Classical Music Month was established by President Bill Clinton, who greatly appreciated the unifying power of classical music. On August 22, 1994, President Clinton spoke about the power of music:
Classical music is a celebration of artistic excellence. Great art endures through the ages… Classical music plays in harmony with that energy and spirit to become reinvigorated and reinvented with each new orchestra or chamber group, with every performance that rings out new and fresh.
This month we exalt the many talented composers, conductors, and musicians who bring classical music to our ears. These artists carry on a great tradition of musical achievement, and we are proud of their outstanding accomplishments. Whether in new American works or in the masterpieces of the great composers of old, music is a unifying force in our world, bringing people together across vast cultural and geographical divisions. Classical music speaks both to the mind and to the heart, giving us something to think about as well as to experience.1
September 18, 1899
On this day in piano history, Scott Joplin received copyright for the Maple Leaf Rag by the US Copyright Office. The Maple Leaf Rag grew to become the most famous ragtime composition, and Joplin became known as the “King of Ragtime.” Listen to a recording of Reginald Robinson performing the Maple Leaf Rag here!
Pianist Reginald Robinson performs Scott Joplin’s Maple Leaf Rag.
September 30, 1935
The original cast of Porgy and Bess.2
George Gershwin’s opera Porgy and Bess premiered in Boston and appeared shortly afterward on Broadway. Porgy, as it was originally titled, cast and celebrated African American singers, including the first African American woman to be admitted to the Juilliard School, Anne Brown, who played the role of Bess. Brown’s singing so captivated Gershwin that he expanded her role and changed the title of the opera to include Bess.
Notes
William J. Clinton, “Proclamation 6716—Classical Music Month, 1994 Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley,” The American Presidency Project. https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/218266.
2. Richard Tucker, The cast of Porgy and Bess, October 10, 1935. Photo courtesy of Library of Congress.
As we approach the new school year, we invite you to join us for the Piano Inspires Book Club! The first book club will focus on Marvin Blickenstaff’s new book Inspired Piano Teaching. Learn more and register here.
August 26, 2024
Dear Frances Clark Center Community,
As we approach the new school year, we invite you to join us for the Piano Inspires Book Club! The first book club will focus on Marvin Blickenstaff’s new book Inspired Piano Teaching.
Join author Marvin Blickenstaff and host Sara Ernst for a four-part, open-access series discussing Inspired Piano Teaching by Marvin Blickenstaff. Each meeting will cover one portion of the book, with guided conversation. Participants are encouraged to attend all four meetings, or attend as their schedule permits. All are welcome!
Tuesday, September 10, 2024, 11AM EDT | Introduction: Why We Teach – Foundational Principles in Piano Pedagogy
Tuesday, October 8, 2024, 11AM EDT | Exposition: Practical Teaching Principles in Piano Pedagogy
Tuesday, November 12, 2024, 11AM EDT | Development: Advancing Piano Pedagogy – Theory, Performance, and Technique
Tuesday, December 10, 2024, 11AM EDT | Recapitulation: Interpretation and Stylistic Performance in Piano Pedagogy
The first meeting (September) will center around foundational principles of music making and piano teaching, along with important questions such as “Why do we teach?” and “Why should students learn?” Participants are recommended to read pp. ix-23, and to prepare any questions or thoughts they would like to share.
Yours,
Piano Inspires
An Excerpt from Inspired Piano Teaching (ix-x)
Foreword
by Sara Ernst
It is humbling to write the preface to a book on piano teaching by Marvin Blickenstaff, a man who has transformed the piano teaching profession throughout his phenomenal career of more than sixty years. Marvin is a paragon in our profession: a pianist of expressive artistry and technical command, a master teacher of all ages and stages, an affirming person who teaches anyone with a desire to learn, an encouraging and altruistic mentor, and a model of the richness found in lifelong teaching and learning. He was even unofficially given the title “the best-loved piano teacher in America” by Louise Goss and Samuel Holland. As former student Joel Harrison (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1970–73) stated, “Marvin is a ‘giver.’ He offers you the best he has, whether it is musical or otherwise, virtually without limits.”1 With this indomitable spirit, Marvin has provided us with this impressive compendium of his work as a piano teacher. This resource details the philosophies and approaches behind the tens of thousands of lessons Marvin has taught and the hundreds—if not thousands—of workshops he has given. It is with honor that I will share a snapshot of Marvin Blickenstaff, the educator, musician, and person, as an introduction to his book.
