Practicing, Part 1: Getting There, Chronic Practice Problems, & Leaving a Teacher

 Featured, Practicalities  3 Responses »
Dec 032004
 
Practicing is the most difficult, day-to-day issue of playing the piano. Like any regular discipline, some people find it easier to practice than others do. Some days are easier to practice than others and sometimes it seems like nothing works, even when the quality of the practice is good. In this chapter, I want to discuss the difficulty of actually getting to the piano in the first place. read the rest

An Appreciation of Adult Amateurs

 For Teachers  3 Responses »
Nov 232004
 
An Appreciation of Adult AmateursI spoke at the World Pedagogy Conference, 2000, in Las Vegas. I knew there would be plenty of really accomplished young people playing there. I also realized that if I brought one of my 50 year old adult students to play at this conference, one who started taking lessons at age 40, and in ten years learned to play as well as the kids playing there, nobody would care. read the rest

What One Student Learned – Letters From St. Petersburg, Russia

 Issues  No Responses »
Jan 012004
 
What One Student Learned - Letters From St. Petersburg, RussiaThis installment of MusicalFossils is a series of e-mails written between Victoria (Vica) Achim, from Russia, and me. Most of them are hers. Vica is an adult amateur pianist studying in a culture where classical music is held in higher esteem than it is in the United States. Russia has (I do not know if this continues) a national system of musical education that seeks to find and develop the best and brightest young musicians as a national treasure, somewhat like athletes in the US. read the rest