I decided to explore a variation of Irina Gorin’s “jello” image to teach an 8-year old how to produce a deep, resonant singing tone. She’d been studying piano with me for two years and relished the opportunity to plunge her tiny fingers into a wad of putty that I had acquired at the Dollar store. It took several plastic eggs worth to provide an adequate sample, but we could definitely have used more. Play dough would have been a better alternative.
The videotape below illustrates how the student and I collectively realized a creative goal by kneading the “clay” and practicing “Walking and Running” from Book I, Dozen a Day, by Edna-Mae Burnam.
International Online Piano Teacher, blogger, recording artist, composer, piano finder, freelance writer, film maker, story teller: Grad of the NYC H.S. of Performing Arts, Oberlin Conservatory, NYU (Master of Arts) Studies with Lillian Freundlich and Ena Bronstein; Master classes with Murray Perahia and Oxana Yablonskaya. Studios in BERKELEY, California; Member, Music Teachers Assoc. of California, MTAC; Distance learning by Skype and Face Time with supplementary videos: SKYPE ID: shirley kirsten
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2 thoughts on “Piano Lesson: Playing into “putty” to acquire a singing tone legato–An 8-year old gets deep in the keys (Video)”
Thank you for sharing these wonderful excerpts of your teaching. I’ve found them both helpful and inspirational! The putty or jello metaphor is a wonderful technique for teaching legato. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for your generously kind comments. I’m glad the teaching excerpts have been helpful. I just stocked up on some new putty that comes in a larger plastic container–it’s from China and can be bought at the Dollar store.
Thank you for sharing these wonderful excerpts of your teaching. I’ve found them both helpful and inspirational! The putty or jello metaphor is a wonderful technique for teaching legato. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for your generously kind comments. I’m glad the teaching excerpts have been helpful. I just stocked up on some new putty that comes in a larger plastic container–it’s from China and can be bought at the Dollar store.