Marvin’s teaching is reverently described with words like magical and transformative. He makes the student feel immediately valued and full of potential, and his approach inspires joy-filled music making. This is palpable for the students on the bench, others sharing in the class, and those observing. During his master classes at conferences, a scan of the audience will reveal faces in awe of the ease of his instruction and his uncanny ability to heighten a student’s understanding and artistry. His former student Nina Austria at the New School for Music Study (NSMS, 2011–20) eloquently expressed:
Every lesson is a joy and a highlight of my week; Mr. Blickenstaff’s passion for music is so contagious, and his kindness and positivity constantly inspire me to push myself to improve…Because of Mr. Blickenstaff, practicing piano does not feel like a task, but rather a treat or even a gift.2
Marvin ensures that his students know he appreciates them and enjoys their work, and this sentiment was echoed by Kelly Marquis Freije (precollege student in Indiana, 1995–97): “All I knew was he loved being there with me, helping me with music, and helping me to grow.”3 His group instruction is equally invigorating, especially how he cultivates artistic growth through peer collaboration. Zack Kleiman (NSMS, 2005–14) described Marvin’s skillful process:
It was through this class, too, that Marvin cultivated my love for the deeply collaborative nature of solo piano—seemingly paradoxical but as we performed for each other during class, Marvin’s great big laugh and smile served as a warm invitation for us to provide feedback and give our two cents. I distinctly remember hearing other students perform and, after several rounds of class input, being able to trace certain parts of their performances to individual comments we had each made—and of course, present in each was a deeply musical narrative guided by Marvin’s expert hand.4
Marvin has an impressive depth of knowledge in piano literature, and at the core of his teaching is the artistic interpretation of the repertoire. His students learn to carefully read the score and to express the meaning and emotion behind the music: “Mr. Blickenstaff enables us to not merely learn a piece, but to understand and feel it,” Anya Smith (NSMS, 2014–20).5
Notes
“A Tribute to Marvin Blickenstaff,” Piano Magazine 12, no. 1 (Spring 2020), 12. This tribute was printed in celebration of Marvin’s eighty-fifth birthday.
“A Tribute to Marvin Blickenstaff,” 16.
Kelly Marquis Freije, telephone interview by Sara Ernst, March 5, 2010.
“A Tribute to Marvin Blickenstaff,” 13–14.
“A Tribute to Marvin Blickenstaff,” 16.
About Inspired Piano Teaching
Inspired Piano Teaching is filled with practical advice on teaching students at all levels. It is dedicated to keeping inspiration and artistry alive for every student in every lesson. Topics range from proactive teaching, the interview, and the first lesson to technical gestures, guidelines to interpretation, and coaching a piece to performance. After reading the book, teachers will feel like they have attended a multi-day workshop with Marvin.
Purchase your copy today to read and participate in the Piano Inspires Book Club! Use code MARVINCLUB15 at checkout for 15% off list price.
Marvin Blickenstaff joined The New School for Music Study in 1999, and serves as co-director of the PEPS Program. Blickenstaff holds degrees from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and Indiana University, where he received both academic and performance honors. He is well-known across the country and in Canada for his frequent presentations at state and national conferences.
About the Host
Sara Ernst, PhD, is an active pedagogue and pianist, and Associate Professor and Director of Piano Pedagogy at the University of Oklahoma in Norman. For the Frances Clark Center, she is Director of Teacher Engagement and leads programming for NCKP: The Piano Conference.
We would like to thank Yeeseon Kwon for this exciting message about the new season of Peer Connections events. Interested in participating? Our first event is Peer Connections: Advancing Your Opportunities and Professionalism, which occurs on Friday, October 4th at 11AM ET. Learn more and register here.
The start of a new school year brings with it a flurry of activities for both students and teachers. What I like about this time of year is that it brings about new energy and a sense of hopeful awareness in anticipation of the possibilities that will transform each of us during the new academic year.
This year at The Frances Clark Center, the opportunities for professional development and community engagement are not only abundant but aim to serve the young and emerging professionals in our field. Peer Connections and Collegiate Connections are professional and community engagement events for young professionals to meet and begin building a broader professional network.
Peer Connections is a live virtual gathering of young professionals in various stages of career and professional life. Wherever you are in your professional path, join our community to engage with relevant topics and expert panelists and presenters.
October 4, 2024: Peer Connections: Advancing Your Opportunities
Eden Esters Brown and Pamela Pike discuss advancing career development and professionalism. Connect with fellow professionals to explore growth opportunities and get involved at The Frances Clark Center.
February 7, 2025: Peer Connections: Belonging in Professional Spaces
Join Leah Claiborne and your colleagues in this virtual gathering to share teaching strategies and ways to engage your students and cultivate diverse teaching spaces. Share and reflect on thriving professionally as your authentic self.
April 11, 2025: Peer Connections: Wellbeing in the Professional Life
Mingle with Jess Johnson, Midori Koga, and Paola Savvidou to discuss strategies for fostering professional wellbeing. Discover roadblocks to finding balance in your workspace and explore how to manage and positively contribute to your creative and professional development.
These are such timely and relevant topics that will inspire your teaching and impact your professional growth. Come join and participate in the 2024-2025 Peer Connections Events!
Collegiate Connectionsis a program that provides opportunities for collegiate groups and classes to submit term and annual projects to be showcased at our online, international conference. Projects may cover a wide range of topics such as creative teaching projects, lecture and musical presentations, community engagement, social justice, business entrepreneurship projects, and more. The program aims to foster peer connections and collaboration through the exchange of ideas, scholarship, and dialogue from across the country.
The Call for Proposals will be released this fall, so start planning your group projects now. Proposals will be peer-reviewed, and selected during early spring. Drum roll please…..We will showcase these exceptional final projects in a live webinar presentation at The Piano Conference: NCKP 2025 Online Event.
As the Director of Institutional Engagement, I look forward to seeing you at these Peer Connections events and witnessing your group participation in the CollegiateConnections.
Let’s meet up at The Piano Conference: NCKP 2025 in June and July and celebrate together!
Interested in participating in Peer Connections: Advancing Your Opportunities and Professionalism on Friday, October 4th at 11AM ET? Learn more and register here.
As we approach the new school year, we invite you to join us for the Piano Inspires Book Club! The first book club will focus on Inspired Piano Teaching by Marvin Blickenstaff. Learn more and register here.
