Do your students struggle to bring musical style and expression to the pieces they play? Are you unsure how to guide them through the different performance practices of each musical era? You’re not alone—and this course is here to help!

Teaching Style Differences unpacks the defining traits of Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and 20th-century music so you can confidently teach stylistic interpretation with clarity. Presented by Nancy Bachus, this engaging mini-course highlights what makes each era unique—melody, rhythm, ornamentation, pedaling, phrasing, and more—while showing how to bring that knowledge into your everyday teaching.

Whether you're helping students shape a Bach invention, perform a Chopin prelude with emotion, or understand the textures of 20th-century music, this course offers practical insight and historical context to deepen musical meaning and artistry. Plus, interactive Q&A sessions answer real-world questions from teachers like you.

A teacher, recitalist, and music historian, Nancy Bachus was a featured clinician at numerous piano teacher organizations and music conventions. A graduate of the Eastman School of Music, Nancy studied with pianist Eugene List and accompanist Brooks Smith, and more recently she coached with Fernando Laires. Nancy was one of the performers in the original "Monster Concerts" in New York City (Lincoln Center, Radio City and Carnegie Hall), the White House and on the two "Monster Concert" recordings.

She served on the editorial board for The Piano Magazine (formerly Clavier Companion). Her articles were published in Clavier and Keyboard/Clavier Companion, and her series of 18 articles appeared in the "Athletes at the Keyboard" column for Junior Keynotes, the magazine of the National Federation of Music Clubs. She is the author of the highly acclaimed The Baroque Spirit, The Classical Spirit, The Romantic Spirit, and Beyond the Romantic Spirit piano anthologies, the Exploring Piano Classics series, and she co-authored Great Music & Musicians, an outline of music history.

Certified as a Master Teacher by MTNA, Nancy taught at the National Music Camp at Interlochen, Michigan and had 27 years of teaching experience at the college and university levels. She served on the Board of Directors of the American Liszt Society and was editor of its newsletter for many years. Nancy served on the faculty at Cleveland State University and maintained a private piano studio in Hudson, Ohio. Nancy passed away in September 2020 after a battle with cancer. She is survived by her daughters Alicia and Laura, and their families, who graciously gave their permission to produce this course to honor their mother's legacy.