Sunday, April 14, 2013
Calendar Update
Due to scheduling conflicts, our group lesson/dress rehearsal will be held on Friday, May 3, from 7 to about 8:30 pm at my house. Our spring recital will take place at the Bozeman Public Library on Saturday, May 18, at 3 pm. Please disregard the dates printed on the studio calendar I distributed last fall. Thank you!
Monday, April 1, 2013
Music From Around the World: China
This week we'll be listening to a selection of traditional Chinese music during class. China has a very long and incredibly rich musical tradition dating back some 7,000-8,000 years. Traditional Chinese music has a thin texture (with only one singer or instrument or a small group at a time.) Music was once considered a very private activity, useful for healing and the cultivation of the mind, and public musicians were once not very well respected. Of course, times have changed, and now music is much more openly and publicly shared.
This week's important terms are:
1. Pentatonic Scale: A series of five pitches. The traditional Chinese pentatonic scale uses a particular series of half and whole steps, reflected in the white key pitches C D E G and A.
2. Heterophony: A melody played at one time by more than one instrument or singer, with each performer introducing slight variations
3. Numeric Notation (Jianpu): A way of writing music in which each pitch in a scale is given a number.
4. Erhu: Traditional stringed instrument held upright ( see one here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erhu)
5. Yanquin: Traditional instrument resembling a hammer dulcimer (see one here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yangqin)
6. Pipa: Traditional instrument resembling a guitar (see one here:
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/arts/chinese-music.htm)
We'll be learning to play a traditional Chinese pentatonic scale this week so that you can create your own beautiful melodies. You might want to try writing your melody in Jianpu for an added challenge!
This amazing performance sponsored by the Metropolitan Museum of Art is a wonderful introduction to traditional Chinese instruments.
Many traditional Chinese melodies depict peaceful scenes of nature and natural events, and has often been viewed as an integral part of medicine. Do you think music can have a healing effect on the body and mind? Why or why not?
This week's important terms are:
1. Pentatonic Scale: A series of five pitches. The traditional Chinese pentatonic scale uses a particular series of half and whole steps, reflected in the white key pitches C D E G and A.
2. Heterophony: A melody played at one time by more than one instrument or singer, with each performer introducing slight variations
3. Numeric Notation (Jianpu): A way of writing music in which each pitch in a scale is given a number.
4. Erhu: Traditional stringed instrument held upright ( see one here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erhu)
5. Yanquin: Traditional instrument resembling a hammer dulcimer (see one here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yangqin)
6. Pipa: Traditional instrument resembling a guitar (see one here:
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/arts/chinese-music.htm)
We'll be learning to play a traditional Chinese pentatonic scale this week so that you can create your own beautiful melodies. You might want to try writing your melody in Jianpu for an added challenge!
This amazing performance sponsored by the Metropolitan Museum of Art is a wonderful introduction to traditional Chinese instruments.
Many traditional Chinese melodies depict peaceful scenes of nature and natural events, and has often been viewed as an integral part of medicine. Do you think music can have a healing effect on the body and mind? Why or why not?
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Music from Around the World: Native America
Welcome back from Spring Break! I hope you all had a lovely week off. I know a few of you soaked up some sun, some visited family, and some took a stay-cation like we did. Now that we're refreshed and ready for the last part of the school year, we're going to delve into our unit about music from around the world.
In the coming weeks you will be asked to listen to and analyze music from various cultural traditions. You'll learn important terms to help you describe the qualities of this music, and I hope you'll share the activities with your parents at home.
This week we're starting close to home by listening to some music made right here in Montana. Our listening selection in class will be a War Dance song recorded in Browning, Montana, by a group of Blackfoot musicians.
This week's important terms are:
1. Percussion: An instrument that is struck (drum, rattle, xylophone, or piano)
2. Vocalization: Sounds made with the voice
3. Monophony: A group of people singing the same notes at the same time
4. Tetratonic Scale: A scale with 4 tones
5. Vocables: Nonsense syllables (like la, da, di, or dum in songs you may be familiar with)
We also discussed the use of songs for telling stories and transmitting histories, and the use of drumming accents to signal changes in musical sections. Not all of our terms are universal of course, since there are many native tribes with varying and rich musical traditions. I decided in this unit to stay close to home and chiefly discuss musical characteristics of the Plains peoples.
Here is another musical selection for your enjoyment. This song is was performed by the Black Whistle Singers in Crow Agency, Montana.
In the coming weeks you will be asked to listen to and analyze music from various cultural traditions. You'll learn important terms to help you describe the qualities of this music, and I hope you'll share the activities with your parents at home.
This week we're starting close to home by listening to some music made right here in Montana. Our listening selection in class will be a War Dance song recorded in Browning, Montana, by a group of Blackfoot musicians.
