Busking

(The lady in the black jacket has just donated to my Hungry For Belgian Chocolate Fund.)

For me piano is a profession, but violin is also a love in my musical life. A couple of weeks ago I thought I might take advantage of my situation on a vacation and go out on the town to go busking with my fiddle to see what would happen. I was prepared with a licence: My brother-in-law obtained one for me. Often I have seen street musicians here, but most of the time they are the kind of guys that don't have enough teeth among the lot of them to make a full set for even one guy. So we set out as a family, and armed with violin, convertible fingerless gloves, water bottles and train tickets and Pizza Hut coupons, we set out for Brugge.

First we had to eat pizza. Then we had to pick a busking spot. The first spot we chose was in front of a store where you can buy leather purses and handbags for $4,000, etc. etc., and though that isn't my kind of thing, I had some friends in mind that I was sure would have much rather been inside the store than doing the socially somewhat weird thing of playing for change on the street! The shop lady came out to me and hinted I should cross the street and stand on the other side- not in front of her shop window- because the trucks couldn't pass through. Yeah, right, I thought. She just didn't want someone busking in front of her fancy shop window. I couldn't really blame her- But remembering how nice she was and then suddenly a huge truck swept by- I could definitely see her point. So I crossed the street and stood in front of the bicycle racks. Seeing the first euro drop in was a great feeling! It came soon, too.

At the second spot I was far more visible because I stood at the top of some stairs and though there was a little piped in music, I think I pretty well could drown it out. My family stood by a few minutes at a time, then went to enjoy the town. Once in a while my husband came by and cleaned out my case!

I played Helmut Lotti songs (ripped off popular classics), familiar opera selections, popular songs, Christmas carols, classical tunes, hymns, Irish fiddle tunes, sailor music and anything light and cheerful I could think of. Particularly effective was played Gossec's Gavotte while jumping on the high notes. People stopped and jumped with me! I think the tip to collecting on the public is to be visible, smile your face off, play nothing serious, and to be physically active while you play. Then people stop to watch and pull out their wallets. (I was also handily parked by a bank: everyone had their wallet out anyway. Put 'er there!)

Who puts money in? Teenagers rarely. Little kids get it from their moms and dads. But the group who donates most often are the fifty plussers, especially couples and gray haired gentlemen with nice coats. Old ladies are the kind who most often stop to chat.

We pulled in about $85! That was more than I expected. Let's see... it paid for the pizza... and the drinks... the round trip train tickets for the whole family... the gloves we had to buy for my daughter... well. Looking at it that way, it was a total wash! But I have to say, it was an afternoon of pure fun made possible by music, and that for free!

Favorite Moments

Sometimes there are just moments that are so memorable they become history. This respectful and talented student was working hard in a Placido Domingo masterclass, and came to a wonderful note in the aria he was singing, and when Domingo heard him, he stopped him to refer to the note by way of demonstration- and after singing it far and above the already stunning rendition of the student, began to continue his comment upon it, when the audience, student and pianist all react to its beauty and erupt in applause and the laughter of astonishment!

I also listen to it in admiration for what the pianist accomplishes, and how respectful and wonderful the tone of the lesson is. Domingo is so considerate.

Just For Fun: Toy Pianos

The piano is nearly universal. Many variations of it have appeared, including flexible, art case models, circular keyboards and invisible "pianos" (you wear gloves and play in the air- the gloves make a cheesy "piano" sound. Haven't bought any.) Toy Pianos are a variant of the above, which also come in different shapes and sizes, some of which you can get linked up to below:

LARGE

Now that had to be fun to rehearse.

FLAT

He should take it on the streets! The keyboard looks like roadkill actually, but he is an artist; people would toss him money.

LOW

I love this: "My fault!"

RIDICULOUSLY SMALL - that is- wrong size to take this seriously

Go ahead and tell me if I am missing the deeper import of this, but that is just stupid.

CHARMINGLY TINY

This is awesome!

Music Education #8 What Parents Can Do for Beginners

When students are beginning, what can parents do to maximize their success?

Help them by setting a schedule, a plan to work at the keys everyday, and set learning goals for every day, every week in order to complete the assignment. The teacher should be setting realistic assignments, and hopefully giving good practice outlines. Give cheer and direction to each practice, show love by giving full attention to young beginners. Remark on and praise progress!

In Practice: "What does the assignment book say about that? Learn page one? OK let's shock the teacher. Probably she just thinks you'd barely get hands alone or whatever. What do you say we try to memorize the whole first page hands together?! That means you could do line one today, then you have three days for the rest, then a day or so for review..."

What specific things can I teach my beginning child so that the teacher can move forward unhindered with my child?

