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Teaching Boys Piano – Repertoire Ideas

by Tim Topham

Most of my career has focussed on all-boys education. I believe there are many merits to single-sex schooling, especially when it comes to the arts. However, this is not a post about co-ed versus single sex schooling, rather it’s about repertoire that I have found resonates really well when teaching boys. In my experience, boys ... Teaching Boys Piano – Repertoire Ideas

06/07/2011 Read more

Teaching piano with rhythms

by Tim Topham

Practising in rhythms is, without a doubt, my No 1 practice tip for students! Why? One simple reason: it reduces the amount of time that they need to spend practising repetitive sequences such as scales and scale passages, arpeggios, broken chords and any kind of fast quaver or semiquaver movement. Students will be able to ... Teaching piano with rhythms

06/04/2011 Read more

Piano Practice Challenges

by Tim Topham

Here are a few ideas I use with my students for how to practice effectively. I constantly have to remind them that just repeating sections over and over is about the least effective way of learning new material. The main goal of these techniques is to avoid the often pointless “start at the beginning and ... Piano Practice Challenges

05/26/2011 Read more

Deliberate Practice

by Tim Topham

My summer holiday reading this year centered on a book called Talent Is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else by Geoff Colvin (highly recommended). The really positive revelation in this book is that the ‘most talented’ people in the world in any pursuit only get there by masses of hard work and ... Deliberate Practice

05/24/2011 Read more

Teaching piano practice: Just 0.3% of a student’s week? You’re kidding right?!

by Tim Topham

How to teach piano practice Have you ever calculated just how little time you get to spend with your students out of their total working week? It’s a fascinating and insightful exercise and its result should dictate much of what we do with students during lessons. Last year, I read a fantastic book called “The Practice Revolution” ... Teaching piano practice: Just 0.3% of a student’s week? You’re kidding right?!

05/16/2011 Read more