Spring 2000: Volume 11, Number 1

The following is from The Editor's Page, by Richard Chronister:
(Reprinted from Keyboard Companion, Summer 1993)

ll of us have heard those lecturers who struggle valiantly to convince us that the only control we have over the sound we make at the piano is the velocity at which the key goes down. They back up their pronouncements with convincing, scientific proof and most of us continue to have none of it. We aren't willing to believe that the "human touch" begins and ends with controlling the speed with which the hammer hits the strings.

The number and variety of those things which pianists claim do have an effect on the piano sound approaches the number and variety of pianists in existence at any one moment. None of these ideas and practices enjoy general agreement among pianists and many are in total, and sometimes violent, opposition to others. Most do agree, however, that playing the piano is a very personal thing, and what one does physically at the piano has some effect on what the listener hears.

The personal touch begins at the very beginning when the teacher places a child's hands on the keyboard in preparation for playing the first piece. It is hard to imagine doing this without actually touching the child's hand, although this may represent the first disagreement among early-level piano teachers. Some teachers hold that a student should never be touched, that it is improper teaching behavior which the teacher must avoid. Putting aside the legendary rap on the knuckles with a ruler, the vast majority of teachers, however, punctuate their words of wisdom with gentle physical reminders throughout every lesson they teach. Who of us has not carefully positioned each finger in the center of a white key to help a student know how to avoid playing in the cracks? How often have you gently pushed the hand up from below to form an arch? How many times have you softly placed your finger tips in the middle of a student's back as a reminder to sit tall, or lightly placed your hands on both shoulders to encourage a release of tension?

The picture on this issue's cover (from the Summer of 1993), which shows an adult hand gently holding the hand of a child, easily reminds us of the many times we have helped yet another beginner embark on the road to exciting music-making at the piano. Just as this picture is worth a thousand words, the right touch during a lesson on technique is often worth a thousand remonstrances. Helping the student create the physical properties of playing which lead to a relaxed and natural approach to playing is surely one of the most important things we teach. Can it be done without personal contact between teacher and student?

The purpose of KEYBOARD COMPANION is to explore questions like this. We invite you, as always, to tell us your answers to this and all the other questions we pose in this magazine from issue to issue.

Richard Chronister

1930-1999

he first issue of Keyboard Companion was published in the Spring of 1990 but the germ of the idea was formed more than forty-five years ago when Richard Chronister was in graduate school in Tulsa University. While attempting to do research on his favorite topic, early-level teaching, and experiencing frustration at the lack of references, he vowed then and there that if given the time and means, he would publish a magazine on just that subject.

Now, ten years after the first copy appeared, we are publishing what for us will be the final issue of Keyboard Companion. The ultimate decision on what is to become of the magazine will be decided at a later date.

I am so grateful to all the editors of KBC, our wonderful staff, the writers who have contributed articles, the advertisers who placed their trust in us, and the loyal subscribers, many of whom have been with us since the first issue.

Thank you.

This issue's cover art is titled The Well-"Tempered" Clavichord by Billie Nugent

To see a larger image of this cover photo or the one from Summer of 1993, please visit our Art Gallery.

FEATURED ARTICLE - Rhythm Department

This issue's featured article is on Beethoven's Sonata in G, Op. 49, #2, 1st movement, which is a favorite of students and teachers alike. Helen Marlais and Janet Hickey share their insights into how to help students avoid and solve common rhythm problems in this piece. To make their points hit home, they have recorded some short audio clips that are sprinkled throughout their essays, as well as a complete performance of the movement.

These are the other articles that were in the Spring 2000 issue

Information on obtaining back issues

The Magic Triangle: Teacher/Student/Parent Barbara Kreader, Editor	What do you do with a student who hates to play the piano?	Barbara Kreader

The Other Teacher: Home Practice Elvina Pearce, Editor	What do you see when you watch your students practice? Part II	Beth Jones Elvina Pearce

Independence Day: Music Reading Richard Chronister, Editor	How is teaching different on other instruments?	Chelcy Bowles Nancy Weckwerth

Let's Get Physical: Technique Scott McBride Smith, Editor	What do videos on technique have to offer teachers of early-level students? A conversation with Barbara Lister-Sink.	Scott McBride Smith

Partners in Time: You and Your Piano Madeleine Crouch, Editor	How do you teach piano to handicapped children?	Marcelle Vernazza Madeleine Crouch

The Heart of the Matter: Rhythm Bruce Berr, Editor	How do you teach the rhythm challenges in Beethoven's Sonata in G, Op. 49, #2, 1st movement?	Helen Marlais Janet Hickey

From the Inside Out: Motivation Joyce Cameron, Editor	How do you develop rapport with your students?	Suzanne W. Guy Susan Brucker

It's Never Too Late: Adult Piano Study Brenda Dillon, Editor	What are your best success stories about adult students?	Betty Oka Nicole Tobin-Donnelly Sandra Stewart Lisa Iwasaki-McGowen

Putting It All Together: Repertoire Marvin Blickenstaff, Editor	How does the student's reading level influence your repertoire assignments?	Marvin Blickenstaff

Tomorrow Today: Technology Sandra Bowen, Editor	How do you use technology in planning and executing your summer camps?	Shana Kirk Katie Evilsizer Sharon Kunitz

From the lead-in page of the website for the Spring 2000 issue

"Richard is a man who has a way with words and his favorite form of punctuation is a question mark. His constant questioning of how we can be better teachers does not allow us to rest on our laurels, his creative thinking stimulates us, and his sincere and deep concern for the future of music teaching continues to inspire us."

from a quotation of Margaret Lorince in 1998 at the MTNA National Convention in Nashville, TN., upon the presentation to Richard of the MTNA Lifetime Achievement Award

his website was launched in the late spring of 1998, and was the brainchild of Richard and Marjore Chronister, and myself. Its initial planning and development actually go back as far as mid-1997. We have worked hard to bring to you a cyber-translation and extension of what has appeared in the print magazine. Our idea right from the start was that a website for a music and pedagogy magazine MUST take advantage of everything that current technology offers, so that the limitations inherent in a print/text format can be overcome. Supplementing articles with audio and video clips, as well as with auxiliary text and graphics, seems to have been our most exciting innovation. Using background music composed by students also generated much enthusiastic feedback. All of this is clearly the direction of the future, and what we have started here is just a seedling of what is surely to come in the near future as more and more print publications on music and teaching explore the power of this new medium. It is a further testament to Richard Chronister's considerable vision that he so enthusiastically supported the creation and development of this website at a time when the technology for doing so (by computer non-professionals) was just coming into focus. It has certainly been a learning experience for all of us.

We want to especially thank all of the contributors to this website. In preparing their articles, the authors who included audio or video obviously needed to grapple with a whole lot more than just their word processors! It is extremely time-consuming to produce and present multimedia in any setting, and we greatly appreciate all the time and energy that went into these special, ground-breaking articles.

We also thank you all for your feedback and encouragement over the past several years, and thank you most for the literally thousands of visits you've made to this site, from all over the world, collectively partaking in the exploration and joy of music and piano teaching.

This website is dedicated in admiration and fond, loving memory of Richard Chronister.