In this issue
March 2017; Vol. 9, No. 2
Amy Beach: Celebrating 150 years
Many years ago, while reading an issue of the old music magazine, The Etude, I found an article written by Mrs. H. H. A. Beach: "Ten…
March 2017; Vol. 9, No. 2
Seeking Authenticity: An Interview with Valentina Lisitsa
Valentina Lisitsa is a formidable pianist with dazzling technique and an ever-growing fan base. A self-made luminary, she was arguably the first classical musician to catapult…
March 2017; Vol. 9, No. 2
March 2017: Winds of Change
Change has been on our minds a lot lately. When I coined the name of this column in 2009, I had no idea how prescient it was…
March 2017; Vol. 9, No. 2
Another World
I recently had the privilege of attending the Winter meeting of the National Association for Music Merchants (NAMM) in Anaheim, California. This is one of the two…
March 2017; Vol. 9, No. 2
Piano Teaching Programs Reviewed: Wolfie
Overview Price: Free zone or full premium access for $5.99/month (both student and teacher must purchase) Systems: Only available for the iPad Equipment: Any acoustic or digital piano; no cables or equipment…
March 2017; Vol. 9, No. 2
Piano Teaching Programs Reviews: Practicia
Overview Price: Free for now. Subscription pricing will take effect when beta period ends, date and price to be determined. Technical Requirements: High-speed internet connections, iPhone or iPad. Android and desktop versions…
March 2017; Vol. 9, No. 2
Developing Sound Expectations: Does the Sound Match the Picture?
How do we develop a student's sense of musical awareness in performance? So often the wonderfully phrased and dynamically diverse musical performance in a lesson becomes a…
March 2017; Vol. 9, No. 2
Understanding Bar Lines: A Brief History
In Western notation, the vertical bar line through the musical staff first came into usage at a point in history when polyphonic textured music (two or…
March 2017; Vol. 9, No. 2
March 2017: Create and Motivate: Rhythm boxes, part III
My last two columns introduced the placement of Xs in boxes to help beginning students understand rhythms better. Now, I'll wrap up this series with ideas about…
March 2017; Vol. 9, No. 2
So You Have Been Asked to Play the Organ: A Guide for Pianists
It is likely that, sometime during a pianist's career, he or she will be asked to play the organfor a wedding, funeral, or a Sunday service.…
March 2017; Vol. 9, No. 2
Organ Music for Manuals Only (mostly)
The following list is selective, and it is by no means exhaustive. It represents music (for mostly manuals only and with some minimal pedal) composed for organ,…
March 2017; Vol. 9, No. 2
Are Your Marketing Strategies Deep Enough? Part II
In Part 1 of "Are your marketing strategies deep enough?" (Jan/Feb 2017), we talked about the first four frequently overlooked principles of marketing: 1. We must know…
March 2017; Vol. 9, No. 2
Rethinking the Master Class
Recently, my husband Louie and I presented a joint master class at the Mississippi Music Teachers Association State Conference. We have developed a different format for these…
March 2017; Vol. 9, No. 2
March 2017: Pupil Saver: Elephant Stomp! by Kevin Olson
If you are looking for music for students who can't sit still during lessons, or who bypass rests like they don't exist, Kevin Olson's late-elementary solo Elephant Stomp (FJH)…
March 2017; Vol. 9, No. 2
Immersion
My bookbag struck the floor with a thud as I closed the door to my house. I made my way over to the piano and slumped down on…
March 2017; Vol. 9, No. 2
News and Notes: March/April 2017
Preventing overuse injuries Unlike acute injuries, which occur after a single traumatic event, overuse injuries manifest over time as a result of repetitive motion. Like athletes, pianists…
March 2017; Vol. 9, No. 2
March/April 2017: Poetry Corner
On Hearing Couperin's "Rossignol en amour" Played on the Harpsichord by Ruth Dyson For an hour or more you had talked, Wittily, knowledgably; about your harpsichord,…
March 2017; Vol. 9, No. 2
March 2017: Closer Look: The Music of Teaching
The Music of Teaching: Learning to Trust Students' Natural Development by Barbara Kreader Skalinder By inverting two words—teaching and music—Barbara Kreader Skalinder changes what could have been…
March 2017; Vol. 9, No. 2
March/April 2017: New Music Reviews
(S1-4) Signature Solos, Books 1-5, selected and edited by Gayle Kowalchyk. Students and teachers are in for a lively musical journey, with brand-new compositions by favorite Alfred…
March 2017; Vol. 9, No. 2
March/April 2017: CD Reviews
Bach: Inventions and SinfoniasZhu Xiao-Mei, pianoAccentus Music ACC 30350[Total Time 45:47]www.accentus.com These inventions and sinfonias serve as a marvelous performance resource for teachers and students. Zhu's…
March 2017; Vol. 9, No. 2
March 2017: Apps for Teaching: Make It Stick with Quizlet
Quizlet is an app that generates flash cards. These are not the traditional, last-century, paper flash cards. Once you set up an account, you can create customized sets of…
March 2017; Vol. 9, No. 2
March 2017: Keyboard Kids
Practice Project: Hand position review Good hand position is important for developing beautiful sound and clean rhythm. It also helps us to avoid using our hands and…
March 2017; Vol. 9, No. 2
March/April 2017: Questions and Answers
Q: I've heard that you use films as source material for pedagogy classes. Would you share an example and discuss how and why you do this? A:…