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

Learning a New Piece of Music is Really a Numbers Game

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Learning a new piece of music is really a numbers game sounds quite weird, but I think it can be a good way to approach learning a new piece of music. So often, particularly with a piece of music that is of a slightly higher skill level, we can become overwhelmed or doubt our ability … Read more

Jazz versus Modern versus Classical Piano – Which is the Best to Learn

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So which one is better to learn?  Is it jazz? Is it modern? Or is it classical? Well the simple answer is – it depends. I know its not much of an answer yet, but it really depends on which one you like the best. For me, it is classical piano, simply because it is … Read more