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Piano Inspires Podcast: Sean Chen

Written By Sean Chen, Sara Ernst

To celebrate the latest episode of the Piano Inspires Podcast featuring Sean Chen, we are sharing an excerpted transcript of his conversation with Sara Ernst. Want to learn more about Chen? Check out the latest installment of the Piano Inspires Podcast. To learn more, visit pianoinspires.com. Listen to our latest episode with Chen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or our website!

Sean Chen.
Sean Chen.

Sara Ernst: I want to ask about you as a teacher, you know, because that’s a different process when you have another person where you’re helping them to discover [how to express their ideas] and find that, and explore that. So how has that been for you as an instructor?

Sean Chen: It’s a very interesting experiment and experience for me, because I’m always trying to think, “Okay, am I doing the right approach for this student?” I have a default approach I like to do. You know, I’m very logical. I like to talk about form, talk about articulations, which reflects my teachers. It also depends on the kind of piece, because if it’s something— I think French pieces just draw the [Jerome] Lowenthal out from me. So I go into, like, more the spirit of music making and, you know, the imagination, but sometimes I have to remind myself to, you know, take a step back and be like, “Hey, is this working? Do I need to try a different approach for this student? I’m still relatively young and I think I still have a lot of room to grow in terms of being able to more efficiently pinpoint, like, “Oh, this student needs me to be maybe even more strict about not letting them get away with stuff.” Whereas some other students I know, “Okay, they’ll fix it next time.” I don’t like people being too pushy with me. I’m like, “I’ll get it, you know, I’ll work on it. I’ll get it. I remember what you say.” But not everyone’s like that. Some people want to be a little bit more strictly guided. 

SE: It makes me think back to your teacher who put the dates in your score. Right?

SC: Yeah! For example, I even, as a student, didn’t really write stuff in my score. Sometimes my teacher, Lowenthal, didn’t really write too much stuff. Matti [Raekellio] wrote a lot of stuff. There’s big circles and lines and big all caps.

SE: And then you open the book and just think fondly of your teacher when you see all those things.

SC: Yeah! So sometimes, again, I have to remember myself like, “Oh, I should go write it in their score because if they’re not writing it, I have to first be like, “Okay, are they going to remember it based on my experience of teaching them?” Because I know I don’t like to write stuff in my score, but maybe they need to. So it’s stuff like that. That’s very, very “psychology of teaching.” It’s not so much like are you a good pianist? It’s like, are you good at understanding people.

SE: Oh no it’s very true, right? It’s interesting how that can even change through the course of working with a student where their needs will change over time, right?

SC: Definitely, yeah. I try to channel my teacher when I [was] growing up, trying to get them interested about repertoire. You know, “Hey, have you heard this composer? Have you heard these pieces?” Trying to get them to broaden their horizons because I think at least from what I see where I’m teaching, a lot of students just want to play the standard repertoire. Even amongst the standard repertoire, a very limited version of the standard repertoire. I’m like, “Have you considered—do you know any Szymanowski?” “No, who’s that?” I don’t know nearly enough that I, you know, I think about post-modern stuff. I appreciated it when my teachers asked me, “Oh, have you heard this piece?” And so I try to do that too. Some of them take, well, to it. Some of them bring things in and I’m like, “Oh, you too! You actually chose this piece. Good! Whereas others just bring the same Beethoven sonatas in. I’m like, “Okay, all right, fine. We’ll work on that. That’s great.”

SE: And then plant some seeds and see where they go.

If you enjoyed this excerpt from Piano Inspires Podcast’s latest episode, listen to the entire episode with Sean Chen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or our website!

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More Than Just the Notes: An Interview with Sean Chen
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Sean Chen, Pianist, Composer, and Arranger | S2 E9

Written By Piano Inspires

This episode features Sean Chen, pianist, composer, and arranger, playing with audiences around the world in solo and chamber recitals, concerto performances, and masterclasses, after having won the 2013 American Pianists Awards and placing third at the 2013 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.

Listen to this conversation between host Sara Ernst and Sean Chen as they discuss his early training as a pianist, his competition journey, and the different areas which he draws inspiration from.

