The Lifetime Achievement Award has only been bestowed ten times since 1983.It is the Frances Clark Center's highest honor and is presented to individuals who have made substantial and enduring contributions to the field of piano pedagogy. At the NCKP 2021 Virtual Piano Conference, four individuals will be honored with ...

text

As we start a new year of teaching, I believe that many of us wonder how can I improve and become a better, more efficient, and more productive teacher this year? I know I do, even as I start my 44th year of teaching. Of course, I prepare by consulting past lesson plans and pedagogy syllabi. As I meet new students and welcome back returning on...

Jazz pianists face innumerable decisions when playing a song from the American Songbook. Every time we perform a song by Cole Porter, George Gershwin, or Duke Ellington, we address questions about key (we are not obliged to play the tune in its original key);tempo (should it be slow, medium, fast, or free); rhythmic background (shall we try sw...

I recently performed a concert celebrating the arrival of spring with a program featuring songs with the word "Spring" in the title. It Might As Well Be Spring, Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most, You Must Believe in Spring, and Joy Spring proved to be fun to play and provided me with many harmonic and rhythmic opportunities. Of ...

The sounds of jazz have always fascinated classical musicians. In the earliest years of the twentieth century composers such as Debussy, Hindemith, Milhaud, and Stravinsky were all drawn to the infectious rhythms of Ragtime.' As jazz harmonies and forms became more sophisticated, classical composers incorporated more diverse jazzy elements int...

from the series: It's Got That Swing: Jazz & Pop Tony Caramia, Editor George Gershwin's rhythms, wonderful melodies, and unmistakable American harmonies continue to fascinate listeners and performers. Porgy and Bess is a mainstay of opera companies around the world. In a recent search, YouTube offered more than 500 videos of Rhapsody ...

by Pete Jutras, Editor-in-Chief  If your students are anything like the ones I've had over the years, they love to play jazz and pop repertoire. As time marches forward, it is evident that the jazz and pop genres will stand as important musical contributions of the 20th century. With that in mind, we have decided to add a regular dep...