For Organizations and Institutions:
Adaptive Strategies for Small-Handed Pianists
- Performing standard piano repertoire on the conventional-sized keyboard poses special challenges for small-handed pianists. Many small-handed pianists begin to struggle with passages that strain or exceed the capacities of their hands as they advance beyond the elementary years of piano study. Unfortunately, many of the strategies that are consciously or unconsciously adopted by pianists in the face of these difficulties are physically maladaptive and musically unsatisfactory. Small-handedness has even been identified as a distinct risk factor for injury! This webinar will address some historical biases and assumptions about small-handed pianists, the role of the teacher, and some of the more commonly encountered maladaptive strategies. Based on the fundamental premise that small-handed pianists should keep the hand as compact as possible, concrete adaptive strategies involving redistribution, omission/revision, and refingering will be suggested. These facilitative strategies employ technical principles congruent with established principles of physics and biomechanics and always prioritize preserving the integrity of the music. Each strategy will be demonstrated using examples drawn from the standard piano literature to provide musical application and to inspire creative thinking about similar problems encountered in piano literature.
Fundamental Movements of Piano Technique
- Many pianists begin playing the piano at a very young age. Unfortunately, inefficient or even maladaptive patterns of movement may be reinforced through repetition over time so that discomfort comes to be regarded as normal. This lecture applies principles of ergonomics and biomechanics to piano-playing and provides tools to help teachers develop efficacious and healthful technique in students of all ages from their earliest lessons, providing a strong foundation for years of joyful music making.
Teaching the Skill and Artistry of Piano Fingering
- Making good decisions about fingering is integral to fluent and artistic piano-playing. Most pedagogical methods, materials, and anthologies routinely include fingerings, and fingering in elementary methods and literature tends to be straightforward. However, beyond exhorting their students to “pay attention to the fingering,” piano teachers may neglect systematic teaching of fingering. Devising musically effective fingerings for repertoire pieces requires both mastery of fundamental movements and motor sequences as well as critical thinking skills to flexibly apply technique. Good fingering is both science and art, a matter of both understanding the fundamental principles of fingering and knowing when it is best to depart from these “rules.” Exploring the underlying musical reasons behind an editor’s fingering with students helps them build skills for selecting effective fingerings in the future. Making reasoned fingering decisions is extremely important in late intermediate and advanced piano repertoire. However, the foundations for fingering adaptability need to be laid much earlier, during the study of beginning level pieces and elemental piano technique. This lecture presents fundamental premises of fingering based on physiology and biomechanics, suggests developmentally appropriate sequencing of these principles, and makes a case for teaching fingering intentionally and systematically through guided problem-solving in musical contexts to help students learn the art of devising facilitative, creative, and musically appropriate fingerings.
Using Stacked Engagement Layers for Student Motivation and Mastery
- Playing the piano requires simultaneous use of conceptual/background, musical, and technical processing. To facilitate student learning, we must find ways to simplify and sequence skills and repertoire for mastery. Many teachers apply a systematic step-by-step approach to learning each and every piece. First, learn the notes hands separately, then learn hands together, then add dynamics, etc. Unfortunately, building instruction in this manner can result in disintegration of technique and musicality, leading to mechanical, lifeless performances. This workshop offers teachers an alternative model for devising logical and progressive instruction to build motor and conceptual skills while always keeping students engaged with the musical whole. Concrete applications for using engagement layers in both group and individual piano lessons are provided.
Musical Practice: Fundamental Concepts and Applications
- This workshop presents research-based observations about music student practice behaviors, reviews guidelines for healthful and effective practice, and discusses implications for teachers.
Principles of Healthy Piano Technique
- Pianists constitute a large percentage of those who seek treatment for music-related injuries each year. Playing the piano imposes numerous physiological demands including problems with seated posture and bench height and lack of ability to tailor piano size to the player. Moreover, every piano has a different weight and touch response. There is a large potential for strain of upper back and neck muscles due to repetitive and sustained force loading. While technique is only one factor that influences potential injury development, it is completely under the control of the pianist. This workshop reviews the research literature on which anatomic sites are prone to injury in pianists and suggests specific technique guidelines that promote healthful use of the body while allowing pianists to fully realize their musical intentions.
Introduction to Occupational Health and Wellness for Musicians
- Injuries that can result from playing have received quite a lot of attention. Current statistics indicate that upwards of 90% of all musicians will suffer an injury related to musical practice and/or performance at some point during their careers. Musicians typically lead busy and often stress-filled lives. Poor musical technique is typically blamed for injuries, often quite unjustly. While striving for effective and efficient technique is a worthy goal, what we do while playing our instruments is only one aspect of injury-prevention. By building good health habits with regard to sleep, nutrition, exercise, and stress mitigation, we can become stronger and more resilient as well as enjoying a better daily quality of life. In this workshop, I offer research-based guidelines for healthy habits as they relate specifically to the lifestyle of professional music teachers and performers.