EDITOR'S NOTE: As a new resident to Australia and having recently joined the faculty at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, I am naturally quite eager to learn about music education in this region of the world. What common denominators exist between the United States and Australia, and which differing approaches are intr...

Do you know of piano events or festivals in which students with special needs can participate? Diversity and inclusion are becoming more important in our daily lives and I congratulate everyone in our profession for their courage and dedication in making music study available for all students.The Royal Conservatory of Music examination process...

Piano instruction in France I grew up in France, where the system of piano instruction is totally different from that of the United States. It is virtually free to the student, costing about three hundred dollars a year. To continue lessons, however, students must pass rigid examinations in piano performance; these include twelve progressive levels...

When my adult students tell me they are "not serious" about their piano study, a red flag goes up- "serious" means different things to different people. Although students may be trying to say their final goal is not to be a performer, more often than not they are saying, "I don't have time to practice a lot, but I'm very serious about learning to p...

The World Around Us: News and Views Helen Smith Tarchalski, Editor Charging appropriate tuition rates benefits all involved. I told Lionel that this is going to be very expensive, so he must follow directions and practice a lot. Piano lessons are very important to us, but we're not going to fool around when this kind of money is being invested...

I first met Toshie Okada and her two daughters, Emi, and Tamami on the rocky mountain path between Ptarmigan and Owl cabins at Rocky Ridge Music Center in Estes Park, Colorado. Toshie and I had exchanged excited e-mails about the prospect of her two daughters coming to the United States from Japan to attend the first Junior Seminar Session at the C...