In this issue
May 2017; Vol. 9, No. 3
May 2017: Closer Look: New Ways with Bach
(S4) Bach Meets Jazz: 15 Well-Tempered Classics, arrangedby Phillip Keveren. Phillip Keveren's latest arrangements will entertain anyone who loves Bach. In Bach Meets Jazz, Keveren cleverly adds a jazzy…
May 2017; Vol. 9, No. 3
May/June 2017: Book Review: The Steinway that Wouldn’t Budge
The Steinway That Wouldn't Budge: Confessions of a Piano Tuner, by Peter Tryon. My piano—as far as I know—only contains the standard hammers and such, plus perhaps…
May 2017; Vol. 9, No. 3
May/June 2017: New Music Reviews
(S3) Aurora: 5 Original Solos Inspired by the North, by Naoko Ikeda. Japanese composer Naoko Ikeda composed five lyrical character pieces based upon "the Scandanavian landscapes…
May 2017; Vol. 9, No. 3
May/June 2017: CD/DVD Reviews
Les mains nuesMompou • Boulanger • ChaillouMoisès Fernández Via, pianistUrtext Digital Classics JBCC 231[Total Time 60:04]www.urtextonline.com "My hands and I live alone in a small apartment…
May 2017; Vol. 9, No. 3
May/June 2017: Questions and Answers
Question: I've read that Frances Clark often used classics, literature, and social sciences that don't seem related to piano teaching in her pedagogy classes. Would you…
May 2017; Vol. 9, No. 3
May 2017: Keyboard Kids
Edvard Grieg: Romantic Period Composer Born: Bergen, Norway 1843 Died: Bergen, Norway 1907 Famous works: Concerto in a minor Peer Gynt Suite Lyric Pieces for Piano…
May 2017; Vol. 9, No. 3
I Failed to Plan
I try not to use clichés in this column, but lately I've been reminded of the ubiquitous quote, "Failing to plan is planning to fail." As…
May 2017; Vol. 9, No. 3
Beyond the Notes: An Interview with Elvina Pearce
Elvina Pearce studied piano with Isabelle Vengerova and pedagogy with Frances Clark. For more than six decades, she has presented recitals, workshops, and master classes in…
May 2017; Vol. 9, No. 3
Letters to the Editor: May/June 2017
Dear Editor, My wife is a retired piano teacher and has been a long-time subscriber to your magazine and its precursors. As a music lover, I…
May 2017; Vol. 9, No. 3
To Judge and be Judged
Teachers should always strive to provide positive and successful music experiences for their students. Within the walls of the teaching studio, it is much easier to create…
May 2017; Vol. 9, No. 3
In Memoriam: Robert Vandall
Robert Vandall, a beloved composer and teacher, passed away on Feburary 9, 2017. Vandall was born on February 15, 1944, in Ohio, and he earned music degrees…
May 2017; Vol. 9, No. 3
Procedures and Protocols for Hiring an Evaluator
In groups as large, active, and diverse as most state and local music teacher organizations, the task of hiring an evaluator is one that circulates among…
May 2017; Vol. 9, No. 3
News and Notes: May/June 2017
Actors at the piano Musicians are occasionally disappointed to see inaccurate portrayals of instrumentalists performing in the movies or on TV. For close-up scenes of a character…
May 2017; Vol. 9, No. 3
Writing a Great Critique
The written critique is the single most important responsibility of an MMTA judge.It provides the student with a tangible record of the audition and it may affect…
May 2017; Vol. 9, No. 3
May 2017: Pupil Saver: The Song of Twilight
"The Song of Twilight," by Japanese composer Yoshinao Nakada (Frederick Harris Celebration Series: Piano Repertoire, Level 3), is an accessible and motivating piece for the late-elementary pianist. When…
May 2017; Vol. 9, No. 3
Practicing with Backing Tracks
Most young musicians learn to play their instruments with peers in a student orchestra, concert band, or group class. Student pianists, on the other hand, because…
May 2017; Vol. 9, No. 3
Playing Composers’ Slurs: From Mozart to the Nineteenth Century
In recent decades, scholars and publishers have reproduced composers' original notations in so-called Urtext editions. In these scholarly editions and facsimiles of composers' autographs, pianists will notice…
May 2017; Vol. 9, No. 3
Pianist as Artist: Samuil Feinberg on the Role of the Performer
It's not just historically minded pianists who listen to older records. Music lovers of all sorts do. 2015 marked the first year that 'catalogue' albums, defined as…
May 2017; Vol. 9, No. 3
Music Enhances Our Quality of Life
I doubt that any musician (and many non-musicians) reading this article would argue that the survival of music and art is critical to our nation's well-being. The final…
May 2017; Vol. 9, No. 3
How to Dismiss a Student with Kindness
A studio full of hard-working and well-mannered students is every piano teacher's dream. But few teachers actually have the opportunity to live this dream for their entire…
May 2017; Vol. 9, No. 3
Lock in Theory with iReal Pro
Developing technical skills builds strong players. Working through technical challenges can be more beneficial when combined with theory concepts and exponentially more engaging when locked into a groove.…
May 2017; Vol. 9, No. 3
Jascha Spivakovksy: Rediscovered Romantic
Our appreciation of pianists of the past is based primarily on their recordings. How amazing it is that in this age of digital technology we can listen…
May 2017; Vol. 9, No. 3
Collabara: A multifunctional program
Overview Price: Free for instructors; varying student subscription tiers ranging from $3–$10 per student per month Systems: Available on the web or through iOS and Android apps Equipment: Need…
May 2017; Vol. 9, No. 3
YouTube Piano Tutorials: The Art of Teaching and Lypur
OVERVIEW Price: Free YouTube channels devoted to music education and beginning piano instruction Systems: Available on the web or through the iOS and Android YouTube apps Equipment: Any internet-connected…
May 2017; Vol. 9, No. 3
Perfectly Managing Imperfection
Hope is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out.Vaclav Havel I…
May 2017; Vol. 9, No. 3
May/June 2017: Poetry Corner
Finger II There was a pianist who developed a third index finger not to play the piano with though it sometimes did intervene discreetly in tricky…
May 2017; Vol. 9, No. 3
Our Woman at the Cliburn: Exposure on the Concert Stage
Performing Mozart is precarious business. The pianist who tackles a Mozart concerto—in public, no less—is a brave person indeed. To play Mozart is to risk exposure;…
May 2017; Vol. 9, No. 3
Our Woman at the Cliburn: Dvořák. And More Dvořák.
How much Dvořák is an innocent listener expected to endure? Quite a bit, apparently, at least if the listener is attending this year's Van Cliburn International…
May 2017; Vol. 9, No. 3
Our Woman at the Cliburn: Brahms Triumphant
There's good, and there's Brahms. The Franck F-Minor Quintet and the Dvořák Op. 81 in A Major allow pianists to display their chops, but, baby, when…
May 2017; Vol. 9, No. 3
Our Woman at the Cliburn: Judgment is Nigh
"Dies Irae." Judgment Day. In Fort Worth, that day is tomorrow, June 10, when, at the end of the three-week Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, final…
May 2017; Vol. 9, No. 3
Our Woman at the Cliburn: He was Robbed
Author's Note: Like so many of you, I watched the June 10 Cliburn finals online. (My daughter was graduating from high school on June 10. I…
May 2017; Vol. 9, No. 3
DIGITAL-ONLY CONTENT: A conversation with Pamela Mia Paul, pre-screening jurist for the 2017 Cliburn Competition
During January and February of 2017, five jurors traveled the world to choose the 30 finalists for the Cliburn competition. The initial screeners, Lydia Artymiw, Anton…