In this issue
September 2018; Vol. 10, No. 5
September 2018: Keyboard Kids
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September 2018; Vol. 10, No. 5
September 2018: Questions & Answers
As students return to their studies this fall, we offer timeless advice from Frances Clark's book Questions and Answers, the compilation of her original monthly column in…
September 2018; Vol. 10, No. 5
September 2018: Editor’s Page
New Beginnings September, this moment of new beginnings for both teachers and students, always seems to me like a time when anything might be possible. After several decades of teaching, I…
September 2018; Vol. 10, No. 5
Digital Only: How to Teach Creativity in the Music Lesson
I have often heard musicians say that creativity can't be taught – you either have it or you don't. In other instances, I have heard musicians…
September 2018; Vol. 10, No. 5
September 2018: Preludes
Piano Competitions Cooper International Competition Winners Announced Seventeen-year-old Tony Siqi Yun (from Canada) recently won the 2018 Cooper Competition performing the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 in…
September 2018; Vol. 10, No. 5
Digital Only: Remembering Seymour Lipkin (1927-2015)
Two weeks before the death of eminent pianist and conductor Seymour Lipkin, Patricia Stowell had the opportunity to interview him for Clavier Companion magazine. Lipkin first…
September 2018; Vol. 10, No. 5
September 2018: Variations
The music of life Serious illness visited my husband last winter. Our lives suddenly became a round of doctor appointments, surgery, tests, treatments, and continual bad news. My husband…
September 2018; Vol. 10, No. 5
Seymour: More Than an Introduction
My Introduction to Seymour My earliest exposure to Seymour Bernstein came during childhood, after hearing several student performances of his beloved impressionistic suite, Birds. Inspired by…
September 2018; Vol. 10, No. 5
An Interview with Seymour Fink, Master Technician
"But that's the way my professor showed it to me!" Her eyes were open wide, her voice a wail. I was talking to a young teacher whose student…
September 2018; Vol. 10, No. 5
Performing Chopin in the Style of Chopin?
Interest in historically-informed performance continues to evolve as scholars and serious-minded pianists gain more knowledge regarding nineteenth-century performing styles. Though much progress has been made in…
September 2018; Vol. 10, No. 5
The Imaginative Piano Teacher: Musings on Being More Creative in the Piano Studio
As we start a new year of teaching, I believe that many of us wonder how can I improve and become a better, more efficient, and more…
September 2018; Vol. 10, No. 5
Music Together: Creativity in Preparation for the Book
Children are excited by sound, they want to make sound, and they want to explore possibilities and express themselves at the keyboard. Children are brilliant— until…
September 2018; Vol. 10, No. 5
Deciphering Chopin’s Shorthand in the Posthumous Mazurka in F minor
If someone had told me a decade ago that I was going to produce the first (and, so far, only) published reconstruction of Chopin's posthumous Mazurka…
September 2018; Vol. 10, No. 5
September 2018: Pupil Saver
From the "Motivating Bookshelf Logan is sitting on the piano bench, his mother behind us. Logan and I are discussing repertoire for both short- and long-term goals.…
September 2018; Vol. 10, No. 5
Breath: Teaching Piano Students How to Utilize a Vital Tool
Breathing is the only function of the autonomic nervous system that can happen both consciously and unconsciously. Research has shown the many benefits of practicing controlled…
September 2018; Vol. 10, No. 5
What are We Learning in Piano Study?
Revealing beneficial intersections In recent years, education in the United States has seen an increased focus on STEM, which stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.…
September 2018; Vol. 10, No. 5
September 2018: First Looks: New Music Reviews
New Music Reviews Editor's noteHo, ho, ho! The holidays are on the horizon. We know how it is for piano teachers (we're teachers ourselves). We frantically…
September 2018; Vol. 10, No. 5
September 2018: First Looks, Recordings
In her second recording of Haydn sonatas, American pianist Anne-Marie McDermott presents a dazzling display of scintillating articulation. The clarity of her tone is aptly suited…