Glenn Riddle is a Federal Examiner for AMEB and has been involved in numerous AMEB publications as consultant, editor and recording artist. He shares his advice when it comes to teaching gifted students. 

The responsibility of guiding any student requires careful organisation, forethought and continual re-evaluation of pedagogical strategies. Teaching talented or gifted young piano students presents very specific challenges, not the least of which is a heightened awareness of short-term, medium-term and long-term objectives due to the rapid progression through various pianistic levels. 

Establishing a sound technical foundation will always form the basis of any piano training, more so for gifted students who will progress through repertoire and grade levels quickly. While most examination systems necessarily only require a small modicum of scales per grade level, gifted students should of course be encouraged to learn all scales quite quickly and more besides. Try exploring scales in different rhythms (including mixed and polyrhythms), articulations, dynamics, cross-handed, eyes closed, bi-tonal scales, and with alternative fingerings. Exploring the modes can also be fun. Of course, very gifted students can opt to go down the path of the young Daniel Barenboim and eschew formal practice of scales altogether – preferring the progressive study of all 27 Mozart Concertos! 

With regard to exercises, as teachers we all have our favourites – be they selected exercises by Hanon, Dohnányi, Pischna, Joseffy or self-composed. For students around Grades 4-6, try assigning something like the complete Concone 24 Preludes, Opus 37 – brilliantly conceived mini-etudes (the shortest is one line long), each focusing concisely, yet musically, on one aspect of technique. Moreover they flow through all 24 keys in the cycle of fifths (C major, A minor, F major, D minor, etc). An excellent work for transfer students to quickly iron out technical wrinkles, there is real sense of achievement when presenting the cycle as a whole. I also like to have students work through the complete Czerny-Gremer studies, two or three each week. They can also be transposed, up or down a tone or semi-tone, for further interest. 

Talented students of course will learn a far larger quantity than the standard six or seven pieces a year. When preparing for an exam where a single Bach Invention is required, encourage students instead to learn four or five, if not all fifteen. Rather than a single movement from a French Suite or Partita, assign the entire work. Instead of a single study, work through Czerny’s entire Opus 299, one study per week. Talented, enthusiastic students will relish devouring large quantities of repertoire, and once these expectations are established as the norm, quality need never be compromised. Older students can work through the 27 etudes of Chopin, not necessarily in preparation for performance, but in order to explore that rich and unrivalled compendium of techniques that will continue to inform their pianistic development for years to come.

A common issue to address when teaching talented young piano students who play beyond their chronological age, relates to accommodating hand-size, and the need to avoid large stretches that potentially cause injury. In selecting pieces for AMEB’s Series 15 book, I sought to include a number of pieces in Grades 5-7 that did not require octave stretches. Works by Albeniz, Bartók, Galuppi, Labunski, Lennox Berkeley, Prokofiev and Khachaturian, were all selected specifically with small hands in mind. 

Finding Diploma level pieces that are manageable by pre-teen smaller hands poses a greater challenge, especially with post-1830 repertoire. Bela Bartók and Percy Grainger both wrote alternative versions of some of their large-handed ‘concert version’ pieces for hands that stretch an octave or less. Bartok’s two series of Romanian Christmas Carols are particularly engaging and are a welcome AMusA alternative to the well-known Romanian Folk Dances. Grainger’s small-handed versions of Shepherd’s Hey, and Country Gardens (in C major rather than the large handed Eb major version) also both make exciting additions to any young person’s repertoire.

Recent Australian works well-suited to small hands include: Keith Humble’s delightful Eight Bagatelles (LMusA, and an excellent introduction to dodecaphony) and Ross Edwards’ Sonata – particularly the animated, rhythmically quirky third mvt. Other works to consider include: Debussy’s Etude No 6 (LMusA), the 2nd mvt of Prokofiev’s infrequently played Ninth Sonata, Scriabin’s Mosquito etude and Matyas Seiber’s Scherzando Capriccioso (also LMusA). Fortunately, the enormous breadth of piano repertoire that exists makes seeking out this repertoire a pleasant and rewarding task. 

