Jen Crabb

Can Poor Technique Cause Paralysis and Pain?

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Years ago I heard a story of a professional violinist that developed RSI (Repetitive Strain Injury) where the pain and strain got so bad that the muscles in her arms and shoulders locked up and that some everyday tasks became impossible. For a whole year she couldn’t play at all. For several years she had … Read more

Do You Really Need to Follow the Fingering on Piano Music?

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It really doesn’t matter which style of music you like to play or how easy or complicated it is, there is bound to be some sort of fingering added to the music. Sometimes there is a little and sometimes there is a lot. Let me be clear: The fingering that you see on the page … Read more

Why Learning to Play the Piano is a Lot Like Getting Fit

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I know that this seems rather strange, but for quite a while now I have thought that there is a number of similarities between learning to play the piano. Both learning to play the piano and getting fit are goals that people can set without knowing what the process is going to be or how … Read more

I Enjoy Listening to Popular Music, So Why Don’t I Like Playing it?

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In an earlier blog I revealed that while I do enjoy listening to modern popular music, I don’t play it unless there is a purpose with my music teaching. I get it, this seems somewhat odd. I do have my reasons apart from genuinely enjoying playing classical music more than I have ever enjoyed playing … Read more

What Adult Students Frequently Do But Kids Don’t

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Over the many years that I have taught the piano, I have seen many times the differences between adults piano students and kids who learn the piano. A big difference is the tone of the piano lesson. When I am teaching kids, it is very much I am running the lesson. I determine what needs … Read more

My Biggest Mistake as a Piano Teacher and Why My Mistake Can Benefit You

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My biggest mistake as a piano teacher happened a long time ago, when I had only been teaching for a few years. I had this piano student around 10 years old and I taught her at her home. For the sake of the story I will call her Sally (which is not her real name). … Read more

Hands Separately Versus Hands Together: Which Way Is Best To Start a New Piano Piece

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When I was a child taking piano lessons, I clearly remember having to learn new pieces of music in a very specific way. I would have to learn the right hand and left hand parts separately until each part was known really well before putting both right hand and left hand parts together. Many piano … Read more