100 tips for working with pianists #15: Don’t make faces!
Trying to control a class and music that is suddenly too fast or too slow can make you anxious. An anxious facial expression can often be misread, and understood as…
100 tips for working with pianists #14: Let pianists go if you don’t need them
If you won’t need your pianist for more than five minutes, let them know. Sitting in one position for a long time is uncomfortable, and they may be glad of…
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…