In this issue
November 2013; Vol. 5, No. 6
November 2013: Questions and Answers
Q: Recently I've seen the term "Teaching Artist" appear in stories on education and the arts in my hometown newspaper. What is a Teaching Artist? Is…
November 2013; Vol. 5, No. 6
November 2013: Winds of Change
I've found myself thinking a lot about competitions lately. One of my first pieces for Clavier, even before I started a regular column, dealt with "The…
November 2013; Vol. 5, No. 6
Simply Genius: An interview with Evgeny Kissin
Kissin, performing in Moscow, 1984. At the age of eleven months, Evgeny Kissin was singing the theme from a Bach fugue that his sister, Alla, was…
November 2013; Vol. 5, No. 6
Clavier Companion Teacher Profile: Madame Olga Samaroff
Madame Olga Samaroff left an indelible mark on the world of music and every one of her students. In the 1930s, she launched the careers of Eugene…
November 2013; Vol. 5, No. 6
Samaroff Student: Eugene List (1918-1985)
At age ten, Eugene List played the Beethoven Third Piano Concerto in his first public concert, performing it one year later with the Los Angeles Philharmonic.…
November 2013; Vol. 5, No. 6
Samaroff Student: Maurice Hinson
How were you able to study with Madame Samaroff? I grew up in a musical family, playing tunes by ear. I took the Sherwood Music School…
November 2013; Vol. 5, No. 6
Teaching Two-Octave Scales
I'm coming up on my fiftieth anniversary of teaching, and I've learned some painful lessons. Here's one: playing two-octave scales isn't twice as hard as playing scales…
November 2013; Vol. 5, No. 6
Purposeful Transcription and Music Analysis
As a high school student, my piano teacher assigned me the task of hand-copying a portion of Clementi's Sonata in B-flat Major. The task, given in…
November 2013; Vol. 5, No. 6
Steps to Learning a Lead Sheet
Lead sheets are a simplified form of music notation designed to present the essentials of a tune, while still leaving room for creative interpretation. Lead sheets…
November 2013; Vol. 5, No. 6
Repertoire: Grieg “Sailor’s Song”
I didn't begin my piano studies until I was eleven. As a result, I can recall my first reactions to every piece I studied—yes, every piece!…
November 2013; Vol. 5, No. 6
Breakin’ it down: The art of modifying orchestral reductions at the piano
Many college and pre-college level pianists have not experienced the complexities of working with orchestral reductions.This is an essential skill for pianists to cultivate, since singers…
November 2013; Vol. 5, No. 6
Practice Techniques For Expressive Performances
Mary Leaf's Fantasy in A Minor (FJH) is a successful Pupil Saver in my studio. This romantic- style intermediate piece is popular with students because it…
November 2013; Vol. 5, No. 6
Arrangements for Your Holiday Season
All jazz/pop musicians are expected to have a repertoire of tunes. It's commonly referred to as the "Standard Jazz" repertoire and its content is broad and…
November 2013; Vol. 5, No. 6
The Science of Artistry (The Fourth String)
The Blüthner waits on the stage. The top three octaves of the piano include a fourth string for each tone, strings which are never struck directly,…
November 2013; Vol. 5, No. 6
The Mentoring Dance
What does the word "mentor" mean to you? Perhaps you believe your college piano teacher is your mentor because you value and trust his opinions musically…
November 2013; Vol. 5, No. 6
Winning Essay for 2013 Collegiate Writing Contest: Learning Away from the Piano à la Gieseking
2013 Winning Essay Clavier Companion Collegiate Writing Contest In the Spring of 2013, Clavier Companion sponsored its sixth annual Collegiate Writing Contest, inviting college students from around…