The Music Machine (The Piano Is)
One of the sweetest gifts a student gave me years ago was a poem she had a written for an English class titled "The Music Machine." It...
Learning To Play Songs, or To Be a Musician?
Learning by rote versus learning musical skills such as reading music, technical skills, understanding styles.
Take Your Foot Off That Pedal!!!
You know the driver that "puts the pedal to the metal" all the time? Never slows down, does not know what a brake is? Eventually that...
Gardening Students
Last summer I moved to a different house, leaving behind a wildflower garden, roses, hostas, rose of sharons, and many other plants that...
My "Practice" Story
At the age of eight, I started piano lessons with great enthusiasm. My parents had an old upright cabinet grand (I am talking HUGE)...
Should You MAKE Your Child Practice?
I met a very successful doctor at a party who said to me, when he discovered I teach piano, "I don't believe in MAKING my children do...
The Battle of the Boards
Keyboards, that is. Or more specifically, keyboards versus acoustic pianos. "What should I buy when I take piano lessons?" I have been...
Your Thumb Is NOT a Thumb!
It is a FINGER! And pianists must learn to use it that way! As a college student, I had to unlearn years of bad habits in using my thumb....
Inspiration for Composition
Years ago, I read an interesting article about the Hopi and their music. Music, historically and universally has had a close connection...
Learning by ear or by rote?
In my last post, I discussed playing by ear versus playing by test. This post is the difference between learning by ear or by rote....