Total knowledge of the keyboard note names: ABCDFG.

In practice: "OK! play all the Cs! Great! How fast can you play all the Gs high to low? Play all the DEFs with the left hand, all the ACEs with the right hand. Name your finger numbers! Play a low F with the left hand 4th finger! Play a high B with the right hand second finger! That was faster than yesterday! Wow." Fast paced and cheerful is best, not lingering too long on any one exercise.

Knowledge of Staff lines and spaces: Treble and Bass Clefs

In Practice: Make a grand staff on your floor, [see previous Music Education posts] use flash cards introducing two or three new notes a day, ask questions about the notes in the music. Memorize with your child the names of the treble clef lines and spaces (EGBDF and FACE respectively) as well as bass clef lines and spaces (GBDFA and ACEG respectively)

Tip: help the student focus on the assignment given and if the student hears or sees new pieces to try, keep a running "wish list" for your child to look forward to. Teachers like to hear about student favorites!

Hats off to moms and dads! Parental integration in practice is so incredibly important to most young beginners and can really add a sweet dimension to a relationship when children see their parents really proud of them and excited about their success and potential. I had no idea about what this was all about until I had my own kids. Wow. As my brother said, initially the child's success depends probably more about what parents a child has than the innate musicality of a child. I didn't think of putting it so bluntly, but am starting to see things his way....

Music Education #7 Making Paths Through the Jungle

This is not a travel blog, but anyway...

...Fourteen years ago we were tromping through the jungle in South America wearing tall rubber boots to not get bitten by tarantulas (I saw 'em!). Our front guy was whacking the thickly growing crazy vines with his machete and we were trying to follow. We crossed streams by foot, sometimes finding the easiest way was just to wade through the stream because there were not so many plants there! We had a destination, but my point lies in the fact that we were all of us tromping over some faintly traced path that appeared (at least at first) to only exist in the mind of our guide.

That's like looking at a new page of music. Just a jungle. The mind has no aural or tactile experience with the new notes.

He slashed at vines effortlessly with a long sharp, very effective tool that made us think about putting our hands around out own necks, a blade probably illegal in most places.

That's like the first step of sight-reading. It's the first impression. It's very important to try to get this one right. (Kind of like a job interview, too. You only have one chance for a perfect first impression.)

Then we all followed, our feet making the path, one after another of us. When we were done, you could see a path behind us. You wouldn't have wanted to follow it barefoot or anything, but you would know where we has been.

That's like repeating the music until you start remembering it. Because the brain looking at a new piece of music is like an untraced jungle of potential: you have to beat down a path to follow. Actually, in music, the path has already been laid, so our job is to learn where it is. This is a good explanation to kids who have play something right again and again.

"But I got it! I played it perfectly." (I had that shot- I'm vaccinated!)

"Once! Yes! good job! But hey- how many times did it take you not so perfectly to get it there?"

"Um... seventeen?"

"OK! Yes! So in performance, you're going to do it the way you practiced it the most. Do you think you'll play it the way you really want to if your first time perfectly was your only time? Maybe not. So we do this bit lots of times, today and tomorrow" [that's important] "to make sure it stays."

Our trail in the jungle- it's probably completely grown over, invisible, unless people kept travelling it. The Oregon trail- in some places you can still see it over a hundred years later.

The paths music leaves in the mind are some of the most permanent, staying with many Alzheimer's patients long after they cease to recognize their loved ones.

This is all about the nerves making paths in our brain. Connections! I really like seeing kids learn. I really like handing them a mental machete and watching the trailblazing begin.

Interpreting Beethoven the Silly Way

Pianism is technical artistry or skill at the piano.

Interpretation is bringing out the meaning of the composition.

You sometimes unfortunately see Pianism without Interpretation. I mean, people have the fingers flying and a great piano but the music doesn't say a lot. That's not good, especially when it is great music that could have had a lot to say. Sure, the player has technique, but the music isn't meaning anything to him, and consequently nothing of beauty or import gets across to the listener.

You sometimes see Interpretation without a lot of Pianism, too- People who really do have something to say with their music, but something is preventing them from pulling it off, usually slips in their accuracy or technique or nerves, or unfamiliarity with the piano, or whatever.

It is important to practice for accuracy and skill so your fingers convey the message instead of cloud the message of the music.

