May 26, 2020

It was March 10, 2020, roughly two weeks before heading to spring break, when I was told by Miami University that face-to-face instruction would be suspended and that we needed to shift to online teaching. While this announcement wasn’t entirely a surprise to me, I saw this change as a welcomed challenge because I have always wondered as a piano teacher how we could find new and innovative ways to deliver our instruction to students. This health crisis has brought many hardships on all of us, but there is one silver lining:

March 22, 2020

It has been a difficult time for all of us during this COVID-19 health crisis. With so many people out of work and several businesses closed down, this pandemic has understandably created wide-spread panic and anxiety. 

January 29, 2020

In March, I will be presenting a showcase at the Music Teachers National Association Conference in Chicago on Henle's new edition of the Beethoven Piano Sonatas, edited by renowned pianist, Murray Perahia, and Norbert Gertsch. To me, this is a wonderful resource for aspiring pianists to gain access to the minds of one of the most perceptive and sensitive artists of our era. In this edition, Perahia and Henle partner together to produce an excellent blend between performance and historical scholarship by carefully examining and staying as faithful as possible to the composer's autograph and manuscripts. Additionally, Perahia often provides his own performance remarks, theoretical analysis, and historical research––all resulting to a completely unique and cerebral approach to the Beethoven Sonatas.

December 20, 2019

Lately, I have been using the G. Henle Verlag's sheet music app a lot when practicing and I am loving it! There are so many possibilities when inputing comments in your scores. Here is a tutorial video explaining how to annotate and customize your markings.

December 01, 2019

In 2020, the world will celebrate the 250th birth year of one of the greatest classical music composers: Ludwig van Beethoven. I will take part of the festivities and perform one of his most iconic piano masterpieces, Variations and Fugue in E flat Major, Op. 35, "Eroica," or most commonly known as "Eroica Variations." To me, this great work embodies Beethoven's sense of patriotism, political ideology, and above all, his fascination and self-portrayal of the hero–-a warrior that defies all odds to overcome a certain challenge or obstacle. Certainly, this type of "underdog" mentality and to never give up on something are great lessons that we can learn from these pieces.