<![CDATA[Piano Prodigies - Blog]]>Mon, 06 Apr 2026 11:08:22 -0400Weebly<![CDATA[How to Really Prepare for a Piano Recital]]>Fri, 30 Jan 2026 03:26:20 GMThttps://www.pianoprodigies.com/blog/how-to-really-prepare-for-a-piano-recital​Recital preparation is about much more than playing your piece correctly at home. A strong performance comes from feeling familiar with your music in many different situations — especially situations that feel a little uncomfortable at first. The ideas below are simple, powerful ways to build that confidence.

Play for Family
Playing for family is often the first step outside the practice room. Even though these are the people who love you most, it can still feel surprisingly nerve-wracking. That mild pressure is helpful — it teaches you how to keep going, stay focused, and recover gracefully if something doesn’t go exactly as planned.

Play for Friends
Friends bring a different kind of energy. They may not know the piece, but they’re real listeners, and that matters. Playing for friends helps you practice sharing music rather than “fixing” it, which is exactly the mindset you want in a recital.

Play for Online Audience
Playing online for adults (teachers, relatives, or family friends) closely mimics recital conditions: you’re being heard by people who are paying attention. This step builds poise and helps reduce performance nerves by making the experience feel familiar long before recital day arrives.

Work through the Piece Silently — With and Without Music
Silent practice is one of the most effective ways to strengthen memory and mental focus. Get comfortable somewhere quiet and go through the piece, looking at every detail of the music and trying to remember everything you see. Going through the piece in your head (without moving your fingers!) forces your brain to know what comes next without relying on sound or muscle memory. 

Listen to a Recording of Someone Else Playing Your Piece (start at least a month before the recital)Listening daily to a strong performance helps internalize the shape, pacing, and character of the music. Over ten days, your ear becomes deeply familiar with how the piece flows, making it easier to stay oriented during your own performance. This is not about copying — it’s about absorbing the musical landscape so nothing feels unfamiliar on stage.
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Preparing this way takes time, but it builds something far more valuable than perfection: confidence, resilience, and trust in your preparation. By the time you walk on stage, the experience will feel familiar — and that’s when real music-making can happen.]]><![CDATA[Creative Contemporary Composers]]>Sat, 26 Apr 2025 03:14:17 GMThttps://www.pianoprodigies.com/blog/creative-contemporary-composersCheck out their music!
Jacob Collier
Laufey Hiromi
Yoasobi
Joe Hisaishi
Jon Batiste
Cateen
Meshuggah
Animenz
Nahre Sol
Adam Neely
Andrew Huang
Genshin Impact (Natlan, Inazuma, Sumeru)

Thank you to Grant Kondo for putting together this list!
]]><![CDATA[Practice Advice from the Pros]]>Fri, 25 Apr 2025 18:11:32 GMThttps://www.pianoprodigies.com/blog/practice-advice-from-the-prosCheck out this amazing compilation of practice reflections/advice from some legendary pianists and teachers!

https://www.steinway.com/news/features/practice-practice-practice]]><![CDATA[Competitions: Pros and Cons(iderations)]]>Sun, 03 Nov 2024 17:27:44 GMThttps://www.pianoprodigies.com/blog/competitions-pros-and-considerationsPROS: 
  • Goal setting and practice motivation
  • Receive feedback on your performance from professional adjudicators
  • Unique performance opportunity (different than studio recitals, group classes, and community outreach concerts - more high stakes but a great way to build resilience and confidence)
  • Experience and resume-building: especially great for high school students; as this is something I frequently mention in letters of recommendation I write for them (not just awards received but how they persevered through the process)
  • Opportunity to listen to other high-achieving students from New England (selected winners perform publicly as awards are announced)
  • Students may be motivated to work hard throughout the year to prepare for the next competition (start earlier, pick more challenging pieces, etc).

CONS(IDERATIONS):
  • Music competitions can be competitive and subjective. Even when you perform at your best, you may not receive any awards.
  • There are many factors that influence judging: the variables that each judge personally determines are most important to them (technical proficiency, repertoire level, artistry, etc) - players cannot anticipate this. "Different day, different judges, different results" is really a thing.
  • The emotional readiness (and maturity) of the student is crucial. If they will take the results very personally this could do more harm than good.
  • It is crucial that parents are supportive, positive, and affirming throughout the preparation process and after the program, no matter what the results!
  • Preparation will require more time, focus, and discipline than the student may be used to. I will help structure the preparation process in terms of weekly goals, a timeline, and pre-competition performance opportunities.
  • Your goal is to improve through the process (taking on music that may initially seem really hard, but then successfully prepare it with my assistance) and play your best. If you learn from the experience and look forward to doing it again, you are a winner.

