Teaching Resources

Over the years of performing and teaching, I have read many books written by experts in our field and adopted some in my pedagogy class. Not only that I gain deeper knowledge but also receive affirmation about my teaching methods and style. Below are the books and websites that provide a wealth of educational resources that worth sharing! Reviews will be added periodically.

Piano Pedagogy 

• Creative Piano Teaching by James Lyke, Geoffrey Haydon, and Catherine Rolling. - A collection of articles written by individual experts in their field. 
• How to Teach Piano Successfully (Third ed GP40) by James Bastien - Covers teaching techniques and methods from beginner to advanced levels, college group piano and piano majors, and special topics like ornamentations. My very first piano pedagogy book! I still go back to visit the book from time to time for teaching tips and ideas.
• Practicing The Piano - How Students Parents & Teachers Can Make Practicing More Effect by Nancy O'Neilll Breth - It provides detail and step by step practicing strategies. There are also two supplementary charts for piano students and parents. This book truly echoes my teaching philosophy on "Practicing Accurately" and "Teach Students How to Practice Effectively"! 
• Teaching Piano in Groups by Christopher Fisher - This book provides groups teaching strategies for both college and private settings. It was on my must read list when I was instructing class piano and designing proficiency requirements and class sequence. 

Music Pedagogy

• Intelligent Music Teaching: Essays on the Core Principles of Effective Instruction by Robert Duke - It helps music teachers to reflect and contemplate on their teaching methods and styles with topics like "Precision in Language and Thought" and "Assessment." Professor Duke is often featured in national conferences and pedagogy seminars. His workshop is very interesting in terms of helping his audiences to understand teaching from various perspectives and not just from the field of music.
• The Non-Musician's Guide to Parenting a Piano Player by Peter Walsh - Although this is a book meant for parents, I have found many interesting ideas that are necessary and beneficial when communicating with the parents.
• Learning Patterns and Temperament Styles by Keith Golay - This book introduces four types of learners and their basic temperaments. It helped me tremendously in understanding individual student's learning style and personality which leads to more efficient instructions! 

Repertoires

• Pianists Guide to Standard Teaching and Performance Literature by Jane Magrath - This is a must-have book that provides an invaluable resource of piano literature from Baroque through Contemporary periods.  The difficulty levels of this book are ranged from beginner to early advanced repertoires like easier Beethoven piano sonatas.
• Guide to the Pianist's Repertoire, Fourth Edition by Maurice Hinson and Wesley Roberts - Comparing to Dr. Magrath's pianist's guide, this book is also a repertoire survey but meant for advanced and professional pianists. Like the pianist's guide, it includes all periods of piano compositions with brief descriptions and levels of difficulties.
• In addition to the Guide to the Pianist's Repertoire, Professor Maurice Hinson wrote at least half a dozen of piano music from The Pianist's Guide to Transcriptions, Arrangements, and Paraphrases, Music for More than One Piano: An Annotated Guide, to The Piano in Chamber Ensemble: An Annotated Guide, Music for Piano and Orchestra, Enlarged Edition: An Annotated Guide, (check out his  Books list). His books are truly magnificent resources for pianists! I was fortunate to get to know him and briefly discussed his inspiration and how he worked on all those books with extensive researches on playing/listening to and reading music scores! 
• Piano Duet Repertoire, Second Edition: Music Originally Written for One Piano, Four Hands by Cameron Mcgraw. - A must-have duet resource for both performers and teachers! The newest edition is edited by Christopher and Katherine Fisher, which has expanded the original book from 20th to 21st century/contemporary repertoires. 

Performance Practice

• The Balanced Musician: Integrating Mind and Body for Peak Performance by Lesley Mcakkuster - like the author, I am an avid yoga and meditation practitioner. This book provides the reader with fundamental steps like breathing technique that help to center the mind and calm performance anxiety. All these techniques not only can bring benefits to the performance but also to the daily practice as well. 
• Artistic Pedal Technique: Lessons for Intermediate and Advanced Pianists by Katherine Faricy - This is a very well organized and explained book that helps the readers to understand various pedaling techniques such as syncopated (legato or overlapping) pedal. It also includes how the pedaling shall be applied and used for different style periods. *Although this book is meant for more advanced playing, it is important to instruct pedaling technique and exercises when students start to learn legato pedal.*
• Piano Repertoire Guide: Intermediate and Advanced Literature by Cathy Albergo and Reid Alexander - The reason this book is categorized under the performance practice and not repertoire is that it provides lists of characteristic elements of the four style periods, which is extremely beneficial to teaching. The 5th edition has both intermediate and advanced repertoire. 

Websites: 

• teachpianotoday.com- teaching tips and their compositions
• 88pianokeys.me - technology and teaching resources
• facebook.com/groups/ipadpianoteachers/ - technology resources
• composecreate.com - tips on studio business and Wendy's compositions
• dianehidy.com - teaching tips 
• medici.tv/en - best classical performances that include events like Tchaikovsky and Van Cliburn International Piano Competitions