Teaching Piano in the Digital Age: Revisiting Sheet Music and Teaching Aids, from the 18th Century to Our Time

Advancements in technology have always had a significant impact on the performance and teaching of music. One area in which this connection is clear is that of organology - the study of the history of musical instruments. We cannot understand piano music of any significant composer for the instrument without considering the instrument at his or her disposal.

There is another, subtler example of the connection between technology, performance and teaching. The quality and availability of sheet music has had a significant role in shaping the history of music. For instance, the fact that Corelli and Vivaldi were among the few published composers of their time served to make their approach most influential in string writing; the impact of their available scores on the Bach family made their view of the concerto form the dominant one for all instruments throughout the following centuries.

Sheet music and teaching methodologies remained similar from the early 19th century until the end of the 20th century. However, the past few decades have seen tremendous technological developments that have been changing the way performers, teachers and students approach music performance and music teaching. Copy machines started a revolution in sheet music - which increased availability, while raising legal issues. The internet, with its online stores, PDF downloads and the IMSLP repository, have furthered this revolution. Nowadays we are flooded with computer applications that make sheet music more available than ever, while adding pedagogical tools and even the ability to flip pages automatically and give feedback on performance - just by listening through the device`s microphone. All this is happening at a time when technological advancements seem to be robbing our students of their attention span and their enthusiasm for the study and practicing of musical instruments.

The present lecture will give an overview of the history of the connection between technology and piano performance and teaching, and focus on listing and demonstrating the most advanced technological tools and applications available to today`s piano studio. The same technology that is pulling students away from the piano can be used to bring them back.

The present lecture deals with the impact technology has on several aspects of contemporary teaching:

1. The increased availability of scores and teaching materials

2. New technologies in the service of piano pedagogy

3. Countering the effects of modern technology on the focus and motivation of students