You suggest teaching by rote, and your website lists “24 Piano Pieces Perfect for Rote Teaching”. I certainly appreciate that you took the time to develop this list. But I don’t get it. Why teach by rote? How does learning a piece by rote develop skills necessary to aid in learning the next piece of […]
Teaching
Watch The Cliburn: 50 Years of Gold
One of the first classical music CDs I fell in love with was the album The World’s Favorite Piano Music by Van Cliburn. Ever since then I’ve had a special place in my heart for his music and other musical endeavors. I was excited to learn the other day that there is a documentary of […]
Monday Mailbag – Teaching Reading and Rhythm Skills to Students Who Already Play at an Intermediate Level
What kind of approach do you use for older transfer students who have trouble with reading and rhythm, without hurting their self-esteem or making them feel incompetent? I have one 12-year old transfer student who had been taught how to play the piano by rote, though he plays at an intermediate level. I was surprised […]
I Passed the Good Teacher Test…
Last year some of you may remember that I reviewed a piece by Wendy Stevens called Tangy Tango and royally bombed as a teacher in preparing my student to play it well. Ever since then, I’ve been determined to try again with a another student to see if I could pass my own self-imposed good-teacher-or-bad-teacher […]
It’s Beginning to Sound a Lot Like Christmas
It’s that time of year again when I empty my Christmas music file drawer and spend hours trying to find just the right piece of repertoire for every student. I really enjoy the challenge of considering what each student will enjoy the most and trying to create an interesting program for all those attending. The […]
Monday Mailbag – Using Games to Teach Piano Technique
I am a student teacher and would like some tips on teaching technique via games. I have a 7-year-old student who is struggling with “keeping fingertips tall” and “keeping a rounded hand shape”. I find technique drills are not working and I hate to make technique seem like the enemy. Do you have any games […]