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Midori Koga, Pianist, Chamber Musician, and Professor of Piano Pedagogy | S2 E8

Written By Piano Inspires

This episode features Midori Koga, a prominent soloist and chamber musician with the Haven Trio, and is the founder of the University of Toronto Piano Pedagogy Program. Join Koga and host Andrea McAlister as they discuss the future of piano pedagogy, and how to inspire students to find their voice and maintain motivation.

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Piano Inspires Podcast: Midori Koga

Written By Midori Koga, Andrea Mcalister

To celebrate the latest episode of the Piano Inspires Podcast featuring Midori Koga, we are sharing an excerpted transcript of her conversation with Andrea McAlister. Want to learn more about Koga? Check out the latest installment of the Piano Inspires Podcast. To learn more, visit pianoinspires.com. Listen to our latest episode with Koga on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or our website!

Midori Koga.
Midori Koga.

Andrea McAlister: How do you maintain—I’m not even going to say balance because I don’t know that we can say in a balance—how do you maintain that motivation, inspiration, that keeps that passion going in yourself so that you can model that for others?

Midori Koga: It’s a really great question, and I’d love to ask you, too. [laughs] One of my great privileges is playing with my trio. I’m with a soprano and a clarinetist, and the three of us started playing together about 12 years ago. We live in different cities. Kim lives in Texas, and Lindsay lives in North Carolina, and I live in Toronto. And we happened to come together. Each one of us kind of knew the other one, and then we came together and did a couple of concerts, and there was a synergy as people, as three mothers and three women, working women, and as musicians. 

We play, we commission new works.The piano/soprano/clarinet combination is a little unusual, so we have been writing grants and commissioning works, and working with kind of a family of living composers. We keep going back to them, and they’re dear friends. We keep going back to these composers, I think because they tell stories of life and joys and gratitude and sometimes life and death, and a lot of parenting.

One piece that we just commissioned, is by Ivette Herryman Rodriguez, and she’s a woman from Cuba and is living in the States. We just sat together in a brainstorming session, and she said, “I would love to write a piece of music that somehow conveys this in-between. My home is Cuba, and my home is in the United States, but one foot in each place sometimes makes me feel like I’m in another world. And sometimes that’s special, and sometimes it’s lonely.” She expressed it so beautifully, and it’s something that I kind of responded to. I’m in Canada, I lived in the US, and I’m of Japanese heritage, and sometimes I feel, “Where do I belong?” In experiences like that where we talk as a trio, [we talk] a lot about what is our voice as a trio? What is our voice individually as musicians, and what is the voice of the composer and telling that story, and who are our audiences? 

Every time my students have said that they like it when I go away. Oh, I should think about why they’re saying that, but they like it. Let me see what they mean. [laughs] So they like it when I go away, because when I come back, you know, I have stories that I can share, and also I’m reminded again about the importance it is, “I know you’re stressed out, right?” They’re really feeling the pressure of upcoming recitals. It’s coming close to the year end, and you know, [I try] to help them remember that there’s a reason why you’re here. There’s a kernel of that passion and love and joy and a connection to the music that you’re playing and that you’re playing music of composers who have stories to tell, even as long ago composers. But now they’re playing more and more living composers, and I’m so glad to see that really blooming in recent years.

If you enjoyed this excerpt from Piano Inspires Podcast’s latest episode, listen to the entire episode with Midori Koga on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or our website!

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Women in Higher Education
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Inspiring Instructors: The Power of a Piano Teacher

Written By Rebecca Mergen Pennington, Heather Smith, Laurel Nolin, Rosangela Sebba, Kaitlynn Yardley

At The Frances Clark Center, we are honoring piano teachers who are working every day to make the world more empathetic, inclusive, and connected through the transformational power of music. We welcome you to celebrate your own teacher by sharing a tribute with us and donating to the Frances Clark Center. Students, parents, and colleagues are honoring piano teachers from their communities as part of the “Power of a Piano Teacher” campaign.

Paula Flynn with her teacher, Eric Unruh.

The teachers featured here are making profound contributions to students at all stages, from the youngest beginners to college students, and to those who study later in life. These inspirational, personal stories testify to the timeless impact piano teachers have on their students and their communities.

Join us by honoring your teacher today through the “Power of a Piano Teacher” campaign.

