The Way of Piano – Page 4

Inspiring Piano Teaching

Supporting Piano Education
Article written by Andrew Eales

Piano teaching is surely one of the most fulfilling of careers, but our success ultimately requires a wide skill set, and deep understanding.

As you scroll down this page, you will find links to dozens of articles, all FREELY available to support colleagues around the world. The articles touch on many of the questions teachers frequently ask online, and when coming to me for training or mentoring. You will find sections covering:

method and curriculum
effective learning, and how we can facilitate it
healthy motivation and deeper learning through PLAY
developing your teaching practice and network
how to deliver lessons, and work with students
resources for further study and professional development

Adult Piano Education

Supporting Piano Education
Article written by Andrew Eales

Recent decades have seen a resurgence of piano playing by adults for their own personal enjoyment, relaxation, and as a social activity. While many revisit their childhood learning and play privately, others return to lessons or take up formal piano tuition for the first time.

Andrew Eales has enjoyed teaching adults for many years, from working with complete beginners, to supporting diploma candidates and mentoring other teachers. In these articles, he shares the lessons he has learned, and the importance of tailoring tuition to suit adult learners…

Grade Exams & Diplomas

Supporting Piano Education
Article written by Andrew Eales

Here in the UK, learning the piano has for many become almost synonymous with ‘taking the grades’, an entrenched rite of passage, and the yardstick by which teachers, learners, and parents plan and set targets, prescribe lesson content, select repertoire, and evaluate progress.

Whether exam boards care to admit it or not, these amateur qualifications have an outsized impact on the quality of piano education. And with significant changes, new boards, syllabus and exam offerings arriving thick and fast in recent years, it is naturally right that teachers take a lively interest.

Parents and adults, meanwhile, often seem perplexed that the grades have changed so much, and that current expectations seem so much lower than they were ‘back in the day’. They want to celebrate progress, but wonder whether the grade exams still offer reliable and meaningful benchmarks.

Musicians from countries where exams have less importance look on, rather bemused by this curiously British obsession. Many questions arise:

What are the benefits, and potential pitfalls, of this approach?
Does grade exam preparation really motivate learners?
Does the grade syllabus offer a thorough, structured approach?
Are standards declining due to easier content?
Do our respected professional qualifications still hold value?

Pianodao has, alongside the rest of the piano education profession, grappled with these important, if sometimes rather thorny questions. Articles which remain topical and relevant are included below, together with more general reflections, and reviews of current syllabus publications.

Positive Performing

Supporting Piano Education
Article written by Andrew Eales

For many, performing is one of the key goals for learning to play music. But is it essential to play to others, or to perform in public? And if so, how do we overcome anxiety, nerves, and any negative past experiences?

The following articles consider these questions, explore the toxic impact that a competitive approach can have on self-esteem and collaboration, and offer hope for a positive approach to performance that will bring joy to performers and listeners alike.

Exploring the Repertoire

Supporting Piano Education
Article written by Andrew Eales

The music we play lies at the heart of our piano journey, and our instrument unquestionably has the most astonishing, diverse, and extensive repertoire of any. The articles below will help you select, understand, interpret, and reflect on your music choices and develop an active repertoire of wonderful music that you can play with confidence.

Fostering Creativity

Supporting Piano Education
Article written by Andrew Eales

To become a three-dimensional pianist we need to focus on developing our musical soul: that is, our latent musicality, aural internalisation, deep engagement, and creative expression. These qualities are nurtured by listening with focused intention, and developed through playful exploration at the piano.

Creativity is expressed through composing, improvising, and by developing a personal interpretation when playing the music of others. These are too often neglected in formal education and assessment, but they maximise our fulfilment at the piano and promote lifelong musical engagement.

Beethoven’s legendary quip that “to play without passion is inexcusable” points us toward the importance of nurturing the expressive and creative impetus at the heart of our playing.

Healthy Piano Technique

Supporting Piano Education
Article written by Andrew Eales

To become a three-dimensional pianist we need to focus on developing our musical body: that is, our physical engagement at the piano, from how we sit, to how we move beyond a five-note range, and from how we incorporate pedalling, to how we breathe while playing.

A healthy piano technique empowers us to fully realise our musical intentions and communicate our creativity, all without sustaining injury. Pianodao includes a growing series of articles addressing these important topics and much more…

Musical Understanding

Supporting Piano Education
Article written by Andrew Eales

To become a three-dimensional pianist we need to focus on developing our musical mind: that is, our understanding, literacy, historical awareness, and theoretical analysis of the music we play.

These qualities are nurtured through the use of notation, by academic learning, research, and reflection. They are often assessed through discussion, writing, music theory, and in a practical context through sight-reading. These all help us become better musicians, and gain more satisfaction at the piano.

Pianodao includes a number of articles reflecting on these crucial areas of our musical development, and reviews of several educational resources which will help in our quest to develop better musical understanding…