In this issue
September 2015; Vol. 7, No. 5
I Hope Tiffany Still Likes to Jump in the Mud
This issue's column features the writing of Tiffany Pon, piano student of my longtime friend and colleague, Mona Rejino. Mona teaches at the Hockaday School in…
September 2015; Vol. 7, No. 5
Size is key
We expect so much in our lives to be tailor made to fit our individual sizes and needs. This morning, we got up, put on well-fitting clothes and shoes,…
September 2015; Vol. 7, No. 5
Mobile technology is the new normal
Editor's note: In the November/December 2014 issue, Clavier Companion launched a series of articles addressing the future of piano teaching. The following two articles are part…
September 2015; Vol. 7, No. 5
The future of piano teaching – gamification in teaching
PRESS PLAY Jane McGonigal, The Future of Piano Teaching author of Reality Is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World…
September 2015; Vol. 7, No. 5
Piano Pentathlon and Piano Hullabaloo: Celebrating the piano
Many music organizations host annual festivals for student pianists each year where students play in a master class atmosphere, are critiqued, and are given suggestions for…
September 2015; Vol. 7, No. 5
How often should I raise tuition?
In the last article, we discussed how to determine a reasonable tuition and make sure that your studio is profitable. Once you've determined this and set…
September 2015; Vol. 7, No. 5
To use, or not to use?
Peter Serkin uses it. So do Emmanuel Ax and Richard Goode. Sviatoslav Richter started using it. As a faculty member in 1980, Gilbert Kalish promoted a policy…
September 2015; Vol. 7, No. 5
Promoting interest in your class or studio
We all have heard a teacher exclaim, "I can't make my students do anything. They have to want to do it on their own." The teacher's belief…
September 2015; Vol. 7, No. 5
Beyond major and minor: A composer’s understanding of chords and scales
Major and minor. Together these form a basic polarity in Western music. Major scales and chords are usually characterized as "happy," while minor ones are saddled…
September 2015; Vol. 7, No. 5
Pencil Practice 101
Recognizing chord symbols is one of the biggest obstacles faced by beginning improvisers learning to play from lead sheets. Just as foreign language students write conjugations…
September 2015; Vol. 7, No. 5
Wael Farouk and the Rachmaninoff piano oeuvre
Wael Farouk was born with extremely short hand ligaments. He can't make a fist, open a jar, or button his shirt, but he can play…
September 2015; Vol. 7, No. 5
How do you avoid assigning repertoire that is too difficult too soon?
Each spring, I adjudicate festivals and write comments, review auditions for a summer program that I co-direct, and judge precollegiate competitions. Sitting with other pianists on these…
September 2015; Vol. 7, No. 5
Impressionism for intermediates
Helen Boykin's 1947 impressionistic gem, Seafoam (Schirmer/Hal Leonard), has remained a student favorite for almost seventy years. I've taught this intermediate piece many times, but it…
September 2015; Vol. 7, No. 5
Piano Talk
For quite some time, I've found myself noting the vocabulary we use to describe our peculiar life-enterprise as pianists. We steal from everywhere, and each theft seems…