The Curriculum
The Pasadena Piano Institute uses a piano study called The Well Prepared Pianist. This series is used internationally and is highly regarded as the most comprehensive piano study available today. There are many etudes written expressly for developing wrist gestures. An extensive library of pieces written by many composers and progressing from very simple to the intermediate level. Theory and Ear Training are built into the wrist gesture drills. And there is much more. Here's a short list:
• A piano study that is results oriented and unique in the following ways:
• Centered around well composed study pieces
• Study pieces that focus on particular technical issues.
• Incorporates ensemble playing.
• Drills and study pieces are written to integrate four crucial parts of the brain, vision, hearing, muscle memory and analytical.
• Analysis questions for each piece.
• The only piano study endorsed by Steinway.
Steinway & Sons, the premier maker of pianos in the world, gave two awards to composer and author N. Jane Tan for her work in creating The Well Prepared Pianist. In 2006 Professor Tan received the prestigious 150th Anniversary, Standard of Excellence Gold Medallion award. Steinway also designated Professor Tan an International Steinway Artist.
Professor Tan was a child prodigy and grew up going to special schools and conservatories. She earned scholarships at every step of her education which culminated in study with Leon Fleisher at the Peabody Conservatory. Lucky for us, she wanted to teach rather than have the concert career she was being groomed for. In addition to being a world class pianist, Professor Tan is also an excellent composer, arranger and teacher of music.
Another unique quality of the WPP series that is easy to describe is the large repertoire. The purpose of this is when a student completes the entire course they will have learned and performed 150 pieces of music. Students are allowed to proceed through each book at their own pace. A student graduates a book or level when they have performed these pieces by heart. Students benefit by having a much increased memory capacity and also internalizing the gestures and technical skills that are required to play this music.
The sets of analysis questions for each piece have multiple benefits. Questions are used to develop awareness of pianistic patterns as well as patterns in music. Students are better prepared to learn a piece faster and more efficiently after answering these questions.
I had the opportunity to take individual piano lessons with Professor Tan for almost three years. Those lessons focused on learning and teaching The Well Prepared Pianist series. These lessons transformed my playing abilities. I was able to 'wipe the slate clean, losing old habits and learning how to move my wrists and the rest of my body in sync with my breath. Now I can play with a range of tone and an economy of motion that works like magic.
Even after forty six years, it's fun and I still practice everyday.