It is also important to know to get know your music away from just the keys, too: knowing that the music has something to say. It is good to listen to it in your head, hearing how interesting/beautiful/exciting it can be apart from however you are currently playing it. But I haven't thought of Interpretation without Pianism in quite the same way since I saw this:

The Piano Player

Rowan Atkinson studied very carefully to pull off this comedy stunt: he mimes parts of two Beethoven Sonatas- starting with the Grave (pronounce that "Gra'-vay") section of the Pathetique Sonata in C minor Opus 13 and interrupting it (after looking at his watch!) with the third movement of the "Moonlight Sonata" (Op. 27 No. 2 in C sharp minor). He is utterly silly, but you also see that he gets the music! He understands the "conversations" in music and the times where the music feels exhausted, or heats up into a frenzy.

Doesn't that make you think more about what music can say? It's fun to pull up other Beethoven Sonatas and listen for the dramas to unfold... without the mime- just: Beethoven.

Favorite Music #1

The Happiest Piece I know: Gavotte from the French Suite No. 5 in G major

You have to begin at minute 5:48 to get the Gavotte.

Know one happier? Then I've got to hear it!

Here is a childhood favorite of mine: David Popper's Gavotte.

Here is probably my favorite ever single work of music. You've never heard it before. I think. You have to listen to it fifty times. I love the way the melodies layer over layer over layer...

Music to Relax by #2

Venetian Gondola Song

This Song Without Words by Felix Mendelssohn is one of the most haunting, romantic pieces for piano! ...You can hear the dark shiny water reflected in the bass, and the lights flickering all around its gently rippled surface. Then the song begins, wistful and soft, as calm and romantic as the handsome boatman poling you along. There are candles along the waterway glowing like starts in the night, and flowers on the gondola. The night is warm...

The funny thing is, this fine and gentle performance is done by a guy who looks awfully sweaty- he must have been performing for a long time previously in that concert, or maybe it was a hot summer night. Or maybe he just sweats when he performs. It's hard to perform! My big problem is my nose runs. Let's say I've got my piece well under control, well no matter; I get adrenaline anyway and it all comes out my nose. You can't stop in the middle of a long fugue to blow it all out. That puts a big, undignified break in the work of art. Even if I do memorize all my music I still ought to have a page turner even if only for intermittently holding a hanky to my nose. Still I am thankful: I don't get sweaty hands. I'd rather suffer a wet upper lip than to have to play Fugues on a Slip'n'slide.

Great Pianists #1 Vladimir Horowitz

First movement

Mozart Concerto #23 in A major: K. 488 click on that to see Horowitz play the second movement

It's interesting to me how the personality of Vladimir Horowitz takes his own immense talent (and that of all the composers he plays) so matter-of-factly. His fingers play all the dark and intense moments and all the joyful moments of music with all the emotion you love to hear, but you notice he does not wear the emotions all over the rest of him. He always seems happy and his inner musician doesn't project inner turmoil, like the following: "Inner Turmoil #1" and "Inner Turmoil # 2". He doesn't distance the listener by trying to project his introversion on you: he likes the approbation of anyone who will give him a little compliment (In the end of the first clip of this post to the page turner: "See, wasn't that good? Did you like that?" he seems to ask him) He gives that cute little wave to his wife, Wanda, in the beginning and she, as usual looks none too impressed. He is one of those rock solid piano greats. No Introverted Tortured Soul here. Just Magic.

Music Education #6 Supporting Young Musicians

Children don't have to be analyzed or asked about whether they are willing to work or if they are talented prior to starting lessons. That's like asking a seed if it wants to grow. Just put it in the right environment and feed it. It grows.

I really am thankful for how my parents handled my musical development. They put me in the environment, then gave me a good balanced kind of support. Nothing too wildly enthusiastic (which kids may distrust) and always patient and loving. Nothing too hard core, either- I didn't feel like I was fulfilling their pride, or the embodiment of their dream. It was a relief to me knowing that they were enjoying what I was doing and felt no pressure from them except for reminders to practice if they thought I was forgetting. My Mom would remind me every day to practice until the days came where she would start saying, look, can you do something else now, you've been practicing for four hours...

My parents paid for everything and that is a LOT. For YEARS. Lessons for Piano and Violin, and Orchestra. Instruments, maintenance, tuning, gas and time. And what to them was probably noise pollution: putting up with repeating my favorite (highly dissonant) sections of Ginastera, Shostakovich and Prokofiev 37 times in a row.

I am glad my parents protected me by not embarrassing me by exposing my faults to my teachers right in front of me. What children overhear about themselves can really mark them in their own minds. I never heard my mom bragging about me except that once someone asked her, "Is your daughter talented?" and she answered "Yes." I always remembered that. If I overheard her tell people I was lazy, I probably would have acted more that way. Probably my mom doesn't know this story, but once when I was eight years old I got in a fight with a strong five year old whose seven year old brother was watching and egging him on. "Sometimes he gets vicious," was the older brother's comment. When the little brother heard that, he adding kicking and biting to his technique. Maybe he didn't know that sometimes he get vicious, but now that he heard that, he strengthened his newly self-conscious reputation. Kids are like that. I mean- they act on what they learn are others' impressions of them.

