100 tips for working with pianists #13: Give pianists time to practise
It is good manners and good professional practice to give a musician the option of having time to prepare a piece of music if they need or want it. If…
100 tips for working with pianists #12: Be inquisitive about mistakes
The most useful learning experiences come from analysing mistakes and things which could be improved. Talk these over with your pianist outside class-time, and treat finding a solution as something…
100 tips for working with pianists #11: Be sensitive to shyness
Musicians are used to working in isolation (all that practising alone), so some pianists feel very shy about talking in front of the class. Be careful about assuming that pianists…
100 tips for working with pianists #11: Don’t over explain
There is no need to explain things to a pianist that they already know or understand. For example, if you have just shown an exercise in three, while singing snippets…
100 tips for working with pianists #10: Be good humoured about mistakes
Given that much of what happens between you and the pianist in the class is unprepared, mistakes are bound to happen. There is no point in making an issue out…
100 tips for working with pianists #9: Remember who you’re talking to!
If you have just spent ten minutes trying to control children, it can be easy to leave your voice in the same register when you go back to talking to…