Even from the beginning, the pieces in most modern piano method books require the student to move around the keyboard quite a bit. Older piano methods (at least, the ones that utilize the Middle C reading approach) require the student to stay around the middle of the piano during the entire first level, or even [...]
Every teacher approaches technique exercises a little bit differently. I usually start teaching students 5-finger patterns (aka pentascales) during the first month or two of study. I start by assigning the C Major 5-finger pattern (5FP) and sometimes G Major along with it. Every week or every-other-week, I add a new 5FP to their list, following the [...]
The next session I attended was Dr. Pete Jutras’ presentation, “The Future of Pedagogy.” I heard him give this presentation about a year ago at the NCKP – click here to read my notes. After that, Dr. Carol Leone talked about “A Strong and Versatile Technique Within Your Student’s Grasp.” I loved the way she [...]
The next session of the OhioMTA conference that I attended was an absolutely fascinating session given by Dr. Carol Leone and David Steinbuhler, entitled: “Increasing Performance Potential: The Reduced Sized Piano Keyboard.” I had heard of reduced sized keyboards before, but never really understood the reasoning behind it or the advantages. I was so intrigued [...]
The next session was called: Understanding the Physiology of Music Performance Through Biofeedback, by Kathleen Riley. Kathleen Riley is a pioneer in using technology she refers to as “biofeedback” to monitor movement and muscles in order to help musicians eliminate pain, tension, or discomfort in their shoulders, arms, backs, etc. She began her session with a [...]
Over the weekend, I attended the 2012 OhioMTA Conference in Columbus, Ohio. It was a great conference, far exceeding my (already high) expectations! We heard some top-notch presenters and performers and I learned so much. I plan to briefly summarize some of the sessions for you over the next few days! The theme of the conference was [...]
Today, I would like to tell you all about the EasyScales Visual Guides, a patent pending product by Jo Tee! Jo Tee is a creative piano teacher from Singapore. Here is how it works:
I don’t know about you, but I’m always on the lookout for creative and inexpensive items for my teaching. The dollar store is one of my favorite places to go! In the craft aisle at Dollar Tree right now, there are packages of foam cubes, as shown in the picture. I’ve always wanted to make [...]
Some of you may remember the Scale & Arpeggio Fingering reference sheet I posted in December of 2010. About a month ago, a friendly reader made some very helpful suggestions for improvement, and so I spent quite a bit of time revising the printable. It’s called “Scale and Arpeggio Fingering for Piano (2 Octaves)” and [...]
It’s been a few weeks since I’ve added a new printable to the Printables page….so here’s one I created a couple of months ago. You can find it on the Printables > Other Resources page. Scale and Arpeggio Fingering (2 Octaves) Reference Sheet (3 pages long) I created this printable with my intermediate/advanced students in [...]
A reader asks for practice tips for learning to bring out the melody in the midst of a series of chords.
This month’s discussion topic: Analogies for Finger/Hand Shape at the Piano How do you teach students how their fingers/hands should look when they play? Do you use any analogies, such as: “pretend you are holding a bubble”? What do you find works, and what doesn’t? Please share your tips! Leave your thoughts in the comments [...]
Joy is a pianist and teacher in Ohio with great passion for helping students experience the wonders of music making!
