One of my favorite things about teaching piano is playing through new repertoire to find just the right selections that will ignite each student’s interest and imagination. It’s especially fun to discover a new or lesser-known composer whose music is fresh and engaging! That’s why I jumped at the chance to review William Minter’s inaugural […]
Giveaway of Little Gems for Piano Primer Level
Last week I posted about Little Gems for Piano: Recital and Rote Pieces for the Primary Stage. Author Paula Dreyer has kindly offered to giveaway one copy of this fabulous book to a special Music Matters Blog reader! All you have to do is leave a comment below to be entered in the drawing to […]
September Surprise – Always a Favorite!
This past week marked our annual September Surprise! – the kickoff to our studio year, named so because the students all surprise me by playing any piece of their choice. It’s always fun to hear what they’ve continued playing through the summer or what new pieces they’ve learned on their own. Here are a few […]
How Playing a Musical Instrument Benefits Your Brain
I enjoyed this engaging TEDEd animated video about How Playing an Instrument Benefits Your Brain. Info that we music teachers have heard before, but it’s always a great reminder – and always worth sharing with our studio families and prospective students! ?
A Flower Suite by Alec Rowley
Tucked away in my files I recently discovered an article I had saved from Repertoire section of the January/February 2017 issue of the Clavier Companion magazine. Titled, “A Cheerful and Dependable Flower,” Adrienne Wiley shares about British composer, Alec Rowley’s 1915 piano album, A Little Flower Suite, Op. 10. I’m glad I saved the article […]
Little Gems for Piano – Recital and Rote Pieces for the Primary Stage
Rote teaching of piano pieces has been part of my methodology for quite a few years now (here’s a blog post where I respond to one reader’s question about the point of teaching by rote), so I’m always excited to find new repertoire or even books devoted to including this approach in a rounded music […]
