Tag Archives: Practice Tips
Every truly cultured music student knows…
… You must learn your scales and your arpeggios. And how to make the learning of those scales and arpeggios less of a drudgery? I have a list – first posted in April 2011 – of a few creative ways … Continue reading
Posted in General, Inspirational, Piano pedagogy, Practice Tips, Technic
Tagged arpeggios, piano practice, Piano teaching, Piano Technique, Practice Tips, scales
3 Comments
Thoughts on Practice*
A few thoughts on practicing from an article in the Wall Street Journal – an article that applies practice as musicians and athletes know it to other areas. Italicized comments are my own thoughts. “Practice lets us execute a task … Continue reading
Posted in Inspirational, Piano pedagogy, Practice Tips
Tagged mary gae george, piano practice, Practice Tips
2 Comments
Yes. I’m doing the right thing.
Big internal struggle. Did I push them too hard? Were the lessons so exhausting that they’re going to lose some of the enjoyment of music? Two lessons last night – an hour each – both are good students who have … Continue reading
Posted in Piano pedagogy, Practice Tips, Quotes
Tagged Pianist, Piano Lessons, Piano pedagogy, piano practice, piano teachers, Practice Tips
10 Comments
The soul of the piano
Oh the gaps! It was one of those moments. I was reading a book on pedal technique and a 150-Watt light bulb came on. How could I not have known? I knew that pedal was more than just a means … Continue reading
Posted in Books about Music, Performance, Piano pedagogy, Practice Tips
Tagged pedaling, Piano pedagogy, Piano pedal, Piano Performance, Practice Tips
2 Comments
Small Hands
I’m no expert on this topic. My hands, while not large, are not so small that I can’t get around a lot of stuff (I can reach a 9th comfortably enough). I do somehow end up with a lot of … Continue reading
Learning WAY beyond his level
A 14-year-old student brought a copy of Chopin’s Nocturne Opus 9 #2 to the lesson last week and asked if he could learn it. He said he was prepared and willing to take the whole year. You’ll have surmised by … Continue reading
Jaws and Trills
Friday night, with my daughter, I watched Jaws for the first time in my life. It came out when I was in my teens and simply everybody went to see it – standing in line-ups that went around the block … Continue reading
Posted in Piano pedagogy, Practice Tips, Technic, Theory
Tagged Finger exercises, Mozart, Music Humour, Piano pedagogy, Practice Tips, Rhythm Drills, Theory, trill exercise
2 Comments
Sheer Repetition
Practice is the art of rehearsing a behavoir over and over, or engaging in an activity again and again, for the purpose of improving or mastering it… (Wikipedia) Repetition in practice has gotten a bit of a bad rap lately. … Continue reading
Advanced Technique Workshop
The idea of practicing technique gets a bad rap. So why do it? In Canada, where we have a firmly entrenched exam system with required technical elements, the main reason seems to be to pass that component. We might acknowledge … Continue reading
Posted in Piano pedagogy, Technic
Tagged Boris Berlin, Finger exercises, Piano Technique, Practice Tips, RCM exams
1 Comment
Helpful Hints
Published in 1949, nothing has changed. I’m not sure where this is from; it appeared online. You have to love the illustrations!
Wisdom from a Workshop
Under the category “What you assume your students know,” we can add the key and time signatures of their pieces, without looking at the score. Shocking – but true, even for some advanced students! Just try it with your students. … Continue reading
Posted in CFMTA 2011, Piano pedagogy, Practice Tips
Tagged Piano method books, Piano pedagogy, Practice Tips
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