Mary Rose Adkins is an Assistant Professor at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina. She is the Cataloging/Database Management Librarian in charge of cataloging special collections and supervising authority control for all collections in Dacus Library. She is also a veteran piano teacher and has taught private lessons in her own studio as well as group piano at Central Piedmont Community College and UNC-Charlotte. She also taught Music Appreciation and Music History at UNC-Charlotte. She has an A.B. in Music Education and an M.A. in Music History and Literature from Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia, and an MLIS (Masters in Library and Information Science) and an SLIS (Specialist in Library and Information Science) from the University of South Carolina.
Mary Rose Adkins
Dacus Library
Winthrop University
Rock Hill, SC 29733
803.323.2234
adkinsm@winthrop.edu
The focus for the Internet resources selected for the second part of this article is the piano teacher rather than the piano student. Sites listed below are grouped into the following categories: comprehensive sites on piano education and business practices, piano repertoire, music history and piano history (including composer sites), and prevention and treatment of injuries related to piano playing.
Piano Education and Business Sites
Piano teachers and studios have joined the online community by posting their individual web pages outlining fees, policies, etc. These sites are too numerous to mention, but offer some good examples for piano teachers planning to launch their own web pages. The sites listed in this category were chosen for their depth, ease of use, and relevant information.
The West Mesa Music Teachers Association offers this site of over 600 pages of free information updated monthly. Good starting points are "Getting the most out of Piano Education Page" and "Frequently Asked Questions." There are numerous section and links worth exploring, especially the following:
Be sure to read the copyright and reprinting regulations for this page before making copies.
A Musician's ABC, and Know Thy Piano by James Boyk
"A Musician's ABC" has a short entry for each letter of the alphabet. Some of the entries are Aphorism, Efficient Practice, Mozart, and Underground. "Know Thy Piano" is a collection of short articles on pedal, interpretation and other topics related to piano performance. James Boyk is Pianist in Residence at California Institute of Technology.
Piano Practicing Principles and Methods by Dr. Brent Hugh
This site offers practical suggestions and methods to improve the quality of the practice session. "Piano Practice Principles" offers such simple and logical suggestions as "write things down" and "listen." "Piano Practice Techniques" covers practicing in sections, separate hands, and several other aspects of practicing. Piano teachers can use any part of this information in their own lessons or have older students read it themselves. Dr. Hugh is Assistant Professor of Piano at Missouri Western State College. He offers a bi-weekly email newsletter of practice tips for anyone who wishes to receive it.
Pronouncing Dictionary of Music and Musicians
This dictionary of 30,000 entries was prepared for the announcing staff of WOI Radio at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. The dictionary includes a file for each letter of the alphabet and is available in WordPerfect or Acrobat Reader (pdf). This site can serve as a reference source for teachers and advanced students.
Piano Home Page of Dr. Martha Beth Lewis
Dr. Lewis has a Ph.D. in musicology and is an active teacher, lecturer and recitalist. This site offers extensive information and guidance in piano pedagogy, including business practices, copyright info, and numerous questions and answers. Select "Piano Pedagogy" to access an extensive list of articles with philosophical and practical teaching tips for rhythm, pedal, technique, etc. The information on business practices can be very valuable for beginning teachers and piano pedagogy students.
Programs, informational brochures, advertisements, letterheads, and web pages need graphics that look professional. This site offers hundreds of free icons, clipart, graphics, backgrounds and images. Select "Keys/Pianos" in the right column to access piano graphics. Select other musical symbols in the left column. Read the copyright disclaimer carefully at the bottom of the page.
Piano Repertoire
Piano teachers are always searching for repertoire of all styles for all levels. Contest lists from organizations can be a good source for quality titles and they are often listed by difficulty level. At this time searching the Internet for contest lists is tedious and time consuming. There is no master list that links to contest lists all over the country, but many state and regional organizations have their contest lists posted on their web sites. The sites listed below are lists and/or small databases of selected piano repertoire that may be helpful for the piano teacher.
Piano Repertoire Search Engine
This database contains approximately 5200 works and is updated frequently by its owner, Eric Brisson. The web page design is very simple and consists of the following search criteria: Composer, Nationality, Title, Key & mode, Duration, Date, and Work type. Titles listed in the search results can be selected to find publishers and availability for purchase, including links to two online music stores.
Database for 20th Century Intermediate Piano Literature by Kathy Winston
This database covers over 150 intermediate works by 57 composers of the 20th century and was created as part of a DMA dissertation at the University of Texas at Austin. In addition to the database of compositions, there is a glossary and an alphabetical biographical list of composers. Ms. Winston gives her definition of early intermediate, intermediate, and late intermediate. (Click on the words "intermediate level" in the first paragraph.) The search results include an opening theme with the option to hear it, a detailed description of the piece including level, techniques used in the piece, pedagogical issues, publishers, and much more. There is no menu or print icon, but each page can be printed with the Ctrl + P keyboard command.
Women in Music: Compositions for Intermediate Level by Dr. Lora Deahl, Dr. Kay Etheridge, Beverly McGahey, and Lea Schmidt-Rogers
This list includes intermediate level music for different instruments, but the largest section is for solo piano, with a small list for 2 pianos, 4 hands. The composers are listed alphabetically, and titles listed include publishers and some live links to publisher sites. The list appears as part of the web page for the San Diego Branch of the Music TeachersŐ Association of California.
Music History - Style, Composers, the Piano
One of the most difficult concepts to teach, especially to younger students, is the historical style of a piece. Piano teachers often give background information to the student about the stylistic traits of a period of music or of the composer of the piece. There are too many sites on individual composers to list, but for ready reference purposes the sites listed in this category may be helpful.