This week's important terms are:
1. Percussion: An instrument that is struck (drum, rattle, xylophone, or piano)
2. Vocalization: Sounds made with the voice
3. Monophony: A group of people singing the same notes at the same time
4. Tetratonic Scale: A scale with 4 tones
5. Vocables: Nonsense syllables (like la, da, di, or dum in songs you may be familiar with)
We also discussed the use of songs for telling stories and transmitting histories, and the use of drumming accents to signal changes in musical sections. Not all of our terms are universal of course, since there are many native tribes with varying and rich musical traditions. I decided in this unit to stay close to home and chiefly discuss musical characteristics of the Plains peoples.
Here is another musical selection for your enjoyment. This song is was performed by the Black Whistle Singers in Crow Agency, Montana.
How does your family use music to tell stories or share histories? Be prepared to show one example at your lesson next week.
Sunday, February 10, 2013
What Does it Take?
Have you ever wondered what it takes to become a professional pianist? Are the astounding musical feats of Horowitz, Kissin, Argerich, Rubenstein and others written in their DNA? The surprising answer according to modern research seems to be a resounding no.
No one can question that some people's brains seem to be better at small motor coordination, at understanding the spatial relationships necessary to become a fluent musicians, and even at hearing and understanding the relationship between pitches. Some individuals are better at handling the unique pressures of performance than others because their personalities seem to make them so. However, it seems that the overriding factor in achieving high levels of success is a bit more mundane than all this: practice.
Yep, just practice. A good teacher spends the majority of lesson time training students for what is essentially a repetitive and solitary process. We guide the hand into a position we want students to mimic at home. We train phrasing, articulation, and even note reading so that the student can repetitively practice these elements when we're not around. We try with all our might to minimize boredom by inventing unique approaches to what is essentially repeating a correct motion over and over again. Every note a student plays either fixes a habit or forms one, so practice is the most essential aspect of musical fluency.
Kayla Liechty Paulk quotes an interesting source in her article, "Playing Well With Others," published in the February/March issue of American Music Teacher magazine, page 28:
"In Malcolm Gladwell's book, Outliers, he references a study in the early 1990's by K. Anders Ericsson and two colleagues at the Berlin Academy of Music. In this study, a group of young violinists were divided into three groups by the Academy's professors: those with the potential to become world-class soloists, those judged as merely 'good,' and those who intended to become music teachers in the public school system. Students from three groups had begun playing at the same age: roughly 5 years old, and in the first few years, practiced the same amount: about 2-3 hours per week. As you can imagine, as time passed, those who are now at the highest level of performance began to spend more hours practicing than the others, until, by the age of 20, they they were practicing well over 30 hours per week. By the age of 20, the elite performers had each totaled 10,000 hours of practice, with the good students totaling 8,000 and the future music teachers just over 4,000 hours. Ericsson did a similar study with pianists and found the same results. He could not find any 'naturals,' just students who practiced more than others."
Very interesting! The students who all began their practices at 30 minutes a day in young childhood went through various stages of growth and interest by the end of high school. Some no doubt remained at that level for the long term and learned to play for enjoyment. Others spent an average of one hour a day (for 4,000 accumulated hours), others two hours (for 8,000 accumulated hours), and the cream of the crop made piano the equivalent of a job (4-6 hours per day.) Not all of us have the desire (or the time) to become world class musicians, but most of us can become proficient or even very good. So the next time you're surfing YouTube with aspirations of playing like one of the greats, make a little extra time in your schedule for practice. It really does make perfect!
( If you want a sneak peek into the wild world of the concert pianist, this cool documentary from the BBC is a fun watch!)
No one can question that some people's brains seem to be better at small motor coordination, at understanding the spatial relationships necessary to become a fluent musicians, and even at hearing and understanding the relationship between pitches. Some individuals are better at handling the unique pressures of performance than others because their personalities seem to make them so. However, it seems that the overriding factor in achieving high levels of success is a bit more mundane than all this: practice.
Yep, just practice. A good teacher spends the majority of lesson time training students for what is essentially a repetitive and solitary process. We guide the hand into a position we want students to mimic at home. We train phrasing, articulation, and even note reading so that the student can repetitively practice these elements when we're not around. We try with all our might to minimize boredom by inventing unique approaches to what is essentially repeating a correct motion over and over again. Every note a student plays either fixes a habit or forms one, so practice is the most essential aspect of musical fluency.
Kayla Liechty Paulk quotes an interesting source in her article, "Playing Well With Others," published in the February/March issue of American Music Teacher magazine, page 28:
"In Malcolm Gladwell's book, Outliers, he references a study in the early 1990's by K. Anders Ericsson and two colleagues at the Berlin Academy of Music. In this study, a group of young violinists were divided into three groups by the Academy's professors: those with the potential to become world-class soloists, those judged as merely 'good,' and those who intended to become music teachers in the public school system. Students from three groups had begun playing at the same age: roughly 5 years old, and in the first few years, practiced the same amount: about 2-3 hours per week. As you can imagine, as time passed, those who are now at the highest level of performance began to spend more hours practicing than the others, until, by the age of 20, they they were practicing well over 30 hours per week. By the age of 20, the elite performers had each totaled 10,000 hours of practice, with the good students totaling 8,000 and the future music teachers just over 4,000 hours. Ericsson did a similar study with pianists and found the same results. He could not find any 'naturals,' just students who practiced more than others."