Kaitlynn Yardley honors Yu-Jane Yang

Dr. Yang is a devoted teacher with a pointed focus on the highest success of each of her students. She took me where I was in my piano journey and helped me to see my potential and just how capable I am. I’ll be forever grateful for her influence!

Yu-Jane Yang with Kaitlynn Yardley.

Rosangela Sebba honors Belkiss Carniero de Mendonca

Belkiss was born in a small town in Brazil on February 15, 1928, and passed away on November 17, 2005. She moved to Rio de Janeiro to study at the National Conservatory, aiming to establish a music school back in her state. In 1956, she founded the State Conservatory, which later became responsible for forming the future faculty of the School of Music at the Federal University. She served as the director and piano professor from its inception until 1977.

Beyond her contributions to Brazilian culture and music, she taught a generation of pianists and piano professors from 1950 to 1996. Her legacy is deeply embedded in the history and development of Brazilian music. I had the privilege of studying with her for nine and a half years, starting when I was almost sixteen. The mere thought of playing for her made me tremble, not out of fear, but out of profound respect. Everything I know about technique, practice, and musicality was taught by her. She also championed the development of arts, letters, and music, which we closely observed and learned to promote. I owe her everything I know.

Belkiss Carniero de Mendonca with Rosangela Sebba.

Laurel Nolin honors Beth Bauer

Dr. Beth Bauer brings deep knowledge and commitment to everything and everyone she teaches. I had the privilege of studying with her at Wheaton College, IL. Dr. Bauer taught me my greatest pedagogical lesson as a piano teacher: students first. But beyond teaching this principle, Dr. Bauer lives it.

Dr. Bauer customized the lectures, assignments, and discussions to meet her students’ unique needs. I remember how she customized her Music in Special Education course to prepare the music education majors to accommodate individuals with disabilities in their classrooms while, at the same time, guiding my cohort of pedagogy and performance majors in designing materials for our studios. Dr. Bauer’s classes were not one-size-fits-all courses, just like Dr. Bauer is not a one-size-fits-all pedagogue. 

I personally experienced Dr. Bauer’s encouragement and am who I am now because of it. Her mentorship transformed not only my teaching but also my essence as a teacher as I endeavor to carry on the lessons she exemplified. 

Dr. Bauer doesn’t just teach her scholars how to put their students first; she leads by example by investing in her own students. She inspires each student to believe in themselves just as much as she believes in them. By prioritizing inclusive understanding and comprehensive investment in each student’s potential, Dr. Bauer models excellent teaching to us all.

Rebecca Pennington honors Jay Hershberger

I am forever grateful to Dr. Jay Hershberger for challenging and shaping me as a pianist during my time at Concordia College. While at Concordia, I grew immensely in musical understanding and confidence. Dr. Hershberger believed in me as a pianist and pushed me to grow outside my comfort zone. When I told him that I didn’t believe I could perform, he said, “well, I think you should play a full recital in the spring!” And then he worked with me to select repertoire and develop a plan to make it happen. He gave me concrete musical advice and the tools needed to handle musical articulations and phrasings—I still use these tools with my own students today!  When I was at a crossroads in my career path, he encouraged me to take my piano study even further—to graduate school. I always felt that he cared deeply about his students and wanted them to be their very best. Jay Hershberger, thank you for the investment, both in me and to all of your students!

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This Month in Piano History – Les femmes du musique

Written By Megan Hall
Photo of Maria Callas from the television talk show Small World. The program aired in 1958 and was hosted by Edward R. Murrow.

This November, we celebrate three inspiring women: soprano Maria Callas, composer and pianist Fanny Hensel, and composer, pianist, and organist Emma Lou Diemer.

November 1, 1954: The American Operatic Debut of Maria Callas

Greek-American soprano Maria Callas personified the “diva” and held many successful roles in Italy and South America before her American debut as Norma in Chicago in 1954.  Her role in Bellini’s opera augmented the reputation of the newly-established Lyric Opera of Chicago, and garnered high praise from reviewers such as this acclaim from Musical America: “She molds a line as deftly as she tosses off cruelly difficult ornamentations in the highest register […]. It was a great night for Chicago […]. It may prove an even greater night for opera in America.” – Musical America.1

November 14, 1805: Birth of Fanny Hensel

Fanny Hensel, 1842, by Moritz Daniel Oppenheim.

