Five books on the piano for Piano Day 2024
For world piano day 2024, here are five books on the piano that I have enjoyed reading, in no particular order of preference (though I have some favourites)
Madge Gillings and Mrs Bagot Stack on record
The Women's League of Health and Beauty Exercises—music from the early 1930s, and a beautiful documentary, all online.
Ballet pianists and sacred cows: a correction
What a difference a sub-clause makes In a recent article on the work of ballet pianists I was quoted as saying that live music for ballet training is a lot…
Playing for ballet class tip #2: It’s all about the left hand, not the right
Nine times out of ten, the secret of being a good dance pianist is to concentrate on what your left hand is doing rather than your right. As pianists, we…
Playing for ballet class tips #1: Listen to yourself and the room
If you play for class a lot, it's easy to get into a habit of being so focused on what the dancers are doing, and what the teacher wants, that…
Advent calendar 2012: playing for ballet classes
It’s that time of year again when I try to blog for 25 days in a row for Advent, on something to do with dance and music. This year it’s…