My mom never stuck up for me to my teachers either when I was lazy. She just calmly listened to the teacher let me have it. But there was deeply sincere encouragement- "You think you're not doing well, or not enjoying it? You haven't been practicing very much recently- get a few good hours in the next few days- you'll feel better about it. That's all you need and you'll be making lots of progress again." It was always gentle, calm encouragement, and sincere. I could trust sincerity.

Music Education # 5 Learning the Grand Staff with the Hot Note Game

On the floor of my studio I have just installed (with the help of my children) a gigantic grand staff. I suppose it is about 5'x8', and is situated so that the pianist on the bench has the best view of it. The lines are made of shiny blue gift wrap ribbon which contrasts well with the dark hardwood floorboards and are tacked down on either end with masking tape bar lines. The spaces are large enough for feet to step in. I cut out two huge, movable paper clefs on the left side so students can learn how to place them themselves.

Tonight I sat one of my children down on the piano bench while I began stepping all over the lines and spaces, and we suddenly found ourselves playing a funny game that I have to share with you: When you the parent (or teacher) are standing on a line, as long as the student isn't playing that note, everything is fine. But as soon as they find the correct note, pretend your line instantly heats up and you say "Ooh- HOT! Ow! Ow!" and jump to another note on the staff. Then you can say, "Ahhh, that's better!" but then the little one on the bench is busy trying to find the next right note as fast as possible on the piano to make you jump again! Two feet at once is for intervals of a second, a third, etc.

I am curious to know how this will work with my beginners. Maybe there will be a way to incorporate the composer figurines in this game.

Domenico Scarlatti was a famous Baroque harpsichordist (born in 1685: the same year as J.S. Bach and Handel!) who is famous for his five hundred fifty-five keyboard Sonatas. They are knows for their virtuosity and their sparkling energy. One of their particular technical demands is frequent hand crossovers which he employed liberally (…until his increasingly ample girth prevented him in old age.)

Scarlatti is so distinctive. He was an Italian living in Spain and Portugal, working for the nobility there. That’s a lot of energetic musical culture wrapped up into one guy! I have found that his music doesn’t play too well on a lot of upright pianos because of brilliant repeating notes. Grand pianos have gravity to help get that hammer back down in position to spring back fast enough, not like uprights, whose hammers travel horizontally. Scarlatti’s repeated notes are always obvious, as in his Sonata in D minor, K. 141 (see this unbelievable version by Martha Argerich)

Other things that happen often in Scarlatti’s music are sudden key changes to the parallel major or minor (like jumping from D major to D minor without a modulation) and those famous trills that often happen at the end notes of the two halves of the Sonatas. The most incredible performer of Scarlatti is Michelangeli. (I love that movie!)

Listening to the Repertory: What the Piano Can Say in the Hands of Gilels

This famous Prelude (G minor, Op. 23, No. 5) by Sergei Rachmaninov is played by the Russian Pianist Emil Gilels. This performance is remarkable for his human, his personal sound. The texture is incredible in this; the melodies and the inner voices getting special treatment in so many ways, his amazing, unflagging energy and sense of timing.

The most incredible clip of Gilels can be found linked here (along with other war footage) of him playing this Prelude as a young man for Russian Soldiers about to enter combat. Please look this up- you won't regret seeing him (beginning at minute 1 hour 10 minutes.) Shortly after that you will see Sviatoslav Richter, (Hey, anybody heard of the Revolutionary Etude in C sharp minor? That record player is a bit fast!) and then followed by Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli! Emil Gilels was allowed by Soviet Russia to make tours accompanied by government officials. Once when Franz Mohr, (one of the greatest piano technicians ever) had a rare moment with him alone, he said, not knowing what the response would be; "I'd like to give you this," and gave him a Bible. Gilels snatched it out of his surprised hands and in a second it had disappeared into his coat. "Thank you!" he exclaimed, "You don't know what this means to me!" He did not know what happened afterwards. It was perhaps the only time they were together like that. Franz Mohr tells this story in his book My Life With the Great Pianists.

Music Education #4 Getting Through Repetitive Practice Cheerfully

Here are some more practice tips I am discovering while practicing with my very littlest ones:

Getting a piece learned and polished takes a lot of repetition, and consequently takes some wise strategies so little kids don't feel like practice with Mom is deadly dull. These may take a few minutes longer, but the quality of practice goes up- it's worth it.