August 26, 2024
Dear Frances Clark Center Community,
As we approach the new school year, we invite you to join us for the Piano Inspires Book Club! The first book club will focus on Marvin Blickenstaff’s Inspired Piano Teaching.
Join author Marvin Blickenstaff and host Sara Ernst for a four-part, open-access series discussing Inspired Piano Teaching by Marvin Blickenstaff. Each meeting will cover one portion of the book, with guided conversation. Participants are encouraged to attend all four meetings, or attend as their schedule permits. All are welcome!
Tuesday, September 10, 2024, 11AM EDT | Introduction: Why We Teach – Foundational Principles in Piano Pedagogy
Tuesday, October 8, 2024, 11AM EDT | Exposition: Practical Teaching Principles in Piano Pedagogy
Tuesday, November 12, 2024, 11AM EDT | Development: Advancing Piano Pedagogy – Theory, Performance, and Technique
Tuesday, December 10, 2024, 11AM EDT | Recapitulation: Interpretation and Stylistic Performance in Piano Pedagogy
The first meeting (September) will center around foundational principles of music making and piano teaching, along with important questions such as “Why do we teach?” and “Why should students learn?” Participants are recommended to read pp. ix-23, and to prepare any questions or thoughts they would like to share.
Yours,
Piano Inspires
An Excerpt from Inspired Piano Teaching (p. 29-31)
Theme I: Teaching Principles
Chapter 5
TERRAC:
The Well-Rounded Lesson
Lesson planning is an important topic in every piano pedagogy course, and thoughtful planning is crucial to the success of any lesson. Frances Clark suggested planning months in advance for end-of-the-year recital repertoire, goals for technical skills, and other milestones. Without a plan, we flounder. Long-term goals may prove to be the most important ones; once these are established, we are forced to devise a strategy for reaching those goals, and this strategy can inform our week-to-week teaching.
All too often, a typical lesson might proceed as follows. The student arrives at the lesson and hands a spiral-bound lesson-assignment notebook to the teacher. The teacher looks up the most recent page and says, “I see that you were assigned a new movement in the Clementi Sonatina. Play that first page” The teacher then turns to the next page in the assignment book and writes comments and suggestions for next week’s work on the Clementi. And the lesson proceeds in like manner. No planning. Little progress.
Let me be so bold as to suggest that the student deserves to have each lesson planned, just as the teacher deserves to expect that the student has practiced. Both teacher and student have their assignments to fulfill. These can be summarized by two simple expectation equations:
STUDENT = PRACTICE
TEACHER = PLANNING/PREPARATION
There is so much to be covered in a piano lesson, and it often feels like there is insufficient time available to us. We can easily fall into a lesson routine of scales, Hanon, repertoire. While this has some benefits, there are many more skills and areas that students need for their musical development. It is far too easy to let lesson after lesson go by without realizing what each lesson might be missing. Covering all the components that students need—with proper presentation, reinforcement, and follow-through—is a serious challenge.
To help me ensure that each lesson is musically well rounded, I have developed the acronym TERRAC. Each letter of the acronym represents a topic to be covered in a lesson.
T echnique
E xpression
R eading
R hythm
A ural Skills (ear training)
C reativity
The acronym does not indicate the order in which these concepts are to be covered, and it is possible that a single lesson activity might combine two or three of the concepts. Keeping this acronym in mind, however, helps ensure that students are covering the basic musical elements and skills in every lesson.
As you prepare for a lesson, write TERRAC at the top of a blank page. You will already have your own categories for the lesson, which might include the following:
Warm-ups
Études or technical studies
New pieces
Review pieces
Duets
Sight-reading
Ear training
Creative projects
When devising your lesson plan, look for ways in which you can incorporate the TERRAC concepts into the lesson. For instance, when working on new repertoire, you will most likely have students sight-read portions of a new piece, then offer them suggestions that facilitate the reading. That can suffice as the reading R portion of the lesson. In that same introductory activity, students may also be asked to tap and count certain challenging measures. That rhythm activity covers the rhythm R.
TERRAC helps us view the lesson in a well-rounded, holistic manner, and it helps us avoid gaps in our instruction. Without this formula, many lessons may take place with no attention to A (aural skills) and C (creativity).
About Inspired Piano Teaching
Inspired Piano Teaching is filled with practical advice on teaching students at all levels. It is dedicated to keeping inspiration and artistry alive for every student in every lesson. Topics range from proactive teaching, the interview, and the first lesson to technical gestures, guidelines to interpretation, and coaching a piece to performance. After reading the book, teachers will feel like they have attended a multi-day workshop with Marvin.
Purchase your copy today to read and participate in the Piano Inspires Book Club! Use code MARVINCLUB15 at checkout for 15% off list price.
Marvin Blickenstaff joined The New School for Music Study in 1999, and serves as co-director of the PEPS Program. Blickenstaff holds degrees from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and Indiana University, where he received both academic and performance honors. He is well-known across the country and in Canada for his frequent presentations at state and national conferences.
About the Host
Sara Ernst, PhD, is an active pedagogue and pianist, and Associate Professor and Director of Piano Pedagogy at the University of Oklahoma in Norman. For the Frances Clark Center, she is Director of Teacher Engagement and leads programming for NCKP: The Piano Conference.
