There is little that is more powerful and uplifting than Beethoven’s Ode an die Freude.
I’ll never get tired of this
Retard!
Retard! Ever since I came to this country, I’ve been puzzled and appalled by music teachers who use the term “ritard”. I recently came across it on a website where …
What good are the Arts?
You’ve heard it a million times. “We need the arts because …” and then come all kinds of good reasons. For instance, Yehudi Menuhin said in an interview with the …
Goldberg Variations . Aria da capo e fine
Around the middle of February, I decided to join 31 other Kansas State University piano faculty, students, alumni and guests, preparing a performance of J. S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations, to …
Technique
I have a new student. Early advanced, learns a new 4-5 page piece in one week, note-perfect. I can tell that his previous training has been good – he knows …
Rachmaninov
Last week, Jamey came to visit. He is working on Rachmaninov and wanted some advice on “how to fix some things”. Here is a short excerpt of his arrangement for …
Furlough
Kansas State University is looking at a possible furlough soon: As the state budget is being debated in Topeka there have been many questions based on media reports about potential …
Honors Recital
The local Music Teachers Association started last year to have a yearly Honors Recital. The idea is that each teacher selects one or two students and has them perform in …
Making Music a Life Profession
The following article was published in the American Music Teacher, Aug-Sept, 1995. It is as relevant today as it was then. Dr. Virginia Houser, Kansas State University A friend of …
The amusic brain
an abstract from an article by Isabelle Peretz, Elvira Brattico, Miika Jarvenpaa, and Mari Tervaniemi in Brain. A Journal of Neurology Like language, music engagement is universal, complex and presentearly …