If you’ve been around here for a while, you know that I’m a huge proponent of using rote teaching with all of my students. Here are a few favorite pieces from this fall: How do you get an energetic 8-year old boy who wants to play everything lightning fast to appreciate playing beautiful musical sounds […]
Repertoire Suggestions
Review of Color Suites Piano Solos by Starr Meneely
A delightful book of piano solos called Color Suites (or Colour if you’re in the UK!) by Starr Meneely made it to my studio this week, and I have thoroughly enjoyed playing through it! Starr lives in the UK and has been teaching piano for 27 years. In addition to this new collection she has […]
Review of Jakub Metelka’s Piano Books
Whenever I’m considering new music for my piano students, there is one important test that a piece must pass. I must like it. If I play through it and don’t like it, it’s a definite pass. If I play through it and feel indifferent, it gets set to the side. But if I play through […]
Providing Helpful Boundaries for Improvisation
Again drawing on inspiration from my friend Agnieszka Lasko (author of the First Class Piano method!) and her fabulous ideas regarding improvising at the piano, I set out to help one of my students become more comfortable trying his own improvisation. He has a great ear for music and some definite natural talent, but he […]
A Sneak Peek at this Year’s Piano Camp!
One of our highlights every summer is Piano Expeditions piano camp! I’ve done piano camps in my studio for years, but four years ago I decided to specifically start offering piano camps for children who weren’t taking private lessons, but still wanted a fun and educational music camp opportunity. Each Piano Expeditions curriculum features a […]
Piano Music for Left Hand
One of my students started experiencing inflammation in her right forearm at the end of last semester due to extensive note-taking in some college classes. So we launched into this semester with the need to give her right arm a break. We determined it was the perfect opportunity to explore left hand only repertoire! I […]
