When I was in my early teens, I distinctly remember wishing that I knew how to improvise so that I wasn’t stuck playing only what was printed on the page. But I had no idea how or where to start. In particular, I saw people playing from a hymnal, but adding all sorts of cool […]
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A Revolutionary View of Dynamics
Okay, so maybe the term “revolutionary” is a bit over-the-top, but not by much. My whole understanding of dynamics was altered recently as I sat in on my brother’s cello lesson. His teacher explained that in each piece, my brother should utilize the full dynamic range of the instrument, executing each dynamic marking in relation […]
Monday Mailbag – Quick Easy Games to Start Off the Lesson
In reference to this post, one reader asks, “Do you have other ideas for the above listed categories that you put on popsicle sticks? What do you usually have ready to use?” There are tons of possibilities, but I’ll just give you one example for each category: 1. Chords – Hold a Chord Spelling Bee! […]
Around the Blogosphere
Wow, the whole week just passed me by! I spent a good deal of time this week fighting with one of my websites – a most unpleasant use of time, but I’m happy to report that after some prayer, digging through the open source forum, and tweaking some code, I have emerged the victor! 🙂 […]
Monday Mailbag – Best Age Student for a Beginning Teacher
What age range do you think might be best for a beginning teacher? Or maybe I should rephrase that as, “Are there certain ages which you find significantly more challenging to instruct than other ages?” This one really made me think! There is a common misconception that it is less critical to have a good/professional/experienced, […]
Short Pictorial and Musical History of the Piano
One of the ladies on our committee for the planning of a piano festival next spring sent me the link to this short clip with pictures and music documenting the “Parentage of the Piano.” I actually got to see some of these instruments in person this summer when I visited the National Music Museum in […]
