APPC 2026 - Adelaide

Once again, Mark recently attended the biennial Australasian Piano Pedagogy Conference (APPC), back in Adelaide this year,along with 200+ piano teachers from all over Australasia. As always, there were many fascinating and insightful presentations, including

• an emphasis on collaborative (duet and other multi-instrument) piano studies and performance - Mark includes duet studies for all his students, and very much enjoys accompanying each of them in a range of repertoire

• a welcome focus on the sounds that musicians make - surely the ultimate objective of any musician - rather than an (over-) emphasis on technique for its own sake

• a historical perspective on the great composers, up to the 20th century, who would always improvise when performing their own work - thus work on finding “authentic” or “historically informed” approach to performing classical piano is perhaps misplaced.