Whilst the bulk of piano teaching necessarily revolves around works for solo piano, teaching complementary repertoire such as concertos, piano duets and duos, as well as chamber music is also important in extending talented students. Beyond the popular Haydn D major, there are concertos by Mozart, K 107 (3 in all), K 246 (the ‘Lutzow’), excellent student concertos by Alec Rowley, Kabalevsky No 3 (‘Youth’), Mikolaj Gorecki (Two Concertos in the Style of Young Chopin) and by our own Ian Munro (Children’s Concerto) and Larry Sitsky (Concerto for the Young Pianist). Slow movements of more ‘adult’ concertos (Chopin, Shostakovich) can suit musically sensitive younger students, while for the more vivacious, try the finales of Mozart’s K 467, K 488 or K 595. Each of these works develops not only fine technique and musicianship, but also a sure sense of rhythm, ensemble and interactive music-making. Even better is if concerto performance opportunities can be organised. For several years I organised (and conducted) an orchestra largely based around the second-instruments played by my piano students – we were able to perform concertos by Mozart, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Chopin, Grieg, Liszt, Shostakovich and even Ross Edwards. A lot of hard work administering, but what a thrill for the students.

Sight-reading through piano duet and piano duo repertoire during weekly lessons not only develops essential hand-eye co-ordination and ensemble skills, it also develops an expanded knowledge of repertoire, style, etc. Moreover, try exploring the simpler chamber music/lied repertoire with or without string players/singers, (ideally with!) There’s so much more music to cherish beyond the solo staples.

Transposition can be an interesting extension activity. Transposing exercises, sight-reading tasks, or challenging sections of works, can be rewarding - up or down a tone at first, up or down a third more adventurously later on. Cortot of course advocated practising the Aeolian Harp etude in A major (original key: A flat major.) and both Hanon and Brahms advocate practising their exercises in other keys. Reflecting on whether to adopt the same or altered fingering provides further interest.

Composition activities can also prove stimulating. Concerto cadenzas are an obvious places for students to start, but they can try for example extending a Chopin Nocturne by a further strophe or two, adding their own embellishments, fiorituras and variants. If nothing else, such an exercise will quickly confirm an unequivocal respect for the genius of Chopin! A similar exercise can be explored when studying a set of variations. Students can compose their own – and maybe even interpolate one into a performance and see if anyone notices!

Most students welcome clear goals that they can work towards. These can include end-of year group recitals, examinations, performances for visiting relatives, competitions etc. Once we create a positive environment whereby public performances become a natural and logical extension of thoughtful, well-organised practice, students will uninhibitedly enjoy sharing the fruits of their labour as much as we enjoy listening to them. Talented students can aspire to perform at least once a fortnight, if not more frequently. 

Of course, in an age where students source much of their listening from the internet, (which has its concomitant pros and cons) students should be encouraged to attend live performances of professional recitalists, orchestras and chamber groups. Nothing beats the ‘real deal’ so to speak. Will anyone recall decades from now the scarcely containable excitement of seeing something on you-tube, the way older generations recall hearing the Vienna Philharmonic, Callas, Sutherland, Richter, or Argerich live for the first time.

I shall leave you with this salutary advice from one of the twentieth century’s greatest teachers. Heinrich Neuhaus said of the young Richter that he relentlessly banged and thumped when he was a young student and that this was perhaps a necessary phase to go through, in order to become one of the true greats of the keyboard. As teachers/mentors, it is as important to know when to give free rein, as it is to know when to curtail what we instinctively perceive to be unmusical or incorrect.

Equally, it is useful to keep reminding ourselves that not all talented young pianists aspire to careers as concert pianists, or even dream of pursuing tertiary music studies. Often they just want to be kids and have fun. Always think of the bigger picture.