A gifted composer and performer, Fanny Hensel spent much of her life in the shadow of her younger brother, Felix Mendelssohn. Her compositions for piano number over 125, and many are beginning to receive the recognition they deserve. Many of Hensel’s works have been featured in Piano Magazine and on PianoInspires.com, including:

Fanny Hensel: Song for Piano in B Minor, Op. 8, No. 1
Microcourse: Romantic Era Music by Women Composers (from Hidden Gems: Four Centuries of Piano Music by Women Composers)
DIGITAL-ONLY CONTENT: Music for the Intermediate Pianist by Eight Women Composers

November 24, 1927: Birth of Emma Lou Diemer

Diemer was an American composer of pedagogical and advanced works. Her compositions span myriad genres, and often include keyboard instruments besides the piano, including the organ and carillon. Her works vary wildly in style and sparkle with personality, as did Diemer herself.

In an interview with Bruce Duffie in 1988, Diemer said:

“I’d rather compose than eat hot fudge sundaes, particularly if it’s going well, and if you think you have something worthwhile to say.”2

Christie Sowby demonstrates Echo Dream by Emma Lou Diemer.

Two of Diemer’s works for intermediate solo piano have been featured on PianoInspires.com:

Diemer: Echo Dream
Microcourse: 20th- and 21st-Century Music by Women Composers (from Hidden Gems: Four Centuries of Piano Music by Women Composers)
Sources
  1. Davis, Ronald. Opera in Chicago. New York: Appleton Century and Croft, 1965.
  2. Diemer, Emma Lou, interview by Duffie, Bruce, bruceduffie.com, 1988. https://www.bruceduffie.com/diemer.html.
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Hidden Gems: Four Centuries of Piano Music by Women Composers
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Pete Jutras, Award-Winning Professor and Educator | S2 E7

Written By Piano Inspires

This episode features Pete Jutras, award-winning professor and educator, and current Dean of the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. Listen to host Jennifer Snow interview Jutras as they discuss his introduction to piano pedagogy, his career focused on education, and advice for budding pianists and teachers.

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A Look Inside “A Pianist’s Guide to Teaching Recreational Music Makers”

Written By Amy Perdew

We would like to thank Amy Perdew for her contributions to this article on Recreational Music Making. Interested in learning more about RMM? Our latest course, A Pianist’s Guide to Teaching Recreational Music Makers, is available for purchase. Learn more and enroll here. Use code RMMLAUNCH2024 for an exclusive $25 off.

Marketing is the process of promoting and selling products or services. Although our school years were not spent in business or marketing classes, teachers are still salespeople. The image of a hustler or peddler pushing their product on customers can seem off-putting; we are educators and musicians, not hawkers or pitchmen. But if you genuinely love what you do, and truly believe in the benefits it can bring students, then you can embrace marketing and be proud and excited to promote your studio’s offerings.  

Even if you don’t yet think of yourself as a salesperson, you are the best advocate for your studio. If you are offering Recreational Music Making (RMM) lessons, it is because you already believe in the benefits they provide your students. Part of your job, then, becomes educating people about those benefits and getting them as excited about learning music in a RMM setting as you are about teaching them.

The Benefits of RMM Lessons

One of the first steps to being ready to promote RMM lessons passionately in your studio is being specific about the benefits. Spend some time listing the advantages of the RMM format, then you can clearly explain the benefits of RMM lessons to your customers.

Some of those benefits might include: 

  1. Playing for fun. There is no pressure in RMM to prepare for performance, recitals, and competitions. RMM is designed for players to enjoy music—just for the sake of music. There is more time to focus on enjoyment and pleasure in a lesson when a lot of time doesn’t have to be devoted to preparing for performances.  
  2. Playing for process. RMM lessons focus on enjoying the process of music making without students worrying about the final product.  A student who wants to be challenged, meet high goals, and measure quick progress might not be the right fit for a RMM lesson. A student who wants to actively enjoy the process of learning and creating without the stress of focusing on an end product probably will be a good fit. 
  3. Playing to reduce stress. RMM offers the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of music making, of being creative and expressive, without the stress or pressure of a more disciplined approach. RMM relieves stress!

