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Piano Inspires Discovery

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

  • “So Now What?” with Leah Claiborne

    “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,…


  • Six Reasons You Should Apply to the Postgraduate Teaching Program at The New School for Music Study

    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…


  • Create to Motivate: Using Repertoire to Incorporate Creativity in Lessons

    Create to Motivate: Using Repertoire to Incorporate Creativity in Lessons

    We would like to thank Chee-Hwa Tan for this insightful article on creative activities to explore with your students. Want to apply these tips with your students? We encourage your students to submit to the Piano Inspires Kids 2024 Composition Contest. Student applicants are tasked with composing a fanfare inspired by the upcoming 2024 Summer…


  • Piano Inspires Podcast: An Interview with William Chapman Nyaho

    Piano Inspires Podcast: An Interview with William Chapman Nyaho

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


  • Effectively Teaching Young Students: Q&A with Sara Ernst

    Effectively Teaching Young Students: Q&A with Sara Ernst

    We would like to thank Sara Ernst for participating in this interview answering questions about effectively teaching young students. Interested in learning more from Sara Ernst about teaching elementary pianists? Attend our 2024 Summer Intensive Seminar: Teaching Elementary Pianists. Learn more by clicking here. What are your thoughts on having parents involved with practice? When…


  • A Pianist’s Approach to Research

    A Pianist’s Approach to Research

    We would like to thank Carla Salas-Ruiz for this contribution on writing articles for research publications such as the Journal of Piano Research. Learn more about the Journal of Piano Research by clicking here. Writing, akin to music, provides a platform for self-expression. It also fosters critical thinking and enables us to articulate diverse perspectives,…


  • Walk a mile in your neighbor’s shoes: Diversity in the teaching studio

    Walk a mile in your neighbor’s shoes: Diversity in the teaching studio

    We would like to thank Bennyce Hamilton and Rachel Kramer for this insightful article on diversity in the teaching studio. Want to learn more about DEI? Check out 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. Music…


  • Reflections on the Postgraduate Teaching Program

    Reflections on the Postgraduate Teaching Program

    We would like to thank Allison Shinnick Keep 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. There are experiences in life that change you slowly over long periods of time, and others that…


  • Cultivating Brave Spaces in the Piano Studio Using DEI Repertoire and Practices

    Cultivating Brave Spaces in the Piano Studio Using DEI Repertoire and Practices

    We would like to thank Penny Lazarus for this insightful article on inclusive programming. Want to learn more about Penny Lazarus’s work in DEI and her thoughts on inclusive programming? Lazarus is a contributor for our new course, Piano Teaching through the Lens of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. The course is now available for presale…


  • OLGA KERN: A Consummate and Positive Artist

    OLGA KERN: A Consummate and Positive Artist

    We are pleased to share this conversation with Olga Kern about her vibrant career and mission as a musician, written by Sara Ernst. This conversation originally appeared in the Summer 2023 issue of Piano Magazine. If you would like to explore other articles from Piano Magazine, please subscribe now for only $7.99/mo or $36/yr. Concert…


  • Hats Off to You, George! | Honoring George Litterst

    Hats Off to You, George! | Honoring George Litterst

    George Litterst is a recipient of the 2023 Frances Clark Center Lifetime Achievement Award. His 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…


  • 5 Steps for Successfully Incorporating a Sight-Reading App into Your Studio

    5 Steps for Successfully Incorporating a Sight-Reading App into Your Studio

    Check out Anna Beth Rucker’s presentation at the NCKP 2023: The Piano Conference online event, How to Choose and Use Sight-Reading Apps to Enhance Student Learning Experience, on June 11, 2023 from 4:30-4:55PM. There’s still time to Register for NCKP 2023! In recent years, sight-reading apps have quickly populated app stores and captured the minds…


  • 5 Reasons You Should Include Asian Repertoire in Your Studio

    5 Reasons You Should Include Asian Repertoire in Your Studio

    Don’t miss Shuk-Ki Wong’s presentation at NCKP 2023: The Piano Conference online event, Embracing Diversity in Your Studio: A Pedagogical Exploration of Underrepresented Chinese Keyboard Literature, on June 10, 2023 from 4:30-4:55PM. There’s still time to Register for NCKP 2023! 1. Only 1.77% of scheduled pieces in concert halls were composed by Asian composers. Despite…


  • 5 Things You Might Not Know About Colombian Composer Jaime León

    5 Things You Might Not Know About Colombian Composer Jaime León

    Don’t forget to check out Felipe Calle‘s presentation at NCKP 2023: The Piano Conference, The Piano Works of Jaime Leon: A Pedagogical Approach, on June 11, 2023 from 4:30-4:55PM during our online event. Register now for NCKP 2023! 1. Jaime León was born in 1921 in Cartagena, Colombia, a colonial city on the Caribbean coast. His father,…


  • The Value and Survival of Music – Philosophies of Frances Clark

    The Value and Survival of Music – Philosophies of Frances Clark

    We are pleased to share some of our favorite quotes by Frances Clark, the pioneer pianist and educator for whom the organization is named. To read more of Clark’s writing, you can purchase her book, Questions and Answers, by clicking here. On the Value of Music “To understand music is to know an entire range…


  • 5 Things You Might Not Know About Career-aged Adult Piano Learners

    5 Things You Might Not Know About Career-aged Adult Piano Learners

    Check out Pei-Chen Chen‘s presentation at NCKP 2023: The Piano Conference, It’s Never Too Late – Lived Experiences of Amateur Adult Piano Learners, on June 11, 2023 from 3:00-3:25PM during our online event. Register now for NCKP 2023! 1. They take lessons to fulfill a long held-dream. Fulfilling a long-held dream is one of the most common…


  • How to Teach like Kodály in 5 Easy Steps

    How to Teach like Kodály in 5 Easy Steps

    Don’t miss Megan Rich‘s Lightning Talk at NCKP 2023: The Piano Conference, Singing in the Piano Lesson: Zoltán Kodály’s 333 Elementary Exercises in Solfège Singing, on July 26, 2023 from 4:00-4:50PM during our in-person event. Register now for NCKP 2023! 1. Sing! Zoltan Kodály said that “To teach a child an instrument without first giving him preparatory…


  • 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…


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