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The KEYS to Piano Success
Practice help, piano research worth knowing, recital and scheduling news, and a little encouragement for every piano family. Sign up so you never miss an issue.
Past Issues
Beethoven's Piano Sonatas: History and Significance
Beethoven's 32 piano sonatas are not just a stack of increasingly hard pieces—they are a decades-long conversation between a composer and a changing instrument, and understanding that story will change the way you listen, practice, and play.
Clara Schumann's Career and Legacy
Clara Schumann performed for 61 years, helped invent the modern solo recital, and left a teaching legacy that still shapes how serious pianists approach the instrument—and her story has something to say to every student sitting at the bench today.
Chopin: Life, Innovations, and Lasting Influence
Frédéric Chopin packed more beauty, innovation, and heartbreak into 39 years than most composers manage in a lifetime—and understanding his story makes his music come alive under your fingers.
How a Modern Grand Piano Actually Works
Next time you lift the lid of a grand piano, you'll know exactly what you're looking at — and why every part of that beautiful machine matters to the music your child is making.
Who Invented the Piano and Why
The piano was born from one instrument maker's frustration with what keyboards couldn't do—and understanding that story changes the way you hear every note you play.
Long-Term Life Benefits of Childhood Music Lessons
The research on childhood music lessons and lifelong benefits is genuinely encouraging—but it is also more nuanced than the headlines suggest, and I think you deserve the honest version.
Piano Practice, Stress Reduction, and Mental Health
Piano practice can be a genuine source of calm for many students—but the science is more nuanced than the headlines suggest, and as your teacher I want you to have the honest version.
Social and Confidence Benefits of Music Study
Music study is linked to real gains in confidence and belonging—here's what the research actually shows, and what it honestly can't prove yet.
Does Piano Improve Math and Spatial Reasoning?
The claim that piano lessons boost math scores sounds wonderful, but the research tells a more honest—and still encouraging—story.
Piano Playing and Cognitive Aging in Adults
The research on piano playing and brain health in older adults is genuinely encouraging—and I want to give you an honest look at what it actually shows, not just the headline version.
Piano Study and Emotional Regulation in Kids
The research on piano study and emotional regulation is more nuanced than the headlines suggest — and honestly, more interesting.
Music Lessons, Memory, and Executive Function
Piano lessons won't turn your child into a genius overnight—but the research on what they actually do for memory and focus is genuinely interesting, and worth understanding clearly.
Piano Practice and Academic Performance in Children
The research on piano lessons and school grades is more complicated than you've heard—and as your teacher, I'd rather give you the honest picture than the flattering one.
How Piano Study Changes the Developing Brain
Piano lessons do change the developing brain — but the science tells a more specific, and more honest, story than the headlines usually do.