If you’re offering your RMM classes in a group setting, there are additional benefits inherent to shared lesson time: 

  1. Building skills. Making music in a group inherently improves counting skills, sight-reading skills, ear-training skills, and overall musicianship skills.
  2. Game play. Any time learning can be turned into a game there is an increase in student engagement and motivation. Group lessons offer the perfect setting to gamify lessons. Anything can be turned into a game and students will simultaneously learn and have fun—how perfect!
  3. Increased learning. If your group lessons are an hour long (rather than the traditional 30-minute, 1:1 lesson format), you have doubled the lesson, learning, feedback, and practice time for your students.
  4. Social learning. One of the greatest benefits students recognize (both children and adult students) is the social aspect of making music with friends and learning with others. 

A quick note about “shy” students—parents of a shy child may believe their child will do better in a 1:1 lesson since their child is shy.  Be sure to point out that a 1:1 lesson puts more of the spotlight and pressure on the individual student. A group format can make a shy student feel more comfortable since all the attention is not directed at them.  

Be very clear about these benefits (and any others you personally feel are important) and be ready to share them passionately whenever the topic arises. Be ready to deliver an elevator pitch (the brief summary you would give someone in an elevator about your studio and why they should take lessons with you) on the spot. Be so comfortable with your version of the benefits of RMM lessons that it becomes part of your studio pitch.

Want to learn more about Recreational Music Making? Our new course A Pianist’s Guide to Teaching Recreational Music Makers is now available for purchase. Register to learn more about choosing repertoire, marketing your classes, and inspiring recreational music-makers. Use code RMMLAUNCH2024 for an exclusive $25 off.

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Recreational Music Making: 5 Discoveries We Made as RMM Teachers

Written By Debra Perez, Craig Sale, Rebecca Bellelo, Emily Book McGree, Megan Hall, Curtis Pavey

We would like to thank Debra Perez, Craig Sale, Rebecca Bellelo, and Emily Book McGree for their contributions to this article on Recreational Music Making. Interested to learn more about RMM? Our latest course, A Pianist’s Guide to Teaching Recreational Music Makers, was just released. Learn more and enroll here. Use code RMMLAUNCH2024 for an exclusive $25 off.

1. Discovering Support: RMM classes are filled with students who are excited to learn and cheer on their classmates.

“RMM is not about exceptional performance—it’s about exceptional support and personal experience. RMM classes are not about the final product as much as they are about the joy found in the process along the way. Classmates encourage and support one another as they make music together. They enjoy the social aspects of learning with others. Regardless of background or age, the common thread for the students is their love of music. And they enjoy sharing this love of music with others.” – Debra Perez

2. Discovering Play: Giving students the permission to experiment and play in class leads to more curious and engaged students.

“RMM is not about teaching people to play—it’s about giving people the permission to play. Public perception about the talent required to play a musical instrument has kept people from trying. We believe that every life needs music and anyone can learn to play. The desire to play is the only prerequisite to this RMM program. [Students] are not convinced that they actually can learn to play the piano as an adult. It is important to honor the courage that is required for the adult to sign up for lessons. They simply need to be shown they can learn.” – Debra Perez

3. Discovering Balance: I needed RMM classes to balance out my other teaching commitments.

“Teaching RMM classes brought balance to my teaching life. Every hour of my usual teaching week was spent working with children to achieve higher levels of musical understanding and achievement—very intense work for both the student and me. Having a couple RMM classes during the same week, focusing on enjoying and experiencing music together, lightened my heart. Teaching in both worlds did not create a conflict in my professional life because when teaching in each of these worlds, I am meeting the needs of the student. However, they are vastly different needs. In so doing, I meet my need—my need to make music a positive force in the student’s life.” – Craig Sale

4. Discovering Repertoire: Instructors should carefully select methods and repertoire that best suit each class.

“If you are a new RMM teacher, you may wonder where to start when selecting music books or ‘methods’ to use in your classes. While no one method series is a perfect RMM curriculum, some selections are stronger candidates to use for your main curriculum based on the following: 

  • Are the reading, musical, and technical demands all accessible enough for my beginner RMM classes?
  • How much theory or technique is included in the book?
  • How are concepts presented, and what is the sequencing?
  • How much review or supplemental material is available?
  • Is the music exciting and engaging for home study?
  • What is the cost associated with the curriculum? 
  • How much supplementation will I need to use? 
  • Does the curriculum offer more advanced materials past the beginner or primer level?”

