In this issue
Summer 2024; Vol 16, No. 2
Summer 2024: Editor’s Letter
Pianists agree that practice is required to learn new music, regardless of age or skill level. However, not all practice is effective. Better learning outcomes result…
Summer 2024; Vol 16, No. 2
My Ivory Key to Success
I spend one hour each day with my Ivory Key to Success.This key can open many doors for me.It can bring me entertainment, friends, and challenges.In…
Summer 2024; Vol 16, No. 2
Piano Inspires Podcast Preview: Interview Highlights
Ingrid Clarfield is nationally recognized as a teacher, clinician, pianist, and author. Clarfield is Professor Emerita of Piano and former head of the Piano Division at…
Summer 2024; Vol 16, No. 2
Harpsichord to Piano: Discovering Performance Practices through Scarlatti’s Sonata in E Major, K. 380
Although harpsichords and pianos both belong to the family of stringed keyboard instruments, they exhibit distinctive characteristics. The harpsichord, with its plucked strings and unique mechanisms,…
Summer 2024; Vol 16, No. 2
What is a Good Piano Sound and How Do You Get it?
So spoke my teacher in college, in an admonition I would hear many times over four years. A wonderful person and infinitely generous, but she did…
Summer 2024; Vol 16, No. 2
Leveraging Artificial Intelligence in the Piano Studio
In recent years, the proliferation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has simultaneously caused both awe and controversy. Many express curiosity regarding how it works, what its limitations…
Summer 2024; Vol 16, No. 2
Body Mapping in the Piano Studio
On the count of three, point to the place where your upper arm meets your torso. One, two, three! See Figure 1 below and find the…
Summer 2024; Vol 16, No. 2
Summer 2024: Pupil Saver
Some composers have a knack for creating a piece that sounds spectacular but doesn’t “break the bank” by requiring excessive practice time from the student. This…
Summer 2024; Vol 16, No. 2
Summer 2024: New Music and Materials
Piano teachers often find themselves deeply engaged in imparting musical concepts and guiding students through the content found in method books. However, equally crucial is nurturing…
Summer 2024; Vol 16, No. 2
Book Review: Every Brain Needs Music: The Neuroscience of Making and Listening to Music by Larry S. Sherman and Dennis Plies with illustrations by Susi B. Davis
Musicians have been fortunate in recent decades to have several excellent resources for reading about music and the brain, from Daniel J. Levitin’s groundbreaking book This…
Summer 2024; Vol 16, No. 2
Book Review: Weight in the Fingertips: A Musical Odyssey from Soviet Ukraine to the World Stage by Inna Faliks
Inna Faliks’ recent biography is a captivating and deeply personal account of a child prodigy-performer-teaching artist. She writes with a directness and an inviting intimacy that…
Summer 2024; Vol 16, No. 2
Summer 2024: Recordings
RECORDING REVIEWS In March of 2021, Gramophone carried an extensive article by Jeremy Nicholas praising a landmark reissuing of Decca recordings by the American pianist Ruth…
Summer 2024; Vol 16, No. 2
Life in Music
by Jennifer Snow Leadership is a term that is frequently used. A quick google search reveals a range of characteristics, terminology, and definitions of success. The…
Summer 2024; Vol 16, No. 2
Summer 2024: Questions & Answers
ANSWER: My favorite games and activities for summer camps are ones that are streamlined to prepare as a busy teacher, ones that can be made with…