Over the past few years, I have been fortunate to be a jury member at several international piano competitions. Most of these have been online, which, thanks to the pandemic, has started a new ‘trend’. There are clearly some disadvantages to hearing young pianists perform in this situation regarding sound and instrument quality, but, generally,…
Tag: Piano Teachers
Chord Playing and Improvising 4: Christopher Norton
This is the fourth article in renowned composer Christopher Norton’s series for my blog. In this post, he offers tips and suggestions for practising chords and improvisation, and the article includes a free download of ‘Positively Swinging’, a piece which hails from the fourth volume of Chris’ ever-popular piano series, Connections. Connections for Piano has…
My Notebooks – A Personal Journey: Angeline Bell
Regular readers of this blog will know that I enjoy publishing guest posts. Today’s writer is composer and piano teacher Angeline Bell. Angeline has recently published two new volumes of piano music with Editions Musica Ferrum, and, in this article, she takes us on her journey as a composer. Scroll to the end of the…
Teaching Observations: Those Pesky Photocopies
Today’s post heralds the start of a new series on my blog: Teaching Observations. These posts will include random teaching related topics which might be of interest to other teachers, students, or piano lovers. I hear and work with a wide variety of piano students. They are both in the UK and abroad. Some are…
Teaching Through Composition – First steps in Harmony at Grade One Level: Jeni Warder
I’m delighted to welcome back Jeni Warder, who is the founder and director of Keys Piano School in Bolton near Manchester. Jeni is a passionate piano and composition teacher and in this post she explores teaching Grade 1 composition; there is also a downloadble free resource at the bottom of the post so that you…
Middle Eastern Odyssey
I’ve wanted to work in the Middle East for a while and have been busy hatching a suitable plan to present my books and workshops to teachers and students. Most countries in this part of the world are not known for their love of Western music education and it’s this relative indifference that caught my…
Preparing a new piano piece – Part 2
Today’s article featured in Pianist Magazine’s most recent newsletter. It focuses on basic practice suggestions and ideas for when learning a new piece. This article is part 2 of the process and you can read the Part 1, here. In my last article, Preparing A New Piece – 5 Tips Part 1, I offered several…
The Lightbulb Moment: Why Piano Lessons Could be the Perfect Gift for Adults – Jeni Warder
As we approach that time of year where gifts and ‘present lists’ for our nearest and dearest come into sharp focus, piano teacher and founder of Keys Piano School Jeni Warder offers some excellent reasons why the gift of music is the ultimate choice. In my house, December traditions don’t include hot chocolate and movie…
5 tips on preparing a new piano piece: Part 1
In the latest Pianist Magazine Newsletter, I focus on preparing a new piano piece. This is a three-part series. Part 1 looks at the periphery and early stages of preparing your piece. When learning a new piece, there are so many considerations. How will you start? Do you like to listen to several performances? Or…
Chord Playing and Improvising 3: Christopher Norton
I welcome back world-renowned composer Christopher Norton to my blog. Chris is contributing a series of guest articles, each one offering a free download of one of his piano pieces, as well as plenty of practice tips, suggestions and advice. ‘A Gentle Touch’, an early intermediate level piece, is number three in the series and…
Music Teacher Associations & Webinar Events
Piano teachers tend to sit in a room all day. As one student leaves another appears and this repetitive cycle can go on for hour after hour. Some are happy with this status quo. Others admit to feeling isolated and ‘lonely’ during the working week. Many teachers work all day on a Saturday, too, leading…
5 Tips For Breath Control
My latest article for Pianist Magazine’s newsletter focuses on breath control. I hope you find it of interest. Breath control. It might be a topic more closely associated with singing than piano playing, but developing secure breath control can by a most helpful asset, especially for those who regularly perform. Once this useful skill has…