Every Good Boy Does Fine by Jeremy Denk - Reading Together - Chapters 5 and 6

In chapters 5 and 6 of Every Good Boy Does Fine, Jeremy Denk chronicles his family’s move to New Mexico and the pivotal apprenticeship with his demanding professor, William Leland. These chapters capture the transition from precocious hobbyist to disciplined student, exploring how intense technical accountability reshapes a pianist’s internal life. Denk couples sharp adolescent memories (navigating strict score annotations and high-stakes regional auditions) with vivid harmonic lessons on chord voicings and resolution. The result is an evocative study of artistic growth, perfectionism, and the mentors who unlock the emotional weight of classical form.

If you want to delve into more artistry and practice habits with your students, here are some resources to do that.

- Art of Piano Pedagogy (Dr. Mortensen / Cedarville): Masterclass Technical Demonstrations: Leland’s strict regime addresses physical hand posture and deliberate, unhurried practice habits. Dr. Christopher Mortensen’s video demonstrations break down technical mechanics (such as forearm rotation, relaxed finger weight, and thumb crossings) into practical exercises teachers can assign for home review.
- Practising the Piano: Founded by concert pianist and pedagogue Graham Fitch, this site offers deep-dive articles, step-by-step practice routines, and score-based video tutorials designed to help teachers train students to practice independently and analytically.
- Pianodao: This website features an extensive library of free articles covering curriculum development, the psychology of motivation and play, and detailed reviews of classical sheet music and method series across elementary to advanced levels.
- Practicing Efficiently: Joy Morin explains that productive practice requires clearing mental clutter and establishing consistent warm-ups. Instead of mindlessly running through repertoire, students must be explicitly taught how to practice: isolating problem measures, working hands separately, and verifying improvements step-by-step.

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I've published five piano music books and one guitar music book. Get them here. Sign up here for my free monthly newsletter! Connect with me on Instagram and Pinterest.

Every Good Boy Does Fine by Jeremy Denk - Reading Together - Chapters 3 and 4

In chapters 3 and 4 of Every Good Boy Does Fine, Jeremy Denk navigates his adolescence, trading standard childhood pastimes for rigorous piano lessons. Denk dissects the emotional friction between disciplined drill and artistic impulse, examining how foundational repertoire, such as J.S. Bach’s two-part inventions and early classical sonatinas, shapes technical fluency and musical perception. Balancing witty teenage self-consciousness with profound musical analysis, these chapters explore the grueling mechanics of practice, the early awakening of architectural listening, and the complex, often fraught mentorship that transforms raw enthusiasm into serious musicianship.

If you want to delve into more music theory with your students, here are some resources to do that.

- J.S. Bach's Two-Part Inventions, BWV 772–786: Denk highlights learning Bach’s two-part inventions as a turning point in training both hands to sing independently. This public-domain archive provides historic editions, urtexts, and fingering variants suitable for analyzing voice-leading with intermediate students.
- The Frances Clark Center for Keyboard Pedagogy: Piano Magazine Archives: Chapters 3 and 4 dwell on the psychological tug-of-war between adolescent rebellion and the demands of deliberate practice. The Frances Clark Center publishes peer-reviewed articles, lesson strategies, and repertoire tracks designed to keep intermediate teenagers engaged through technical plateaus.
- Performance Today – Piano Puzzlers & Educational Archive: A core theme in these chapters is Denk learning to hear harmony and architectural structure rather than just isolated notes. Performance Today offers accessible listening guides, interviews with concert pianists, and harmonic breakdowns that instructors can assign to develop analytical listening habits.
- The Bulletproof Musician: Chapters 3 and 4 highlight the psychological grind of daily practice, the struggle to focus through repetitive technical work, and the emotional friction between student and teacher. Created by Juilliard performance psychologist and violinist Dr. Noa Kageyama, this resource translates sport psychology and cognitive research into actionable strategies for music studios. Teachers can use its guides to help intermediate students build deliberate practice habits, navigate perfectionism, and self-regulate during challenging technical development.

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I've published five piano music books and one guitar music book. Get them here. Sign up here for my free monthly newsletter! Connect with me on Instagram and Pinterest.

