PTC Online - Complete Bundle

Complete collection of online modules based on the Piano Teachers' Course, featuring advice on practising, technique, improvisation, practical psychology, teaching beginners and more!
Format: Online Video Content

Practical Psychology for Teaching and Learning

Based on lectures from the Piano Teachers' Course, this set of video lectures provide psychological insight and understanding, and practical tips, to help piano teachers with their pupils.

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Piano Technique Lecture Series

In this series of video lectures, I explore aspects of technique one by one. My approach is based on using the body in the most natural ways possible, with emphasis on healthy technique and correct alignment. While I recognise that exercises, such as Hanon, are out of favour with some pianists and teachers, there are plenty who still use them. I suggest ways of doing such exercises that will help you experience healthy movements at the piano, and avoid injury.

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Teaching Beginners

Teaching young beginner pianists is an incredibly rewarding part of being a piano teacher. Find out how to make the early lessons purposeful, musical and enjoyable with real lesson excerpts to bring it all to life.

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The Practice Tools Lecture Series

Without an understanding how to approach practising the piano, day-to-day practice can often be unfocussed and unproductive. In this series of video lectures, I identify and explore various practice tools that will help pianists of any level get the most out of their time spent practising.

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Making Progress with Beginners

In these video lectures based on the Piano Teachers' Course, Ilga Pitkevica shares effective strategies from her own experience in making quick progress with developing sight reading, teaching scales and building the foundations of speed with beginners.

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Foundations of Good Technique

In these video lectures Ilga shares her experience on how to teach good pianistic habits and ease of movements from the start, and how to tackle problems in piano playing caused by lack of flexibility. Ease of movement helps not only to avoid tension and unnecessary rigidness in piano playing, but it has a direct effect on building up speed and precision in piano technique.

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Playing Together - Etiquette and Tips for Duet Playing

These videos, based on content from the Piano Teachers’ Course UK, provide a demonstration of the “do’s and don’ts” of duet playing. Using Mozart’s Five Variations K501 as a practical example, the videos illustrate the various challenges that arise, including pedalling, page turning and getting in each other’s way in addition to highlighting many facets of this fascinating genre.

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Baroque Dance

This module is a wonderful resource for piano teachers to show their pupils when learning to play dance music from the Baroque Suite. Nicola Gaines and Chris Tudor demonstrate the typical steps of the dances in period costume to convey the atmosphere, tempo and musical style of each dance.

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Authors

Lucinda Mackworth-Young

Dedicated to helping everyone play the music they love and long to play, Lucinda Mackworth-Young has pioneered Practical Psychology for Musicians to help teachers and performers teach, learn and perform as effectively and enjoyably as possible. She has also developed a step-by-step system for learning to play by ear and improvise, so that even classically trained piano players can play spontaneously, anywhere, anytime -and say “Yes!” when asked to play Happy Birthday!

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Ilga Pitkevica

Ilga Pitkevica-Baldwin graduated from Jazepa Vitola Latvian Music Academy in Riga with honours and a Master’s degree in Solo Piano Performance, Piano Teaching, Accompaniment and Chamber Music. Ilga is a successful piano teacher with the private practice in Cambridge. Since 2014 Ilga has taught as a Principal Tutor of the internationally-acclaimed Piano Teachers’ Course UK. She also lectures in the UK and in Latvia on piano teaching, and on the history and teaching methods of the Russian Piano School.

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Sally Cathcart

Sally Cathcart, PhD and Churchill Fellow, is a musician and pianist who is involved in many aspects and levels of music education. Her first love is teaching the piano and she has experience of teaching all ages and levels. She is Co-Founder and Director of The Curious Piano Teachers and is a Principal Tutor on the Piano Teachers’ Course UK.

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Graham Fitch

Graham Fitch, based in London, maintains an international career not only as a pianist, but also as a teacher, adjudicator, examiner, lecturer, writer and commentator on piano playing and musical subjects.

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Masayuki Tayama

Masayuki Tayama has maintained a highly active schedule as both international recitalist and concerto soloist. Tayama’s Wigmore Hall debut early in his career was a sell-out, and he continues to appear regularly at eminent London venues, including Queen Elizabeth Hall, Cadogan Hall and St. John Smith’s Square. He has taught some of the country’s aspiring pianists as tutor at Chetham’s School of Music, and his teaching incorporates the method taught by Sumiko Mikimoto on tone production, muscle relaxation and training for pianists. In 2020, he was appointed Director of the Piano Teachers’ Course UK, the country’s leading professional development course for piano pedagogy. Tayama is also currently in the midst of a project to record Rachmaninov’s complete works for solo piano.

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Beate Toyka

Beate Toyka, from the Rhineland in Germany, was raised and trained in the heart of the German classical tradition. She is a committed performer and teacher, and active as a concerto soloist, solo recitalist, and accompanist. She appears regularly in the UK, Central and Eastern Europe. As an enthusiast for duet and 8-hands playing, she formed the ‘Derby Piano Quartet’. Her teaching is characterised by a lively empathy for both the music being taught, and for the pupil. She is a valued adjudicator at music festivals. Beate is a principal tutor at the Piano Teachers’ Course, UK.

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Nicola Gaines

Nicola Gaines is both a specialist performer and teacher of Early Dance. A graduate of the London College of Dance and Drama, Nicola has always had a very keen interest in delivery historical dance material to musicians.

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