This is the special month of Irina, Irena, and still another Irina. The latest messenger of beauty via You Tube is Irina Morozova. And as fate would have it, one of my readers, owner of a Knight piano treasure, e-mailed me a sample of her Bach-Siloti, which sent me feverishly finger-tapping the search window for… Continue reading Ethereal piano playing: Another Irina, with an i in the middle, brings heaven to earth
Category: Irina Gorin piano studio
Piano practicing, performance, and gym routines: Always Reach Beyond! (Video, Bach Invention 8 in F)
http://youtu.be/7no8U9pV_SI I take my inspiration from the two Irina/Irena-s, each pronouncing their names slightly differently. Irina Gorin is the ingenious piano teacher from Carmel, Indiana via the Ukraine, and Irena Orlov is from Washington D.C.'s Levine School of Music via Leningrad. They both inspire students to explore and draw out their deepest creative expression. That's… Continue reading Piano practicing, performance, and gym routines: Always Reach Beyond! (Video, Bach Invention 8 in F)
When great piano teaching must be recognized
In my four decades of teaching piano, I never had a student recital quite like this one. Reams of Irina Gorin's pupils ascend the stage in Indiana at what looks like a piano store with a recital hall. (The backdrop is the Meridian Music Company's Munger Hall) There's a Steinway for the children to play… Continue reading When great piano teaching must be recognized
Piano Lesson: Rina, 4, learns about “Long and Short sounds meeting High and Low Sounds,” Chapter 15, Tales of a Musical Journey (Videos)
Today was Rina's 14th piano lesson and she's moving right along. Her hand position is greatly improved and she has a nice appreciation of the singing tone. Irina Gorin's instruction is laid out in such a way that a student takes no short cuts in learning piano. The physical approach to creating a beautiful tone,… Continue reading Piano Lesson: Rina, 4, learns about “Long and Short sounds meeting High and Low Sounds,” Chapter 15, Tales of a Musical Journey (Videos)
Excerpts from Rina’s 9th piano lesson, using instruction from “Tales of a Musical Journey” by Irina Gorin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kz31cL5MzC8 Lesson 8 suffered the pangs of loss because of a camcorder shut down so today we switched over to my iMac's iMovie. (I'm still learning the video editing program so apologies for synch-related issues at the track's end) Rina reviewed the musical alphabet and tapped individual notes to various prerecorded CD selections. For "Bear"… Continue reading Excerpts from Rina’s 9th piano lesson, using instruction from “Tales of a Musical Journey” by Irina Gorin
Rina, 4, brings a toy piano to her lesson; creates her own rhythm; and learns A and B; (7th week of instruction using Tales of a Musical Journey) 5 videos
Rina surprised me by bringing her precious mini-purple plastic piano that played a salsa rhythm style piece with very fast notes. It was gratifying to watch her spontaneously point to the "big" and "little houses" on her tiny keyboard that comprise "neighborhoods" or "octaves" in Tales of a Musical Journey. This preceded her relaxation movements… Continue reading Rina, 4, brings a toy piano to her lesson; creates her own rhythm; and learns A and B; (7th week of instruction using Tales of a Musical Journey) 5 videos
Piano Instruction: Going outside the method book track
Method books on the commercial market have a certain lure because they attempt to conveniently package a set of step-by-step lesson goals through approximately six books that are divided into Lesson, Performance and Theory. A teacher can also choose Technique and Artistry to add to the mix. The basic program outlined in brochures includes branch-offs… Continue reading Piano Instruction: Going outside the method book track
Piano Technique: Producing a beautiful singing tone using jello as an image
The following teaching video produced by Irina Gorin, confirmed my belief that a singing tone springs from the imagination along with a consciousness about the physical means to achieve it. On both accounts, Gorin succeeded in the company of a six-year old piano student. The transformation of his C scale from a vertical, poked out… Continue reading Piano Technique: Producing a beautiful singing tone using jello as an image