The Four Arts of Music – Forrest Kinney
The Four Arts of Music is a model of music education centered on creativity rather than on performance. The need for this approach is seen by asking one question: Where’s the creativity in music...
View ArticleInteractive Improv at MTNA 2014 Conference
MTNA conferences are HUGE. There’s no way to see and do everything even if you go non-stop from the first 8:00 a.m. session to impromptu midnight gatherings with friends in the lobby. The buzz is such...
View ArticleOpportunities to Learn About Improvisation
In a recent thread on a social network group for piano teachers, I asked this question: “True or False? Improvising enables your students to express themselves musically.” The supportive comments that...
View ArticleWhy Teaching Creativity Matters
Here’s a repost of a piece I recently wrote for the blog hosted by Clavier Companion–The Piano Magazine, found at http://www.claviercompanion.com I II III II III II III II III II III II III II III In...
View ArticleImprovising with Friends
Since one of the purposes of this blog is to inspire musicians and music teachers to get around the idea that one must be innately gifted to play by ear, I thought it would be fun to share three very …...
View ArticleHow to Teach Your Piano Students to Improvise
Inspiration and How To Tips After hearing my presentations about improvisation at a couple of conferences, my friend and fellow piano teacher, Gilya, suggested I consider offering “less cheerleading...
View Article88 Creative Keys Travels to Ohio – Leila Viss
You know you’ve got a good thing when the dog jumps in the back of the car. Marlow was gently coaxed out of the hatch to make room for the drums, guitar, notebooks, Toebourines,™ a couple of computers...
View ArticleEven Young Kids Can Create at the Piano: 3 Easy Tips for Getting Started
I’m happy to welcome Kristin Jensen as a guest writer. Kristin is a piano teacher who specializes in teaching younger children how to create their own music. Her philosophy of mixing creativity with...
View ArticleThe Creative Piano Teacher
II III II III II III II III II Something amazing happened last week at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Thanks to the visionary planning of Dr. Samuel Holland, director of the division of...
View ArticleA Piano Camp that Grooves and Glows?
The definition of a master teacher is one who takes someones else’s ideas (in this case, mine) and customizes them to the style, pacing, and ability level of their students. Teachers take note: This is...
View ArticleA Personal Journey With Students Into The World Of Improvisation
Guest Writer: Jodie Jensen At the end of the academic year last May, I was in sore need of a different approach in my studio teaching life. After attending the MTNA conference in Chicago, I learned...
View ArticleUnleash Creativity with “The Pretty Pop Piano Thingy”
Guest Writer: James Dering I’m delighted to share with you an adaptation of an article I wrote on my website, BetterPiano.com. It was originally written for a “self-taught” audience, as you’ll be able...
View ArticleThe Story of the Toebourine™
Creative music-making usually means improvising, but today, I want to tell you the story of how I became a creative music instrument maker. Get Your Groove On For years, I’ve accompanied my piano...
View ArticleJingle Bells Variations
One of the most enjoyable aspects of teaching creative music making is to witness the variety of approaches students take to rethinking a tune according to their own tastes and preferences. Every year...
View ArticleSteps to Learning a Lead Sheet
Lead sheets are a simplified form of music notation designed to present the essentials of a tune while still leaving room for creative interpretation. Lead sheets consist of two main parts: Written...
View ArticleTeach Your Students to Improvise Using … Silence
Guest Writer: Doug Hanvey Teach Your Students to Improvise Using … Silence Perhaps more than any other musical activity, improvisation brings music alive for a piano student. Occasionally closing the...
View ArticleSame and Different
One fun and important area of playing and teaching music that sometimes gets overlooked is creativity. While most of us would agree that improvising, composing, arranging, and playing by ear are...
View ArticleWhat Will My Teaching Philosophy Be In Regard To Improvisation?
I’m happy to repost this thoughtful post from The Piano Studio blog by Laura Lowe. Laura cares deeply about her piano teaching philosophy. Here, she shares her thinking process about the role of...
View ArticleStudent Composers
Improvisation is the main focus of what I teach and write about mostly because it is the quickest, most enjoyable way to access creative music making. However, teaching composition is also near and...
View ArticlePentatonic Power Part by Laura Lowe
I’m happy to repost this excellent article from a blog by Laura Lowe. Since attending our 88 Creative Keys piano improvisation workshop, Laura has become an advocate for fostering creativity alongside...
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