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Home > Integrated Music Teaching Podcast > 444: Teaching Beginner Piano Technique with Katherine Fisher
Podcast: Integrated Music Teaching Podcast
Episode:

444: Teaching Beginner Piano Technique with Katherine Fisher
Category: Education
Duration: 00:47:51
Publish Date: 2025-12-01 07:00:00
Description: It was such a pleasure catching up with Katherine Fisher again. In this episode, we revisit her groundbreaking Piano Safari method and explore how it has evolved to meet the needs of today’s students. We're going to dive into beginner piano technique, discuss why rote teaching and intervallic reading are so powerful, and explore creative ways to build technical foundations through movement, rhythm, and imagination. Katherine’s insights are grounded in deep pedagogical research and a passion for helping teachers inspire young pianists.
  • Katherine shared how Piano Safari began with research-based pedagogical practices blended in a creative way.
  • The importance of using rote pieces alongside reading to support beginner students.
  • Why Piano Safari’s unique blend of intervallic reading and rote learning sets it apart from traditional methods.
  • How early use of intervallic reading supports long-term music reading fluency.
  • The value of teaching rhythmic patterns through animal rhythms to build recognition and fluency.
  • How Piano Safari integrates storytelling and play-based learning to reinforce melodic contour.
  • The importance of starting beginners with non-legato to develop a healthy, tension-free technique.
  • The benefits of rote teaching and offered strategies for memorization and creative exploration.
  • She encouraged students to transpose rote pieces early on to develop keyboard awareness and flexibility.

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Today's Guest

Katherine Fisher serves on the piano faculty of the Ohio University School of Music in Athens, Ohio where she teaches applied piano and piano pedagogy, coordinates the group piano program, and mentors graduate teaching assistants. Katherine is internationally recognized in the field of piano pedagogy as a creator of the innovative method Piano Safari. Along with co-author Julie Knerr Hague, she has published well over one hundred books and pedagogical materials. The Piano Safari method and its supplemental teaching material is distributed throughout the world and is used by thousands of piano teachers and students.

Thank you for tuning in!

Consider implementing the ideas from this podcast by writing several actionable steps for your teaching practice if it’s inspired you. If you enjoyed today’s show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, which helps other teachers find our show. Stay updated by subscribing to this show, and get automatic delivery to your device every time a new episode goes live! We publish on Mondays weekly.

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