Back in 1996, when my family first moved from Taiwan to California, I didn't speak much English. Despite the language barrier, I made a lot of friends through basketball.
In fact, I had dreams of playing in the NBA--until I found out the growth spurt I had in sixth grade was going to be my last. HAHA. As part of my initial interview with students or just during lessons I like to find out about my student's hobbies. Knowing what they like to do helps me think of different analogies that put musical and pianistic concepts into more familiar and tangible terms for them. For my students who are into basketball, I often point them to these two videos about practice as I'm very into efficient and effective practice habits. What better way for a student to learn how to practice than to watch the two greatest shooters in the history of NBA practice shooting?
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My interview with Dr Kolar turned into a five-part series of video posts because we talked for almost TWO hours; an incredible amount of invaluable information for parents and teachers. Well, I've compiled the links and topics talked about for all five parts here for easy access.
Click on the interviews for the video and a more detailed list of topics discussed. Listening to Horowitz Live and the Importance of Attending Concerts - with Dr. J. Mitzi Kolar2/12/2013
This is the fifth and FINAL part of my interview with Dr. J. Mitzi Kolar! Whew! It's been a journey for sure. Some of the topics we covered in this segment is listed below. I noticed the background music for this part got a bit distracting, so for better audio quality, you can listen to just the audio with the audio player or download the audio file. In Part 1 we talked about the development of the piano pedagogy field and Dr. Kolar gave some some inside look at the thought process that goes into writing a piano method book. In Part 2 we discussed pedagogical issues in teaching Bach, Beethoven, and Chopin's music. Part 3 talks about difficulties about Rachmaninoff and Kabalevsky's pieces along with different ways to teach rubato, a secret to concert pianist's playing, and why method books include lyrics in their pieces. Part 4 is about how piano students have changed, misconceptions about piano lessons and teachers, and Dr. Kolar's favorite books on repertoire and teaching. Dr. Kolar also called me after the interview to tell me that she had said Angela Chang instead of Angela Hewitt in this last part of the interview :) Here are some of the topics we covered in the final part of the interview:
Have your own most memorable concert experience? Favorite CD's and pianist? Share it in the comments! Dr. Kolar's CD Recommendations: By the way, these are affiliate links to Amazon so I'd probably get a few cents if you purchase using these links. If you care then feel free to search for these yourself on Amazon :), if you don't care, I appreciate it! :) Specific Pedagogical Issues in Bach, Beethoven, and Chopin's Pieces - with Dr. J. Mitzi Kolar1/22/2013 
This is Part 2 of my interview with Dr. J. Mitzi Kolar, some of the topics we covered in this segment is listed below. If you want better audio or just listen to the audio, I uploaded a better sound quality audio file also.
Sorry for the blurry video, I didn't realize the camera wasn't focused when we started the recording!
Here are some of the topics we covered in part 2 of this interview:
Did you find this interview helpful? Have anything you want to add or share? Leave a comment below!
Also, if you found this information come join us and like our studio's facebook page! 
I had an awesome time interviewing Dr. Kolar on Wednesday night and was blown away with how much I learned through the opportunity to pick the brains of such an experienced piano pedagogue for TWO HOURS. Video of the interview is above. If you want better audio and only the audio, you can download or just listen to the audio file.
Here are some of the topics we covered in the first part of the interview:
Here's a link to the Celebrate Piano! Method website.
In the next segment of our interview, Dr. Kolar shares specific pedagogical issues with Bach, Beethoven, and Chopin's pieces and how to teach and practice each skill. This is a very informative segment with loads of information for piano teachers.
If you have any comments or questions please leave a message in the comments section! Also, if you found this information helpful then don't forget to join the FreshStart Friends List to get updates on the latest posts. I promise I won't send you spam! |
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