The Future of Piano Lessons

Mon, 09/14/2015 - 3:52pm
Written by HughSung
Topics: piano lesson, piano pedagogy

Here's a nice interview that I did for the Tim Topham show! In this episode, I describe the benefits of Asynchronous Pedagogy - what everyone here in ArtistWorks knows very well as a fantastic way to learn to play an instrument, where instead of the teacher and student being in the same room or any other simultaneous situation (like a Skype video chat), the student posts something at one time, then the teacher responds at a different time, etc. Not only is this method convenient for both parties to submit and absorb information at their own convenience, but more importantly, the ability to pause and rewind video lessons is a powerful tool to learn more efficiently, giving what I call "magnified vision and hearing". 

 

Interview with Eleanor Sokoloff, Part 2

Wed, 04/22/2015 - 6:44pm
Written by HughSung
Topics: piano pedagogy, piano tastings

In this episode, Mrs. Sokoloff talks about the miracle of how she started teaching at Curtis in 1936 (while still a student herself) and her first students who would go on to become classical music legends like Shmuel Ashkenasi, Aaron Rosand, members of the Guarneri Quartet, Jaime Laredo, Benita Valente, and many members of the Philadelphia Orchestra; her first private students who went on to pass the rigorous auditions at Curtis and perform with the Philadelphia Orchestra; her secrets on how she remains healthy, active and productive at age 100; and shares her thoughts on how women’s careers in music have changed over her lifetime (she is passionate about women’s rights in all aspects of life).