– Rebecca Bellelo and Emily Book McGree

5. Discovering Classroom Management: It’s important to create a positive learning environment to benefit student and teacher alike.

“The true success of an RMM class relies on the instructor’s ability to manage the room. Each class you teach will have different needs and as a result, will look different from a management perspective. Ages, ability levels, personality types, and learning styles all require shifts from the instructor. Flexibility is important and an effective teacher can read the room and adjust as needed. This takes practice! Above all, I try to remember the famous Maya Angelou quote – ‘I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.’ Positive environments, where students have good relationships with the teacher and other students, are easier to manage and have positive impacts on the productivity and progress in the classroom.” – Rebecca Bellelo

Want to learn more about Recreational Music Making? Enroll in A Pianist’s Guide to Teaching Recreational Music Makers to learn more about choosing repertoire, marketing your classes, and inspiring recreational music-makers. Use code RMMLAUNCH2024 for an exclusive $25 off.

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A Pianist’s Guide to Teaching Recreational Music Makers
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Piano Inspires Podcast: Dennis Alexander

Written By Dennis Alexander, Jennifer Snow

To celebrate the latest episode of the Piano Inspires Podcast featuring Dennis Alexander, we are sharing an excerpted transcript of his conversation with Jennifer Snow. Want to learn more about Alexander? Check out the latest installment of the Piano Inspires Podcast. To learn more, visit pianoinspires.com. Listen to our latest episode with Alexander on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or our website!

Dennis Alexander, pianist and pedagogical composer
Dennis Alexander.

Jennifer Snow: You work a lot with young people. One of the things I find so wonderful about your music [is] first beauty and [to] make the piano always sound so big and gorgeous. That beauty of sound [is] just so important, making beautiful sounds [and] expressing through sound. But also you make pieces that are from a sequential learning perspective very achievable. So as a young student, you can achieve. You sound like a pianist. Yes, you don’t sound like you’re just, “I’m learning piano.” You’re like, “I can perform this piece.” Is that something that is sort of the way your mind works? Is it something you’re very purposeful about when you’re thinking about levels and how the hand sizes and how the patterns go?

Dennis Alexander: Absolutely. When I first started writing for Alfred, my keyboard editors, Gayle Kowalchyk and E. L. Lancaster, developed a very, very comprehensive listing of traits that needed to be within each level. I tried to adhere to that as much as possible. Writing at the elementary or late-elementary level is much more challenging for me as a composer than writing at the intermediate level, where you have so much more leeway and options to choose from for things to do. Finding ways to write elementary pieces that are interesting, fun, and creative pieces that kids want to practice—like to practice—is very, very challenging. 

And in fact, whenever I sometimes get asked by budding composers out there, they’ll ask if I could possibly look at some things they’ve written and give them advice. I find that for most of them, they want to turn in materials for me to look at that are more advanced. And I’ll ask them, “Could you please write a couple of elementary pieces that have certain restrictions? No sixteenth notes, no even dotted quarter followed by an eighth note rhythm that covers a fairly wide range of the instrument, and show me what you can write that’s fun and interesting and somewhat novel. I’m amazed at how hard that is for lots of younger composers to do. But if they ever want to get their foot in the door from a compositional standpoint, writing for educational companies, they need to be able to come up with interesting, exciting things at that elementary level. 

JS: Yeah, the accessible level.

DA: The accessible level because first of all it’s what publishers sell the most. And you know, the sales go down at higher levels. I think a lot of young composers who are interested in a career doing this don’t understand that yet. 

JS: I also think it’s connected to your deep passion for teaching and also teacher education. You came to composition as an outgrowth of your love and passion for playing piano, teaching piano, and helping others teach better. And therefore your awareness and understanding of who you’re writing for. That’s probably something that many young composers haven’t thought through. Actually, if I spend time with the group of people I’m writing for, I’ll begin to understand better how they would respond or how they learn. 

