, to articles in Piano Magazine and Piano Inspires Kids, to…
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“So Now What?” with Leah Claiborne
We would like to thank Leah Claiborne for this insightful article on handling repertoire that is culturally insensitive. This excerpted article comes from our new course, Piano Teaching through the Lens of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. The course is now available for presale purchase. Click here to learn more. If you are taking this course,…
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Six Reasons You Should Apply to the Postgraduate Teaching Program at The New School for Music Study
We would like to thank Trevor Thornton 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’s postgraduate teaching program provides the opportunity to continue your education while serving…
