Category: 6 degrees of separation

20th Century music, 6 degrees of separation, great pianists of the past, Josef Hoffman, Josef Hofmann, piano instruction, piano lesson, piano lessons, Rachmaninoff, you tube, you tube video

The Artistry of Josef Hofmann, a Great Pianist of the 20th Century

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpiMAaPTze8 When surfing the Net, I came across an enticing video link that led to a potpourri of outstanding pianists who hallmarked the 20th Century. Ten minutes into a lengthy You Tube offering, I was bowled over by the artistry of Josef Hofmann who played Rachmaninoff's austere C# minor prelude like I'd never heard it.… Continue reading The Artistry of Josef Hofmann, a Great Pianist of the 20th Century

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Appel Farm Music Camp and the Chicken Coops

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

Was I dreaming? Did I wake up in a chicken coop on a hot and humid July morning? The summer before I was a Merrywood camper, encapsulated in a forest of pines bordering Lenox, Massachusetts. A short journey to Tanglewood for a Sunday morning BSO rehearsal, was followed by a breakfast of sizzling waffles and… Continue reading Appel Farm Music Camp and the Chicken Coops

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A Breathtaking Merrywood Music Camp Finale!

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

If I let my imagination run wild, I would frame this writing around Robin Hood. The backdrop was the Merrywood Music Camp, nestled in the Berkshires in a dense forest where a friendly outlaw could easily rob from the rich in Lenox, and retreat into the pines, practically unnoticed. Merrywood was a stone’s throw from… Continue reading A Breathtaking Merrywood Music Camp Finale!

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Letting my hair down with a snatch of “Let It Be!” (VIDEO)

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

The piano room was a mess yesterday with music strewn about. Two '60-'70's era Beatles albums were excavated from a pile of sheet music, hard bound theory texts, and Urtext editions of Beethoven's sonatas. Foraging a big carton of stuff like this was a trip down memory lane. My very old Yamaha guitar, a prized… Continue reading Letting my hair down with a snatch of “Let It Be!” (VIDEO)

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What can you do with a Performance-Piano Degree?

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

Face the music! Most new Conservatory grads with fancy Bachelor of Music, Performance-Piano Degrees bound in leather must improvise when catapulted into the competitive job market. With only a tiny space on the world stage reserved for budding soloists, many aspiring concert pianists will teach privately, wait tables, babysit, or become high school choir accompanists.… Continue reading What can you do with a Performance-Piano Degree?

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Piano teachers, students, and reluctant farewells

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

  Lillian Freundlich *** For many piano teachers who've nursed along students from Primer toddlerhood to an Intermediate level confidence-climbing phase, through to the Advanced, smooth riding finish with flashy fingers, the pupil's farewell is an emotional event. Of course, it depends on the circumstances of the departure and who is saying goodbye to whom.… Continue reading Piano teachers, students, and reluctant farewells

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Adult piano students say and do the darndest things.

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

I remember Art Linkletter's show, "Kids Say the Darndest Things," which made me think of a few adult piano students and their hauntingly memorable words. Yesterday, for example, I was forewarned by a 70-year old pupil, that I should expect a call from her during the night about the key of "F# minor." What impending… Continue reading Adult piano students say and do the darndest things.

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The Big Baroque Festival!

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

I cleared most of my Saturday morning lessons so I could be on time for a special rehearsal at Fresno State. I took no chances given the steady rain these past few days that caused dangerously deep puddles along Shaw Avenue. The inevitable flow of traffic to crowd-jamming Bulldog games would also be a time… Continue reading The Big Baroque Festival!

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A Performance I’ll Never Forget!

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to provide keyboard music at a Fresno art supply store. It happened quite unexpectedly around the time I’d bumped into Ralph Cato, US Olympic Boxing Trainer at the neighboring Guitar Center. (“Cato, His Killer Keyboard and A Round of Piano Lessons”) Because I liked the establishment’s acoustical environment, I… Continue reading A Performance I’ll Never Forget!

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The iPhone Invades Piano Lessons

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

Monday, Jan. 24th, was a first! Esmeralda, a retired attorney, who'd been taking lessons from me for a year, entered my El Cerrito piano studio with a bright red iPhone as a sign of the times. A dangling rectangular prism packed with limitless software had replaced her simple gold cross. This latest "look" included a… Continue reading The iPhone Invades Piano Lessons