I named one of my daughters, "Elise," in honor of Beethoven's famous composition. That's how much I adored the music. A companion piece since childhood, I managed to squeak through the notes at age 8 when enrolled at a quaint music school off Kingsbridge Road in the Bronx. Private lessons followed my two years of… Continue reading My childhood “Fur Elise,” past teachers, yearbook entries, and present mentoring (Video)
Category: “Fur Elise” by Beethoven
Quality spot-practicing by an adult student: Beethoven’s “Fur Elise” (Video)
Marie, a motivated adult student, revisited piano studies after a decades-long hiatus. When she resumed lessons about 6 years ago, she made "Fur Elise" her goal-setting piece. Following long-term scale and arpeggio exposure accompanied by a detailed focus on minuets, short character works, sonatinas and the Chopin Waltz in A minor No. 19, Op. Posthumous,… Continue reading Quality spot-practicing by an adult student: Beethoven’s “Fur Elise” (Video)
More Tips on practicing Beethoven’s Fur Elise using a rolling motion, weight transfer, undulating wrist, and relaxed arm swing (Video)
Today's lesson with an adult student produced a helpful video that focused on the second section, page 1--but was devoted in large part, to examining measures 9-15 in the following ways: 1) for the execution of a rolling motion across four notes with a slight crescendo through B-C-D to E (B C and D form… Continue reading More Tips on practicing Beethoven’s Fur Elise using a rolling motion, weight transfer, undulating wrist, and relaxed arm swing (Video)
Picking the right piano to record a selection (Videos)–“Fur Elise” by Beethoven
I've heard stories about great pianists such as Richter obsessing over a choice of piano for a concert. Allegedly, he was very fussy, and sometimes regretted the one he picked out for a recital. But when he found himself playing in Siberia and rural parts of the Russian landscape, he rose to the occasion, and… Continue reading Picking the right piano to record a selection (Videos)–“Fur Elise” by Beethoven
My weekly breather in El Cerrito: Teaching munchkins in the East Bay (Piano lessons in progress–Videos)
I always look forward to my weekly getaway to El Cerrito because I can take wholesome deep breaths without choking on toxic Central Valley air. Besides, I also get to teach a few delightful munchkins and adults. While the visit is all too short, I still relish my walks amidst the foliage as I ascend… Continue reading My weekly breather in El Cerrito: Teaching munchkins in the East Bay (Piano lessons in progress–Videos)
Emotion and Meaning in Music with examples from Beethoven’s piano works (Videos)
As I thumbed through a soft cover copy of Leonard B. Meyer's Emotion and Meaning in Music, a book required for an elective course I took at the City University of New York, I became thoroughly confused by the author's eclectic vocabulary of "absolute music," "theories of continuation," "tonal organization" and the rest. Yet, I… Continue reading Emotion and Meaning in Music with examples from Beethoven’s piano works (Videos)