Monthly Archives: May 2012
Sight Reading A to Z
Not a how-to list with 26 points on how to be a better sight-reader, but a decision on what to tackle next. The plan is to read through all the composer books (as opposed to the teaching rep and graded … Continue reading
Whose decision?
From a recent phone conversation with a mother whose 8-year-old expressed an interest in piano lessons. Mother: “I just don’t know if my daughter will be committed to practicing.” My inner response: “You’ve got to be joking. You expect an … Continue reading
Posted in Piano pedagogy, Studio News
6 Comments
Fifty! And I’m smiling.
In a blast of rebellion against societal “values,” I’m refusing to hide or fear the fact that today is my fiftieth birthday. I am celebrating the many, many blessings in my life. I’m deeply thankful for: My amazing husband, children, … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
9 Comments
Cycling meets Mozart
Anyone in Canada who knows (and cares) anything about professional cycling is on a bit of a high. Victoria, BC cyclist Ryder Hesjedal won the Giro d’Italia yesterday – the second biggest pro cycling race in the world – second … Continue reading
Drill the skills
This is kind of a follow-up to the previous post on the value of repetition in practicing. An article in a March issue of Maclean’s magazine, titled “Why is it your job to teach your kid math?” discusses recent learning … Continue reading
Sheer Repetition
Practice is the art of rehearsing a behavoir over and over, or engaging in an activity again and again, for the purpose of improving or mastering it… (Wikipedia) Repetition in practice has gotten a bit of a bad rap lately. … Continue reading
Artistic Intuition
Reblogged from The Upside: “Every genuine artistic intuition goes beyond what the senses perceive and, reaching beneath reality’s surface, strives to interpret its hidden mystery. The intuition itself springs from the depths of the human soul, where the desire to … Continue reading
Is it a matter of integrity?
“…Music first of all expresses the inner spirituality of the human being, that is, a person’s thoughts and feelings – but not only the thoughts and feelings of one person: the strength of the musical art is its ability to … Continue reading
Posted in Musings about Chopin, Quotes
Tagged Dmitry Kabalevsky, Soviet Music, Sviatoslav Richter
4 Comments
No advantage for lefties
Almost everyone struggles more with the left hand (LH) than the right hand (RH) – especially in technical passages, and especially when the LH line is descending, moving from the stronger to the weaker part of the hand, “backwards” in … Continue reading
Posted in Piano pedagogy, Rhythm, Studio News, Technic
Tagged Left-handedness, Piano Performance, Piano Technique
2 Comments
How to start the day
Add David Hyde Pierce to the list of performers who start the day with a Bach Prelude and Fugue. Both lead actors on the TV show Frasier, which I think is the funniest TV show to have aired in the … Continue reading
Posted in Music Humour
Tagged Bach Preludes and Fugues, Beethoven Sonatas, David Hyde Pierce
2 Comments
How do you handle the holidays?
Today is a holiday – Victoria day. Banks and businesses are closed, schools are closed, malls are open, and I’m teaching. I know of a number of teachers who have a different fee schedule depending on the exact number of … Continue reading
Posted in Studio News
11 Comments
A Not Quite Tidy Garden
As I spent hours in the garden today dealing with weeds and runaway strawberry plants and a proliferation of green onions and mint that just won’t quit, I was reminded of a powerful quote by Dag Hammarskjold. It was true … Continue reading