1. Break the desired section down into tiny, reachable goals. For every perfect repetition, draw a tally mark. For five tallies, reward him by drawing a train car on a large, durable sheet of paper. Let him choose the kind of train car it should be. Soon you will have a sprawling freight train (hopefully you are OK with line drawings) replete with tank cars, aquarium cars, circus cars, box cars, basketball cars, volcano cars... (yes, spewing lava.) I suppose this would work for little girls, too, though they might prefer you to draw jewelry on a princess or something like that, depending on the little girl. The handy thing about this is you can decide what a tally stands for.

2. Hold up ten fingers and say, "You are the farmer. We will repeat this section ten times, and for every perfect time you play this little bit, you will plant a seed." (he plays the little bit perfectly.) "Good job! Ok, you planted a bean seed. Knock down the first finger!" He gently pushes down one of your fingers and you have nine left. After the next section you say, "You planted a watermelon seed!" and he knocks down the second, and so on. It is good for him to knock it down, because it takes his hand off the keyboard, and he has to keep placing it there again so he really gets to know where his hand is supposed to play for that part! Different seeds you could "plant" are tree seeds or flower seeds, etc.. Not only are they learning how to play the piano, they might be hearing about parsnips, dogwoods and hydrangeas for the first time. If it isn't a good repetition, I say, "Hmm, that seed didn't sound like it's going to grow into the strongest tree- let's try again."

3. I set my figurines (the ones that I mentioned in the previous Music Education post), the metronome and any other cars or dollies available on one side of the piano. "Now play it for Mozart... Now, play it for Benny... Now play it for Bach... Now play it with Mr. Metronome," (he has a personality too: he nods and shakes his head and gives hugs. Otherwise, he just clicks.) When they have played the section for each of these entities, they have it pretty well lodged in their minds, especially when the imaginary listeners have been giving feedback. -Yes, Mr. Beethoven is still Mr. Opposite! He encourages them to keep notes that were stuck in their memories incorrectly, and they wake up to what it means to play it perfectly in a hurry!

Musicians are Peculiar #2

Here is a link to a little video of Victor Borge and a friend- and after watching it, do you start to wonder if maybe that's what the music really means? This is always funnier if you watch it after 11 PM.

Up and Coming Pianist #1 Stephen Beus

We are looking forward to a concert by Stephen Beus, much about whom I have heard through his (and my) teacher Dr. Leonard Richter. If you have never heard Stephen Beus or heard about him, click here to hear him play. He really plays a great piece, too! It is so beautiful through the opening, and I really like how he treats minute 2:20-2:32. The whole thing is so... well, it's fast. He manages to say a lot even with that kind of speed. I am looking forward to comparing this movement with other artists' interpretations.

If you want to go to that concert too, it is on Friday October 29, 2010, at 7:00 PM at Bellevue First Presbyterian Church, and I can reserve you some tickets!

Music Education #3 Jumping Over Practice Boundaries

I am not just a piano teacher: I am a "piano Mom". That means I oversee my children's practice every day. My kids are young: two four year olds and one age seven, so I do know about the challenges of attitude toward home practice. But we have overcome some difficulties, and I am handing out FREE TIPS on this subject RIGHT HERE!! :)

1. Make it a Habit.

This summer we virtually forgot how to play the piano. It took just a couple of weeks of neglect to forget: our vacation, our lazy days in the pool... So when I brought them into the studio again for practice I met with a lot of resistance for a whole week I tried to be patient and kind, but they were still easily frustrated (sometimes to tears!) or else lacking focus.

My husband was encouraging, though. "They've just been out of the habit of practice," he insisted when I unburdened to him. "They'll be fine when they get back into it." This was true. The first week we practiced every day, reluctantly, doggedly. The second week things went a lot better. They expected to practice each morning, at least 30 minutes daily, (60 for the seven year old- sometimes his practice time is broken up into morning-evening sessions) there was no contention: it was just What We Do. There is a sense of a routine, which for our family is very healthy. Note- if it's late and we're wiped out, we don't push it, but we do try to make it up the next day. Being reasonable is healthy too.

Help them see, if they are having difficulties those first weeks acting on a fresh practice commitment that it's because they are not used to it, that [again] soon things will improve. Also check to see that the practice isn't just "doing time" but that the teacher has given the student clear goals to accomplish and that the student has a sense of this. If they practice a lot, there is clear progress, which is so encouraging! Even with a little regular practice progress can be noted, though it is exponentially better as the hours are increased.

3. Work Hard, Lovingly

Practicing is like owning an apple tree. Invest in it and it produces. If it produces fruit you are so inspired to prune and care for it year-round, but if you don't care for it enough, it does not produce much and your interest is low. It's a vicious circle that quickly be broken by creating a habit of daily practice. In this culture we tend to want to shield our children from hard work and let them play and just be kids. There should be some time for that, yes, but kids really need to be good at something. We as parents have to encourage, help and sometimes push for that. If consistently done in the right spirit of respect and commitment, the support and direction you provide in your child's practice will improve your relationship with your child rather than strain it.

Practically, I found that sitting with my child through the whole session of practice when they are this young is a must, for direction and encouragement. If they get frazzled over anything, I stay calm. I break the work up into small part and insist on quality. Keeping a neutral, gentle voice is important. Praise them for the littlest things. Set tiny goals. (Little kids have little sense of pacing to work for huge ones: they live pretty much in the here and now.) Be "totally surprised" when they exceed the set goals! I think the regular practice regimen has begun to grow benefits in other areas in their little hearts: today I walked out of my room to see them make quite a parade passing by with every cleaning brush, broom, duster and mop I own, and they set to work cleaning the living room!

3. Make it Funny

Recently I adopted the habit of using three figurines at the piano: Bach, Beethoven and Mozart. I pretend they are alive and that two are helpful and always right, but not too quick in supplying the right answer, giving the child a chance to competitively show them that he can get it first before having to be taught by them! The third figurine is Mr. Opposite: Nothing he advises is correct. He especially encourages them to miss notes and praises them for using the wrong fingering. Immediately the students are on high alert to the right and wrong ways of playing their pieces, and they invariably think it's funny! (There is the benefit of a real effort to "stymie the Bad Guy" - sorry Beethoven- as well as the fact that no matter what they do, at least they make someone happy!) They especially like it when Beethoven gets grumpy when they play perfectly. Even older students have said "I'm not too little: please use the figurines with me too!" Making lessons funny has made my children argue about who goes first rather than last. Arguing isn't right in any case, but if they had to argue, I'd take that argument over the other.

God gave you the authority to decide what your children are going to learn, and believing in that authority gives strength and dignity to your position as Parent in Charge of Kid. That, with love and admiring support of your child can bring a new depth and dimension to your relationship as well as progress in their playing.

If you want elaboration or more description on certain details, please feel free to ask for them in comments. I especially like to know if you have suggestions for getting children used to practicing.

Music Education #2 Finding a Teacher

Finding the right teacher for your child is probably the most influential choice that you will make in your child’s musical development. You want an experienced, talented and qualified teacher whose personality is good match for your child. Then you need to make a decision on three points: 1 how far you are willing to drive, 2. how much you are willing to spend, and 3. what kind of expectations do you have of your child and of the teacher.

The first two points of your decision depend on the teacher: as a teenager taking violin lessons, I drove weekly an hour each way and paid more than we had ever paid for lessons, but what I got out of it was incredible. Some teachers may be very close by, or be very cheap, but do not seem to have musical students. Convenience may not be your best option, however it can be a blessing! During my formative years we were very privileged to practically be neighbors with one of the best teachers in the state. Based on these first two points, you can begin your search.

To get names and contact information of teachers in your area, contact music teacher associations, piano stores, Universities, Music Schools, Music stores, churches, friends who have lived in the area for years and internet teacher referral lines. When first talking with a teacher on the phone, you will likely be offered a chance for an interview. Take this opportunity to get to know all the teachers with availability in their schedules around your area. If you believe your child has a real gift and you have a teacher in mind that you had hopes to study with who professes to be full, or says your child is too young, etc. you could try to ask for an interview with the view that the teacher may offer you advice and direction. Expect that teachers may ask for an interview fee, this is normal. (Just a tip: as a teacher I don’t like to be asked “Can I sit through another student’s lesson?” because students pay for private lessons and that is not fair to that student to have a stranger watch their lesson. A teacher's credentials and presentation at the interview should have enough strength to inspire confidence in a prospective client.)

The last point, what kind of expectations do you have of your child and of the teacher may influence your decision once you have had your first meeting. Teachers may require much work from the students, or very little practice, and you may prefer this... or not. (Keep in mind that piano lessons done well equals a huge amount of work for everybody involved. And no, hard work isn't bad! :) ) A very good guideline of questions you can ask potential teachers can be found on the page of the MTNA website that I have linked here: "Finding a teacher" tips.

This will also make you turn to the questions for yourself: Why piano lesson? Do you want to have some music lessons sprinkled over your children's heads? Do you want them to be little Mozarts? Do you want them to work hard and get great at playing the piano, but still do it just for fun? Are you looking for Music Therapy, or Discpline and Competition, or Professional Concert Pianist training? Do the children really want to play? (Most children really do!) Or is it you who actually wants to play? The teacher may ask you some questions like these.

