Piano Lessons for Adult Piano Students
Some of my piano arrangement to a treasure of classical music
This is not the entire piece but should serve piano students and pianists with some easy to learn piano music in the classical genre. I recorded the full version on my CD “Passage to Home” available here (at cdbaby.com.) For download of only this music at itunes.com, go here.
Sheet Music: Advanced Beginner to Early Intermediate level
With this post, I’m trying something new – providing pianists and piano students with some of my compositions. This is free sheet music for you to use and enjoy. If you have any trouble with it and want some advice, please email me personally. I hope you like it and have fun working on it. (more…)
Online piano lessons succeed – but not for all piano students
My previous post, Part 1 of this essay, is available here.
There are two final necessities which I didn’t even imagine when I began giving online lessons a couple years ago. I guess I had become too accustomed to dedicated piano students I taught in my home piano studio. I didn’t recognize that teaching at a distance requires these traits in the piano student. I also didn’t completely see that these traits the KEY traits which can make or break that student’s success at learning the piano. Now I do and use these in deciding to accept new online piano students. (more…)
Online piano lessons succeed – but not for all piano students
I’ve written quite a few essays about online piano lessons. Some of the online lessons I’ve seen are good but lots are quite the rip-off, at least to my way of thinking. The reason I think so is experience, of course, having spend about two years with online piano students good and bad, 20+ years teaching live adult piano students, plus at least three BIG piano blogs (this one is the biggest and best.) I’d like to share with you what I see as the four factors absolutely necessary to succeed with online lessons. (more…)
Let’s try to make “Happy Progress” your situation!
I hear things. No, I don’t “see dead people” but I DO hear stories about dead piano lessons. It makes sense that I would since the folks coming to me for lessons have often had very poor piano instruction in the past. Otherwise, they wouldn’t feel the need for more lessons, would they? My personal experience is “skewed” a bit. Still, any time I tell people I’m a piano teacher I get to hear about their experiences good or bad. Honestly, there have been too many tales of bad experiences for my liking. I suspect that many piano students and piano lovers are dis-satisfied. I’d like to comment on why this might be and suggest remedies. (more…)
“Live lessons” may fade away for many serious piano students
The private music teacher who doesn’t change with the times is basically doomed to providing service in backwards nations and regions. Unfortunately, this group of “techno-phobes” has an awful lot of members. On the other hand, technology has provided anyone interested in piano studies chances that didn’t previously exist. I’d like to present some of these options for your use. (more…)
Piano students suffer from teaching approaches that take too long AND those that aren’t long enough
In my last post, I said some things about the kind of piano “education” that takes a very long time before you accomplish anything you personally hold dear. There’s been a lot of this around, especially in the last 100 years. The result is that this kind of teaching is what most piano lovers expect out of piano lessons. Some decide their love for piano music is enough to put up with this. Others don’t, however, and too many of these have fallen for the 180 degree opposite – piano training can be done “instantly” or “overnight” or “in a flash.” When these false promises prove unworkable, these good folks almost always blame themselves, perhaps thinking they weren’t born with the right talents. (more…)
Inaccurate promises of too much or too little end up frustrating piano students
There seem to be too schools of thought out in the world regarding piano lessons:
It takes a long time
It take almost no time
I believe they are both incorrect and have done enormous damage to the subject of making piano music. I’ve written extensively about both and in this essay I will add some additional comments and direct you to additional resources. (more…)
A summary of basics for all piano students of every age
After teaching both adults and children for 20+ years, I have come to conclusion that the following are absolutely necessary for any piano student who wishes to enjoy playing for their own enjoyment:
1. Learn all your major AND minor scales perfectly, in two octaves, in both contrary and parallel motion.
2. Work on exercises by Hanon, Czerny, Schmidt, etc. daily
3. Learn to sightread difficult material, and finally,
4. Learn the “standard literature” and ignore any other kind of music (more…)
Tailoring lessons to each piano student is only one approach
My last post elicited two long and well-written comments by well-trained pianists. I promised the authors I’d reply to their comments with a post. I believe piano students are well-served by such a discussion. Each learner can read differing viewpoints and decide which they prefer, leading to more enjoyment in music-making. That, I think, is a GOOD thing! I encourage my readers to go over both my previous post and the comments section here (more…)
