Can you imitate Chenyao's flowing elbows in your practice this week?
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Performance of the Week
Hi, students! This week's great performance comes from a fabulous 6-year-old named Chenyao playing Bach's Minuet in G Minor. This sad and slow piece is wonderfully played with great attention to detail, flawless hand position and phrasing, and a left hand that is non-legato. It's easy to see why this performance earned this young lady a first place festival finish.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Making Practice Time Count
I've been reminded recently that school and extra-curricular activities are in full swing, and it seems that there just aren't enough hours in the day for my family to get everything done that we're supposed to. Fitting effective practice into an already busy schedule can be a major challenge, and the mental focus that intense practice requires can be hard for students of every age to muster when physically and mentally tired. Since this subject is on my brain, I'd like to take a few minutes to share my tips for making practice time count even when time is short.
1) Get into practice mode. In order for practice to "stick" the brain must be focused on the task at hand. Practicing with an unfocused and tired mind is actually worse than not practicing at all. Bad habits are reinforced, and skills are performed sloppily and are easily forgotten. Take a moment with your child at the beginning of the practice session to find out what particular goal they are working toward on each piece. This will both remind the student of what they need to be thinking about as they practice and allow you to monitor the practice session effectively.
2) Do one thing well. If time is very short, encourage a student to work on only one specific homework item. The catch is that they must do this one thing very well. A specific skill can be reinforced in as little as five minutes if done in a focused, deliberate way. I always prefer a student that practices intensively on one area and comes to their lesson with improvement in that area over one who was short on time and practiced non-specifically.
3) Practice when alert and rested. Practicing after rushing home at 7 p.m. from a baseball game and bolting down some dinner might not be the way to go. Choose a time when you or your student is most likely to be able to focus mentally. Practicing the piano correctly ought to be mentally tiring!
4) Use your assignment notebook. It's amazing how often I hear students tell me they've practiced a whole week without looking at their assignment notebook! Teachers typically understand the process they're trying to impart quite well, and using the specific goals I give you will allow you to progress faster and practice more mindfully. When I write "practice right hand alone - focus on slurs and staccatos" in a notebook, that is the essential practice goal for the week on that particular piece, not just a nice suggestion.
5) Consider your priorities. It is unlikely that a student who consistently lacks mindful practice time will succeed at the piano or any other instrument. Consider how important making music is to you and your child and what level of mastery they would like to attain. I certainly don't demand that every student become competition material, but I find that I don't enjoy or feel good about teaching students who coast along at lessons due to lack of time. (I usually find that the students don't enjoy it either.) Making music can be enriching, mind-sharpening, and a lifelong source of enjoyment, but baseball can be too. (I suppose.)
I hope you find a few of these tips helpful, and please know that I appreciate and recognize all the time and effort parents and students devote to successful piano study. You amaze me!
P.S. Here's one way to get into the "mind space" to practice. Lang Lang clearly knows what he's trying to accomplish with imagery in this practice session!
1) Get into practice mode. In order for practice to "stick" the brain must be focused on the task at hand. Practicing with an unfocused and tired mind is actually worse than not practicing at all. Bad habits are reinforced, and skills are performed sloppily and are easily forgotten. Take a moment with your child at the beginning of the practice session to find out what particular goal they are working toward on each piece. This will both remind the student of what they need to be thinking about as they practice and allow you to monitor the practice session effectively.
2) Do one thing well. If time is very short, encourage a student to work on only one specific homework item. The catch is that they must do this one thing very well. A specific skill can be reinforced in as little as five minutes if done in a focused, deliberate way. I always prefer a student that practices intensively on one area and comes to their lesson with improvement in that area over one who was short on time and practiced non-specifically.
3) Practice when alert and rested. Practicing after rushing home at 7 p.m. from a baseball game and bolting down some dinner might not be the way to go. Choose a time when you or your student is most likely to be able to focus mentally. Practicing the piano correctly ought to be mentally tiring!
4) Use your assignment notebook. It's amazing how often I hear students tell me they've practiced a whole week without looking at their assignment notebook! Teachers typically understand the process they're trying to impart quite well, and using the specific goals I give you will allow you to progress faster and practice more mindfully. When I write "practice right hand alone - focus on slurs and staccatos" in a notebook, that is the essential practice goal for the week on that particular piece, not just a nice suggestion.
