Nothing but Net

darts

Sorry it’s been awhile, but the semester’s recitals are over, so let the writing resume!  Let’s talk about accuracy:

Let’s face it, accurate playing is important.  And let’s be honest, when we tell students “the audience didn’t notice,” we’re lying.  Big time.  Audiences DO notice!  They might not recognize that a particular note . . . → Read More: Nothing but Net

Engraving

Music engraving is an interest of mine.  I’ve always been amazed at how the quality of engraving affects the readability of a piece of music.  I recently discovered a piece that I like very much, but which I feel is poorly engraved.

The piece is “Shifty-Eyed Blues” by Phillip Keveren.  It’s a great early-intermediate . . . → Read More: Engraving

Interval, Schminterval!

New addition to the teaching materials page – Interval, Schminterval! is a little workbook I put together a few years back to help high school and college students with interval naming and recognition.  Be warned, it contains numerous examples of my quirky sense of humor, there’s no answer key and it’s never been proofread . . . → Read More: Interval, Schminterval!

A Lesson from Ballet Class, Part 2 (Burger Pedagogy)

As the dancers were doing one of their repetitive tendu exercises one day, the instructor said “one of my teachers once told me that every time you repeat a movement, you put a penny in the bank – and in performance, you get to cash it in.”

Now, forget all the clever epithets you’ve . . . → Read More: A Lesson from Ballet Class, Part 2 (Burger Pedagogy)

A Lesson from Ballet Class, Part 1

Being a piano teacher, most of my work is after school hours, so in the mornings, I’ve taken a job accompanying ballet classes at the local university.  It’s been a fascinating experience, and I wanted to share some things that I think have some relevance to the piano lesson.

Ballet classes are typically structured . . . → Read More: A Lesson from Ballet Class, Part 1