In today’s teacher chat, Antonio Gandia, Benjamin Steinhardt and I discuss Hanon exercises and other technical aspects of learning to play the piano.
Antonio Gandia
Antonio is a multi-instrument teacher in New Jersey. With a background in guitar and bass, along with piano, he offers a wide perspective of technique to his students.
Benjamin Steinhardt
Benjamin comes to our chat from Connecticut. After working through his own piano injury as a younger student, he works to teach his students the most efficient way to use their bodies when playing the piano.
Listen to the full chat here
Who was Hanon and why are his exercises so popular?
Charles-Louis Hanon (1819-1900) was an organist, teacher, and composer from France. His best known work is his collection of technical exercises in “The Virtuoso Pianist” published in 1874.
While his exercises have been the method of choice for many years, other technical methods methods and philosophies, such as Alexander and Taubman, are becoming more widely used.
One thing for parents to take away from this chat -
Benjamin – Check out the Well Balanced Pianist seating guide for photos and notes to help parents know how their children should be sitting at the piano.
Parents also need to be aware of their child’s hand position on the piano. It should be natural and soft, as it is when the arm is hanging freely by their side. Avoid collapsed knuckles and wrists hanging below the keys.
Antonio – Parents should aim to connect with their children and use positive reinforcement when encouraging their children to practice piano at home. Here are some suggstions:
Can I hear what your teacher taught you today?
Did you get a new song?
I am making dinner now and I would love to have some nice background music.
Why don’t we go to the piano so I can hear how you are progressing on your pieces?
Why don’t we have a little recital tonight after dinner?
You can play us some pieces on the piano and then we can all go out for ice cream!
It sure is quiet, can you play me some songs?
Thanks for listening!
To share your thoughts:
- Leave a note in the comment section below
- Ask a question at shelly@pianoparentpodcast.com
- Share this show on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest
To help out the show:
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Email | TuneIn | RSS | More
Related posts:
Powered by YARPP.