Introduction
I believe that playing the piano should be free and easy on the body. The piano, above all instruments, is one that encourages a relaxed and fluid posture in which no joint or muscle is cramped or extended beyond its natural capacity.
And yet, so many beginning pianists tense their shoulders, hold their breath, stiffen their hands, and do many other kinds of physical exertions that are not natural to the instrument. So what is going on?
The Intuitive Pianist
The freest and most magical playing comes from those who approach the piano with grace, intuition, and trust. An intuitive pianist knows that the piano is not a thing to be conquered, but a living spirit that can communicate with us. The intuitive pianist looks at the architecture of a piece, knows that phrases have shape, and understands that rhythm is its own language with its own idioms.
It is understood that there is no challenge that can't be worked through with patience and confidence and that whimsy is an essential ingredient in exploring a piece of music. The body is free and light, and every joint and muscle is engaged in joyful, buoyant playing. Most of all, the intuitive pianist understands that, above all, self-expression and communication are both the process and the goal of exquisite piano playing.
Many of us have lost our ability to be free and easy at anything that challenges us because of bad physical and mental habits that we've picked up over time. Approaching the piano for the first time - or after many years - with a sense of kindness, trust, and intuition is the best way to break bad habits and create new, healthy, long-lasting ones.
Process over Result
My goal as a teacher is to turn every budding piano player into an intuitive pianist. I emphasize process over repertoire-driven results. To understand, please read on.
Have you ever seen a young child beautifully play a Chopin waltz or a Bach invention, and then watch as he haphazardly tries to sight-read his way through the simplest of children's songs or a pop tune, painfully plunking the rhythm and notes out with unsteady hands? Without a doubt, such a child is the product of a repertoire-based teacher, that is, a teacher who has focused solely on the building of a classical repertoire, rather than on the fortification of the child as an independent, intuitive pianist.
So, how can a child who is barely able to sight-read an elementary nursery tune, play such exquisite classical pieces? The answer is simple: mimicry.
Mimicking what the piano teacher does, and then repeating those hand patterns over and over, will eventually get a student to play even the most advanced piano pieces. But knowing a few pieces does not make someone a pianist; it means only that one has a good capacity for imitation and memorization.
Perhaps you are an adult and you recall taking several years of piano lessons and, during that time (and afterwards), never feeling truly capable, steady, or independent at the keys. It is very possible you were taught to play by rote. This means that more emphasis was placed on getting you to play individual pieces of piano music, such as a Beethoven minuet, than on teaching you the fundamentals of intuitive reading and playing, such as recognition of rhythmic patterns, or relaxed posture on the bench. You could play a Chopin waltz beautifully, by memory, and then struggle to read the sheet music for Jingle Bell Rock at a holiday party.
I encourage each one of my students - from children to adults - to become natural, self-sustaining readers, thinkers, and interpreters of piano music. The emphasis is on the process of acquiring literacy in piano music and fluidity at the keys, not on the result of having a defined classical repertoire.
Piano literacy is achieved by continually discussing with each student the fundamentals of hand technique, breathing, posture, basic theory and advanced theoretical concepts, sight-reading, rhythmic recognition, and music history. Concepts will be applied immediately after discussion, and so there is better retention and understanding.
The success of process-driven piano study comes also from my approach of tailoring not only the program of study but every lesson to the individual's level and needs. The arc of lessons will change naturally as the student becomes more adept in some concepts, while she needs work in others. Material is carefully selected to illustrate specific concepts and, again, is chosen uniquely for the student based on her needs and interests.
What is Expected of Piano Students
* Above all, students are expected to be focused during lessons, reflect on concepts, and ask questions.
* When it comes to practicing, quality is more important than quantity. One scale played with purpose and close attention is worth twenty scales done in front of the television.
* Students are expected to be patient with themselves, with the material, and with the instrument. Beginning students may feel a sense of "heaviness" or "stickiness" in the muscles of their fingers, hands, and arms as they begin playing hands together. This is normal and will resolve with time.
* Students should feel free to ask questions about the instrument, the material, or anything else music-related to the teacher. Asking questions is one of the best ways to learn!
* All students will be expected to learn music theory as part of their complete piano education, as well as play different genres, from classical to jazz to popular music. This is to encourage development of finger independence, sight-reading, and rhythmic recognition, as well as the recognition of musical themes, figures, and cadences.
* Students are expected to be kind to themselves and to the instrument at all times. This is not only for the mental and emotional well-being of the student, but it also has a practical application: Grace, lightness, and joyous exploration are the surest ways to achieve success at the piano.
