Piano Perceptions™ is a teaching methodology developed by piano pedagogy specialist, Dr. Kathleen Riley that blends psychology, physiology and strategy with the art of piano performance.

Video feedback has traditionally been used in athletic training. In terms of piano teaching, it has been effective in training pianists to correct and perfect piano technique. It has also been used to demonstrate the technical intricacies required of pianists in piano performance, providing education and an appreciation of the coordination and skill required in piano playing. The video segments played in slow motion break down each technical movement. Using replay and slow motion, faults in the technique can be pinpointed and corrections made.

Piano Perceptions™ provides professional pianists and piano teachers with the ability to improve a student's performance skills. Detailed analysis of body alignment, muscle tension and sound produced can be gathered for every moment of a piano performance.

MyoVision™ is used in tandem with video for readings of muscle tension through surface electromyography (sEMG). These physical elements are linked to the development of critical listening skills via the Disklavier™ piano, as well as eye-hand coordination in reading music notation via piano roll display. These two other forms of feedback along with video and muscle tension provide an understanding of the art of performance at a level that pianists never thought possible.

In training, I capture video clips of the pianist's hands as they record on the Disklavier. I then replay each technical movement using slow motion. From this evaluation, pianists, as well as other musicians, are able to identify repeated technical corrections. Eventually, through review, they are able to perfect each technical movement.

The pianists I work with have tremendous motivation to make changes in their technique. When I begin using it in a session, many of them say: "Okay, it’s 'brain to hand time!'" The results are amazing. They are able to make technical changes, compare video clips of before and after, and then see differences in muscle tension measurements through sEMG. They can also hear the differences by listening to playback of before and after. They can see and hear the differences in their performances.