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For such a time as this
The photo in this post is the studio deadline whiteboard from March to the end of the season. Today I completed my very last task of this season – reviewing a student’s performance exam video submission. I am also right in the middle of planning the upcoming season. This is the time when I reflect,…
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O Canada!
Congratulations to all my students who played at our recent recital. To celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday many projects this season have had a Canadian flavour. The last recital of this year was nearly all-Canadian content! At the fall group class we looked at the history of our own national anthem and students learned it in a…
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What’s the score?
From time to time we musicians struggle with interpreting the symbols on a page of music. It can feel like a mysterious secret language. Which gets me to thinking about the who, what, when, where, and why of musical notation. Much of our music notation system got its start in European monasteries in the 9th…
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Peter and the Wolf
The Royal Conservatory of Music recently released new theory books for each of their piano levels. They correlate and support the skills students are learning in sight, ear, repertoire, and technique. And now, each level contains guided listening assignments and music history. At a recent group performance class I presented Peter and the Wolf by…
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Double Dutch Blues
Do you remember skipping double Dutch jump rope during elementary school recess? Ah, timing your entrance just right, chanting a skipping song, and staying in as long as possible before you tripped up and had to jump out… My piano students had a performance class yesterday. After the performances, I introduced the skill of improvising…
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Is that how it goes?
My students just performed at a students-only performance class, and are now preparing for our upcoming recital. At recent lessons we have been discussing practice and memorization strategies. I keep threatening to make a video for my students of me practising. And I suspect that we are taxing the ears and patience of our fans…
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Oh, that sounds impressive
This year’s teaching theme is technical development. A significant portion of a pianist’s practice time is spent working on scales, triads, chords, and arpeggios so that we have that facility at our fingertips [pun intended!] when we encounter those elements in our repertoire. At our recent group class, my piano students and I were discussing technique.…
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Season Stats
I have been teaching piano for 20 years, and this past season was my biggest ever. Some highlights: the season launched with 37 students studying piano (beginner to grade 10), rudiments, keyboard harmony, and history my Intermediate Keyboard Harmony student won an ORMTA-Ottawa Scholarship for highest mark our secret partner duet project for group class…
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One is the Loneliest Number
Learning how to play the piano can be a solitary endeavour. We usually practise alone. When we perform, we are front and centre – and all alone – on the stage. My students are becoming quite competent solo performers. But, some of my best times making music have been with other musicians. At our most recent group…
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Fa la la la la, la la la la
Yes, those are the lyrics from Deck the Hall. But, if you attended group class this week, you would know that it can also be read as solfege – a quick way of designating pitches based on a scale system. Remember, “When you read you begin with A-B-C; when you sing you begin with do-re-mi.”?…
