Author Archives: LaDona's Music Studio
Bashing on keys
I do this well. As do my own kids. And probably many students and pianists everywhere … Image: The Little Piano Things
A balance for soul. A balance for beauty.
“People are craving this great progress in electronics, going after computers, the Internet, etc. It’s a great progress technologically. But they must have a balance for soul, a balance for human beauty. That means art has an important role.” ~Mstislav … Continue reading
Posted in Bach, Inspirational, Music History, Music Videos, Performance
Tagged Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, cello, Classical music, Mstislav Rostropovich
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Get creative instead
Two invaluable lessons my kids have learned from their high school band teacher: 1. Deal with it. You forgot your uniform? Your music? Your instrument? Not my problem. Figure it out. This was good. So good that I only found … Continue reading
This one hurts
“The music is played with the heart and is felt with the soul” This is a picture of a Brazilian kid who was part of the “cultural group of reggae”, playing his instrument in the funeral of his mentor who … Continue reading
Step back from the panic
Exams start in two weeks. Some students will be ready. Some will not. I’m in a state of panic. And not quite sure why some students are not experiencing the same. I have to look back on the last few … Continue reading
Posted in General, Piano pedagogy, Studio News
Tagged Claude Debussy, Les Préludes, Piano Lessons, piano practice, piano teachers, Piano teaching
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A strange art, music;
“…A strange art, music; the most poetic and precise of all the arts, vague as a dream and exact as algebra.” ~Guy de Maupassant (French writer, 1850-1893) _____________________________________________________________________________ Image: The interior of Hallgrímskirkja church, Reykjavik, Iceland. Photo and more text … Continue reading
Posted in Inspirational, Quotes
Tagged Guy de Maupassant, Hallgrímskirkja, music quotes, Reykjavik
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William Tell Revisited
I have a bright 7-year-old student. He’s playing stuff he shouldn’t know yet. He’s understanding concepts he has no business understanding yet. He plays a piece once (his musical literacy is high) and it’s memorized. Biggest musical interest: the classics. … Continue reading
Posted in Music Humour, Music Videos
Tagged Brass Band, Classical music, Mnozil Brass, Rossini, William Tell Overture
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Decipher the handwriting. And more.
“You have survived this season’s run of music festivals and competitions. You have your certificate. Maybe you even earned an award. Perhaps now you’re asking yourself, “Now what?” Please bring your written adjudication sheet(s) to your next music lesson … Your … Continue reading
Leave life a better human being
“If humanism were right in declaring that man is born to be happy, he would not be born to die. Since his body is doomed to die, his task on earth evidently must be of a more spiritual nature. It … Continue reading
Posted in Inspirational
Tagged God, inspirational quotes, Personal life, quotes, Religion and Spirituality, Solzhenitsyn, Spiritual Growth
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Fight it. Every step of the way.
For our students, and ourselves, no matter our profession / vocation / avocation: Is Mediocrity really all that bad? You already know the answer. Mediocrity is so poisonous because no one really complains about it. It envelops and … Continue reading
Posted in Inspirational
Tagged excellence, inspirational quotes, mediocrity, practice
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The horrors live on
From The Leading Tone on Tumblr: Sometimes I just don’t know. Part of me believes that I would have been pretty comfortable living and working in the XIX century, but then I come across horrors like this: I was merely … Continue reading
Posted in Music History, Music Humour, Pianos
Tagged arpeggios, church music, Dvorak, Music, piano music
12 Comments
Write the blues instead
“I merely took the energy it takes to pout and wrote some blues.” ~Duke Ellington Thank you, Kathleen, for playing the blues. You sound awesome. And thank you for pointing me to San Francisco Bay Blues by Eva Cassidy. Love … Continue reading
Posted in General, Music Videos, Uncategorized, Videos
Tagged blues, Eva Cassidy, Music, music video, San Francisco Bay Blues
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