A group chat with three people from around Australia and USA, this podcast delves into people’spersonal experience with piano technique and in particular, how the Taubman approach can be so important in developing an effortless, comfortable approach to piano technique.
My guests today are:
- Annie Buettner-Moore – Piano/Sax performer and teacher from Perth, WA
- Leo McFadden – Guitar performer/teacher and piano student in QLD
- John Bloomfield – Golandsky Institute NYC
The discussion today centres around what piano technique means in a personal context with both Annie and Leo having very different stories about how they came to study with Taubman teachers: Annie due to pain when playing and Leo from a recommendation to start with the Taubman approach from scratch.
As we discuss their stories, I refer to John regarding his thoughts on healthy technique and how teachers can approach teaching technique in their lessons.
[Note: You can also watch the video below, however we lost visuals very soon after the beginning, so you’ll be stuck with whatever faces we were pulling at the time! Apologies to those of you who prefer watching the videos.]
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- How important technique is in piano teaching, especially when students begin college-level instruction.
- Two people’s journey through the world of piano technique and how it has affected their own approach to teaching.
- How the Taubman approach works and how it can be incorporated into lessons.
- That you don’t have to start retraining yourself or your students from scratch if they are having technical issues.
- Where to go online for more help, private instruction and video training about piano technique.
- John’s 5 Top Technique Tips for Teachers (below) that teachers can incorporate into their lessons tomorrow.
John’s Top 5 Tips for Teaching Technique:
- Get the seat height right
- Ensure there is an unbroken connection between the arm and the hand (ie. wrist neutral)
- Avoid stretching the fingers out
- Avoid over-curling the fingers
- Avoid lateral twisting of the wrists while playing (ie. keep the forearm and wrist in alignment)
Items mentioned in this podcast:
What are your thoughts?
What questions do you have for members of our panel today? What would you like to learn more about? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.