We are delighted to share top tips from Dr. Sara Ernst on writing successful conference proposals to support you as you draft your session ideas for The Piano Conference: NCKP 2025. Sara is Director of Teacher Engagement for the Frances Clark Center and a member of the Executive Committee for The Piano Conference: NCKP. We invite you to submit your proposals via our proposal submission portal by 11:59pm PDT on Monday, October 21, 2024.
1. Propose a topic that inspires you and aligns with the conference call
A strong conference proposal will be formed from a topic that is ideal for the specific conference, considering both its audience and specific theme or goals. Your topic certainly should grow from your interests and expertise while being relevant to the community at hand. Remember that the review committee will have hundreds of proposals to read, and often, the way to distinguish yours is by demonstrating the significance, relevance, and need for your presentation. Furthermore, convey that you have thoroughly explored and researched the topic, and that you have developed unique and vital ideas, ready to be shared.
2. Clearly state the objectives and organization of your presentation
Within the proposal abstract, give the reader a clear understanding of what will be accomplished during the presentation. Questions to address include: What are your specific goals and outcomes? What ideas and resources will be explored? How will the topic be organized? What examples and visuals will facilitate the flow of ideas? The proposal should demonstrate that the presentation will add depth of content to the conference program and will be effective in its delivery.
3. Identify how the topic is suitable for the proposed time length and format
The various presentation formats and durations each have unique characteristics. For example, a panel presentation has a theme that will benefit from the sharing of multiple, individual perspectives, whereas a keyboard lab has to demonstrate purposeful use of the group keyboard format. The 50-minute presentation has a scope and level of detail that necessitates the longest time frame. Alternatively, the 5-minute lightning talk needs to be narrow in its scope, while remaining of interest to the audience. The proposal can therefore clearly reflect and support the choices of format and time length.
4. Write effective prose, in a style that matches the topic
A formal research presentation and an interactive workshop have different styles of communication that are inherent to each format. The proposal can reflect this, ensuring that academic style is utilized where appropriate. A more personal, yet always professional, style can be used in other cases, in alignment with the topic and format. It is recommended that you ask a trusted colleague to review your writing prior to submission. All text—including the title, abstract, short description, and bio—need to be thoroughly edited to facilitate the review and potential programming of your work.
5. Follow the guidelines
Last, but certainly not least, take time to thoroughly review the requirements of the proposal, before the deadline. Note the formats possible, additional requested items (like CVs and headshots), the word count limits, and any additional materials needed (such as recordings). Read the policies and requirements, noting important details like ensuring that the text is suitable for blind review, and that all co-presenters are in agreement with the proposal. If you are including links, double check that these are viewable by others. To avoid last-minute issues, enter your proposal before the deadline, carefully reviewing each item before clicking the “submit” button. After submitting, verify the email confirmation to ensure that your proposal was correctly received.
Do you have research you want to share with the piano pedagogy community? Submit a proposal to NCKP by clicking here, or submit a manuscript to the Journal of Piano Research by clicking here.
The Summer 2024 Issue of Piano Inspires Kids is here! Not yet a subscriber?Click here to receive the issue and give the gift of music to the musicians in your life! Keep reading for a sneak peek into the Summer Issue.
Calling all Piano Inspires Kids readers;
we want to hear from you about you!
What is a Student Spotlight?
You can share about your interests, what inspires you, what music you enjoy, and how piano is a part of your life. Visit the online form to discover the wide variety of questions you can answer as part of a student spotlight. Selected responses will be featured in upcoming issues of Piano Inspires Kids.
Read this recent student spotlight from Rachel in California.
Looking for other ways to submit and get involved?
Want to learn more about Piano Inspires Kids? Watch our webinar, “Inside Piano Inspires Kids: A New Publication of the Frances Clark Center” with Co-Editors-in-Chief Sara Ernst and Andrea McAlister: click here.
We would like to thank Wendy Stevens for this article about studio policies. To read the full article, click here.Between August 5 and September 15, The Frances Clark Center is offering 20% off all full-length courses such as A Pianist’s Guide to Studio Management. Check out our other courses here and use this discount code to get 20% of your order: BLOG20B2S.
Why do I need policies?
Constructing effective and enforceable policies is ultimately about preserving relationships with our piano families. By communicating our expectations formally, we are making space to concentrate on what is most important—teaching. It may feel a bit stiff to require that parents read and sign a contract, but clarifying expectations for both sides and procedures for resolving common situations is comforting and freeing for everyone. An effective, enforceable policy will ensure that our minds are free to teach creatively, parents and students have confidence in our plans, and everyone understands that common issues will be handled in a consistent and courteous manner.
Carefully thinking through how you want your business to look, where you want it to go, and how you want it to function will help you articulate clear policies that are effective and allow you to focus on teaching. To make them enforceable, ensure that the policies are read, signed, and dated by the responsible parent or adult. This gives you a legally binding document, and your business will appear more serious and professional
The key ingredients of effective, enforceable policies
A clear policy along with each family’s consent to your policy will help ensure that the business side of teaching piano runs smoothly.
A personal note. Because a contract with specific terms and conditions can seem stiff and formal, it’s important to include an introductory paragraph in your policy to kindly explain that the policies they are reading are meant to ensure that they will receive the most creative, energetic, and committed teaching from you!
Thank you for choosing me as your piano teacher! In order to ensure that you or your child get the most effective and creative teaching possible, I have established the following policies
Tuition structure, schedule, late fees. Briefly explain your tuition structure, basing it on a “yearly package” deal rather than a weekly lesson rate. It is also important to state exactly when you expect parents to pay and what will happen if payments are late.
