Does Creative Improv evoke the image of playful, creative engagement? Perhaps in spirited play with fellow musicians or as you privately explore and express your own “voice.” Or, does improvisation evoke mild panic—“not learned here, I don’t do that, not my thing,” and, “Where’s the score?” Let’s for a moment…

Our current “sheltering at home” evokes the image of Odysseus at sea, battening down the hatches and waiting out the storm. Homer’s Odysseus faced his fear. As an adventurer, he chose to confront the unknown. He was prepared to face novel challenge, take the scars, and gain strength from learnings.…

Nancy and I join you and many around the world during this unsettling “lockdown” defense against the pandemic. Cancellation of international travel, cancellation of conventions, cancellation of schools—and now our lessons? Please know that the Piano Adventures community is here for your support. We have tools to keep you going,…

Written by Randall Faber and Mary Kathryn Archuleta If you are a piano teacher, you have likely considered opening your studio, and your heart, to the 1 in 150 children diagnosed with an autistic-spectrum disorder or other impairment. Music lessons provide the structural regularity that children with special needs require.…

What is this world of the young beginner? It is fun, fantasy and exploration. Seriousness? Teacher-driven rules? Tight control? These close down a young learner’s intrinsic interest. Not only is this young beginner’s world substantially different than the adult world and qualitatively different than ages 7-8, the young beginner does not “meet us halfway.” 4-5 year olds require us to find and enter their world. The young beginner is not inclined to adapt to us, so we must adapt to the world of the young beginner.

An essential concept of Level 1 is beginning articulation, specifically legato and staccato. These terms are so familiar to us as music teachers that we might overlook the importance of these touches in developing technique and musical expression. Perhaps you have noticed that there are no articulation marks at the…

Pattern Recognition Why are five-finger positions a necessary part of piano pedagogy? Because our hands have five fingers. So the relevance of five-finger patterns applies at virtually any level of piano playing. Major and minor five-finger patterns are taught in Level 2A of Piano Adventures®—after the basics of reading are…