with Guest Left Hand Artist Nancy Elton

Preparing Students for Auditions and Competitions: Turning FEAR into FUN!!

Proper preparation for performing situations is an essential component for a successful experience. This program includes such topics as choice of repertoire, understanding and solving technical problems, memorization, performance anxiety and stage poise. Choosing the right performance activity to match each student’s needs will be discussed. This workshop will provide useful strategies to help teachers prepare their students for all kinds of performing experiences.

Teaching Rubato: Bend It, But Don´t Break It!

We, as piano teachers face many challenges, perhaps one of the greatest being the maintenance of a steady tempo in our students’ playing with a strict inner pulse. But what happens when they reach all of that splendid repertoire that demands rhythmic freedom? This workshop will provide teachers with ideas on when and why we use rubato, as well as techniques for how to teach students to play with rhythmic freedom beginning at an early age. Professor Clarfield will perform and provide an extensive list of repertoire form early intermediate to advanced levels that are effective in teaching rubato.

The Top 100 Masterworks: Classics for the Developing Pianist

Ingrid Clarfield and coauthor, Phyllis Lehrer, will discuss and perform pieces from their new five book series which feature the 100 piano works they believe pianists should study and perform. Their editions feature alternative fingerings, pedaling suggestions, additional dynamics for artistic shaping and voicing, a possible tempo range, plus clear explanations of ornamentation.

Master Class