In this issue
January 2018; Vol. 10, No. 1
A World of Music – Guide to the Seven Cover Story Articles for Jan/Feb 2018
In less than forty-eight hours, it is possible to move between almost any two points on the globe. A hundred years ago, many of these journeys…
January 2018; Vol. 10, No. 1
An American Family’s Musical Journey Through Cuba
Car Urban Cuba Auto Havana City Buildings As the iron door into Cuba slowly creaks open, Americans have been eager to learn more about life in…
January 2018; Vol. 10, No. 1
DIGITAL-ONLY CONTENT: Music for the Intermediate Pianist by Eight Women Composers
Editor's note: This is a companion piece to the January/February 2018 article, "Women of exceptional accomplishment: Eight women composers" by Teresa Rupp, found here. Anyone who thinks…
January 2018; Vol. 10, No. 1
Class Piano Connections: A Brazil-U.S. Group Piano Project
Collaboration between two foreigncountries can be fraught with deadly secrets, dangers, and mysterious politics. Fortunately, in the case of piano classes in Brazil and the United…
January 2018; Vol. 10, No. 1
¿Por qué no?
Upon completing my master's degree, I considered various ideas as to where and how to continue my education. Although pursuing a doctoral degree is essential for…
January 2018; Vol. 10, No. 1
East Meets West: Connecting with Chinese Students
Currently, an estimated 40 million students are learning piano in China, and the number continues to grow. In this age of the China boom, there is…
January 2018; Vol. 10, No. 1
January 2018: Editor’s Column: The Students We Meet
In this issue, you will meet several teachers who have experienced profound cross-cultural exchanges. Personally, I have delighted in working with students from more than fourteen…
January 2018; Vol. 10, No. 1
January 2018: Questions and Answers
This is Part 2 of a response that began in the Nov/Dec 2017 issue of Clavier Companion. Q. This is the time of year when high…
January 2018; Vol. 10, No. 1
January 2018: Preludes: Musical News & Notes
Park, Zhou won 2017 Gina Bachauer Piano Competition Yun-Chin Zhou Chaeyoung Park Chaeyoung Park and Yun-Chin Zhou earned gold medals at the 2017 Gina Bachauer Piano Competition…
January 2018; Vol. 10, No. 1
Parents Attending Lessons: Rewards and Challenges
Why would teachers want to encourage parents to attend lessons? Although some teachers—Suzuki, Yamaha, or preschool, for example—routinely invite parents, not all music teachers find that…
January 2018; Vol. 10, No. 1
DIGITAL ONLY CONTENT: Speak Out! Five-and-a-Half Minutes With Composer, Lynda Lybeck-Robinson
I met Lynda on FaceBook about five years ago and life has brought us together in real life many times since. The harmony in her compositions is a refreshingly…
January 2018; Vol. 10, No. 1
January 2018: Variations: A Nickel for Every Mistake
Seven-year-old Serena's mother describes her daughter's first piano practice of every week. "We always have tears! If she makes even one mistake, she is ready to…
January 2018; Vol. 10, No. 1
Piano Method Review: Carol Matz’s Interactive Piano Method
by Rebecca Grooms Johnson This method offers a flexible combination of lesson books and web-based materials. The four core lesson books (Levels 1A, 1B, 2A, and…
January 2018; Vol. 10, No. 1
2017 Clavier Companion Collegiate Writing Contest Runner-Up: Developing Confident Performers: The Teacher’s Role in Combating Anxiety
In the Spring of 2017, Clavier Companion sponsored its ninth annual Collegiate Writing Contest, inviting college students from around the world to submit 1,500 word essays on…
January 2018; Vol. 10, No. 1
2017 Clavier Companion Collegiate Writing Contest Winner: The Actual Children’s Corner: Making Impressionistic Music Accessible to Elementary and Intermediate Piano Students
In the Spring of 2017, Clavier Companion sponsored its ninth annual Collegiate Writing Contest, inviting college students from around the world to submit 1,500 word essays…
January 2018; Vol. 10, No. 1
2017 Clavier Companion Collegiate Writing Contest Runner-Up: Ironic Processes of Mental Control: Implications for Musicians
In the Spring of 2017, Clavier Companion sponsored its ninth annual Collegiate Writing Contest, inviting college students from around the world to submit 1,500 word essays…
January 2018; Vol. 10, No. 1
January 2018: Create and Motivate: Scales 101
C scale notation above a musical staff with faster and slower notes and a repeat sign. Practicing scales combines technique, muscle memory, and theory in one…
January 2018; Vol. 10, No. 1
Women of Exceptional Accomplishment: Eight Women Composers
Editor's note: Nicholas Phillips wrote a companion piece recommending intermediate repertoire from these eight composers. You can find it here. Recently I participated in a concert…
January 2018; Vol. 10, No. 1
Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of Women’s Suffrage
Suffragists parade down Fifth Avenue, 1917. Advocates march in October 1917, displaying placards containing the signatures of more than one million New York women demanding the…
January 2018; Vol. 10, No. 1
January 2018: Pupil Saver: Nocturne by Catherine Rollin
Nocturne from the collection Spotlight on Romantic Style by Catherine Rollin (Alfred) is an accessible and motivating piece for the intermediate pianist. My first encounter with…
January 2018; Vol. 10, No. 1
My Meeting With the Man in the Ebony and Ivory Tower
The following account may be fiction. It may be true. It may be both. I had been a piano teacher and performer for nearly a decade.…
January 2018; Vol. 10, No. 1
What are the Foundational Reasons for Having a Policy?
Sometimes it is easy to get into a tizzy about making policy changes when something pushes us to our limits. Conversely, some teachers "set it and…
January 2018; Vol. 10, No. 1
January 2018: Mind Matters: Stage Fright and Symptoms: Cause or Effect?
When you think about your stage fright, what are two or three fears or anxieties that come into your mind? When musicians contact me about this…
January 2018; Vol. 10, No. 1
January 2018: First Looks Book Review – When the World Stopped to Listen: Van Cliburn’s Cold War Triumph, and Its Aftermath
When the World Stopped to Listen: Van Cliburn’s Cold War Triumph, and Its Aftermath, by Stuart Isacoff. Highly recommended As someone who was fortunate enough to…
January 2018; Vol. 10, No. 1
January 2018: First Looks: New Music Reviews
(S1-2) 24 Short and Easy Pieces, Op. 1, Alexander Reinagle. Highly Recommended Teachers and students enjoy Reinagle's pieces both for their charming writing and their accessibility to…
January 2018; Vol. 10, No. 1
January 2018: First Looks: Apps for Teaching
Adult beginner piano students enroll in lessons because playing the piano has been on their bucket list for years. Coupled with their excitement comes a realization,…
January 2018; Vol. 10, No. 1
January 2018: Keyboard Kids
To print, use the PDF below. Just click on the black bar at the top and click on the print icon! Alternatively, you can use the…
January 2018; Vol. 10, No. 1
January 2018: First Looks: Recordings
Nyman: Complete Piano Music Jeroen van Veen, piano Brilliant Classics 95112 [Total Time 1:50:45] brilliantclassics.com Prolific Dutch pianist-composer Jeroen van Veen presents all of Michael Nyman’s…
January 2018; Vol. 10, No. 1
DIGITAL ONLY CONTENT: We are related: a few extra stories from China
Rambo meets Rocky "We are related!" said the young communist translator assigned to us in Guangzhou. We had been warned that the official translators were there to watch…
January 2018; Vol. 10, No. 1
Lessons with (from) Kenya
It started with a simple question. On an otherwise normal fall day a few years ago, I was introduced to Bilha Ayieko, a music teacher from…