Dear reader,  Back in the spring of 1989 Richard Chronister asked me to become the first Associate Editor for Technique of a new publication with a focus on piano study from beginning through intermediate levels. Thus began my association with KEYBOARD COMPANION. I think Richard asked me to a ss i s t him  because he knew of my great inte...

Teaching students about the thumb is as important as it is difficult. If the thumb is angled too high, the wrist sticks up. If the thumb joints bend inward, reach is compromised. If the thumb is not used properly in scales and arpeggios, either speed or articulation suffers. Yet, despite all these potential calamities, the thumb is often overl...

​All teachers of beginning students have asked this question at one time or another. Students love to use the pedal. Unfortunately, they often love it a little too much. And pedal habits, like all other habits, are difficult to change once they are learned. It is vital, therefore, to introduce correct pedal technique early on. Three highly successf...

Steven H. Roberson teaches Piano Pedagogy at Butler University in Indianapolis where he is acting chairman of the Music Education Department. The author of more than twenty-five articles on piano teaching in leading national and international music journals, he has spoken at major music conferences on both sides of the Atlantic and is presiden...