Greetings from Melbourne, Australia, where I’m on a book tour. I’ve been intending to publish this post for a while; it’s a recent blog post written for Pianist Magazine’s website focusing on the use of the metronome. Over the years, I have found this device to be extremely helpful in my teaching class and I…
Tag: Piano Lessons
Beyond the Score – The case for reintegrating improvisation and composition into classical piano lessons: Garreth Brooke
Last weekend I published a post highlighting a useful new website called pianocreativity.com. In today’s post, Garreth Brooke, who runs this website, has written his own article introducing his new project and sheds light on the importance of incorporating such an approach for use in piano lessons. One of the curious paradoxes of being a…
A Journey Through Debussy’s Preludes 6: Julian Jacobson
Julian Jacobson’s final post in his Debussy series spotlights the last six preludes from Book 2 in preparation for his recital on June 6th 2024 at the 1901 Arts Club in London. Preludes Book 2 nos. 7-12 And so to the final six Preludes of Debussy’s magnum opus for piano. Having diverted us with a…
A Journey Through Debussy’s Preludes 5: Julian Jacobson
Today’s post is the fifth article in concert pianist and piano professor Julian Jacobson’s insightful series highlighting Debussy’s two books of preludes in preparation for his concert at the 1901 Arts Club in London on June 6th. Preludes Book 2, Nos. 1 – 6 And so to the second book of Debussy’s great, if understated…
Piano Pedagogy Spotlight: Interview Series with Jan Loeffler – Part 3
Today’s post features the third interview with Jan Loeffler who is a pianist and piano professor at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire (UK). In this instalment, Jan offers his thoughts on teaching technique, repertoire, and using the piano exam syllabus. At what approximate age and level do your students begin their musical journey with you? This varies…
Piano Pedagogy Spotlight: Interview Series with Jan Loeffler – Part 2
Today’s post features the second interview with pianist and piano professor Jan Loeffler. You can read the first interview in this series, here. In this instalment, Jan discusses piano pedagogy. When were you first interested in the pedagogical side of the piano profession and when did you begin teaching the piano? Prof. Matthies told me…
Piano Pedagogy Spotlight: Interview Series with Jan Loeffler – Part 1
It gives me great pleasure to introduce a new series on my blog. Pianist and piano professor Jan Loeffler teaches the piano at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire in the UK where he works in both junior and senior schools. A significant number of Jan’s pupils have won awards both domestically and abroad. He reflects on…
World Piano Day 2024: Why play the piano?
A very happy ‘World Piano Day’ to all piano lovers around the world. We celebrate today because it’s the eighty-eighth day of the year, corresponding to the piano’s eighty-eight keys. Piano Day provides the perfect opportunity to evaluate why we play the instrument and what makes it the perfect hobby. In my Facebook group, Adult…
Teaching Observations: Piano Courses For Young Pianists
Over the past few years, several of my younger students have expressed a desire to participate in a summer course, and I’ve always been supportive of what I consider an extremely useful extracurricular activity. Those who have attended have invariably improved their playing, sometimes substantially. The opportunity to play regularly with new or different teachers…
Voicing: 5 Tips
This month’s 5 tips article for Pianist Magazine’s website focuses on voicing. This is a vital role in piano playing and will determine a pianist’s artistry and musical phrasing. I hope the following ideas are beneficial. Voicing, or the highlighting of various musical lines or strands of music, plays a crucial role in good piano…
Teaching Observations: A few thoughts about piano competitions
I’m fortunate to enjoy most aspects of my work. I hesitate to say ‘job’ as being a musician is so much more than that. It’s most definitely a vocation. As expected with any type of work, some parts of my ‘job’ are more interesting than others. Adjudicating, or judging piano competitions, is a favourite element…
The Mature Pianist: Interview
I was recently interviewed about the value and benefit of learning the piano later in life. Many students play as children taking up the hobby again years later, whilst others learn from scratch. Is it a good idea? Can you succeed as an adult learner? Is anyone ever too old to play the piano? Here…