Piano Pedagogy

There are links at the end of this page to the question-and-answer files.

Questions from Readers about Various Piano Topics

Questions about Pedagogical Matters
Questions about Business Practices in the Private Studio
Questions from Students (all ages) and Parents About Piano Study
Questions about Music Theory
Questions about Performance Practice

Sometimes questions in one QA file are covered in another (ex.: pedagogy and parent/student), so do check both. If you'd like to submit a question, email me. Put some piano-related header in the subject line because my program immediately deletes other subject lines. Also, I ask you to search the QA files for the answer before writing me. I am plagued with repetitive stress injuries and prefer not to answer the same question more than once! Thanks for your understanding.

General Pedagogy

Pedagogical Guidelines Based on Age and Achievement Level
Learning and Teaching Styles (using the Myers-Briggs Type IndicatorŽ; see also this file for further discussion of the MBTIŽ )
Ensuring Successful Home Practice
Motivation
Teaching Exceptionally-Bright Students
Teaching Students with Learning Disabilities and Physical Impairments
My Philosophy of Teaching

Teaching Rhythm

Teaching Notereading

Teaching Technique

Teaching the Importance of Technique
Technique for Beginners
My Technique Regimen and How It Develops from Beginner Level Onward
Teaching Hand Position
When to Introduce Diatonic Scales
Teaching How to Playing Legato
Teaching How to Play One Hand Staccato and the Other Hand Legato
Teaching How to Play One Hand Forte and the Other Hand Piano
Teaching Voicing (one note in a one-hand chord louder than the others, usually because it's the melody note)
The Basics of Fingering. This is a consumer-oriented file, but you might find it helpful.

Techniques for Teaching Various Advanced Physical Movements

Techniques for Widely-Spaced Notes, usually those found in waltzes (Chopin's A Major Prelude, Op 28 #7 is another good example)

Teaching Pedaling

Please come back!

Teaching Artistry

Teaching Artistry
Teaching Feminine Endings
Duet Tips
also see files written for students, which will provide other topics about artistry; there is one specifically on phrasing and one specifically on improving musicality in a general way
there are further files below on ornamentation

Teaching Practice Techniques

Teaching How to Practice
How to Practice Efficiently, which is a file written for the student but that you can adapt as a how-to
Some Suggested Practice Techniques, the same
My Favorite Practice Technique: Rhythms, the same
other files of this nature are available in my section written for students and parents

Techniques for Teaching Various Musical Forms

Techniques for Learning Fugues, including suggestions for repertoire and a discussion of Bach preludes, fugues, and 2- and 3-part inventions and the order in which to teach them

Ornamentation

Baroque Ornaments
Ornaments in Mozart's "Rondo alla turca" (K. 331)
Trills in Beethoven, including general discussion of ornamentation in the Baroque period, Mozart, importance of musical milieu
The Difference Between Harpsichord and Piano Touch
Counting and Ornamentation Mnemonics
General Ornamentation Infomation, by period is part of an answer in my pedagogy Q&A file. Look about 6 lines down into the answer. I'll try to get a separate file up here on this topic, so come back!
Pralltrill, with general information on trills

Teaching Children

Teaching Adults

Teaching Beginners

Piano Methods

Designing Your Own Piano Method. See also various similar answers on the pedagogy QA page.
Evaluating Piano Methods
Arranging/Composing Music for Beginners

Recitals and Memorizing

Selecting the Recital Piece
Memorization and Recitals
Memory Methods
How to Have a Happy and Succesful Recital
Adults' Fear of Playing in Public
Proper Clothing for Recitals
For more information on recitals, see my business and my question-and-answer pages concerning business, and pedagogy.
for other recital-prep information, check links from the business page.

Competitions

Music for One Hand

Music Written for Only One Hand, including how you can improvise with standard materials to deal with this problem

My Books of Music for Students

Composition and Notation

Accompanying

Skills for an Accompanist

Repetitive Stress Injuries

Repetitive Stress Injuries. This is a file from the needlework section of my home page, but the information there applies to pianists.
Hand Relaxation Exercise

Your Piano

Indications That Your Piano Needs Regulation and/or Voicing
Reconditioning and Rebuilding Your Piano
Changes You Can Make Yourself Which Affect Your Piano's Tone
Cleaning Your Piano Yourself
Tuning Your Piano, including why pianos go out of tune, how to talk to your technician and the difference between tuners, tuner/technicians, and Registered Piano Technicians
Parents often ask what electronic instrument I would and do not recommend. Here are my opinions. Many teachers are asked this question. Perhaps my thoughts would be helpful to you in your answers.
Similarly, parents (and many people who find me on-line) ask which brand/s I recommend, as well as my opinion of certain brands and my advice on how to buy a piano. Here are my opinions on this subject. Again, I hope these might be helpful to your studio families. In general, I counsel to buy the best piano that someone can stretch to afford.
And last, the above file includes not only a review of the Roland [digital] harpsichord but also my thoughts on where and how to find and choose an acoustic harpsichord. This is toward the end of the file.