5) Consider your priorities. It is unlikely that a student who consistently lacks mindful practice time will succeed at the piano or any other instrument. Consider how important making music is to you and your child and what level of mastery they would like to attain. I certainly don't demand that every student become competition material, but I find that I don't enjoy or feel good about teaching students who coast along at lessons due to lack of time. (I usually find that the students don't enjoy it either.) Making music can be enriching, mind-sharpening, and a lifelong source of enjoyment, but baseball can be too. (I suppose.)
I hope you find a few of these tips helpful, and please know that I appreciate and recognize all the time and effort parents and students devote to successful piano study. You amaze me!
P.S. Here's one way to get into the "mind space" to practice. Lang Lang clearly knows what he's trying to accomplish with imagery in this practice session!
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Performances of the Week ... It's Baroque!
Hi, piano friends! Today I'd like to share three pieces by the most famous of the Baroque performers, Bach and Handel. These are pieces that students in the studio are currently working on, and they are doing an amazing job!
The first piece is a good performance of Handel's Sarabande and Variations by a young man named Billy. This piece was composed for the harpsichord and not the piano, and I think Billy does a great job of capturing the simple beauty of these artfully arranged chords.
The first piece is a good performance of Handel's Sarabande and Variations by a young man named Billy. This piece was composed for the harpsichord and not the piano, and I think Billy does a great job of capturing the simple beauty of these artfully arranged chords.
The second performance by Chendi is a lovely rendition of Bach's Musette. Notice her lovely posture, hand position, and arm technique -- a hallmark of Irina Gorin's piano studio!
The last great performance of the week is by another of Irina Gorin's students, Kailah, who is playing Bach's Invention No. 1 in C Major. If you listen closely you'll be able to hear two melodies being played at once. This is called counterpoint, and it was a distinguishing part of a lot of Baroque music.
Students, remember to leave a comment below to verify that you've done your listening for this week. If you'd like your post to be anonymous, just leave your initials in the post. Here's to great piano playing!
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Performance of the Week
Hi, everyone! The year is underway, and I was so impressed with all of you this week! Lots of practicing went on this summer!
Today I'm starting a blog series featuring great recital performances. These performances show hard-working students playing polished pieces reflecting great teaching and lots of practice at home. I hope to include pieces that many of you are studying so that you can be inspired and hear well-played examples.
This week's performance of Beethoven's Sonatina in G Major and Schumann's The Wild Horseman comes from an unnamed young woman and an unnamed teacher of high caliber. This student has put a lot of time into these pieces, and they demonstrate good teaching and technique. The acoustics in the room make some of the articulation difficult to hear, but the performance is great.
Listening to this performance will be part of your homework this week, and I can't wait to hear your reflections on what you heard. Have a wonderful week!
Today I'm starting a blog series featuring great recital performances. These performances show hard-working students playing polished pieces reflecting great teaching and lots of practice at home. I hope to include pieces that many of you are studying so that you can be inspired and hear well-played examples.
This week's performance of Beethoven's Sonatina in G Major and Schumann's The Wild Horseman comes from an unnamed young woman and an unnamed teacher of high caliber. This student has put a lot of time into these pieces, and they demonstrate good teaching and technique. The acoustics in the room make some of the articulation difficult to hear, but the performance is great.
Monday, September 3, 2012
Let the Music Play!
Starting week is finally here, and I'm so excited so see all my wonderful students again. We have some great new additions to our studio family this year as well as all of our long-time friends! It's going to be a spectacular year!
I have some fun things planned for this year that I can't wait to share with you! Our themed recital was a hit last year, and I got a lot of positive feedback from the audience, so we may do another this spring. I'm considering a recital featuring music from around the globe, but I'm open to suggestions as well, so give me some ideas! I'm also hoping to book a guest performer for our fall group lesson and perhaps even a master class in the spring. Yay!
I'll be asking several hand-picked students with performance ready pieces to perform in our MTNA recitals during the school year. These recitals are a great opportunity to be motivated by other serious piano students from other studios. Several of you will also be asked to participate in a music festival in the spring.
Lastly, I've revamped our token prize system to be more task and less time-oriented. I've created a checklist of items to be practiced on assigned pieces that can be redeemed for a token. I'll be sending more details home with your student this week.
I can't wait to reconnect with you all! See you soon!
