In this issue
Spring 2025; Vol. 17, No. 1
Book Review: Goodbye Russia: Rachmaninoff in Exile by Fiona Maddocks
Fiona Maddocks’ biography of Rachmaninoff’s American years is a fast-paced ride—filled with details of Rachmaninoff’s life from 1918 to his death in 1943 which, incidentally, includes…
Spring 2025; Vol. 17, No. 1
Spring 2025: Recording Reviews
Cedille Records has released an excellent recording of Romantic music masterly performed by pianist Jorge Federico Osorio, conductor Carlos Miguel Prieto, and the Orquesta Sinfónica de…
Spring 2025; Vol. 17, No. 1
Spring 2025: Life in Music
This summer, we will be hosting The Piano Conference: NCKP 2025.1 As shared in this issue of Piano Magazine, the online and in-person programs are robust,…
Spring 2025; Vol. 17, No. 1
Spring 2025: Editor’s Letter
At the end of my first semester of undergraduate piano study, my teacher asked me to “practice improvising” during my winter break. I suspect that her…
Spring 2025; Vol. 17, No. 1
The Piano Conference: NCKP 2025; Community. Creativity. Impact.
The Piano Conference: NCKP 2025 will convene for the thirteenth time this summer, in-person on July 23–26, 2025, in Lombard, Illinois, just outside of Chicago, and…
Spring 2025; Vol. 17, No. 1
The Art of Social Media: A Guide for Music Educators
Ask yourself this question: Why do you love to play the piano? For me, it is about expressing myself—sharing my voice and passion for music with…
Spring 2025; Vol. 17, No. 1
Wellness & Belonging
Music has a fascinating role as a connector and communicator across cultures, experiences, and spaces. Where there is life, there is music. Like many young musicians,…
Spring 2025; Vol. 17, No. 1
Spring 2025: Questions and Answers
I applaud you for taking this “assignment” so seriously. Fair and constructive judging is key to making a student’s participation in any event a success. A…
Spring 2025; Vol. 17, No. 1
Pupil Saver: Create a Musical Story! “Sparring Hands” from Inventions for Young Pianists – Wolf-temperiertes Klavier 3 by Peter Wolf
Create a Musical Story! When a student seems to be losing interest in playing piano, often the best solution is to find a piece that is…
Spring 2025; Vol. 17, No. 1
The Distinctive Voice of Thomas H. Kerr
Thomas Henderson Kerr Jr. (January 3, 1915–August 26, 1988) was an American classical pianist, organist, teacher, and composer. His works were performed by some of the…
Spring 2025; Vol. 17, No. 1
Improving Sight Reading at the Piano and the Potential of Technology in the Future
Research over the last decade suggests that sight-reading skill levels are not fixed but can be improved by building various musical, technical, and cognitive skills.1 However,…
Spring 2025; Vol. 17, No. 1
Spring 2025: New Music & Materials
BEGINNING: Five-finger patterns & simple rhythms 1 EASY: Scales & simple syncopation 2 INTERMEDIATE: Beginning counterpoint & complex rhythms, Bach notebooks, Bartók Mikrokosmos I–II 3 LATE-INTERMEDIATE:…