Yearly tuition for 45 minute lessons is $xxx. Your tuition guarantees that I will be present to teach 40 weeks and will be divided into equal payments of $xxx. Tuition is due by the 10th of every month from September through May.* A $15 late fee will be assessed for late payments.
Missed lessons. This is your “makeup” policy, but using the term “missed lessons” will subtly remind parents that they are choosing to miss a lesson and that their choice does not require you to give them an additional lesson time. We will address creative ways of dealing with missed lessons in a future article, but it’s important to give parents a few options in case they need to miss.
If a student misses a lesson, he or she will simply miss the benefit of that lesson. Remember that your tuition pays for far more than just lesson time with your child. You can also opt to use the swap list, Facetime, Skype, or simply call to chat about your child’s progress during the time that is reserved for your child.
If you have to miss a lesson, you can address how you will handle payments in the same email in which you inform them that there will be no lesson.
We hope you enjoyed this excerpt from Wendy Steven’s article “Effective, enforceable studio policies.”To read the entire article, click here.
We would like to thank Madeleine Crouch for this article about piano study and how it affects academic achievement. To read the full article, click here.Between August 5 and September 15, The Frances Clark Center is offering 20% off all full-length courses such as A Pianist’s Guide to Studio Management. Check out our other courses here and use this discount code to get 20% of your order: BLOG20B2S.
Did someone ever ask you, “How do you know that’s true? Did you read it somewhere … what proof do you have?” And you answered without hesitation, “I don’t know how, I just know it!”
Piano teachers just know that studying music, especially the piano, is good for kids. We believe that piano lessons will help our students in their school lessons. We feel it in our bones that even the most reluctant student will, looking back on years of piano lessons, admit, “Sure I hated to practice, but my piano teacher taught me the self-discipline that made me the success I am today.” (Let’s not forget that an unabashed fan of music lessons now resides at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue!)
In 1993, the National Piano Foundation funded a study, Teachers’, Parents’ and Students’ Perceptions of the Role of Piano Instruction in Students’ Lives. Administering the project was Robert Duke of the University of Texas at Austin.
Approximately one hundred piano pedagogy faculty from across the United States identified individuals in their geographic regions with reputations as excellent piano teachers. 170 of these teachers provided lists of their students, including parents, willing to participate. From the list of 2,642 students Dr. Duke selected a random sample of 951, then classified them to obtain relatively equal numbers of students within ability levels scaled from 1 through 10 and age groups from 4 to 18. The final sample included 124 teachers and 663 students and their parents from thirty states. Each student, teacher, and parent completed extensive questionnaires related to the student’s piano study and life in general. Questions covered attitudes and achievement related to piano and school, participation in extracurricular activities, expectations, and goals. What follows are some of the more interesting results of this research.
Excerpts from the final report of the National Piano Foundation Research Project
Robert A. Duke, director
First, it’s important to realize that the majority of students whose parents can afford private music lessons in piano are students who have numerous life advantages. The students in our sample were, for the most part, the children of well-educated, affluent suburban and urban professionals. The small numbers of minority children and children from lower-income households that we found in our sample serve as a reminder of the many children who could benefit from piano instruction – or other forms of educational enrichment for that matter – but are not being served by this important aspect of music education.
The fact that parents choose piano study as an activity worthy of their time and money, in addition to or instead of dance, sports, etc., supports the notion that parents view music study as an important, life-enhancing experience for their children.
The children in our sample are generally “good kids,” that is, they do well in most endeavors in which they participate. What is interesting about the relationship of piano to other aspects of these children’s lives is that, irrespective of their ability as pianists, nearly all of these children, and their parents and teachers, believe that piano study is worthwhile, enjoyable and capable of producing benefits beyond the acquisition of music skills.
Many parents who studied music privately and participated in school music groups as children continue to participate as adults. Music-making becomes something of a “family tradition,” and perhaps it is not surprising that these parents choose to provide their children with educational opportunities similar to those they had as children.
We hope you enjoyed this excerpt from Madeleine Crouch’s article “Does Piano Study Help Children in Other Aspects of School Study?”To read the entire article, click here.
As we approach the new school year, we invite you to join us for the Piano Inspires Book Club! The first book club will focus on Marvin Blickenstaff’s new book Inspired Piano Teaching. Learn more and register here.
Marvin Blickenstaff
Join author Marvin Blickenstaff and host Sara Ernst for a four-part, open-access series discussing Inspired Piano Teaching by Marvin Blickenstaff. Each meeting will cover one portion of the book, with guided conversation. Participants are encouraged to attend all four meetings, or attend as their schedule permits. All are welcome!
Tuesday, September 10, 2024, 11AM EDT | Introduction: Why We Teach – Foundational Principles in Piano Pedagogy
Tuesday, October 8, 2024, 11AM EDT | Exposition: Practical Teaching Principles in Piano Pedagogy
Tuesday, November 12, 2024, 11AM EDT | Development: Advancing Piano Pedagogy – Theory, Performance, and Technique
Tuesday, December 10, 2024, 11AM EDT | Recapitulation: Interpretation and Stylistic Performance in Piano Pedagogy
The first meeting (September) will center around foundational principles of music making and piano teaching, along with important questions such as “Why do we teach?” and “Why should students learn?” Participants are recommended to read pp. ix-23, and to prepare any questions or thoughts they would like to share.