I have some fun things planned for this year that I can't wait to share with you! Our themed recital was a hit last year, and I got a lot of positive feedback from the audience, so we may do another this spring. I'm considering a recital featuring music from around the globe, but I'm open to suggestions as well, so give me some ideas! I'm also hoping to book a guest performer for our fall group lesson and perhaps even a master class in the spring. Yay!
I'll be asking several hand-picked students with performance ready pieces to perform in our MTNA recitals during the school year. These recitals are a great opportunity to be motivated by other serious piano students from other studios. Several of you will also be asked to participate in a music festival in the spring.
Lastly, I've revamped our token prize system to be more task and less time-oriented. I've created a checklist of items to be practiced on assigned pieces that can be redeemed for a token. I'll be sending more details home with your student this week.
I can't wait to reconnect with you all! See you soon!
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Fall Lesson Update
Hi, my friends! I'm absolutely thrilled that lessons are about to begin again. I've seen lots and lots of you this summer, which has been wonderful!
I just wanted to do a short post with some news for the coming few weeks. You'll be hearing from me no later than next week about your preferred time for lessons. If you have a time in mind already, please feel free to call me. First priority goes to summer students, but I always do my best to accommodate sports and other activities as best I can. Our regular weekly schedule will begin Tuesday, September 4th.
There will be no rate increase this year, so tuition payments will remain the same. I'll be sending home a summary of your deposit account at the beginning of the year so that each family can bring their account back to the $40 mark by the end of September.
I'm also busy revamping our token system to make it more task and less time-oriented. I think these changes will help students achieve a more focused and productive practice time.
I can't wait to learn with all of you during the coming year!
I just wanted to do a short post with some news for the coming few weeks. You'll be hearing from me no later than next week about your preferred time for lessons. If you have a time in mind already, please feel free to call me. First priority goes to summer students, but I always do my best to accommodate sports and other activities as best I can. Our regular weekly schedule will begin Tuesday, September 4th.
There will be no rate increase this year, so tuition payments will remain the same. I'll be sending home a summary of your deposit account at the beginning of the year so that each family can bring their account back to the $40 mark by the end of September.
I'm also busy revamping our token system to make it more task and less time-oriented. I think these changes will help students achieve a more focused and productive practice time.
I can't wait to learn with all of you during the coming year!
Friday, July 20, 2012
A Blast from the Past
This blast from the past isn't the fluorescent pink off-the-shoulder tank top I owned in the 1980's (which is back by the way! I know you guys don't believe me when I tell you I had your outfits in 1987!) This blast from the past is a little more distant ... like the early 1700's.
In 1700 the harpsichord was the king of the keyboard instruments, and many of the famous Baroque composers we study in our lessons (like Bach, Scarlatti, and Handel) composed their music on the harpsichord to be played by other harpsichordists.
Our main objective in playing music like this is to be true to the spirit of the composer even though we're playing a very different instrument in a very different time. Our modern piano makes sound in a completely different way than the harpsichord did (by striking strings with hammers instead of plucking strings.) Our modern pianos have cast iron guts and metal strings and they're big and loud, resonant, and mellow when compared to the harpsichord. Just for reference, compare the two performances of the same piece below, one on the harpsichord and one on a modern piano (a digital piano actually, but YouTube can't have everything.)
In 1700 the harpsichord was the king of the keyboard instruments, and many of the famous Baroque composers we study in our lessons (like Bach, Scarlatti, and Handel) composed their music on the harpsichord to be played by other harpsichordists.
Our main objective in playing music like this is to be true to the spirit of the composer even though we're playing a very different instrument in a very different time. Our modern piano makes sound in a completely different way than the harpsichord did (by striking strings with hammers instead of plucking strings.) Our modern pianos have cast iron guts and metal strings and they're big and loud, resonant, and mellow when compared to the harpsichord. Just for reference, compare the two performances of the same piece below, one on the harpsichord and one on a modern piano (a digital piano actually, but YouTube can't have everything.)
When working with differences so great, what can young piano players do to imitate the Baroque style? Here are a few pointers to remember:
1) Use a lighter touch.
2) Forget about the pedal!
3) Don't play too legato, especially on longer notes.
4) Play both hands at a roughly equal volume.
Of course, there's much more to being an effective performer of Baroque music than these four items, but that's where your teacher comes in. So try some old school music. It's the ultimate in smart music, and it has amazing challenges that are rewarding and unique.
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