Snapchats was originally a collection of short piano duets which was published a few years ago. This volume has now been republished and updated, with the inclusion of extra duets and some trios too; it’s most definitely bigger and better than ever! Snapchats are intended for students from late beginner standard to approximately Grade 3…
Tag: Piano Teaching
Fruitful Fingering Part 2
This is the second article in my series for Piano Professional Magazine, published by EPTA (of the European Piano Teachers Association): a teacher’s publication, for which I currently write the technique feature. You can read the first article by clicking here, and in Part 2, I look at different methods of applying certain fingerings, offering…
Are you all Fingers and Thumbs?
My most recent article for Pianist Magazine’s e-newsletter focuses on the thumb. As always, my intention is to draw attention to an area of piano playing which may benefit from concentrated practice. I notice in my own teaching that students perpetually work to achieve and maintain finger strength, but then leave the poor old thumb…
The Inception and Development of PIANO WEEK: Samantha Ward
Today’s guest blog post has been written by British pianist Samantha Ward. Samantha is artistic director and founder of PIANO WEEK, a popular piano Summer school and festival intended for students of all ages to study the piano. This opportunity is available in various locations around the world. I was keen to ask her about…
Josef and Rosina Lhévinne and the Russian Piano School
Josef and Rosina Lhévinne were a formidable partnership in the piano world. Both renowned teachers, Josef toured and gave many solo recitals. He also performed two piano concerts with his wife. Rosina became a celebrated teacher at the Juilliard School in New York. The film linked here gives a real insight into the Lhévinne method…
Presenting at a Piano Pedagogy Conference
Until last week, I had attended only one piano pedagogy conference and I had never participated in such an event. After a successful trip to the Far East over the Summer, where I gave three weeks of classes, lectures and workshops, I was invited to present at the UCSI University Piano Pedagogy Conference, held every…
A few thoughts on piano teaching in Singapore & Malaysia
I spent an energising and inspiring Summer period away from home this year. For me, this was the perfect way to enjoy a substantial break from my conventional teaching and writing. After working trips to the US (New York) and Germany (Gelsenkirchen), I savoured a relaxing, short holiday in Devon (South West of the UK)…
PIANO WEEK at Rugby School
If you are a regular visitor to piano summer schools but haven’t yet discovered PIANO WEEK, it might be time to explore this rapidly expanding piano course and festival. With seven international residencies during 2017, you will certainly be spoiled for choice. Established by pianist Samantha Ward, this impressive touring piano festival and summer school…
Play it again: PIANO Book 1
About the Series My four-book piano course, Play it again: PIANO has been written with the ‘returner’ in mind. Book 1 takes pianists back to Grade 1 level of the British music examination board standard. The entire course consists of 97 piano pieces from the Prep Book through to Book 3. Most pieces are drawn…
A few thoughts on demonstration
Interviews with great pianists are always interesting, and this I know first hand, after speaking to forty concert pianists in my series Classical Conversations, but one particularly fascinating interview popped into my timeline recently. Russian pianist Evgeny Kissin spoke to Frederic Gaussin about his life and work. Detailed, in-depth and searingly honest, Kissin reveals his…
It’s all in the Preparation 2: 5 Top Tips
Last week I offered a few tips for those about to prepare a new piano piece. These tips were primarily concerned with pre-practice elements (you can read them here), and today’s post proffers a few more ideas which I hope may be of interest. Once you’ve marked up your score and have studied its structure, it’s time to get practising….
Ten Top Tips for Effective Memorisation: The Memory Game
This post comprises the first article I wrote for the Piano Professional Magazine (Autumn 2013 edition, Pg. 22-24), which is published by EPTA or the European Piano Teaching Association. I hope these suggestions and ideas might be useful to those studying for their diplomas or teaching memorisation to students. There is a helpful PDF download at the…