About Inspired Piano Teaching
Inspired Piano Teaching is filled with practical advice on teaching students at all levels. It is dedicated to keeping inspiration and artistry alive for every student in every lesson. Topics range from proactive teaching, the interview, and the first lesson to technical gestures, guidelines to interpretation, and coaching a piece to performance. After reading the book, teachers will feel like they have attended a multi-day workshop with Marvin.
Purchase your copy today to read and participate in the Piano Inspires Book Club! Use code MARVINCLUB15 at checkout for 15% off list price.
Marvin Blickenstaff joined The New School for Music Study in 1999, and serves as co-director of the PEPS Program. Blickenstaff holds degrees from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and Indiana University, where he received both academic and performance honors. He is well-known across the country and in Canada for his frequent presentations at state and national conferences.
About the Host
Sara Ernst, PhD, is an active pedagogue and pianist, and Associate Professor and Director of Piano Pedagogy at the University of Oklahoma in Norman. For the Frances Clark Center, she is Director of Teacher Engagement and leads programming for NCKP: The Piano Conference.
We would like to thank Martha Appleby, Sara Krohn, Leanne Hedges, and James B Lyke for this insightful article about planning repertoire. To read the full article, click here.
Although few teachers of my acquaintance indulge in a languid state of inactivity during the summer, it is a time when we re-evaluate the progress of our students during the previous school year and determine what changes to make in the fall. September is the teacher’s New Year with all the feelings of guilt and resolutions for change and, more importantly, the opportunity for change.
How to transform these resolutions into plans and specific repertoire for individual students for the coming school year is the topic to be discussed by the following three experienced teachers. They are sharing with you not only ideas and specifics for this kind of planning, but their commitment to the pedagogical value of learning to assess students’ progress and assign repertoire accordingly.
These words struck fear into my heart!
By Sara Krohn
The words “plan” and “for the year” certainly take a lot for granted, don’t they? These words struck fear into my heart! While staring at the question, I thought about the 16-year-old transfer student I started teaching this year, who after five years of study still needs many first-year fundamentals. My 8-year-old learning-disabled, hyperactive student came to mind. Then the precocious 12-year-old appeared, who after one year of study is playing Clementi sonatinas. What a challenge, to plan in the face of so many variables! A long-term plan—now that’s a challenge which requires time and thoughtful preparation.
I like to think that I manage my time effectively. I plan repertoire for over sixty students in group and individual lessons. Unless I still want to be planning this year’s repertoire next May, I need a system for assessing my students’ skills and assigning their repertoire. So I have created a checklist of essential skills for students at a given level, regardless of age. This gives me a good overview of individual students’ strengths and weaknesses, and helps me design their repertoire over the long term.
I call it my “Checklist and Repertoire” for piano students. This is a form which lists all the skills I consider important for a student at a particular level. The idea is not new; schools have been using an “Individual Educational Plan” (known as an IEP) for years.
The sample below is one part of the “Checklist and Repertoire”. There is a separate page for each of the following areas:
Rhythm
Fundamentals/Music
Theory/Composition
Technique/Pedal
Expression/Style
After assessing the student’s level in each area, comments are written beside each of the skills listed. For example, I might write “no knowledge,” “needs my help to do,” or “can do by him/herself.” Space is left to list pieces or exercises which address the particular skill which I feel the student needs to improve. Based on the age and interests of the student, I assign pieces reflecting a variety of styles.
Since no student fits exactly into any given level, each student’s “Checklist” includes earlier levels, as well as the level the student is “supposed” to be in. For example, my 15-year-old transfer student is in level three for most of her skills, but her knowledge of basic chords in level one is poor. By glancing at her “Checklist,” I can see that she missed certain fundamentals along the way, and can address them through appropriate repertoire. Without my “Checklist” I’m sure that I would forget a few areas. With my “Checklist” I know that I am meeting each student’s needs.
We hope you enjoyed this excerpt from Martha Appleby, Sara Krohn, Leanne Stehle Hedges, and James B Lyke’s article about planning student repertoire. You can read the entire article by clicking here.
French pianist and composer Cécile Chaminade, whose work inspired the creation of numerous women’s musical organizations, was born on this day in Paris. Her initial musical studies were with her mother, but Chaminade also studied privately with members of the Paris Conservatoire faculty after her father prohibited her official enrollment.1 Her career became established and around 1900, her numerous published compositions and rising fame led to the creation of musical organizations across the United States called “Chaminade Clubs.”2 During her subsequent tours to the U.S., she performed extensively for these clubs.3 In 1913, she was the first female composer to be awarded the Légion d’Honneur, a significant recognition for her musical contributions. She passed away on April 13, 1944 in Monte Carlo, Monaco. Chaminade was a prolific composer and wrote approximately four-hundred compositions, half of which are for the piano.4 Looking for a Chaminade piano work at the early-advanced level? Check out Chanson bretonne, Op. 76, No. 5 performed here by pianist Lynn Worcester Jones.
