Oxana Piano Studio

https://youtu.be/239OK0tHJA4?si=utvfEpXmQAwv92ak
First recital recording! Ammiel Y. And her mother Ji-Hyeun Kwon-Min played together at my studio Oxana Titova winter recital. I love to see such a bond between mother and daughter! Many more to come. Ammiel!

Ammiel first recital Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

https://youtu.be/OfkfRHaD14Q?si=geqzZ6_wdwqVzM3Z

Piano Trio Piazzolla Spring, Summer Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

Playing an instrument and our brain

How playing an instrument benefits your brain - Anita Collins Check out our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/tededView full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-playing-an-instrument-benefits-your-brain-anita-coll...

Very impressive progress!

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What a joy!

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Enjoy this beautiful performance done by my student and his team mates!

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WHY PIANO?
Practicing piano brings numerous benefits!

1. Enhances memory and concentration – Reading music and coordinating both hands trains the brain in multitasking and focus.
2. Improves math and spatial reasoning – Piano practice strengthens patterns, timing, and counting skills, which are foundational for math.
3. Develops fine motor skills – Coordinated hand and finger movements refine physical control and precision.
4. Boosts emotional intelligence – Expressing music helps children understand and communicate emotions better.
5. Increases discipline and patience – Regular practice builds perseverance and delayed gratification.
6. Stimulates brain plasticity – Studies show that musical training literally changes the structure of a child’s brain, especially in the auditory and motor areas.
SIGN UP for the lesson today to ensure the best time slot in the fall schedule.

Delightful story how piano made its way from being underdog to the king of all instruments.

Has the piano always been popular?

The pianoforte was born in the 1690s.

Bartolomeo Cristofori built it in Italy, probably thinking:

“This is it. This will change music forever”.

It didn’t.

Harpsichords still ruled: loud, bright, and fashionable.
Clavichords had their place too: quiet, expressive but a bit fragile.

And the pianoforte?

It was complicated, expensive and not quite strong enough yet.

The sound was interesting: soft when you wanted, loud when needed.
But it lacked the power to impress a big audience.

So, for a while, it just… existed.
A good idea waiting for its moment.

Then composers got curious.
First a handful: Scarlatti, Clementi.

But then came Mozart.

He saw the potential. Started writing for it. Playing it.
His music still had that harpsichord feel, but the piano was getting noticed.

Haydn joined in.

And then Beethoven arrived.

He didn’t just play the piano.. he attacked it. Pushed it harder than anyone before.
Too hard, actually.

Early pianos weren’t built for that level of intensity. He kept breaking them.

Piano makers had to step up: stronger frames, better strings, more keys, more sound.

By the early 1800s, the pianoforte had fully evolved. Bigger, bolder, more powerful.

And suddenly, it was everywhere.
The instrument of the century. No more background music. This was serious.

Chopin emphasised its subtleties. Liszt pushed its technical boundaries. Schumann explored its emotional depth.

Every middleclass family wanted one in their home.
If you were an upperclass young woman, you HAD to learn it. Not for fun, but to prove you were "accomplished."

The harpsichord? It went from essential to antique in a matter of decades.

Then the world changed and the piano changed with it. Ragtime. Jazz. Blues. Swing. It adapted to everything.

Classical composers still loved it: Debussy, Rachmaninov, Gershwin..
but now there were also bar pianists, jazz legends, and rock ‘n’ roll rebels playing it.

It became electric. It became digital. Synthesisers were invented but the piano stayed the piano.
Concert halls, jazz clubs, pop studios, people’s living rooms.. it never left.

Not bad for an invention that spent its first few decades getting ignored.

What about Bach?

Ah, Bach. The man was NOT a piano enthusiast.

By the time Cristofori invented the pianoforte, Bach was already a big deal.

He wrote for the harpsichord, the clavichord, and the organ.. basically anything with keys except the pianoforte.

Why?

Early pianos weren’t up to his standards.

He tried one around 1730, a German made version by Gottfried Silbermann.
He wasn’t impressed.
Thought the high notes were weak, the action too heavy.
In short: “Not for me, thanks”.

Silbermann, probably frustrated, went back to work. Years later, he improved the design.

Bach gave it another chance. This time, he approved. He even helped promote it.

But did he write specifically for the piano?
Not really.

His keyboard music was mostly for harpsichord and clavichord, though people today play it on the piano all the time.

So, while Bach technically lived during the piano’s early years, he wasn’t part of its rise to fame.

That was left to Mozart, Beethoven, and the composers who followed.

Still, if you play “The Well-Tempered Clavier”, you can’t help but wonder..
maybe, just maybe, Bach would have loved the modern instrument.



📸Yamaha from Markson Pianos

It's never too late! Fascinating story! It is an example for all of us!

Man clears highest grade piano lesson 67 years after passing previous grade; he’s an advice for hopefuls At 88, Ray Eveleigh has defied expectations by passing his grade 8 piano exam with distinction, 67 years after taking grade 7. He says playing the instrument helps keep his brain active, according to a report

Beautiful team work! Lots of fun and enjoyment while learning the pieces!

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A stunning performance capture of my student playing Chopin's Polonaise in c # minor, Op 26, No 1. Adrian was the YMIC competition First Place Winner
Winners' Concert
Sun. April 24, 2016
Montgomery College, Recital Hall

Adrian Cheung, Piano – Polonaise in c# minor, Op 26, No 1 YMIC Competition Presents Winners' ConcertSun. April 24, 2016Montgomery College, Recital HallTel: 240.388.1435

It is a beautiful audio recording done by my adult students Diana and Harris Bruch more than ten years ago. They have been part of my studio for over seventeen years.
https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DlVGEhcmj800&h=AT1sA26zGw8aRj79jR43uDSqCbA1VQpNE_LBSVh1ofM25MDoNTZ8aZc9DNPSen8dd0NAQgvxvOmIfZ2Z0t5pcPsGcHN32F-_ftGAljp2frfk1_mk5q4rgnKr4DMn6RSdeA&s=1

Sand Dunes - Piano, Four-Hands, Harris & Diane Bruch Sand Dunes - One Piano four hands - Harris and Diane Bruch