Dum Spiro, Spero

It's nice to see that Spiro still begins every piano lesson by standing on the piano stool to reach down his music. He's also acquired a cute little American accent although it sounds like a cultured New England one to me. Why that should be when he's living in Houston Texas I don't know. When I think of Spiro I think of some of the toughest tussles I've ever had to get rhythmic points across. But we always got there in the end. Now, he's doing a good job on some of the ABRSM Grade 3 material. For instance, his version of this Bach Prelude http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1WjLjYKjuM is very cultured while his Air Cosaque by Kozeluch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TWr9bO7XFo is dashing and varied. We need to work a little bit on getting the tempi of the various sections consistent but that won't take too long now. Next, we're going to be playing Stroll on by Alan Haughton http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtJRimVoDFg Now, this is going to test Spiro's rhythmic understanding and perhaps stretch it a little. All the fingering is going to have to be exactly right, too. Fortunately, Skype allows me to have a clear view of what's going on and I can even type in reminders in the SMS messaging window. This is a great way to teach. If anybody reading this would like a FREE TRIAL LESSON, my Skype name is robyatkins It would probably be best to contact me by email first and I can suggest a book you could get. I use Pianoworks by Janet and Alan Bullard for adult beginners and the Oxford Pianotime series for children. With really young beginners I often use Thompson's Easiest Piano Course. Dum Spiro, Spero? Where there's life, there's hope.

How do you start?

I was heartbroken. Two of my best students had to move to Texas. I had to go on living, but it was hard. I had to go on getting the others through their ABRSM exams but each new clutch of merits and distinctions somehow failed to satisfy. No, of course I really enjoy teaching the piano and it's never a chore but I was delighted when the Skype call came asking if I'd like to try teaching on that great platform. They had found a teacher in Texas - apparently piano teachers exist even there - but, bless their hearts, they MISSED ME. I looked into the different techniques for teaching piano on Skype. It all seemed so complicated. You could split the screen up and invest in the technology to show the piano music on one side and the student on the other. You could even make annotations on the screen for the student to look at. Then I realised the best tool for teaching piano is having a piano there in front of you to demonstrate the points you're trying to explain. I'll tell you how the first session went in the next post.