Review of the Howard Kasschau Piano Course

With the Howard Kasschau Piano Course, you actually have the option of two books to get started: the preliminary book and Book 1. The preliminary book is aimed at a young beginner, while the other book, Book 1, is meant to be for everyone else. If Book 1 is used as a beginner’s book, then … Read more

Review of John Thompson’s Easiest Piano Course

The John Thompson’s Easiest Piano Course is very clearly designed for young children – its bright and colorful. It even has a note or letter for parents and teachers at the front of the book. So clearly the target audience is not retirees who are wanting to learn to play the piano. If you can … Read more

What Is The Difference Between 3/4 Time and 4/4 Time?

So much music has been written over the centuries using the time signatures of 3/4 and 4/4, especially 4/4. If I were to have a guess, I would say that of all the western tradition music ever written, well over half has been written in 4/4 time. It is so prevalent that sometimes the letter … Read more

Why Does It Matter To Me Whether People Play The Piano Or Not?

Why does it really matter to me whether or not people learn to play the piano, particularly retirees and seniors? Well if I really honest, this has not always been my focus. When I was in my twenties, I was very much focused on my music teaching career, both as a private piano teacher and … Read more

Online Piano Courses and the Way They Advertise

There are so many online piano courses and especially the ones that have been around for a few years are probably quite good. However, I often find myself getting irritated and annoyed with the way some of these online piano courses are advertised. The point that several make is that learning to play the piano … Read more

Every Piano Player Has a Weakness

Every piano player has a weakness that they are either intentionally working on or they have found a method that helps them overcome their individual weakness. I have seen it with all of my piano students that I have ever taught and with all of the musicians that I have ever known. This doesn’t mean … Read more

Piano By Pictures Review – The Pros and Cons

I have been noticing Piano by Pictures pop up on my Facebook feed quite a bit recently and they seem to have a well thought out system. Obviously someone at some point thought long and hard about the fact that there are some people who seem to struggle with learning to read music, so they … Read more