Very interesting! The students who all began their practices at 30 minutes a day in young childhood went through various stages of growth and interest by the end of high school. Some no doubt remained at that level for the long term and learned to play for enjoyment. Others spent an average of one hour a day (for 4,000 accumulated hours), others two hours (for 8,000 accumulated hours), and the cream of the crop made piano the equivalent of a job (4-6 hours per day.) Not all of us have the desire (or the time) to become world class musicians, but most of us can become proficient or even very good. So the next time you're surfing YouTube with aspirations of playing like one of the greats, make a little extra time in your schedule for practice. It really does make perfect!
( If you want a sneak peek into the wild world of the concert pianist, this cool documentary from the BBC is a fun watch!)
Sunday, January 13, 2013
A Little Beethoven
Today I'd like to share the first movement of one of my favorite Beethoven Sonatas, No. 8 in C minor, Opus 13. This piece is also known as "The Pathetique," meaning poignant or moving. This sonata embodies so much of what musicians love about Beethoven: his fire and passion alongside his masterful use of melody. He served as a bridge between the highly structured Classical Period and the more emotional and unstructured Romantic Period. This particular piece was written in 1798 and published in 1799, when Beethoven was 28 years old. The performer is the fabulous Daniel Barenboim.
Listening questions:
1. What do you think is happening in this piece? What story do you think Beethoven is trying to tell?
2. What is the mood of the piece?
3. How did Beethoven create changes in mood?
4. How would you describe Mr. Barenboim's hand, wrist, and arm position?
Thanks for listening, and please leave your answers in the comment section below with your initials.
Sunday, January 6, 2013
Upcoming Events
Happy New Year, students and parents! As lessons get back underway, I'd like to take a few minutes to update you on upcoming events. Please mark these on your calendar:
February 10: SWMMTA Recital for selected students at Pilgrim Congregational Church, 1:30 p.m.
March 23: SWMMTA Spring Festival for selected students at Pilgrim Congregational Church, 8:30 am
May 3: Recital Dress Rehearsal and guest performance, 7-8 pm at the studio
May 25: Spring Recital for all students at Bozeman Public Library, 2 pm
Participation in SWMMTA (our local chapter of the Music Teacher's National Association) recitals and festivals is an honor reserved for students who are consistently practiced and prepared. Our spring recital is a mandatory performance for all students. Attendance at the group lesson is strongly encouraged as practice performances go a long way to calm nerves and polish performances. I will be inviting a guest performer or performers to participate with us.
Students will be coming home with recital pieces very soon, and parental involvement in consistent practice and preparation is very much appreciated!
Students can earn extra tokens by attending concerts and musical performances. Check the Montana State University Department of Music page for recital opportunities. Many are free. The Bozeman Symphony and the Intermountain Opera Company have many upcoming events as well.
After much though and feedback on our new practice checklist system, I've decided to revert back to timed practice sessions as the primary way for students to earn tokens. I would encourage all students to use the checklists during practice time as a guide, and I will still be accepting them. I appreciate your feedback and participation! Please remember to sign your student's notebook so I can reward their hard work.
As always, I know how much time and energy are involved in being dedicated to music lessons. I appreciate all of you more than words can express!!
February 10: SWMMTA Recital for selected students at Pilgrim Congregational Church, 1:30 p.m.
March 23: SWMMTA Spring Festival for selected students at Pilgrim Congregational Church, 8:30 am
May 3: Recital Dress Rehearsal and guest performance, 7-8 pm at the studio
May 25: Spring Recital for all students at Bozeman Public Library, 2 pm
Participation in SWMMTA (our local chapter of the Music Teacher's National Association) recitals and festivals is an honor reserved for students who are consistently practiced and prepared. Our spring recital is a mandatory performance for all students. Attendance at the group lesson is strongly encouraged as practice performances go a long way to calm nerves and polish performances. I will be inviting a guest performer or performers to participate with us.
Students will be coming home with recital pieces very soon, and parental involvement in consistent practice and preparation is very much appreciated!
Students can earn extra tokens by attending concerts and musical performances. Check the Montana State University Department of Music page for recital opportunities. Many are free. The Bozeman Symphony and the Intermountain Opera Company have many upcoming events as well.
After much though and feedback on our new practice checklist system, I've decided to revert back to timed practice sessions as the primary way for students to earn tokens. I would encourage all students to use the checklists during practice time as a guide, and I will still be accepting them. I appreciate your feedback and participation! Please remember to sign your student's notebook so I can reward their hard work.
As always, I know how much time and energy are involved in being dedicated to music lessons. I appreciate all of you more than words can express!!
Thursday, December 20, 2012
December Update
Sorry for the long delay in posts, my friends! Life has gotten away from me this holiday season. I know we're all anxiously awaiting the Christmas holiday and the little break it brings. I'll be back in a few weeks with some scheduling updates and other news. Merry Christmas!
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