DA: Yeah, they have to know how a child thinks. They need to know what works for the young hand or the small hand. So yeah, when I’m writing music at those levels, I think very, very hard about what feels good in the hand for the smaller hand. Or I try and write pieces that are so interesting from either a harmonic or rhythmic or melodic standpoint, that the child will want to practice it and grow from it. And I love it. For me, the nicest compliment I can get from a teacher is for them to tell me, “Your music works so well for my kids because it fits their hands, and it stays within the level.” You know, that’s another important thing.

JS: And it sounds beautiful. 

DA: And it makes them sound better than they are.

JS: It makes them sound big.

DA: I love it whenever I hear things like that.

JS: I think we need a course on piano pedagogy for composers. Really! I mean, when you think about it all, you get asked that question so frequently, yeah. So here I am recruiting you to do something else. [laugh]

If you enjoyed this excerpt from Piano Inspires Podcast’s latest episode, listen to the entire episode with Dennis Alexander on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or our website!

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Dennis Alexander, Educational Piano Music Composer | S2 E6

Written By Piano Inspires

Join host Jennifer Snow as she interviews Dennis Alexander, who has an international reputation as one of the world’s most prolific and popular composers of educational piano music for students at all levels. Listen to Alexander’s start to the piano, his path as a composer, and the advice he shares for students and composers.

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Final Call: Proposals for The Piano Conference: NCKP 2025

Written By Sara Ernst
A presentation at The Piano Conference: NCKP 2023.
The Piano Conference: NCKP 2023.

The Piano Conference: NCKP 2025 advances and supports the international field of piano teaching, learning, and performing. To innovate for the future, we seek programming that explores the challenges and opportunities of the present day and the future for practitioners and performers, arts leaders and advocates, professors and administrators, and new professionals and students.

The Piano Conference: NCKP 2025 expands internationally, and is proud to call for proposals in Spanish, Portuguese, Mandarin, and Korean.

The deadline to submit proposals is Monday, October 21, 2024, at 11:59PM Pacific. Submit your proposals via our proposal submission portal today!

Do you have research you want to share with the piano pedagogy community? Submit a proposal to NCKP by clicking here or click the following links to read the call for proposals in Spanish, Portuguese, Mandarin, and Korean.

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Teaching Demonstration (NCKP Rebroadcast)
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Piano Inspires Podcast: Annie Jeng

Written By Annie Jeng, Craig Sale

To celebrate the latest episode of the Piano Inspires Podcast featuring Annie Jeng, we are sharing an excerpted transcript of her conversation with Craig Sale. Want to learn more about Jeng? Check out the latest installment of the Piano Inspires Podcast. To learn more, visit pianoinspires.com. Listen to our latest episode with Jeng on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or our website!

Annie Jeng - A Seat at the Piano
Annie Jeng.

Annie Jeng: When I started the project [A Seat at the Piano], it was difficult because I was born in America, I’m Asian American, but I didn’t know if I was the right person to be doing this work, which sounds weird.

Craig Sale: Yeah, tell me about that.

AJ: Within the music and piano community, I don’t think I’m necessarily a minority. There’s a lot of students and pianists who are Asian, and I knew that I wanted to lift up the voices of a lot of my BIPOC peers and friends. I just wanted to make sure that I was doing it thoughtfully, that I wasn’t mishandling a lot of information, and [that I was] presenting it in a way that was respectful. 

I remember, actually, I called up Leah Claiborne when I started doing all of this. I was like, “I’m working on this project. Do you think this is okay? Am I an okay person to be doing [it]?” She’s like, “Well, yeah, I think this is important work.” And I mean, I’m not gonna try and quote her because this was many, many years ago, but just to have that comfort [that] this work needs to be done and this work needs to be shared. I think the fact that I was even thinking about that, hopefully, that by itself, was showing that I really do care about this, and I want it to be done in the right way. 

CS: Yeah. With this subject and when you’re dealing with issues of diversity and trying to bring people in who haven’t been invited in, it’s important to recognize them, give them their own space in place. And it sounds like you didn’t want [to], you were afraid of perhaps intruding on that a bit.

