A piano teacher looks at what it takes to succeed in music, how parents can help, and why they should care. To piano teachers: This post is copyrighted. Please do not reprint the whole thing on your blog. Feel free to reprint the first paragraph and then link to it here. You also have permission … Continue reading The Truth About Piano Lessons →
Okay, so my not-so-short rant on parenting and piano lessons has now reached thousands of people from dozens of countries…. literally, all around the world. Clearly, it hit a nerve — in Russia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Jamaica, South Korea, Mexico, China, Portugal, Italy, South Africa, Israel, Japan, Bolivia, Estonia… But there’s a “glass-half-full” aspect to … Continue reading What Makes a Good Piano Parent? →
Clearly my last post about parents and their responsibilities to their children’s music education, particularly piano lessons, hit a nerve. This blog is only a couple of weeks old, and that post has received hundreds of views from some 20 countries, including Russia, Bulgaria, Singapore, Thailand, Portugal, Australia, and Estonia. The issue, it seems, is … Continue reading How to Help a Child with Piano Practice →
I teach classical, jazz, and popular music in my home studio in Berkshire County in western Massachusetts. I am located 10 minutes from Great Barrington, adjacent to the Catamount Ski Area. I am 5 minutes from Hillsdale, New York, and 20 minutes from Salisbury, Connecticut. I’ve been teaching here in Berkshire County for 19 years. … Continue reading Piano Lessons With Karen Berger →
Dear Piano Teachers: I’m overwhelmed at the global response to my post, “The Truth About Piano Lessons.” It seems that we are ALL going through the same thing: From Egypt to Estonia, Sri Lanka to Sweden, Cuba to China, the story has been read and passed around the world. Unfortunately, it has also been reprinted … Continue reading Please Respect This Blog’s Copyright! →
Musical Talent, Nature Versus Nurture, and the 10,000 Hours Rule Meet my sister. She started piano lessons at age 7, and practiced a half an hour a day pretty much for the next 11 years, sometimes doing a little more, rarely less. She didn’t especially love practicing, and indeed, it was hard for her because … Continue reading News Flash: Musical Achievement is Not About Talent →