Occasionally after a student has played a piece in a lesson and the performance did not reflect the musical details in the score or just seemed a bit off, particularly when played more convincingly in other attempts, a seemingly innocent question is asked. “Point to the spot on the page…
Read more →
Blog
To the student, Piano Adventures implies an exciting exploration. To the teacher, Piano Adventures implies a philosophy and mission to develop the student’s musical mind and heart. The process of guiding a young person to develop the mind (intellect) and the heart (expression) can help form valuable life skills: confidence,…
Read more →
Nature offers wonderful contrasts. Dramatic red flowers emerging from rich, black earth. Subtle shades of green in a deep forest. Pianistic artistry also involves dramatic and subtle contrasts. As Dr. Faber points out in Sunshine, Raindrops from Technique & Artistry Level 2B, it is the balance between melody and harmony…
Read more →
We are pleased to announce a stunning new collection of contemporary pop hits arranged by Faber & Faber. Students in Levels 3A and above will enjoy a variety of current blockbusters and Grammy winners as performed by pop artists such as Ed Sheeran, Lady Gaga, Justin Timberlake, Adele, Justin Bieber,…
Read more →
If you asked someone living in Germany when J.S. Bach was alive—who is the best and most famous composer?—the answer would be Georg Philipp Telemann! His music topped the charts in those days, and he earned in Hamburg nearly three times what Bach did in Leipzig. He was prolific. His…
Read more →
March is “madness” time—at least for basketball fans. We can imitate the idea of a basketball dribble at the piano. By bracing finger 3 with the thumb a student can confidently bounce his/her own “basketball” up and down the keys. As the coach, our young player is “in training” for…
Read more →
We are pleased to announce that Piano Adventures® by Nancy and Randall Faber has been selected as the recipient of the MTNA Frances Clark Keyboard Pedagogy Award for 2018. The method was selected by members of the Frances Clark Center Board of Directors and ratified by the MTNA Board of…
Read more →
Franz Liszt is generally acknowledged to be the greatest pianist. Someone who heard him in person said his playing “was all sunshine and dazzling splendour.” As David Andruss explains in this video, Liszt wrote three Liebesträume. They were originally intended as songs, each based on a poem idealizing a type…
Read more →
As we watch the Olympic athletes during these coming weeks, we pianists have some idea of what it means to train. Practice, prepare, warm up, and perform! Whether a skater, skier, or pianist, how to practice for technical excellence is key. That’s where the Technique & Artistry secrets are so…
Read more →
Sometimes a work that a composer doesn’t regard as especially important becomes a beloved favorite in later centuries. Ave Verum Corpus, written as a favor for a friend, is a good example. The motet (in Mozart’s time typically a polyphonic choral composition on a Latin text) celebrated the feast of…
Read more →