Also celebrating a birthday in August is British composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, who was born on this day in London. Coleridge-Taylor studied violin and composition at the Royal College of Music.5 He was one of the first recognized Black composers of Western art music, and he inspired many Black composers in the United States with his success. Although he primarily resided in London, he toured the United States in multiple visits to conduct his works with choral societies throughout the country.6 During one of these trips, he met with President Theodore Roosevelt.7 In addition to his work as a conductor and as a musician, he served as Professor of Composition at the Guildhall School of Music and Trinity College of Music.8 One of Colerige-Taylor’s most famous piano works is his arrangement of the spiritual “Deep River” as part of his Op. 59 set, Twenty-Four Negro Melodies. Enjoy this recording by pianist William Chapman Nyaho.
Pianist William Chapman Nyaho performs Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s “Deep River” from the Op. 59 set Twenty-Four Negro Melodies.
August 24, 1787
Violinist Michael Barenboim and his father, pianist Daniel Barenboim, perform Mozart’s Violin Sonata in A Major, K. 526.
On this day, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart completed his Violin Sonata in A Major, K. 526. This sonata, his penultimate in the genre, was published in Vienna and contains three movements. The bustling “Molto allegro” movement in 6/8 time is in sonata-allegro form and contains exciting scalar passagework for both the violin and the piano. A highlight from this movement is the development section where imitative gestures between the piano and violin drive the musical energy to the recapitulation. The “Andante” movement follows and features the piano prominently. Despite being in D major, the minor mode is heavily emphasized in this movement beginning within the first eight bars. The “Presto” finale ends the piece with bravura from both instrumentalists. Interested in listening to this sonata? Listen to this recording by pianist Daniel Barenboim and his son, Michael Barenboim.
August 25, 1742
Carlos Seixas, a Portuguese composer primarily known for his keyboard music for the harpsichord and organ, died in Lisbon, Portugal. During his lifetime, Seixas served as an organist at important venues such as the Coimbra Cathedral and the Royal Chapel in Lisbon where he worked alongside Domenico Scarlatti.9 Surviving reports from the time indicate that Seixas was an extremely prolific keyboard composer who wrote over 700 keyboard pieces, but only a fraction survived.10 While the cause of this is unknown, many believe that many works were destroyed in an earthquake that struck Lisbon in 1755.11 Curious to hear Seixas’s music performed on a Portuguese-style harpsichord? Listen to this recording of Seixas’s Sonata No. 50 in G Minor performed by harpsichordist Robert Woolley.
Harpsichordist Robert Woolley performs Carlos Seixas’s Sonata No. 50 in G Minor.
Marcia J. Citron, “Chaminade, Cécile,” Grove Music Online. 2001; Accessed 20 July, 2024, https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000005388.
Citron, “Chaminade, Cécile,” Grove Music Online.
Citron, “Chaminade, Cécile,” Grove Music Online.
Citron, “Chaminade, Cécile,” Grove Music Online.
Stephen Banfield, Jeremy Dibble, and Anya Laurence, “Coleridge-Taylor, Samuel,” Grove Music Online, 16 Oct. 2013; Accessed 20 July. 2024, https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-1002248993.
Banfield, Dibble, and Laurence, “Coleridge-Taylor, Samuel,” Grove Music Online.
Banfield, Dibble, and Laurence, “Coleridge-Taylor, Samuel,” Grove Music Online.
Banfield, Dibble, and Laurence, “Coleridge-Taylor, Samuel,” Grove Music Online.
Klaus F. Heimes, “Seixas, (José António) Carlos de,” Grove Music Online, 2001; Accessed 20 July, 2024, https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000025354.
Heimes, “Seixas, (José António) Carlos de,” Grove Music Online.
Heimes, “Seixas, (José António) Carlos de,” Grove Music Online.
Banfield, Stephen, Jeremy Dibble, and Anya Laurence. “Coleridge-Taylor, Samuel.” Grove Music Online. 16 Oct. 2013; Accessed 20 July. 2024. https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-1002248993.
Citron, Marcia J. “Chaminade, Cécile.” Grove Music Online. 2001; Accessed 20 July. 2024. https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000005388.
Heimes, Klaus F. “Seixas, (José António) Carlos de.” Grove Music Online. 2001; Accessed 20 July. 2024. https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000025354.
We would like to thank Craig Sale for this insightful article about preparing students for their practice. To read the full article, click here.
I will always remember Frances Clark stating that our lessons should not be a “house of corrections.” Instead, she felt we should do all we can to ensure a week of successful practice so that the student returns the next week prepared for more growth and learning. I hold fast to this approach to teaching and believe that a teacher’s greatest obligation is to adequately prepare the student for each new discovery, piece, or activity. However, at the next week’s lesson, improvements will need to be made. Reality shows us that, even with our best efforts, students often return to the next week’s lesson with issues that need resolving.
Rather than simply correct the student’s errors, how can a teacher provide helpful, impactful feedback? Frances Clark encouraged “an honest approach to evaluating them and their work.” She added, “If we say, ‘Okay!’, ‘good!’, or ‘great!’, indiscriminately, students never get a clear picture of where they stand. It is important to say clearly how they are improving and why, and what needs improving and how.”1 Even when we heed these words, we run the risk of turning the lesson into a litany of corrections.
Elvina Pearce proposed giving the student an “active role” in evaluation: “I believe that students who are allowed to participate in this kind of…procedure at the lesson will be more apt to implement the resulting practice suggestions at home than they will those offered solely by a ‘talk-and-tell’ teacher who does most of the orchestrating of the lesson happenings without much input from the student.”2 After considering the advice from these great pedagogues, it is clear that honest feedback that involves the student can help us break out of the “house of corrections.”
