The Tyranny of Tradition in Piano Teaching

Download or read book The Tyranny of Tradition in Piano Teaching written by Walter Ponce and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2019-09-23 with total page 262 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The strict traditions of piano teaching have remained entrenched for generations. The dominant influence of Muzio Clementi (1752-1832), the first composer-pedagogue of the instrument, brought about an explosion of autocratic instruction and bizarre teaching systems, exemplified in the mind-numbing drills of Hanon's "The Virtuoso Pianist." These practices--considered absurd or abusive by many--persist today at all levels of piano education. This book critically examines two centuries of teaching methods and encourages instructors to do away with traditions that disconnect mental and creative skills.