Guide to Contemporary Educational Piano Composer Websites

Several times now I’ve heard Dennis Alexander mention his personal website and how few teachers seem to know it exists. And several times now I’ve forgotten about it! So I decided that maybe if I make a point of writing about it, I’ll be more inclined to remember it. And while I was at it, I thought it could be helpful to compile a list of a few of my other favorite contemporary composers and their personal websites. Mr. Alexander’s website is such a fabulous resource where you can search for any of his compositions and find video recordings of him playing nearly everything he’s ever composed and published over the last four decades. And how much better to be able to send students here to listen to the composer himself playing his works rather than searching through whatever happens to be available on YouTube!

Husband and wife team Randall and Nancy Faber have authored over 300 piano books! To gain access to all of their content, you have to subscribe to the Teacher Atlas, but their free website gives you access to all kinds of information about their Piano Adventures method, numerous articles, and dozens of instructional videos. Piano Adventures is the method I used the most for many years prior to the publication of Piano Safari, and I still love much of their approach and their music.

Helen Marlais has been the presenter at some of my favorite workshops over the years (I’m honestly not sure if she even does any composing herself, but she has compiled many piano collections and presented hundreds of pedagogical workshops!). She has an engaging, energetic style, and is always chock-full of practical ideas that you can use right away with your piano students. Her website (which I just discovered!) features access to over 1,000 free pedagogical and teaching videos! You can easily search by title, specific book, or by pedagogical category when looking for a video to watch. Wow, I could “attend” a Helen Marlais workshop every month for the next 83 years…!

I wasn’t quite sure how to categorize this, but I couldn’t neglect to include the Piano Safari website because it is such a treasure trove of wonderful music and invaluable resources for piano teachers. Katherine Fisher and Julie Knerr Hague are the authors of the method, but the website now includes a number of other composers as well. Most recently I was delighted to discover the work of Charles Stier via his clever and fun book, Kitchen Suite. But the section not-to-be-missed on the website is the area devoted to Teacher Resources where you can practically acquire a whole piano pedagogy education reading the guides and mini essays that Katherine and Julie have written. If you have time over the summer, I highly recommend immersing yourself in these pages; it will undoubtedly contribute to your growth as a piano teacher!

Wendy Stevens (who happens to be one of my local colleagues!) has a website with a rapidly growing collection of piano music for kids, teens, and adults, along with various other educational resources to help piano teachers in their businesses and teaching. I purchased many of her compositions when they were still available as printed sheet music and I love her focus on creating music that sounds more mature and difficult than it is to learn. Many of her pieces also lend themselves well to rote teaching and learning, which has become an integral part of my teaching over the years. Wendy also frequently offers webinars highlighting her newest compositions and how to use them effectively with students.