Music History 102: A Guide to Western Composers and Their Music from the Middle Ages to the Present
This concise description of each period of music was designed, compiled, and created by Robert Sherrane, Cataloging Librarian at The Julliard School and is a part of the Internet Public Library web site. It includes sound files and numerous live links to definitions of terms used in each period. It is an excellent source for all music teachers and older students.
Worldwide Internet Music Resources: Composers
This list is offered by the Music Library at the Indiana University School of Music. There are 165 links to individual composer pages and 22 links to composers lists. This site is an excellent place to begin a search for information on a composer.
This web site in Berlin was created by Matthew Boynick, an orchestra conductor. "Musical Epoch" and "ComposerŐs Name" both lead to a database of composers offering pictures, biographies taken from the New Grove, and a bibliography.
This site from the Music Library at Duke University describes itself as "the most comprehensive collection of classical music resources on the Web with links to more than 3,000 carefully selected, non-commercial pages and sites in over a dozen languages." For composer information select "Composer Homepages" or "Chronologies and Necrologies" for links to quality sites. The composer homepages list is organized into the general historical periods of music, while the chronologies and necrologies list includes links to several composer databases.
This site by Dr. Charles H. Smith at Western Kentucky University has five very helpful sections. The composers list is alphabetical and gives the nationality, style/period, notable works, and influences of 444 composers. The Geographical Roster is a list of composers by country, and the Basic Library of Notable Works offers lists of works listed by instrument. The Glossary and Index of Forms & Styles of Music are also worthwhile.
Learning Zone from Naxos
Select "Composer" to access an alphabetical list. Each brief biography includes a black and white sketch of the composer and a discography that links to purchase options. From the main Naxos page select "Artists and Composers" from the list on the left to access color portraits of composers.
Dr. Estrella's Incredibly Abridged Dictionary of Composers
Dr. Steven Estrella has compiled a database of over 500 composers. Each entry includes links to websites, and a list of books, CDs, and sheet music available on the composer. Some entries include pictures. The menu on the left of the screen allows searching by date or name. The music timeline is organized into the historical periods and composersŐ names are live links to their biographies.
This history portion of the UK Piano Page, sponsored by the Association of Blind Tuners contains links to several articles and chronologies of the piano. Some of the topics covered are manufacturers, the history of pitch, and historical tunings. The article "History of the Piano from 1709 to 1980" by David S. Grover is very detailed and worthwhile for piano teachers.
The official page of the Piano Technicians Guild has information about the organization, the piano industry, and buying a piano. The Virtual Piano Museum has several articles on the history of the piano in various countries and through various styles.
Ornamentation (from Dolmetsch)
This extensive article on ornamentation by Dr. Brian Blood is a part of the Dolmetsch website. It is very detailed and suited for teachers and advanced students. There are other components on the Dolmetsch site under the Music Theory button. From their home page (www.dolmetsch.com/) select "Resources" and then "Music Theory" from the menu at the top of the page.
Prevention and Treatment of Injuries Related to Piano Playing
One of the occupational hazards of instrumental musicians is the risk of injury, especially repetitive motion injury. Piano teachers must be aware of the causes of injuries and the ways to prevent it to protect themselves and their students.
This site is authored by Paul Marxhausen, supervisor of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Engineering Electronics Shop. It offers basic information on instrumental injuries and how to prevent them. There is an extensive list of recommended books and tapes and several links to online articles. Injuries related to piano playing are very well represented. Online discussion groups are listed by instrument.
Music and Health: Piano Teaching, Anatomy/Biomechanics and Musicians' Health
This site approaches piano teaching from the view of musicians' health and anatomy in an attempt to "foster an interdisciplinary approach to the understanding of piano technique." Author Richard Beauchamp is a piano performer and teacher in Edinburgh. There are 4 categories on the site: Musicians' Health, Anatomy/Biomechanics, Piano Teaching, and The Proprietor. The sections under Musicians' Health are very extensive and lead to articles, lists of organizations, other sites, and recommended reading.
Playing the Piano, Playing...With Fire? by Jonas Sen
This study of injuries and other occupational disorders related to piano playing was originally written as an MA dissertation at the City University in London. The document covers the description and treatment of the injuries/disorders, treatment of mind and body, and includes a bibliography.
Conclusion
This second part of the list of Internet resources for piano teachers can provide assistance to the piano teacher in preparation and planning. The subjects covered are very important elements in successful teaching, requiring a great deal of time and study. Some of the sites listed can serve as ready reference tools for teachers and students to access information quickly and efficiently, especially in the areas of composers and historical periods of music.
Looking to the Future
The list of Internet resources for piano teachers in this two-part article is the end product of researching and evaluating web sites in several categories. While there were numerous sites in music theory, downloadable sheet music, and music history, access to repertoire or contest lists and professional organizations is either lacking or very difficult to find. This problem could be addressed by a national web site that serves as a gateway to the individual web sites of regional, state, or local organizations. These individual web sites could then post information about the organizations, calendars of events, and repertoire lists for contests. Local organizations or a consortium of private piano teachers could provide space on their web sites to individual piano teachers. Piano teachers can list fees, business practices, suggested links or resources, calendars of events, and other important information for their students and parents.
When this type of organizational structure is in place, the piano teacher can take better advantage of the power of the Internet. Presently, there are some organizations and piano teachers using the Internet in this manner and new sites are appearing daily. In the field of piano pedagogy the online future holds promise for a productive and successful relationship with the Internet customized to meet the needs of piano teachers and students.
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