Tag Archives: Sight Reading

30 seconds of terror

Posted on May 1, 2013 by

Time to Sight-Read on the exam. And get an easy 10 marks. Or not. You get about 30 seconds to look over the piece before starting. And once you start, you Just Don’t Stop. Forget about showing the examiner (or … Continue reading →

Posted in Piano pedagogy, Sight Reading, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Talent in the Real World

Posted on November 22, 2012 by

If you or your student or anyone else you know is considering music as a profession, there are a number of good websites that give solid advice. Some are geared more to rock/pop/indie music; some are applicable to pretty much … Continue reading →

Posted in Business of Teaching, General | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Brain Goals

Posted on October 17, 2012 by

This is your Brain… on Music.  Our studio incentive program for this year is off to a fine (well, slow – my fault) start this year. I have FINALLY got the pages in everyone’s binder. I printed this on 2 … Continue reading →

Posted in Incentive Programs, Inspirational, Method Books, Performance Classes, Piano pedagogy, Rhythm | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

It’s all about the brain

Posted on August 27, 2012 by

After looking at numerous incentive programs, and rejecting many because they’re more complicated than I’d like them to be, I’ve decided to use Jennifer Fink’s This is Your Brain… on Music! (Pianimation) I like this because : (1) It’s easy. It’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Incentive Programs, Piano pedagogy, Sight Reading, Studio News | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

The big gun

Posted on July 17, 2012 by

Week 3 of the summer teaching schedule. Week 3 of the intense “let’s improve your reading” campaign with one of my early advanced students – blogged about here. Two weeks ago, in addition to what I blogged about I sent … Continue reading →

Posted in Piano pedagogy, Practice Tips, Sight Reading, Studio News, Technic, Theory | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Burgmuller – Opus 105

Posted on July 10, 2012 by

Love it when I catch myself making the same mistakes that I bag at my students about! It keeps me grounded, and human, and laughing. Sight-reading my way through the “B”s I played through my collection of Burgmüller today – … Continue reading →

Posted in Sight Reading A to Z, Technic | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Back on the bench again

Posted on July 3, 2012 by

My summer (July) teaching schedule is very light – a half-day a week. Two good piano students in the morning and two good theory students in the afternoon. The summer goal for one of the piano students: to improve her … Continue reading →

Posted in Piano pedagogy, Sight Reading | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Bach, Bartok, Brahms, Bortkewicz, Burgmuller, Busoni, Buxtehude

Posted on June 6, 2012 by

Having completed all the As in my stash of unread music (one volume, 5 pieces of Albeniz), it’s time to move on the the Bs. This will take me a while. I’ve already sight-read through or performed or taught a … Continue reading →

Posted in Bach, Beethoven, Sight Reading A to Z, Studio News, Technic | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Sight Reading A to Z

Posted on May 31, 2012 by

Not a how-to list with 26 points on how to be a better sight-reader, but a decision on what to tackle next. The plan is to read through all the composer books (as opposed to the teaching rep and graded … Continue reading →

Posted in Sight Reading A to Z | Tagged | 1 Comment

Drill the skills

Posted on May 27, 2012 by

This is kind of a follow-up to the previous post on the value of repetition in practicing. An article in a March issue of Maclean’s magazine, titled  “Why is it your job to teach your kid math?” discusses recent learning … Continue reading →

Posted in Piano pedagogy, Sight Reading | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Musings on Chopin: It’s a Wrap.

Posted on May 14, 2012 by

And there we have it. I’ve sight-read through most of Chopin’s solo piano music – all the Preludes, Etudes, Nocturnes, Waltzes, Ballades, Impromptus, Mazurkas and a few miscellaneous pieces (notably absent – the Polonaises and Sonatas). Definite favourites have emerged … Continue reading →

Posted in Musings about Chopin, Sight Reading | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Inspiration for Teaching

Posted on April 4, 2012 by

The best inspiration for an afternoon and evening of teaching piano lessons is an hour spent  playing the piano – relishing the sounds and marveling at the creativity and imagination of the great composers. Sometimes that hour can be a … Continue reading →

Posted in General, Inspirational, Musings about Chopin | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment