This was the grand finale to our Student Holiday Recital at Steinway Hall, NYC. It was a very special night of music making and quite a showcase! Thanks to all the families and students for their hard work and beautiful performances! It is such a treat as a teacher to see how each and everyone of you has grown and developed this past semestar. See you all in the New Year!
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Monday, November 14, 2011
The Working Unit
Most students make the mistake and waste countless amounts of time playing through versus practicing. They fail to realize that things need to be fixed or examined in smaller sections than what most students take on when "playing through".
A run-through/play through involves a larger unit and consists anywhere from 8 bars to an entire movement or piece. While run-throughs are necessary, by themselves, they are not a sufficient or productive way to practice and learn material. Run-throughs should take up less than half of the practice time.
The working unit, on the other hand, allows the pianist/student to focus and fully comprehend the material. Like phone numbers and clumping, the human brain can only fully comprehend so much material at a time. As such, the base of the working unit is usually 2 bars, sometimes 4 or 8, and always ends on the downbeat of the following bar. For example, a 2 bar working unit ends on the downbeat of bar 3. By practicing until the next downbeat, the pianist avoids the faux paux of ceaseless hesitations, strange rubatos when linking together complete phrases, the unnatural stopping-starting created by technical deficiencies.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Chopin-How to get those improvisational and notoriously difficult florid passages seamless and fluid
We know we all struggle to make fluid those odd multi-note florid passages in Chopin which tend to go on forever. Instead of using the heavier dotted-note rhythms to make such passages even, try stopping on every note in the sequence instead.
For example - if the passage is 16 notes long, then stop on note 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, etc. 16. This allows you to explore the in and outs of the keyboard and naturally molds your hand shape to the unique shape of the passage, making the figures easier to shape over the underlying harmony later on.
Friday, September 9, 2011
Listening and Creating Your Own Personal Sound World
An inspiring, eye-opening lecture about how to listen given by Evelyn Glennie. This will transform your concert going experience and the way you respond to music. What every artistic teacher is trying to impart to their students...
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
What can you get done in 20 minutes?
A simple test to check how productive you are really: set a timer to 20 minute increments to monitor your practice throughout the day to see what you are able to accomplish in that amount of time. Revealing, no?
The timer can also be used to organize your practice time between, sections, pieces, etc, so that you don't get stuck on a piece/page and forget to move on.
Photo: Practicing kit: hairclip, Starbucks coffee from downstairs, trusty debate timer, klm collectible porcelain dutch house, pile of scores, backdrop-NYC!
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
How to Practice Scales
Everybody wants to know how to practice scales. Quite simply, most students do not play scales on a routine basis because they simply have no idea why exactly they are asked to play them.
Scales are a great way to warm up not just physically, but to help prepare the mind for the appropriate stylistic aesthetic ahead. In other words, scales can be used as a tactile and aural preparation for the style of piece about to be played.
For the Intermediate player, transfer student, or even advanced player, I teach my students to practice scales four distinctive ways and as needed as listening exercises to warm up before learning a piece of music. These four types of scales are of course, simplifications which I have arrived at for ease of use and explanation. This is just one way to introduce a basic variety of touches that every pianist should consistently have at their disposal.
In order to listen more carefully, practice hands separately for this purpose. Please see above for my "Scales in the Style of...."
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Books to Improve Reading for Beginners
Summer is a great time to improve reading as well as sight-reading skills.
The books that I commonly use to improve reading for beginners is the Sight Reading & Rhythm Everyday Series by Helen Marlais and Kevin Olson. I usually will use levels 3A-5 to explain and revisit concepts as needed. Beyond that, students should be sight reading in the actual repertoire.
See my Sightread in Keys post
Monday, July 11, 2011
Common Pitfalls to Avoid when Playing Mozart
The deceptively simple textures of Mozart are hazardous for even the most seasoned performers
Two things often found in intermediate performances of this composer.
1. Rushed ornamental figures. Decorative small notes should always be played with ease (almost languidness) and never on the heavy side. In other words, never squeeze the florid notes.
2. 16th-note accompanimental figures (usually l.h), usually sound too groupy. These figures rather, should follow a longer line and go on forever (carry a lyrical momentum).
Other helpful hints
1. Listen so that the horizontal line or motion goes all the way to, or even through the rest.
2. Phrase through the articulation. Do not let it break the shape of the phrase.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Favorite IPAD apps/technology and how it has changed the piano studio
This past year, one of my favorite questions that I get from my students are, what are your favorite iphone/ipad apps?
Besides the usual keyboard, (virtuostic pianist app), things have taken off so far and beyond that (great for ear training, theory assignments, btw) to have substantially transformed the way we think about music study on the most basic level.
One of my favorite apps is the pdf-notes app on the ipad which allows you to mark up your music and saves you from lugging scores around.
I also am a big fan of gmail video chat which enables me to check in and even teach my students occasionally online. The vtok ipad app enables video conferencing on my ipad 2 with gmail video chat.
Both tools have greatly altered the way I think of "traditional music study" as well as a way to enhance the limitations of the "traditional weekly lesson format."
Kudos to technology!
Friday, June 24, 2011
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Sightread in Keys
For the summer, one of the best things to do and to make sight-reading much more enjoyable, not so tedious and effective is to sightread in keys!
For example, for the intermediate and even advanced student, a great way to spend the afternoon is to grab a copy of Schubert Waltzes and sight read day by day...
All the ones in E Major.
All the ones in A Major
than, pick some minor keys...
e minor
d minor
b minor
f minor, etc.
Try it out! You will be surprised how effective this be in improving your reading very quickly. Good luck!
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
End of Year Recap
People asked me what did you think of your student recital? And my gut reaction was my realization through the midst of it, "Holy moly, almost all of my students are playing a real complex program of serious pieces." Every recital is a journey. I am really so very proud of my studio.Second installment...New York City Steinway Hall on June 17th, 6:30 pm.
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