Tag: conferences

Thursday, 2013 July 25 – Keynote Address: Franz Liszt as the Culteral Ambassador of the 19th Century, by Alan Walker

Franz Liszt was a pianist, composer, organizer of events, and also cultural ambassador for his country. As a pianist, he created the recital. As a conductor, he create a series of gestures and body movements still used today. As a teacher, he created the master class. As a composer, he created new forms. And he truly was an ambassador of his time.

Being an ambassador is not easy. An ambassador is someone who thinks twice before saying nothing!

If he had not been a musician, Liszt could have been the first diplomat of Europe. Continue reading “NCKP 2013 (7) – Keynote Address: Franz Liszt as the Culteral Ambassador of the 19th Century, by Alan Walker” →

Wednesday – Holistic Learning: Integrating the Mind, Body, and Spirit of the Music you are Teaching or Learning, by Immanuela Gruenberg

We all are efficient in practice when there is a deadline looming. How can we be that efficient all the time?

Holistic learning means treating the mind, body, and spirit as interdependent even from the beginning.

Most Common Mistakes:

#1. Students learn from the bottom up – from the details first instead of the big picture. That means you don’t know where you are going. You must need to know the clear goal in order to make a specific plan. Continue reading “NCKP 2013 (6) – Holistic Learning by Immanuela Gruenberg” →

Wednesday – The Technique Behind Intermediate Repertoire: Laying the Groundwork, Nancy Bachus

Nancy Bachus covered a variety of technique concepts and how to teach them in her session.

Physical Aspects of Technique:
Position of the body – shoulders down and relaxed; Forearms level with the keyboard, Feet flat and planted.

Hands and fingers – natural curve, strong nail joint (Schnabel quote). Lay arm flat, bring the fingers back. Hang fingers on edge of wood before keyboard.

Hand needs an arch. It connects the fingers with the thumb.
Continue reading “NCKP 2013 (5) – The Technique Behind Intermediate Repertoire, by Nancy Bachus” →

Wednesday – Developing a Curriculum for the Intermediate Transfer Student by Jane Magrath

There is so much to choose from – How do we choose curriculum?

“Curriculum” comes from the Latin for “a course for racing.”

Objectives:
Teach what you know. If you don’t do jazz, let the student get a jazz teacher!
We can’t do everything at once. Start with what you teach well.
The idea of leveling is so important. The levels are just a frame of reference – not a definite order.

Finding a student level:
Step 1: Ask the student to sight read only one or two lines of three pieces from a leveled literature series. Help the student find the tempo and counting at the beginning. Test the student by switching books to other levels and evaluate. Find the student’s sight reading level.
Step 2: Assign literature for study that is about 2 levels higher than their reading level.
Continue reading “NCKP 2013 (4) – Developing a Curriculum for the Intermediate Transfer Student, by Jane Magrath” →

Wednesday – Conducting the Transfer Student Interview
Panel discussion with Linda Fields, Immanuela Gruenberg, David Husser, Gail Lew, Elissa Milne, and Arlene Steffen

Could the interview be this simple as two questions: Whise idea was this, and will you practice every day?

Types of transfer students: Those who are moving geographically; becoming dissatisfied with the current teaching; the teacher retires or passes away; or student takes a break for a number of months/years and wishes to begin again.

An interview involves meeting the student and the parent, and for them to try things out with the teacher as well. The “interview” is an awfully formal term – an “exploration” is perhaps a better word. Observe the interaction between student and parent.

How do you use the time during the interview? Before the interview, try to collect the information you can. Try to talk to the student and parent. Have the student play and sight read. Evaluate in potential of younger students – such as their ears or senses of rhythm. With older students, you evaluate knowledge, motivation, and playing. Observe student’s body in interaction with the instrument. Teachers should also observe visual processing, aural processing, etc. Test reading skills and aural abilities.
Continue reading “NCKP 2013 (3) – Conducting the Transfer Student Interview” →

W July 24 @ 3pm – The Beauty And The Beast In The Piano Studio, by Marvin Blickenstaff

Mr. Blickenstaff began by playing the beautiful Schumann Romance. Then he stated that beautiful music has the power to change human beings.

Marvin was almost a piano dropout in the 7th grade. He was bored and his mother decided to have him take from Fern Davidson – great teacher in Idaho. At her 100th birthday, over 900 people showed up at her birthday concert! Fern gave all of them the gift of beautiful music. Notice the phrase is not fast fingers, theoretical analysis, etc.. Beautiful music makes beautiful souls. Piano study is about increasing a sensitivity to the beautiful. Our lives are momentarily changed by beautiful sounds. The human being needs beauty.

We are here in the name of teaching beauty. It is the longest lasting gift we can give our students. It should be our focus. Continue reading “NCKP 2013 (2) – The Beauty And The Beast In The Piano Studio, by Marvin Blickenstaff” →

I am excited to be here at the 2013 NCKP! I am going to try to live blog some of my notes through-out the week, Natalie Wickham style. ;). Check back soon for updates.

W July 24 @ 2pm – Keynote Address: Service by Dr. Scott Price

Dr. Price began by showing video of one of his special needs students, Margaret, singing and playing the folk song “Oh Susannah.” It was a heartwarming video!

Dr. Price then asked: Is Margaret going to win competitions, scholarships, piano camps? No. But she can play folk songs and sing with family and friends. This video shows what we do every day as teachers: we serve.
Continue reading “NCKP 2013 (1) – Keynote Address: Service by Dr. Scott Price” →

The 2013 NCKP is only about 2 weeks away!  The sessions on the schedule look fantastic as usual, and I am looking forward to connecting with friends and colleagues.  Do you plan to attend the NCKP?

Wendy Stevens from the ComposeCreate blog is holding a dinner meet-up during the conference.  I’m sure many of you are already familiar with Wendy’s blog (I love her rhythm resource, Rhythm Menagerie!), but if you aren’t, you should go check it out!

I plan to attend Wendy’s meet-up, and Wendy has graciously agreed to allow me to invite additional guests to her event.  I would love to see you there!

Here are the details:

• Wendy’s meet-up will be Thursday, July 25 at 6:15pm at the Brio Italian Restaurant.  Brio is located 1/2 mile from the conference hotel.  You can walk there or take the conference hotel’s shuttle.
• The restaurant has kindly agreed to allow everyone to pay via separate checks (with gratuity included), but you must submit your dinner order in advance.  You can take a peek at the menu here.  Please email your dinner order to Wendy by July 20 at the latest.  It would be helpful if you could let her know you are coming as soon as possible.
• Read more about Wendy’s meet-up here, and then send her an email here.

I hope to see you there!

Are you planning to attend NCKP this summer?

(Read why I love about attending conferences such as the NCKP here.)

Don’t forget that the deadline for early bird registration is Monday!  You’ll save at least $50 by registering early.

I’m all registered and am super excited about attending.  I’d love to meet up with any of you who are planning to attend NCKP this summer — let me know!  🙂