In my last blog, I highlighted the achievements of Frances Clark and Louise Goss by giving a timeline. Today, I will fast-forward to 1981. This information was obtained through interviews and school literature. As you may recall, Frances Clark and Louise Goss organized an undergraduate piano pedagogy program at Westminster Choir College in 1955. Fi...

Well, Christmas is just a few days away, and here I sit in sunny California waiting for snow. My relatives assure me that it has snowed in the past. Maybe it has, but I'm not holding my breath. Instead, I am writing this blog about The New School for Music Study. When I conducted research for my thesis, I cited several sources for the following inf...

Happy holidays. I can't believe Thanksgiving has come and gone with Christmas right around the corner. Although it's a busy time of year, I'm assuming you have a moment to browse our website. If not, perhaps you are reading this and other postings after the holidays. Just in case, let me say, "Happy New Year!" In my first blog, I explained that wri...

Having read my other blogs, you should be somewhat familiar with The Frances Clark Library for Piano Students. To recap, I have explained how the Clark Library is designed as a comprehensive piano course based on a thorough analysis of the learning process. I have also stated that the advantages of Frances Clark's teaching approach have been recogn...

Welcome back. This week, I want to take a closer look at the elementary books of The Frances Clark Library for Piano Students. Along with my own analysis, I found information from several sources, including Robert Kern's dissertation and the video: Conversations with Frances Clark, vol. 1: Her Life and Teachings. In addition, I conducted interviews...

 Last week, I promised to continue a summary of how Frances Clark's method books were incomparable. Believe it or not, there is still more to be said about the Clark piano course. For example, did you know that the concept of a comprehensive piano library in itself was a novel idea? Contrary to many other methods, the Clark course integrated a...

Before I begin where I left off, I have to admit that writing a blog on Frances Clark is not an easy task. Miss Clark accomplished so much that it is difficult to summarize what needs to be said. Nevertheless, I will try to describe what made her piano method unprecedented. Developing an expansive library of teaching materials was certainly a chall...

Hello again. My first blog was brief, as I could only give an overview of Frances Clark's contributions to piano pedagogy. In telling the story of Miss Clark's enduring legacy, now I will start at the beginning. Her ongoing effort to find a better way of teaching piano began well before the opening of The New School for Music Study in 1960. In othe...