Nouvelle Music Publishing

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Do you have a student interested in jazz? Swing rhythm and improvisation are two areas of study students need guidance in order to feel confident playing jazz. This is a three part look at…

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After students have had a chance to experience swing rhythm with some ear training (see jazz part 1 article) next it is time for the student to try their hand. The following are things…

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Need help working with young pianists and their jazz ensemble music? Never played in one but yet expected to help students auditioning for school jazz band, all-district or state jazz band? Here is some…

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Does your student struggle finding hand position at the beginning of a song? Difficulty with changes in hand positions within a piece? Trouble playing a particular chord possibly with accidentals?  Maybe it is an issue…

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How did you do? When asked after a performance, a student’s response can inform me about what they hear or do not hear. Responses as in perfect, great, exceptional are not the norm…

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I am often stretched as a teacher when demonstration and explanation are not enough for the occasional student having difficulty either reproducing or understanding a particular concept. A fairly basic approach to teaching is…

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While public performances offer opportunities for students to express themselves, some performances may seem more daunting than others, such as the move from recitals to contests before a judge for a rating.  In preparation…

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At any level of ability I like to emphasize long and short term goals with my students. If a new musical/technical concept, i.e. goal, is easily mastered, then it in itself could be defined…

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I am sure we all at some point introduce the idea of analyzing music to our students. For me, harmonic analysis is an ongoing discussion with the students from the moment chordal analysis…

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As piano teachers, I assume we have all heard from a student at one time or another, hopefully not on a regular basis, “I did not have much time to practice this week.” Or…

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Not only is five finger music a good source of supplementary and recital material for young performers, but I have discovered it is also a good choice for adults returning to piano after many…

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As time allows during a lesson I find asking questions about a student’s performance helpful to determine their perception and how engaged they are in listening. Students who have parents or other siblings that…

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I have discovered over the years that some students naturally hold their breath as they reach very difficult sections of the music. One situation is when the music needs to be moving at a…

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Blocking broken chords I find helpful for students to better understand the relationship of the whole to its its parts. Students learn that when I start circling a group of notes, whether in either or…

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How often as piano teachers have we heard that Joey hurt his hand this week while playing __fill in the sport of your choice here__. Parents will often say their child will skip…

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I encourage students from time to time once they are comfortable playing through a piece of music that they find multiple recordings on YouTube in which they can play along. Sometimes particular recordings with…

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Students early on learn that I have particular phrases that they will hear often. Soon students are able to answer before I finish reciting one of the phrases. Any particular phrase is dropped once…