In this issue
September 2017; Vol. 9, No. 5
September 2017: Apps for Teaching: Tools for Triggering Creativity with Pop Music
Why integrate popular or "non-classical" music into piano lessons? Retain students Integrating pop music into your curriculum can meet students "where they are." Encouraging them to…
September 2017; Vol. 9, No. 5
September 2017: Keyboard Kids
Antonín Dvořák Born: September 8, 1841, in Bohemia Died: May 1, 1904, in Czechoslovakia Fact: Dvořák made a living composing and teaching at the Prague Conservatory in Czechoslovakia. In…
September 2017; Vol. 9, No. 5
September/October 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…
September 2017; Vol. 9, No. 5
September/October 2017: Recent Research
The rhythm of grammar Neuroscientists at Vanderbilt University Medical Center's Music Cognition Lab have identified a correlation between good rhythm skills and a strong grasp of…
September 2017; Vol. 9, No. 5
September/October 2017: Poetry Corner
Music Lesson Play the notes Not as they are (Dots on the page In patterns, trailing Over neat bar lines) But as they are meant to…
September 2017; Vol. 9, No. 5
The Art of Practicing: I Really Should Be Practicing Well
I do apologize to Gary Graffman for filching his title as blatantly as I have, but let's face it—although the quality of one's practice may be just one…
September 2017; Vol. 9, No. 5
In Memoriam: Edward Francis
Edward Francis, a beloved teacher, mentor, and friend, passed away on July 6, 2017, surrounded by family and friends. He was a tireless educator, teaching at several…
September 2017; Vol. 9, No. 5
Practicing Double-Thirds Scales
Why study double-thirds scales? Practicing double-thirds scales facilitates the performance of similar double-thirds passages encountered in the piano literature.1 Routinely practicing the double-thirds major scales readies the pianist for…
September 2017; Vol. 9, No. 5
Letter to the Editor: September/October 2017
Dear Editor, The Editor's Page ("Who will save the guitar?" July/August 2017) commented on the 10,000 hour rule of thumb. This has been rumbling around in…
September 2017; Vol. 9, No. 5
Having Fun with Scales
Yeah, right! Is it really possible to have fun playing scales? For many students, practicing scales is a chore. In fact,it is a big chore and seems…
September 2017; Vol. 9, No. 5
September/October 2017: New Music Reviews
Happy Holidays! (S1-4) We Three Kings, We Wish You a Merry Christmas, and Deck the Hall Hoedown, arranged by Wendy Stevens. For teachers wanting some fun and…
September 2017; Vol. 9, No. 5
The Alexander Technique As A “Means Whereby”
In the summer 2015 issue, Clavier Companion published an article that was dedicated to the Feldenkrais method, and in a little box at the end of the article the…
September 2017; Vol. 9, No. 5
September/October 2017: CD Reviews
Outhere Music Ravel, Scriabin: MiroirsAndrew Tyson, pianoAlpha-Classica ALPHA 277[Total Time 58:39] www.outhere-music.com/en/albums/miroirs-alpha-277 Twenty-year-old Andrew Tyson is a native of Durham, North Carolina, and the rising star's…
September 2017; Vol. 9, No. 5
Developing Triad Chord Fluency
Like language students who have memorized vocabulary but are not yet conversant, pianists who have learned to construct chords may not yet be "chord fluent." So how…
September 2017; Vol. 9, No. 5
September 2017: Mind Matters: Stage Fright on My Mind
Stage fright is on my mind for various reasons. I have spent my entire life dealing with it since my first memory slip at age six, and…
September 2017; Vol. 9, No. 5
The Legacy of Leopold Wolfsohn
Leopold Wolfsohn. You may look at this name and wonder why it seems vaguely familiar. If you access Leopold Wolfsohn on Google, it will notify you in 0.27…
September 2017; Vol. 9, No. 5
Bumping into Brahms: A Conversation about the Intermezzo, Op. 118, No. 2
JM: Oh! Sorry sir, you startled me! I almost bumped into you. But wait, I know you! Are you not Herr Doktor Brahms? Brahms: Guten Tag? Bitte,…
September 2017; Vol. 9, No. 5
September 2017 Pupil Saver: Jamaican Rumba by Arthur Benjamin
Once again, my high school student—who seems to be involved in every activity possible—needed a unique piece. I had in mind what I wanted: The piece needed to…
September 2017; Vol. 9, No. 5
Gourmet Care and Feeding of the Pedals: Pedal Uses and Their Regulation
aIn my thirty-five years of touring, my relationship with piano technicians has always been a focal point. They are my partners in creating a memorable musical experience. In looking together at the hundreds of…
September 2017; Vol. 9, No. 5
Hélène Grimaud: Reflections in the Water
The January 2016 release of Hélène Grimaud's recording Water (Deutsche Gramophone) was landmark in many ways,perhaps most significantly as a memento of a concert that took place in…
September 2017; Vol. 9, No. 5
Yoda Eats Mushroom Pizza
It's the last lesson before the recital. Garrett, age five, is playing "Graduation March," the final piece in Time to Begin from The Music Tree. The B section is…
September 2017; Vol. 9, No. 5
Studios Are Not Just in Living Rooms Anymore
Sometimes the world brings people into your life who ignite your energy and restore your passion for teaching. Last February, on a sunny morning in Austin, Texas,…
September 2017; Vol. 9, No. 5
Cliburn 2017
Every four years, piano fans gather in Fort Worth, Texas, for one of the piano world's biggest parties: the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. At this year's…
September 2017; Vol. 9, No. 5
DIGITAL-ONLY CONTENT: 20 Reasons Students Don’t Practice, Part Two
Bonnie Blanchard set out to discover the reasons students don't practice in the last article. Here are some of her remedies!
September 2017; Vol. 9, No. 5
DIGITAL-ONLY CONTENT: 20 Reasons Students Don’t Practice, Part One
Here are the reasons.Click at the bottom of the page for Bonnie's superb ideas for engaging students! They didn't sign up to practice. They don't think you…
September 2017; Vol. 9, No. 5
Recording Beethoven’s Piano Sonatas in the 21st Century: An Interview with Steinway Pianist James Brawn
Interviewed by Andrew Schartmann The great pianist and conductor Hans von Bülow once called Beethoven's 32 piano sonatas the New Testament of music. This bold declaration…