CyberConservatory

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Musing From the Front Lines No. 12C: Gigi plays for Keeps from Interludes 2

By: Paul Sheftel July 28, 2019

Gigi and her family, Boston based, were down to NY for a long weekend. I put them all to work. Gigi is a cardiologist on the staff of Newton Wellesley hospital in Boston. During her long training, undergraduate years in college followed by medical training...

Musing From the Front Lines No. 11: Miranda plays Etude 1 from Interludes

By: Paul Sheftel July 6, 2019

You met Zoe at Musing #10. Here is another of our four favorite grandkids—Zoe's kid sis, Miranda. Miri is no slouch either. She will be entering her sophomore year at Brown University in the fall. During the summer she is helping Grandpa. Apart from being...

Musings from the Front Lines No. 10: Zoe plays Ins and Outs

By: Paul Sheftel July 1, 2019

My wife and I are blessed with four spectacular grandkids (not to speak of two wonderful daughters married to two special guys). Here is Zoe. Zoe just graduated from Kent State University. She did not graduate cum laude, she did not graduate magna — she...

Musings from the Front Lines No. 9: Rhett plays Toccata in 3rds

By: Paul Sheftel July 1, 2019

Rhett, not too long ago, retired from his very busy professional life and now has a bit more time to devote to his cherished piano studies. Here he tosses off with considerable brio my short etude that focusses entirely on major 3rds: Toccata in 3rds from Modules....

Musings from the Front Lines No. 8: Omer plays Tag

By: Paul Sheftel June 29, 2019

WE first met Omer in Musings #3 where he plays a lyrical number called Ballade. Here his mastery of major triad inversions is on impressive display in Tag from In Perfect Accord....

Musings from the Front Lines No. 7: Noteljah plays “A” nother

By: Paul Sheftel June 12, 2019

Meet Noteljah. She is a "care-giver" and an aspiring and already successful actor. Several years ago my sis died after a long decline. Noteljah was with her during much of that time. She was an unbelievable comfort, a support to my sis during that long...

Musings from the Front Lines No. 6: Alan plays Ballade in E Minor

By: Paul Sheftel June 5, 2019

Not so long ago, Alan began studying piano as an almost total beginner. It is very impressive and gratifying to see his amazing progress. Here's a sample of his playing, captured on my laptop from a Skype session. The piece is Ballade in E Minor...

Musings from the Front Lines No. 5: J-Cool plays Fifths

By: Paul Sheftel May 29, 2019

J-Cool, still waging the battle to find time to achieve both academic excellence in high school and pianistic prowess, manages to eke out enough piano time to conquer the intricacies of Fifths from Declarations of Independence. Declarations of Independence is available both in print (from Carl Fischer...

Musings from the Front Lines No. 4: Karate Person plays The Game by the Rules

By: Paul Sheftel May 8, 2019

Let the truth be known, Karate Person's true identity is Samuel — shown here with his two grandparents, in New York from out of town. Even though his true name is Samuel, we like to call him Karate Person, a name well deserved — he...

Musings from the Front Lines No. 3: Omer – Ballade

By: Paul Sheftel May 1, 2019

Omer chose basketball over piano as a kid, a mistake he corrected when he reached young adulthood. Having mended his ways, he is now working on subtle aspects of piano playing. In this video, you will hear (and see) how beautifully he is able to...

Can I Print CyberConservatory Publications in SuperScore?

By: George F. Litterst April 14, 2019

I occasionally hear this question: Can I Print CyberConservatory publications in SuperScore? The quick answer is: No, but most of them are available in print. Before talking about the availability of printed versions, I would like to provide some context. In my own studio, this question never arises....

Musings from the Front Lines No. 2: Lessons with J Cool

By: Paul Sheftel March 4, 2019

J Cool (not, obviously, his real name) is the student every teacher would love to have. He is bright, outgoing and talented among many other wonderful traits. He is also a teenager -- 13 to be exact. He got accepted into one of the crack...