The Piano Lab Blog
Featuring fresh ideas, tips and inspiration for piano teachers and students. Find older posts by category or keyword by visiting the Categories and Tags sections in the right sidebar. Welcome!
The Chord Play Series (Review)
The world of music education lost a shining star in 2019 when pianist, educator and author Forrest Kinney passed away after a brief battle with an aggressive form of cancer. I can personally attest that Forrest was generous to his fellow teachers. I contacted him a...
Beginner’s Guide to Using Your Digital Piano As A MIDI Controller
In this guest post by Chris Senner, you'll learn about the exciting perks of connecting your digital piano to your computer. Buying a digital piano is an exciting feeling. You are essentially purchasing an instrument that you could be using for upwards of 10 years....
Mysteries of the Moonlight Sonata
The Piano Sonata No. 14 in C# Minor is one of Ludwig van Beethoven’s most famous compositions, and arguably his single most well-known work for piano (Fur Elise notwithstanding). Indeed, it is probably one of the most famous solo piano pieces ever composed – if not...
Getting to Know Adult Piano Students (Interview with Teri L.)
This is the first in a series of interviews with adult piano students. Teri returned to piano lessons in her retirement with the intention of learning to play jazz. What’s your background with piano? I studied piano off and on from age 6 through my sophomore year in...
Mindfulness for Musicians: Q&A
Interested in exploring mindfulness in music teaching? Here are my answers to questions from my Mindfulness in Music Teaching workshops given to members of the Oregon Music Teachers Association. What are some benefits of utilizing mindfulness as a pianist and piano...
8 Foundations for Better Piano Practicing
Before we even sit down to practice the piano, certain things need to happen, and others will optimally happen. Putting the following foundations into practice before you practice can help you find more practice time and get more out of the time you do find. Sleep...
Four Essential Practicing Strategies for Piano Students
Learn by Sight and by Ear Reading music is a vital skill, possessed by nearly all professional pianists. There is more music written for the piano than any other instrument. Much of it is among the world's greatest music, and it can be quite complex, and therefore...
The Best Free and Low Cost Applications and Web Tools for Piano Teachers and Students
With technology news lately being dominated by topics such as privacy issues (Facebook) and treatment of workers (Amazon), it becomes easier to dismiss the value that computers and the internet provide us. While I often feel frustrated with the seemingly endless...
How to Harmonize a Melody – Harmonic Function
If piano teaching were really as traditional as many contemporary teachers imagine, then, like keyboard students in the 18th and 19th centuries, today's students would more often be required to learn basic creative tasks like harmonizing a melody. Being able to...
Improvisation Games for Classical Musicians (Book Review)
There is no shortage of good books for piano teachers to assimilate and integrate into their teaching routine. Yet, at least in my opinion, only a few (thankfully) are truly worth their weight (and that goes for weightless digital books too!). Jeffrey Agrell's book,...