Happy New Year, Mr. Hanon
Happy New Year, Mr. Hanon! And to all teachers, students, adult learners, colleagues, and those who enjoy playful patterns, ceremonial chords, and an adventurous Auld Lang Syne—fueled by Mr. Hanon’s first pattern in “The Virtuoso Pianist.” Charles Louis Hanon (1819−1900) has helped develop the technique of thousands of pianists through his patterned exercises in “The Virtuoso […]

A Joyful Greeting
A warm welcome to each of you! All of us here at Piano Adventures are wishing you a blessed and peaceful holiday. This animated holiday card is a colorful display of notes for flute, cello, and piano dancing across the score of Joy to the World. Each instrument appears in gold, green, or blue and is […]

It’s Beginning to Sound a Lot Like Christmas
Shorter days, a nip in the air, and for many, turning the clocks back one hour means that winter will soon be here. Along with the change in season comes the opportunity for a change in repertoire—Christmas music! From popular melodies to traditional carols and everything in-between, the sounds of the season bring added joy […]

Starting Young Beginners Remotely
Many of us have encountered a year of “firsts” in our piano teaching — the sudden switch to online teaching, our first virtual recital, and perhaps a few online festivals and adjudications. One of the last frontiers of “firsts” for some teachers may be starting a young beginner online. In the early days of the […]

Watch a Video Demonstration of our Disney KIT
A warm, lighthearted attitude AND music that speaks to the student’s interest! These can dissolve even challenging concepts and passages. Watch student Serena’s eyes light up in this teaching demonstration by Theresa Cheng. She is using sharable slides from the Disney KIT, a simple but powerful digital bundle for the nine songs of PreTime Disney. […]

Host a Disney Piano Camp
Are you looking for a fun activity for your students? Consider hosting a Disney Piano Camp for students in Primer and Level 1. The PreTime Disney KIT makes it easy to host a camp for two to six students, online or in-person. It contains sharable teaching slides, a teacher script that serves as your lesson guide, […]

Welcome Spring and New Updates in the Teacher Atlas
Whether you’re teaching in-person, remotely, or a bit of both, we are committed to making the Teacher Atlas an optimal tool for Piano Adventures users. Today we are pleased to share these important updates for teachers and students, including the new Disney KIT, annotation tools, and Teacher Groups. Disney KIT “KIT” refers to Keyboard Interactive […]

A Bounty of Additions in the Teacher Atlas
We’ve been busy adding books and resources to the Teacher Atlas. It’s time for an update, so get comfortable. And as always, we invite you to submit questions, comments, and suggestions below. Interactive Elementary Flashcards The Piano Adventures Flashcards present a single note followed by two short sightreading exercises—all on the same card! This combination […]

The Adventure of Music-Making
Whether you’re a pro, aspiring artist, or novice, making music is an Adventure. Let creativity of the human spirit and learnings from neuroscience work in your favor. If you believe in music and your power to express, watch this delightful session with Randall Faber, PhD, Steinway Artist, 2019 recipient of the Roland Lifetime Achievement Award […]
Pandemic, Politics, and Piano
And “piano?” Is this seemingly misfit word pertinent? Indulge me to share a few personal stories of pandemic, politics, and piano—and then consider this trio of dynamics philosophically. Just a short year ago in Ann Arbor, I was dining out with pianist Emanuel Ax and a key Director of Pfizer. Together with the local symphony […]