Category Archives: Ensemble Playing
The Fun Factor
Thoughts about having fun have been clanking in my head all week. On Monday I heard a presentation that dealt in part with expectations that learning music has to be fun. The eloquent speech was given to our local branch … Continue reading →
Posted in Bach, Ensemble Playing, Incentive Programs, Method Books, Piano pedagogy, Studio News
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Tagged Music lesson, Piano Lessons, Piano teaching
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5 Comments
Sacbuts and serpents and zinks – oh my!
If you have to teach early music history, Musica Antiqua of Iowa State University has a great website with photos, descriptions and sound bytes of the medieval instruments. This has been online since 1996 – an eternity in the internet age. Some … Continue reading →
Posted in Ensemble Playing, Music History, Performance
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Tagged earlymusic, instruments, Medieval, Renaissance
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2 Comments
An Equal Music
Every rehearsal of the Maggiore (String) Quartet begins with a very plain, very slow three-octave scale on all four instruments in unison: sometimes major, as in our name, sometimes minor, depending on the key of the first piece we are … Continue reading →
Posted in Bach, Books about Music, Ensemble Playing, Performance, Quotes
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Tagged Vikram Seth
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2 Comments
Concerti Concert
The Wind Ensemble at my daughter’s high school held their annual Concerti Concert last week. A number of students were given the opportunity to play a concerto accompanied by the Ensemble, a rare opportunity for many soloists. The music ranged … Continue reading →
Posted in Ensemble Playing, Performance
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Tagged Kevin Willms, William Aberhart High School
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3 Comments
Be orderly… then violent
Another great article and interview at ON THE BENCH features the piano duo Greg Anderson and Liz Roe. They continue to produce fabulous arrangements for piano duo that smash any stereotypes of sisters playing duets in matching dresses. In the … Continue reading →
Posted in Ensemble Playing, Performance, Quotes
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Tagged Anderson and Roe, Piano Performance
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Twice (or thrice) the fun
It started on a whim just before Christmas. An ensemble recital wasn’t something I had planned this year. It seemed to be a daunting task to get every student involved in ensemble work but the very words I put down … Continue reading →
When do we give that sticker?
Should students be rewarded for something as basic as getting the rhythm correct – especially after weeks of being reminded, drilling at the lesson, and assignment sheets with instructions in an ever-increasing font size? Tonight I gave a student a … Continue reading →
Posted in Ensemble Playing, Piano pedagogy, Rhythm
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Tagged Piano pedagogy, Rhythm Drills
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9 Comments
A Lovely Day
I had a lovely day. Morning – my daughter’s school band played in a band festival and I was able to hear them. The only glitch in the day was during the performance. A few chatty girls – the kind … Continue reading →
Rehearsal for ensemble recital
Well – that was a disaster. I had my youngest students in this afternoon for their Performance Class, which included the first rehearsals for the ensemble recital. As well as I thought they were prepared, it was mostly disastrous – … Continue reading →
Posted in Ensemble Playing, Performance, Piano pedagogy, Practice Tips
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Tagged Greg Anderson, Piano duets, Piano Performance, Samuel Barber
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3 Comments
Ensemble Recital
Something new I’m working on this year is a full-scale duet and trio recital. I have a venue booked for the end of April and all students are paired up to play duets and/or trios. The students have been learning … Continue reading →
Posted in Artistry at the Piano, Canadiana, Ensemble Playing, Piano pedagogy, Studio News
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Tagged Artistry at the Piano, manfred schmitz, Piano Performance
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1 Comment
Industrial Revolutions Per Minute
Catchy title – catchy piece – this is a Piano Trio for One Piano, Six Hands by Red Leaf composer Janet Gieck. I heard it performed at the CFMTA Convention and promptly made my way to the trade show to … Continue reading →
The Rewards of Ensemble Playing: worth the logistical nightmare
No one can dispute the many benefits of duet or other ensemble playing: It is FUN – a time of social interaction in a discipline where the student usually practices and performs alone. Reading is forced to develop to a … Continue reading →
