Some piano students view playing a choir of voices with a rich bed of sustain pedal as an un-delayed gratification. It's an icing on the cake indulgence that often eludes the main course of diligent, attentive, and analytical practicing. A case in point is Beethoven's hauntingly beautiful, Adagio movement of the "Pathetique" Sonata, Op. 13,… Continue reading Patient voice-parceling in practicing Beethoven’s Adagio Cantabile (Sonata “Pathetique”)
Most piano students are familiar with Friedrich Burgmuller's set of Twenty-Five Easy and Progressive Studies, Op. 100, that are tasteful Romantic era miniatures with appealing programmatic titles. "Tender Flower," "The Little Party," and "The Wagtail," to name a few, are far from dripping with the excesses that one might encounter in the manuscripts of Romantic… Continue reading How to stay calm in the Eye of “The Storm”- Practicing Burgmuller’s L’Orage, Op. 109, No. 13
Over decades of teaching, and with relocation being the norm for students and mentors, it would have taken a bit of research to track down all my beginner, intermediate, and advanced students dating back to 1968 (NYC); and from 1979 (Fresno CA) to 2011, before my 2012 move to Berkeley, California. What I discovered in… Continue reading My Piano Students of Yesteryear: Where are they now?
Creative music mentors know innately that NO Primer Package with its sequence of red, blue, and purple levels, A, B, C etc. will meet the needs of most piano students. That's because each pupil is an individual with unique talents, abilities, strengths and weaknesses which demand a flexible, singularized plan of study. By example, my… Continue reading The Piano Primer transition to early repertoire selection
I'm safely nestled, if not sequestered, "Under Surveillance," in my all-purpose, webcam-wired piano room following a two way Mega-BUST ride between West Oakland and Union Station, L.A. Quite unexpectedly, my daughter and I were stranded on the Freeway, 20 minutes from destination, with our bulging baggage, roadside, after a double decker demise. (Transmission shutdown) And… Continue reading Scenes from MTAC Los Angeles! What you wanted to know, but were afraid to ask!
Arioso7's Blog (Shirley Kirsten) 