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Matt
Classical Musician and insomniac
Recent Activity
The 2014 Austin Piano Festival
Posted Apr 29, 2014 at Piano Blog
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Don't Miss Out: Free Tickets to see Katia and Marielle Labèque
Posted Mar 12, 2014 at Piano Blog
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The Best Learners
One fascinating thing that comes to the fore after lots of teaching-especially concerning adult students- is that some people possess a personality that is optimally suited for learning. This isn't a matter of intelligence, which is overrated anyway, but rather... Continue reading
Posted Feb 4, 2014 at Piano Blog
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The Metronome
Posted Jan 20, 2014 at Piano Blog
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The Austin Piano Festival
Posted May 6, 2013 at Piano Blog
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Van Cliburn
Posted Feb 28, 2013 at Piano Blog
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The Person Playing the Piano
Posted Feb 16, 2013 at Piano Blog
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Persistence, Repetition, and Simplicity
Posted Aug 13, 2012 at Piano Blog
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Parents and Practice
Posted Aug 5, 2012 at Piano Blog
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Competitions in Theory and Practice
Posted Jul 22, 2012 at Piano Blog
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I Don't Want to Practice Piano
Posted Nov 17, 2011 at Piano Blog
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Aristotle Agrees
Posted Oct 30, 2011 at Piano Blog
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Hi Declan -- Thanks for your comment. I agree it's important for students to play something they enjoy. I always find in my teaching that past the very first lessons, students enjoy moving their pieces around the keyboard quite a bit. Hope you enjoy the blog!
Things Mean Piano Teachers do Just to Be Mean
Why am I such a mean teacher? One of my favorite things to do is have my students transpose small pieces and exercises into different keys. This is usually met with a fair amount of resistance. But, I insist, it is one of the BEST ways of really understanding the keyboard. I always say: you wan...
Hi Arshiya -- Thanks so much! Please let me know if you have anything you'd like me to write about or anything piano questions you have. Come back and visit us often and make sure you sign up to receive e-mail updates :-)
New Old Anton Nel Videos
I know that many of my readers are fans of the pianist Anton Nel. Two recent videos of him from his childhood in South Africa were just added to youtube. Enjoy!
Keep it Simple
Posted Oct 26, 2011 at Piano Blog
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Music Studio How-To
Now for some shameless self-promotion! Over the last few years, I've been asked the same question over and over: How do I get started in my own teaching business? I can really empathise with this question. I know firsthand how... Continue reading
Posted Oct 23, 2011 at Piano Blog
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Things Mean Piano Teachers do Just to Be Mean
Posted Oct 19, 2011 at Piano Blog
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Thanks Daniel!
There is No Middle of the Road in Art
Great works of art and great performances are never middle of the road. Some of my favorite performers, like Richter and Argerich, also elicit my most negative reactions. Rudolf Serkin's concerts were incredible or disastrous, but rarely mediocre. Beethoven has a large collection of worthless ...
Thank you for your comments Immortal! I hope you come back for more or add me to your blog rss feed.
There is No Middle of the Road in Art
Great works of art and great performances are never middle of the road. Some of my favorite performers, like Richter and Argerich, also elicit my most negative reactions. Rudolf Serkin's concerts were incredible or disastrous, but rarely mediocre. Beethoven has a large collection of worthless ...
James - Thats right. The devil is in the details. Thanks for your comments!
Back to Basics
As a teacher I often try to be creative in my practice suggestions. This is a good thing of course, but in our efforts to keep things musical and interesting, its easy to forget the enormous value of careful repetition. The hard fact is, it will always be an enormous amount of (conscientious) ...
Hi Candice - I'm glad you like the posts. If there are any particular questions you have please let me know. Maybe I'll even post on one. If you feel overwhelmed, remember slow and steady wins the race. :-)
Mastery - A Prerequisite
I promised a post on mastery tonight, but I probably shouldn't write it. Instead here is my best try at getting out of said promise. (Don't worry I'm still writing one!) George Leonard's master is someone almost serene; focused on the flow of ritual and practice. Tonight, this is not me. Rath...
Piano Practice and Exercise - Similarities
Posted Oct 17, 2011 at Piano Blog
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New Old Anton Nel Videos
I know that many of my readers are fans of the pianist Anton Nel. Two recent videos of him from his childhood in South Africa were just added to youtube. Enjoy! Continue reading
Posted Jun 15, 2011 at Piano Blog
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4
Mastery - A Prerequisite
Posted Jun 12, 2011 at Piano Blog
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Mastery - Part I
Posted Jun 10, 2011 at Piano Blog
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