Five Tips in Learning a New Piece of Music
Lately, I have been receiving questions on a popular topic that is consistently discussed with music students: how to go about learning a new piece of music. I find myself repeating some of the "dos and don'ts" when teaching students, so I decided to share five thoughts for when you learn your next piece. *I will note that these tips are geared towards piano students, but the general principles can be applied to most musicians. Do not listen to recordings of the same work I r
Concert Recap: My Concert at Miami University
I had a great time performing at Miami University on Sunday afternoon. There was a nice mix of audience members: various music students including several from the piano area, my colleagues, and the local townspeople. After the concert, I learned from a colleague that one of the students in the audience was attending his first classical music concert! Apparently, he was a non-music major doing a concert review for our Music Appreciation class. The reactions from this demograph
My Thoughts on Recital Programming
Springtime is here! For us piano professors, this is usually the time when many of our students give their required degree recitals that culminate their musical studies at the university. An exciting and busy time, indeed! I figured now would be a great time to share some general thoughts on recital programming. From a philosophical standpoint, I view a performing musician's role is to connect with the audience. Of course, there are multiple angles to approach in building a c