Feedback on Technique
The teaching of technique, at any level, depends on engaging, informed feedback from the teacher. Technique is often a student’s least favorite part of a lesson. There can be many reasons for this, but one is most likely the fact that the feedback from the teacher tends to be critical rather than positive—an unappealing topic with frequent negative feedback. However, even this challenging area of study can be saved from the “house of corrections.” Involving the student in the evaluation and feedback can go a long way toward making technique study engaging and productive.
This approach can be started even at the beginning of study. At this early level, students can have established goals for how their technical work should sound, feel, and look. When the beginning student is presented with a good model, the feedback on their technique can and should become a collaborative effort. If the student has seen and felt what firm fingertips are (the first joint near the end of the finger), they can be asked to evaluate their own fingers. This is far more meaningful than having the teacher criticize the weak finger joint.
When taking this approach, it is important that the teacher first asks the student how they think they did. For example, if the student has an exercise or repertoire passage that uses staccatos, it is most effective if, before they play, they are asked to listen for these crisp staccatos. The student may not be as critical as desired; they might be too hard on themselves; or their area of focus may not really be relevant to the problem at hand. Regardless of these things, the teacher must first address their response—it must be valued and respected. Then, the teacher can add their thoughts, perhaps throwing new ideas into the mix, but always by having the student try the new things and having them evaluate how the new technique feels.
We hope you enjoyed this excerpt from Craig Sale’s article “Breaking Out of the House of Corrections.” You can read the entire article by clicking here.
Notes
1 Frances Clark, Questions and Answers; Practical Advice for Piano Teachers (Kingston, NJ: The Frances Clark Center for Keyboard Pedagogy, 1992), 16.
2 Elvina Pearce, The Success Factor in Piano Teaching: Making Practice Perfect (Kingston, NJ: The Frances Clark Center for Keyboard Pedagogy, 2014), 17.
We would like to thank Kay S. Hooper for this insightful article about body mapping. To read the full article, click here.
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 place where you pointed. Most people point to the spot marked A, which they call the shoulder. If you did this, you are in good company.
However, this company is off the mark. The first joint of the arm is at C, the place where the collarbone (clavicle) meets the breastbone (sternum.) This joint is named the sterno-clavicular (S-C) joint because it is the meeting place of these bones. You can see this joint in Figure 2.
To find this joint, place the second finger of your right hand in the hollow at the top of the breastbone. Now move it toward the left in a slightly downward direction. You can feel a bone meeting the breastbone with a joint that may feel like a small crack. Keep your finger on this joint and move your left arm. What movement do you feel under your finger? Now freeze this joint and move your left arm. Does your arm move easily? Does it move at all?
If you’ve never had a Body Mapping experience before, you just had your first lesson. Body Mapping is the process of clarifying structures designed for movement.
If you encountered confusion about the first joint of the arm, the Body Mapping process of exploring joint movements and studying accurate images will help you correct this confusion.
When William Conable was teaching a class in Alexander Technique at The Ohio State University, he helped students find natural coordination through this hands-on process. Unfortunately, when they returned to practicing with their established patterns, they lost the ease of movement they had experienced during class, and he wondered why this was happening. Through keen observation and query, he discovered that they were moving according to misunderstandings about their structures. These misunderstandings are called “mismappings.” When these confusions were corrected, their movements improved.
We hope you enjoyed this excerpt from Kay S. Hooper’s article on body mapping. You can read the entire article by clicking here.
We would like to thank Marvin Blickenstaff for this article about the benefits of The Piano Conference: NCKP. Want to learn more about The Piano Conference: NCKP 2025? Click here to read about next year’s conference and submit a proposal. Want to hear more from Marvin Blickenstaff? Join our book club beginning September 10, 2024! Learn more and register here.
Marvin Blickenstaff at NCKP 2019.
If memory serves me correctly, I have attended every NCKP since its founding by Richard Chronister some 25 years ago. The memories of those conferences remain vivid in my mind, and I am a better piano teacher for having attended those events. The presentations have been informative and inspiring. The performances have been spine-tingling. And the teaching demonstrations have changed my teaching in many ways. I am confident that those who have attended would agree that NCKP is the best of its kind.
Every piano teacher who can possibly manage to attend this summer’s outstanding program should do so. The variety of sessions offers something for everyone, whether you are a teacher just beginning your career or are a seasoned professional. We all need the stimulation of meeting with like-minded professionals, hearing inspiring performances, learning from the best in our field, and having our horizons widened through outstanding lecture presentations. We often feel isolated in our own studios, and NCKP offers the opportunity to dialogue with teachers from around the country and profit from that professional connection.
I guarantee that you will find your time at NCKP well worth the effort. You will come away from the conference with a new perspective on the importance of your role in the lives of your students. You will approach your teaching with renewed vigor and ideas on how to improve your work with your students. You will be inspired by the performances you hear and the information gleaned from the lecture presentations. You will learn!
A bit of advice: attend each session with equipment for taking notes. There will be so much information shared that you cannot retain it all in your memory. Take notes. You need those notes to remind you of what you have experienced. A Conference Proceedings will be published, but your notes are the most important documentation of what you have experienced.
I look forward to seeing you this summer at NCKP in Chicago. You’ll find me sitting in the front row (with my pen and notepad!)
I guarantee that you will find your time at NCKP well worth the effort. You will come away from the conference with a new perspective on the importance of your role in the lives of your students.
