The Influence of Piano Teachers

So many of our famous composers were first taught by their mothers or fathers. Mozart's father first taught his son to play the piano. Clara Schumann's father Frederick Weick taught her to play the piano and composed a whole book of exercises for her. Clara was a child prodigy and concert pianist who married Robert Schumann who had been a pupil of Clara's father for many years.

Johann Sebastian Bach taught his children of whom two became famous composers. Carl Phillipp Emanuel Bach (March 8, 1714 – December 14, 1788), composed the famous piece, “Solfeggietto” and Johann Christian Bach composed many songs.

Franz Schuberts brother Ignaz taught him to play the piano while his father taught him to play the violin.

Louis Claude Daquin, (July 4, 1694 – June 15, 1772) was a composer and child prodigy who performed for Louis the Fourteenth when he was just six years old. His teacher was the famous Louis Marchand.

Marie Bigot was a student of Beethoven. She became a great composer and concert pianist who taught Fanny & Felix Mendelssohn. Their mother, Lea Mendelssohn had first given her children piano lessons when they were very young. Her piano teacher was was Johann Kirnberger who was a student of Johann Sebastian Bach It's hard to imagine how fantastic it would have been to have taken piano lessons from someone who studied with Bach or Beethoven!

The famous Claude Debussy studied with Maute de Fleurville, who was a friend of the Debussy family. Maute had been a student of none other than the fabulous Chopin. At the age of eleven Claude Debussy entered the famous Paris Conservatory. It is no wonder since he studied with Chopin. Great teachers attract great students.

Chopin's mother first taught her son and then the Czech music master, Adalbert Zywny, trained him with Bach's “Well-Tempered Clavier”. He learned so much that he was ready to give a recital for the friends of the Count and Countess Skarbek when he was only eight years old. When Chopin began teaching, he demanded a great deal of his pupils. He insisted on a daily study of Bach.

A good teacher motivates a student and should train them to be able to teach themselves at some point. A great teacher inspires and teaches that you can achieve your dreams if you are persistent. John Maxwell said ”You will never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.”