In This Issue
Meet Hannah Lussier
This month, you can Meet Hannah Lussier, a Canadian teacher/composer who recently joined Premier Piano. I think you will find her story interesting, definitely a case of asking turning into new opportunities.
The Blues: Nine Heads Are Better Than One
Michael Katz has more blues related ideas as he explains why 9 Heads Are Better Than One in his column Play to Learn: Let’s Play! I always enjoy sharing his ideas with my students. I find they really get me thinking about things in different ways and I pass that on to my students. I hope you are getting the same benefit.
Improve Your Effectiveness by Personalizing Lessons Based on Learning Styles
Hannah also shares some teaching tips in her article Improve Your Effectiveness by Personalizing Lessons Based on Learning Styles. Yes, that’s a mouthful, but you will find lots of really good ideas – like the one she used to help a student who was so good at playing by ear he didn’t want to read. It’s absolutely brilliant in my opinion. You’ll have to read her article if you want to know what she did.
Review: 100 Left Hand Patterns Every Piano Player Should Know
A few weeks ago, Jerald Simon posted about his newest book, 100 Left Hand Patterns Every Piano Player Should Know. As this fit in perfectly with what I do in my studio, I was extremely excited about the possibilities it offered. I contacted Jerald, got a review copy, and included my Review in this issue. If you haven’t already picked up your copy, be sure to check out the review to see if this is something that would be beneficial in your studio.
Teaching Blues to Develop Creativity and Hand Independence Part 3
This month I also conclude my series on how I use blues in my studio to teach creativity and hand independence in Teaching Blues to Develop Creativity and Hand Independence Part 3. As was the case in parts 1 and 2, I include the transcribed music that I reference in the article. Feel free to use any/all of it in your studio. Jerald’s book has given me dozens of new ways to teach these pieces now as well as providing ideas to extend the creativity aspect of blues in my studio. This is going to be a fun year!