ADDITIONAL READING
http://www.pianoprodigies.com/blog/festivals-and-competitions-what-are-judges-looking-for

]]><![CDATA[2023 Classical Viennese Festival]]>Thu, 25 May 2023 13:43:40 GMThttps://www.pianoprodigies.com/blog/2023-classical-viennese-festivalCongratulations to Lyle Prajogi for his success (BRONZE MEDAL) at the Seattle International Piano Festival's "Classical Viennese Festival!" This program draws applicants from around the world - so this is an especially sweet recognition!
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]]><![CDATA[Spring Recital Photos]]>Mon, 15 May 2023 02:51:04 GMThttps://www.pianoprodigies.com/blog/spring-recital-photosCongratulations to all students and their families for a wonderful weekend of sharing music!

Seven students filled a program at The Greens on Friday night, and then a whopping 20 performed at Saturday's recital (including one student who was live-streamed from Seattle, Washington!).

From arrangements of Ode to Joy (Beethoven) and Spring (Vivaldi) to Seven Nation Army (White Stripes), Don't Stop Me Now (Queen), and Pirates of the Caribbean (arr. Radnich) to a Chopin Nocturne and two massive Beethoven Sonatas... sooooo much good music!

Our goal was to make this the "best recital ever" and we just may have accomplished that. 
Truly, each and every one of the performers had something to say, and did so beautifully.
]]><![CDATA[Exploring Our Family Tree]]>Sun, 21 Aug 2022 04:32:12 GMThttps://www.pianoprodigies.com/blog/tracing-back-my-rootsI am proud to have studied with renowned pianists and teachers who gave me so many tools for my development that I can now pass on to the next generation. I. recently stumbled on a site called "Pianists Corner" which allows us to trace our musical roots through our teachers.

If I look at the roots of my teachers it's astonishing to see the "greats" that are part of my family tree: Frederic Chopin, Ludwig van Beethoven, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Carl Czerny, Arthur Schnabel, Vladimir Horowitz, Franz Liszt, Marguerite Long, Franz Josef Haydn, Myra Hess, Arthur Rubenstein... I can trace my family tree back to Jean Philippe Rameau, who was born 300 years before me and lived before the piano was invented! I look forward to my students carrying on this musical family tree far into the future!

THE CHALLENGE: click here to visit my page on Pianists Corner and explore my family tree. You'll be able to click on each teacher to learn more about their life and influence (and honestly, that's only part of the story - some of the best still only have short bios on this site... be sure to do further research, and listen to recordings, when available!). Write a short report on what you learned. Please also listen to recordings of music (if mentioning a composer) or performances (if mentioning a performer) and include this list in your report. 

Option for students under age 7:
-Select a composer in our branches of the tree and listen to 3 pieces of music they wrote (write down the composer and pieces!)
OR
-Select a teacher/performer in our branches of the tree and listen to 3 recordings (write down the performer and pieces)
OR
-Create a visual project/drawing about our music family tree

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]]><![CDATA[Resources on Practicing and Memorization]]>Fri, 19 Aug 2022 03:57:11 GMThttps://www.pianoprodigies.com/blog/resources-on-practicing-and-memorizationThe Musicians Way: Downloads
​An fantastic collection of practice templates, assessments, and plans to make sure you are making the most of your time!

12 Tips for Memorizing Music
https://colorinmypiano.com/2010/03/02/12-tips-for-memorizing-piano-music/]]><![CDATA[August 2021 Newsletter]]>Sun, 05 Sep 2021 02:01:43 GMThttps://www.pianoprodigies.com/blog/newsletter-fall-2021
Fall 2021 Newsletter
File Size: 4777 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
]]><![CDATA[Chamber Music Groups - Summer 2021]]>Sat, 28 Aug 2021 04:00:40 GMThttps://www.pianoprodigies.com/blog/chamber-music-groups-summer-2021
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