There is something so amazing about hearing someone play the piano really well. It does something to the performer and the audience alike, and we wish we could be more deeply and closely involved in the music making process. I think that is why we seek lessons, to become that musician enjoying it up there on stage, or to give someone we love the ability to become that musician. Music is the sounds of our feelings, and we like to hear our feelings in our ears, and to feel the beauty of music affecting us like that. To be the musician, we also have the power to affect others that way. That's fun. (We also like the applause.)

But the best part of lessons is having music happen in your house every day, and enriching your whole family tree by taking part in active music making. Because when your children become parents, they will want to pass on the legacy by either teaching their own little ones, or getting them lessons as one cherished former student Roya wrote to me; "I hope you'll still be teaching when I have my own kids because I'll definitely be taking them to you for piano lessons!"

Musicians are Peculiar #1

Beethoven wrote five piano concertos, and the one that tops my list of favorites is number four.

I used to dislike the second movement, but it grew on me, and still does.

The following is an interesting introduction to the movement. I chuckled over one person who commented something like, "I really like to listen to Lang Lang, but I have to put a bag over his head first." That makes me wonder -how uncomfortable are we watching up close someone who has complete freedom in expressing his own Transcendental Weirdness? Is he convincing? Or is he a clown? He seems to walk the line between the two!

Lang Lang talks about Beethoven Concerto No. 4.

By the way, when Lang Lang is telling a story when talking about the second movement, he is referring to classic tale of Orpheus and Eurydice, which, if you are a musician, you'll see that it pops up once in a while. (If you avoid myths with gods and goddesses, skip it.)

It’s Not That Bad, Sergei

Rachmaninoff suffered bouts of abysmal depression and was haunted with feelings of insecurity. Often he thought his music was just junk. He was so busy trying to be a conductor, pianist and composer and teacher all at once: No wonder he felt inadequate- he was trying to fill a large order. OK, so I am not a conductor (yet,) but I can only say, knowing a tiny bit about the other occupations, I’d say if he also were trying to be a homeschool mom/home-keeper/piano mom for a week, surely he would have whistled his way to work thereafter. (Bet he didn’t bake, either.)

Inventor Discovers his Invention is Already Invented

One of the funniest things that ever happened to me when I was teaching a piano lesson was a couple of years ago when Hayden as a dreamy, inventive ten year old said, “Wouldn’t it be cool if somebody made a piano that had a machine on it, that you could put in a disk and punch a button then it would play by itself, and the keys would go down with every note that would play?” I was incredulous at my good fortune. “You mean like this?” I turned a machine under my piano on, pushed in a disk, punched a button, the piano started to play itself and the keys went down with every note that played. Hayden’s expression at my response to his far-out imaginative flight was elevating! I don’t usually find myself laughing at students, but this was too much for me, and he was too astonished to laugh with me at first!

Prolific Scarlatti

Domenico Scarlatti was a famous Baroque harpsichordist (born in 1685: the same year as J.S. Bach and Handel!) who is famous for his five hundred fifty-five keyboard Sonatas. They are knows for their virtuosity and their sparkling energy. One of their particular technical demands is frequent hand crossovers which he employed liberally (…until his increasingly ample girth prevented him in old age.) Scarlatti is so distinctive. He was an Italian living in Spain and Portugal, working for the nobility there. That’s a lot of energetic musical culture wrapped up into one guy! I have found that his music doesn’t play too well on a lot of upright pianos because of brilliant repeating notes. Grand pianos have gravity to help get that hammer back down in position to spring back fast enough, not like uprights, whose hammers travel horizontally. Scarlatti’s repeated notes are always obvious, as in his Sonata in D minor, K. 141 (see this unbelievable version by Martha Argerich) Other things that happen often in Scarlatti’s music are sudden key changes to the parallel major or minor (like jumping from D major to D minor without a modulation) and those famous trills that often happen at the end notes of the two halves of the Sonatas.

Talkies Not In Yet

Heitor Villa-Lobos, (1887-1959: Brazilian pianist and composer) had a job playing the organ in a silent movie theater.

My husband’s grandfather remembered the silent movies first coming to his village in Belgium: This guy named Bucsan had the first reel in town set up in a room full of chairs. It was a western flick with no plot: a recycled affair of cowboys and Indians galloping in circles around a spinney of trees, put on repeat. Bucsan, poor man, was the proud owner of this new form of entertainment, and the ready-to-be-entertained public expected him to fill his shoes completely by narrating in detail the full of the drama. Bucsan delivered… at first. Then, as the Indians disappeared around the same corner for the sixth time and the repeatedly revived cowboys held their guns ready to shoot the (same) Indians dead for the seventh time, Bucsan wavered. The townspeople demanded he keep up with the story, but he was having a hard time maintaining his personal sense of drama and his imagination flagged. Finally things got ugly. “Bucsan, you lazy lout!!” they shouted. (That saying has since become a family proverb.)

