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In some ways, I miss how I used to understand Bach. I learned several pieces from the Anna Magdalena in my early years as a pianist, but my teachers did not express to me much regarding Bach. I experienced little effort from others to humanize Bach. That is, until I learned my first prelude from the Well-Tempered Klavier, in B-flat minor, Book 1. Before I decided to study that piece, my teacher encouraged me to listen to the entire Well-Tempered Klavier, and more importantly

Let me be blunt. I hate method books. Not mildly. Not secretly. I actually actively encourage peers to step away from them. I teach piano without method books, and here is why. But let's begin with a little bit of context. When I started piano, at about 8 or 9 years old, I went to a piano academy. Like many programs, they used the Alfred series, though my initial private teacher there used Faber. I was a quick learner and sightread my way through most of it. So I frequen

It brings me so much joy to see the surge of so many people wanting to learn the piano. Even when they do not have the means to take lessons, they are tenacious enough to try to teach themselves. Yet, it is incredibly overwhelming for any self-taught beginner pianist to face the wall of immense and conflicting information. “What does technique even mean? This person says to rotate, but this other person says to hold your hand still. I don’t even know how to hold my hand. Wh

Technique is a pillar of piano playing. It must not be neglected. Leon Fleisher, a transformative performer and pedagogue who passed away in recent years, stated it best: “Piano technique is merely the ability to do what you want. Any technique is the ability to achieve what you want.” (Young Leon Fleisher) I bet that you have students who want to play flashy pieces and others who want to play lyrical. Technique is needed for both! In my experience, many students have dis