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On Wednesday, July 23rd from 8:00-10:00pm, The Piano Conference: NCKP 2025 will present the 2025 Celebration Concert featuring pianists Rochelle Sennet, Connor Chee, Alexa Stier, Carol Leone, Derek Hartman, Artina McCain, Spencer Myer, Susanna Garcia, and William Chapman Nyaho. In celebration, we are sharing this excerpt from Artina McCain’s appearance on the Piano Inspires Podcast. ...

BEGINNING: Five-finger patterns & simple rhythms 1 EASY: Scales & simple syncopation 2 INTERMEDIATE: Beginning counterpoint & complex rhythms, Bach notebooks, Bartók Mikrokosmos I–II 3 LATE-INTERMEDIATE: Technical & rhythmic sophistication, Bach Inventions, Bartók Romanian Folk Dances 4 DIFFICULT: For competent pianists, Mozart sonatas, Brahms Rhapsody, Op. 79, No. 2 5 VERY DIFFICULT: For advanced pianists, ...

During The Piano Conference: NCKP 2025, Barbara Fast, Susanna Garcia, Gary Ingle, William Chapman Nyaho, and Craig Sale will be honored by the Frances Clark Center for a lifetime of achievement and service to music. The individuals in this outstanding group are leaders and innovators who have been committed to improving piano teaching and learning, ...

Who Are Adult Avocational Learners? There are many types of piano students, each with unique needs and motivations, but one group that is not always addressed in traditional music education settings is adult learners pursuing piano for personal fulfillment. Adult avocational piano students refer to individuals who pursue piano playing as a hobby or recreational ...

As teachers, we often find that students’ independent practice overlooks or even exacerbates problems that complicate their progress. Most students need guidance during their practice time, when teachers are not around to help. Because playing piano requires engaging with several elements at once, it takes mental intention to internalize the necessary components that need strengthening. ...

“Evening Intermezzo” exists within the tradition of the elaborated chorale such as those used by Frédéric Chopin or J. S. Bach. Jeanine Yeager’s use of lush harmonies, colorful shifts in tone, and liberal use of pedal entices the ear and allows students to develop a great sense of touch and expression through the dramatic push ...

Most of us practice using a blocked practice method: we work on one thing for a large block of time before moving on to something else. We typically don’t revisit that piece or passage again until the next day because we’ve done our practice on it for the day. In contrast to blocked practice, interleaved ...