That digression having been consummated, I will say, that Villa-Lobos’s job description would have included inventing dramatic music for the silver screen (or was it still brown?).

Uplifting Haydn

Click on this Lesson on Haydn (and Faure) by Lang Lang to a Japanese student Shion Ota- to see a perfect example of how when you are wondering how things could possibly improve, they do.

All Stories have Morals:

Franz Josef Haydn wanted to marry a lovely girl whose parents had destined for a nunnery. He made his proposal, and she was sent packing… to the nunnery. Her fine sister was still single and readily available, so he married her instead. She wasn’t very sympathetic toward his musical tendencies: She used his manuscripts to line her muffin tins and hair curlers. She was contumacious and sullen, and he was outgoing and lighthearted except regarding his relationship with her. They agreed to separate. He supported her financially. While in England, a rich and handsome widow became his student and was obviously attracted to him. “If I were a free man, this would have been a lovely thing,” he told a friend, “but I am not…” That is what I call being faithful in the face of adversity and temptation. I guess the moral of that story is, if you’re a really nice guy like Haydn, make sure to get what you really wanted in the first place... maybe even if it means breaking into the convent...

Music to relax by #1

Warning: only watch this just before you want to sleep: Perfect Baroque Orchestra.

And a little something Enjoyable and different!

Music Education #1: Environment

Many parents ask me "What can I do to give my own child a good education in music?" I can not give a comprehensive list that will guarantee success, but maybe I can give some tips, little by little on different posts, as I go through this blog that you may find helpful.

Children are products of their environments, and though they have innate capabilities, your first question need not be "is my child talented?" because that has little bearing on the initial basis of his musicality: How many vastly talented children have there been who have never even seen a piano before? Their environment gave them no chance! So give your child the best advantage of a musically rich environment from the beginning by the following:

1. Play regularly yourself (If you don't know how, learn some basics!)
2. Keep a tuned piano the house, as well as any other instruments you like
3. Take your kids to recitals and musical events
4. Listen to recorded music to your child throughout the day long
5. Sing

(For listening, I recommend Bach especially among classical composers because of his perfect logic and polyphony. His musical language is the most complex and beautiful of all composers. Why not Mozart, as in "Baby Einstein and the Mozart effect"? Yes Mozart was a genius too, and well worth listening to, but if you want to produce a bit of a Mozart yourself, why listen to Mozart's output? Listen to his INPUT! He listened to Baroque Music! And the greatest exponent of Baroque music is Bach.)

Recommended Reading: "Nurtured by Love" by Shinichi Suzuki. This is the "mother-tongue" method, which, if you do Suzuki method or not, can really affect your child's beginning. We don't actually use Suzuki repertory at home, currently, nor do we play the violin much, but I do like the philsophy of Shinichi Suzuki, and having the general atmosphere of music, each of my children has an interest in music that I can build on.

Some of our all-time favorite listening:

The Well-Tempered Clavier (I & II) by J.S. Bach (performed by Andras Schiff)

Liszt Hungarian Rhapsodies

The Irish Tenors

Beethoven Piano Sonatas and Concertos

The Best of LAGQ (I think we have listened to that CD more than 70 times!)

Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 3

Joaquin Rodrigo Guitar Concertos (awesome Spanish music!)

J. S. Bach: Brandenburg Concertos

Handel: Water Music

Dvorak: New World Symphony

Brahms: Symphony No. 1 in C minor

Playing music is not absolutely necessary to life, but it enhances it tremendously. If you want to go with me on this journey of teaching your children to enjoy and to play music, come along: it gives your child a rich, natural heritage to enjoy.

Next Music Education Post: Finding a Teacher

Servant Offends Nobility

J. S. Bach offended his employer the Duke by making noises about changing jobs. The Duke responded by parking Bach in jail for a month. This paragon of virtue sat his "offense" out behind bars, writing music. (Some people think that’s where he was when he began his work on The Well-Tempered Clavier. The first three Preludes are repetitive, I admit!)

After a certain time in J.S. Bach’s life, he wrote over each composition “To the Glory of God.”

Have you had a moment in your life yet, when you realized you are a sinner before God and recognized that you need to turn yourself in to Him, allowing Him to cleanse you with the blood of His Son Jesus Christ? Have your sins been washed away and have you been made fit to be a vessel to His honor? Can it be written over your life, “To the Glory of God?”

“For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23
“The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin” 1 John 1:7
“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.” Acts. 16:31
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23

Click on: Jesus, bleibet meine freude!