The final day of the conference was the shortest—running from 8:00 to 2:00—but it was almost as intense as the previous ones.
The first session of the day was organized by Alfred Music, who presented some of their latest publications. One of these was the new collection Rare Recital Treasures by Ingrid Jacobson Clarfield and Kevin Chance—three volumes of lesser-known pieces from the traditional repertoire, as well as works by contemporary composers, aimed at intermediate to early advanced students.
The pieces in the collection span a wide range of styles and periods, from Jean-Philippe Rameau, Dusek, Benda, and Amy Beach to contemporary composers such as Jennifer Linn and Dennis Alexander. It’s a carefully curated and highly useful collection for exploring lesser-known repertoire, with pieces that are perfect for recital or exam use.
I’d also like to highlight the edition featuring three works by Florence Price: The Sea Swallow, The Old Boatman, and The Goblin and the Mosquito, as well as the Solo Celebration series—six volumes at various levels, featuring music by today’s composers.
The next session was titled “How to Approach a New Piece: An ‘Unmasterclass’ for Elementary and Intermediate Repertoire.”
Usually, a masterclass is designed to refine a piece that the student has already learned and practiced. But this was an “unmasterclass”—focused on how to prepare pieces before the learning process begins.
It was a fascinating and engaging session where Samantha Coates and Leila Viss took turns playing the roles of teacher and student in a fun and dynamic way.
Using four example pieces—“Rainbow Colors” by J. Knerr, “End Game” by J. Eklund, “Arabesque” by F. Burgmüller, and “Musette” from the Anna Magdalena Bach Notebook—they shared countless creative and enjoyable ideas for helping students prepare new repertoire.
This preparation phase is crucial: it deeply influences how students approach, absorb, and internalize a piece. A thoughtful start leads to greater confidence, stronger motivation, and deeper musical understanding.
In “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes… And Fingers! Joint Hypermobility and Its Effect on the Developing Pianist,” Celeste Watson and Bethany Cothern discussed joint hypermobility, also known as hyperlaxity.
In piano playing, this condition primarily affects the finger joints and can make it difficult to maintain proper hand posture, significantly increasing the risk of injury.
In their presentation, Celeste and Bethany shared practical tips for recognizing and identifying hypermobility, as well as valuable strategies for supporting students who experience this condition.
Although I attended two more presentations, I don’t want this post to get too long—so instead, I’d like to tell you a bit about the Exhibition Hall.
It was a huge space with around 40 booths of all kinds. There were stands from various publishers, including Alfred Music, Hal Leonard, PIANO SAFARI (where my own books were also on display!), Piano Adventures, Music Moves for Piano, Color In My Piano, and Grant Kondo’s booth, among others.
There were also booths from major piano brands like Yamaha, Kawai, Steinway, and Athenae Pianos, where I discovered narrow-key pianos—designed for children or adults with smaller hands.
To give you an idea: on a regular piano, I can just about reach a 10th (with effort!), but on these pianos, I could easily stretch to a 12th.
I felt like Rachmaninoff!
There were also booths from various institutions, such as the Royal Conservatory of Music, where you could learn about their different programs and browse through their publications—including books by my dear and much-missed Forrest Kinney.
Piano Marvel was also there, showcasing their software, which I found really interesting. In this photo, you can see two attendees competing against each other in a sight-reading game.
I’m leaving a link to Piano Marvel so you can check it out and see what it’s all about.
Vibrant Music Teaching, by Nicola Cantan, also had a booth featuring all of her wonderful resources.
This conference experience has been amazing.
The materials, publications, and resources in the exhibition hall, the keynotes, the presentations, the concerts, and the discussions—all were of an exceptionally high standard.
But above all, the highlight was the people I met.
A wonderful community where everyone is eager to share what they know, learn from one another, and grow as teachers.
Thank you to all the amazing people I’ve met over these past few days!
I also wanted to share a couple of photos of Chicago, a fantastic city.
Thank you so much for joining me on this journey!
I’m already looking forward to returning for NCKP 2027.
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