Every Good Boy Does Fine by Jeremy Denk - Reading Together - Chapters 1 and 2

Welcome to the first post discussing Every Good Boy Does Fine by Jeremy Denk. In the opening chapters, Denk intertwines candid memoir with accessible music theory. Chapter 1 introduces his restless childhood in New Jersey, where early piano lessons offered a sanctuary to channel his energy amid clumsy fingerings and early technical hurdles. In Chapter 2, he deconstructs the mystery of harmony, moving from basic intervals to the emotional architecture of the triad. Blending humor with insight, he illuminates how chords express tension, longing, and release, showing how foundational keyboard rituals and raw emotional grammar converge to shape a young musician’s understanding of art and sound.

If you want to delve into more music theory with your students, here are some resources to do that.

- Teoria Music Theory: Interactive ear training and harmonic construction that is perfect for reinforcing the concepts in "Harmony, Lesson One." It offers customizable exercises for building and identifying intervals, triads, and inversions by eye and ear, without requiring student logins.
- Music Theory: Animated theory lessons and rapid-fire identification drills that feature clean, interactive visual demonstrations of how chords and scale degrees interact. Teachers can use the Lesson Builder or assign custom-generated practice codes for triad recognition.
- Piano Inspires: Piano pedagogy research, lesson strategies, and repertoire curation from the premier hub for keyboard educators. It regularly addresses early-childhood technical habits, creative ways to teach note reading beyond mnemonics, and reviews of pedagogical literature like Denk's memoir.
- Hooktheory: Visual chord function and harmonic analysis that illustrates harmony using intuitive relative-pitch color blocks rather than strictly traditional notation. It helps beginner and intermediate students see and hear how chords build tension and resolution across familiar melodies.

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I've published five piano music books and one guitar music book. Get them here. Sign up here for my free monthly newsletter! Connect with me on Instagram and Pinterest.

Every Good Boy Does Fine by Jeremy Denk - Reading Together

Welcome to the newest Reading Together series. I'll be posting a summary about our reading each week on Tuesdays. Come join us!

We'll be reading Every Good Boy Does Fine by Jeremy Denk. You can get a copy from your local library, or pick up a copy from Bookshop.

We'll read two chapters each week.
I'll post the first installment on Tuesday, September 29. That means you have one week to get a copy of the book and to read the first two chapters.

The great thing about this program is that it allows us to read works together that can help us in our professional development, as well as providing a level of accountability and the added interest of comparing notes as we read together.

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I've published five piano music books and one guitar music book. Get them here. Sign up here for my free monthly newsletter! Connect with me on Instagram and Pinterest.

Competitions and Performance Opportunities - Winter and Spring 2027

MusicLink Playathon
Minnesota students will again be given the opportunity to show off their musical talents by participating in a MusicLink Playathon at the Mall of America. This is a fundraising event sponsored by MMTA and Schmitt Music to benefit the MusicLink Foundation. It has been very successful in raising much-needed funds for the Foundation and is also an exciting experience for students, teachers, and parents while providing a convincing public face to the value of music education.
Date: February 2027 (exact date TBA) 
Registration fee: no fee
Ages: any age

https://musiclinkfoundation.org/playathon-registration-form/
Registration deadline: February 2027 (exact date TBA) 

Piano Solo Festival
Students who would like to have the opportunity to participate in the Piano Solo Festival at Northwestern University.
Date: March 2027 (exact date TBA)
Registration fee: $20
Ages: 4th grade and up

Thursday Musical - Young Artist Scholarship Competition
Scholarships are awarded in each age division and instrument category. First place awards for college are $1,300; high school, $800; and junior high, $550. Second place and honorable mention awards are also granted. First place winners are recognized with a featured concert performance at MacPhail Center for Music, Minneapolis. Additional performance opportunities are also offered to winners.
Date: February 2027 (exact date TBA) 
Registration fee: $25
Ages: 7th grade and up
https://thursdaymusical.org/competition
Registration deadline: January 2027 (exact date TBA) 

The Schubert Club Student Scholarship Competition
The Schubert Club Student Scholarship Competition is open to junior high and senior high students. Three cash prizes in each age and instrument category are awarded – $2000, $1500, and $500 – to be used for further musical education.
Date: January 18, 2027 
Registration fee: none
Ages: 7th grade and up
https://schubert.org/education/competition/
Registration deadline: January 18, 2027


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I've published five piano music books and one guitar music book. Get them here.
Sign up here for my free monthly newsletter! Connect with me on Instagram and Pinterest.