I believe that playing the piano should be free and easy on the body. The piano, above all instruments, is one that encourages a relaxed and fluid posture in which no joint or muscle is cramped or extended beyond its natural capacity.
And yet, so many beginning pianists tense their shoulders, hold their breath, stiffen their hands, and do many other kinds of physical exertions that are not natural to the instrument. So what is going on?
The Intuitive Pianist
The freest and most magical playing comes from those who approach the piano with grace, intuition, and trust. An intuitive pianist knows that the piano is not a thing to be conquered, but a living spirit that can communicate with us. The intuitive pianist looks at the architecture of a piece, knows that phrases have shape, and understands that rhythm is its own language with its own idioms.
It is understood that there is no challenge that can't be worked through with patience and confidence and that whimsy is an essential ingredient in exploring a piece of music. The body is free and light, and every joint and muscle is engaged in joyful, buoyant playing. Most of all, the intuitive pianist understands that, above all, self-expression and communication are both the process and the goal of exquisite piano playing.
Many of us have lost our ability to be free and easy at anything that challenges us because of bad physical and mental habits that we've picked up over time. Approaching the piano for the first time - or after many years - with a sense of kindness, trust, and intuition is the best way to break bad habits and create new, healthy, long-lasting ones.
Process over Result
My goal as a teacher is to turn every budding piano player into an intuitive pianist. I emphasize process over repertoire-driven results. To understand, please read on.
Have you ever seen a young child beautifully play a Chopin waltz or a Bach invention, and then watch as he haphazardly tries to sight-read his way through the simplest of children's songs or a pop tune, painfully plunking the rhythm and notes out with unsteady hands? Without a doubt, such a child is the product of a repertoire-based teacher, that is, a teacher who has focused solely on the building of a classical repertoire, rather than on the fortification of the child as an independent, intuitive pianist.
So, how can a child who is barely able to sight-read an elementary nursery tune, play such exquisite classical pieces? The answer is simple: mimicry.
Mimicking what the piano teacher does, and then repeating those hand patterns over and over, will eventually get a student to play even the most advanced piano pieces. But knowing a few pieces does not make someone a pianist; it means only that one has a good capacity for imitation and memorization.
Perhaps you are an adult and you recall taking several years of piano lessons and, during that time (and afterwards), never feeling truly capable, steady, or independent at the keys. It is very possible you were taught to play by rote. This means that more emphasis was placed on getting you to play individual pieces of piano music, such as a Beethoven minuet, than on teaching you the fundamentals of intuitive reading and playing, such as recognition of rhythmic patterns, or relaxed posture on the bench. You could play a Chopin waltz beautifully, by memory, and then struggle to read the sheet music for Jingle Bell Rock at a holiday party.
I encourage each one of my students - from children to adults - to become natural, self-sustaining readers, thinkers, and interpreters of piano music. The emphasis is on the process of acquiring literacy in piano music and fluidity at the keys, not on the result of having a defined classical repertoire.
Piano literacy is achieved by continually discussing with each student the fundamentals of hand technique, breathing, posture, basic theory and advanced theoretical concepts, sight-reading, rhythmic recognition, and music history. Concepts will be applied immediately after discussion, and so there is better retention and understanding.
The success of process-driven piano study comes also from my approach of tailoring not only the program of study but every lesson to the individual's level and needs. The arc of lessons will change naturally as the student becomes more adept in some concepts, while she needs work in others. Material is carefully selected to illustrate specific concepts and, again, is chosen uniquely for the student based on her needs and interests.
What is Expected of Piano Students
* Above all, students are expected to be focused during lessons, reflect on concepts, and ask questions.
* When it comes to practicing, quality is more important than quantity. One scale played with purpose and close attention is worth twenty scales done in front of the television.
* Students are expected to be patient with themselves, with the material, and with the instrument. Beginning students may feel a sense of "heaviness" or "stickiness" in the muscles of their fingers, hands, and arms as they begin playing hands together. This is normal and will resolve with time.
* Students should feel free to ask questions about the instrument, the material, or anything else music-related to the teacher. Asking questions is one of the best ways to learn!
* All students will be expected to learn music theory as part of their complete piano education, as well as play different genres, from classical to jazz to popular music. This is to encourage development of finger independence, sight-reading, and rhythmic recognition, as well as the recognition of musical themes, figures, and cadences.
* Students are expected to be kind to themselves and to the instrument at all times. This is not only for the mental and emotional well-being of the student, but it also has a practical application: Grace, lightness, and joyous exploration are the surest ways to achieve success at the piano.