AJ: Yeah.

CS: All I can say is, you know, all one can do is, first of all, embrace the cause because it’s that’s pure and good, but then seek help and advice. You did that when you reached out to Leah, and then you have these other people that joined you. I think that takes some of the pressure off when you have other voices around you. It’s an interesting situation to be in when you’re trying to do good, but you also don’t want to be offensive. 

AJ: Exactly. I think that what you just said is totally right. And it felt really good to not have to have all that pressure once I started to ask for advice and to ask for help and to build our team. Expanding the team was so wonderful because my team members also then brought in their perspectives and their thoughts and their expertise. Just within personalities, we were able to complement each other really well.

CS: And the end product is… Well, it’s not an end. It is continuing. 

AJ: Oh yeah, it’s forever going. [Laugh] I had someone today ask me, “Well, what about four-hand and duo music?” And I said, “Hopefully one day!”

CS: It’s right. When you’re uncovering a whole new world, it’s a whole new world, not just little pieces. There’s a lot to do there. But you know, I think that the result where you are now is just a tremendous asset for us, and it’s a big step forward in our profession, and it’s a wonderful resource.

AJ: Thank you, and it’s really inspiring to see that this is [a] lasting change. Yeah, we’ve gone over the fact that this is not a phase, this is here to stay, and it’s only going to get bigger and more impactful from here.

If you enjoyed this excerpt from Piano Inspires Podcast’s latest episode, listen to the entire episode with Annie Jeng on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or our website!

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A Master at Work: Marvin Blickenstaff

Written By Gail Berenson

We would like to thank Gail Berenson for this tribute to Marvin Blickenstaff. As we continue the season of gratitude and giving, we pay tribute to piano teachers from around the country who are transforming the lives of their students. Students, parents, and colleagues are honoring piano teachers from their communities as part of the “Power of a Piano Teacher” campaign. We welcome you to celebrate your own teacher by sharing a tribute with us and donating to The Frances Clark Center.

Marvin Blickenstaff receiving the MTNA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009, with Gail Berenson and Gary Ingle. 
Marvin Blickenstaff receiving the MTNA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009, with Gail Berenson and Gary Ingle. 
Photo: Harry Butler Photography, Copyright MTNA 2023.

Marvin Blickenstaff is an amazing pianist and teacher, respected and revered by all who have met him. He is also one of the kindest and most giving individuals I know. I have learned something valuable in every presentation I have heard him give, and these have been numerous. No matter what the topic, how large the audience or how prestigious the event, attendees are provided a stellar, educationally stimulating presentation and leave the event with countless essential teaching strategies that will revolutionize their teaching. Marvin offers an incredibly wide range of topics, each of critical importance to teachers and presented in a way that captures everyone’s attention and benefits all who are in attendance.  

Watching him work with students in a master class setting is a pedagogy class for all in attendance. Every student I have seen work with Marvin departs the stage feeling excited about their performance and eager to try out the new ideas he suggested they consider when they return home. And those in the audience have had the privilege of seeing a master at work, both for the concepts he is teaching and the way in which he nurtures the students’ love of music.

Not only is Marvin a gifted teacher and lecturer, but he is also a magnificent performer. I will never forget hearing him perform a recital of all the Chopin Preludes. It was amazing and memorable! It is easy to understand why Marvin Blickenstaff is so in demand as a guest artist/clinician, having presented in nearly every state and around the world. I am honored to count Marvin as a friend and want to extend my best wishes to him!

The Marvin Blickenstaff Institute for Teaching Excellence

In 2023, the Frances Clark Center established the Marvin Blickenstaff Institute for Teaching Excellence in honor of his legacy as a pedagogue. This division of The Frances Clark Center encompasses inclusive teaching programs, teacher education, courses, performance, advocacy, publications, research, and resources that support excellence in piano teaching and learning. To learn more about the Institute, please visit this page.

We extend a heartfelt invitation to join us in commemorating Marvin Blickenstaff’s remarkable contributions by making a donation in his honor. Your generous contribution will help us continue his inspiring work and uphold the standards of excellence in piano teaching and learning for generations to come. To make a meaningful contribution, please visit our donation page today. Thank you for being a part of this legacy.

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