Sunday, August 7, 2011

Education Articles - Play Piano - Avoid the 7 Most Common Piano Practice Errors - Amazines.com Article Search Engine

Education Articles - Play Piano - Avoid the 7 Most Common Piano Practice Errors - Amazines.com Article Search Engine

Let's go over the seven most common practice errors and the secrets to unlock flawless and effortless practice progress:
As a piano teacher or student are we not hearing these daily?
1. I just want to learn to play a piece – I do not have time for boring scales or theory
2. Metronome practice? You must be kidding!
3. The most important thing is to get the notes right
4. If you practice and make a mistake, just keep trying, eventually you will get it
5. Only people who cannot play piano need to write in finger numbers
6. Never mind practicing technique or learning theory, just practice a piece until you get it.
7. If I play a piece often enough I will be able to play it from memory.

Ever heard of these before? - Please, read the article to find my explanations! Enjoy and play well!


Sunday, July 17, 2011

Play Piano In All Keys Complete Workbook by Eva Martin Hollaus

All my success instructing students is centered around Play Piano In All Keys Complete Workbook. I feel so strongly about providing a solid education in all keys. Mostly, because I learned the hard way. You could very well say, my teaching is the highlighted summary of every tidbit I wish I had known when I started to learn to play piano almost 50 years ago. I wish I had had teacher who could have taught me back then as I am guiding my students in the present. But then - it was my life's path to develop this method of teaching piano. Play Piano in All Keys Complete Workbook is my innovative answer to streamlined teaching piano.
Actually I did not invent anything new at all. All I did was streamline and innovate. Maybe I could say, I contributed to update Czerny's school of teaching piano. Czerny was the master teacher of the 19th century. The great emphasis in teaching then was, to teach to read notes quickly and get a student to read difficult music in as quickly a time as possible. You must understand, at that time, there was no TV, no electricity, no telephone, no cars, no movies, no computers, no video games.
Playing piano was one of the main highlights of entertaining friends. Sheet music was quite expensive and difficult to purchase. Many of the operas were transcribed to be played on the piano and the more educated middle class and upper classes took piano lessons in order to be able to play and perform opera transcriptions of their favorite popular songs at the time.
The emphasis in performance and entertainment was not absolute note perfection; the emphasis then was entertaining, enjoyment and having a great time.
In today's times there are so many distractions, so many activities happening; school, sports, social obligations, community service, projects, computer, TV, video games, travel,... the times are moving amazingly fast. When children in present time learn to play piano, it needs to be fast paced; the results need to be there immediately. Parents (at least the parents of my students) want to see their children instructed efficiently, they want to work towards achievable goals and they want their children to play piano well, if in any way possible.
For that reason, I developed the fingering charts that I use with all my students from lesson one on. Before students are too busy learning new songs, we are taking advantage of the very beginning time and work scales patterns immediately while working on regular beginners method books.
I call my method the missing link in piano education I feel that passionate about the approach and results.
A few teachers are already using my fingering charts with their students with excellent results. 
The fingering charts in their design allow a student to relax the mind and concentrate on pulse and finger technique while working the scales chords/cadences and arpeggios patterns. As simple as it is - a student can literally open up the book and start playing any Major or minor scales including black keys scales. And as you may know, black keys scales are quite tricky to master, but they are manageable with the Play Piano in All Keys Complete Workbook. 
One of my very talented students starting teaching piano himself at age 16 using the Play Piano In All Keys Complete Workbook, also with excellent results. His student is now also entering piano recitals, festivals and auditions. he attributes his early teaching success to applying the logic principles in Play Piano In All Keys Complete Workbook. This Workbook is a summary of searching my entire life for answers first for resolving my own piano playing issues and then helping my students to streamline their progress and efficiency in practicing.