music brains

Fascinating article published by Vanderbilt University that was posted by my mentor here in St. Louis yesterday, as well as an old friend from the music school.

Click HERE to read it.

Confirms what we always knew to be true:  musicians' brains really are different! :)

Nov reminders

Hello everyone!  Thanksgiving is soon upon us!  November is flying by!  Soon we'll be decking the halls and drinking gallons of hot chocolate (if we haven't already haha)...

Wanted to let you know that even though next week is a make-up week for most students (aka no lessons), there WILL be performance class NEXT Saturday, Nov 26 @ Steinway from 10:30 - 11:30 am.  Students are encouraged to come to either this class or the dress rehearsal on Tuesday, Dec 6 from 4-5 pm (or both!) in preparation for the upcoming recital.  Students should plan to play their recital pieces for these last two classes.  Final decisions for recital rep should be made no later than Wed, Nov 23.  We'll also review our understanding of the Baroque and Classical eras and talk about the Romantic some as time allows during these final classes.

Please don't hesitate to encourage your student to play their recital pieces for family and friends as much as possible over the Thanksgiving holiday... a good way to ward off that pesky turkey coma, I always say :)

Thanks so much!  See you in lesson.

Spring 2012 Schedule

What a planning nightmare this next spring is proving to be!  There are a couple of new things this semester that we’re going to try as a studio, but rest assured, we won’t go crazy.  For one thing, spring is my busiest time of year, with competitions and festivals for the choirs I accompany, Lent, Easter, and then Graduation.  Once February 1 hits, there’s no rest for me until June.

A couple of things to warn you about:

-         Steinway Gallery is really, really, really booked up this spring.  I tried so, so hard to get performance class times that were conducive to family schedules but some of them are just downright inconvenient.  We could maybe go back to the choir room at Central Pres but I would have to work something out with the music director… I kind of feel like I owe him something (like singing in the choir) for allowing us to use the space and quite frankly, I really don’t have the time to commit to that this spring.

-         We are going to do a festival.  We’re going to just try it and see how it goes.  The National Federation of Music Clubs has a really good group of teachers here in St. Louis that my teaching mentor has ushered me into.  I think it would be really good for the kids to have this experience.  If you aren’t familiar with Federation, you can think of it as a competition, but it’s really not.  The kids only “compete” against their own merits and since we’re starting out with a clean slate, they have nowhere to go but up.  Plus, they get the experience of preparing and memorizing pieces, playing them for a judge, and getting feedback from someone else.  It’s scary enough to make them work hard but nothing they can’t handle without proper coaching and a little encouragement.  They’ll be working on pieces that are right at their level, but taking it to the next step by memorizing them and playing for someone else.  All of the teachers in the Federation group want the kids to succeed and want it to be a positive experience for them.  Believe me when I say I will do everything I can to make sure my students are adequately prepared and that the entire experience is as successful as humanly possible.

-         We’re going to go to the Symphony.  I want to attempt this at least once or twice.  The St. Louis Symphony has an awesome palette of concerts on the docket this spring.  It would be good for the kids to have the experience of going at least once, especially if they’ve never been before.  My undergraduate advisor always used to say that music doesn’t exist in a vacuum and neither do we.  So it’s important to get out of the living room and experience it in a live setting, especially when you get to see it done by the pros.

-         And last but not least, I want us to do a little reading.  There’s a book I read during my undergrad that was phenomenal (“The Talent Code” by Daniel Coyle).  It completely changed my life as well as my philosophy of teaching…  so much so that I think it’s worth being read and discussed by the studio parents at some point this semester.  I think you can pick up the hardcover on Amazon for about $15.  And there’s always the library.

Studio Semester Schedule / Logistics / Overview

-         Semester runs from January 9 – May 18, 2012

-         19 weeks total, instead of 18 like Fall 2011

-         16 weeks of lessons, 2 make-ups, and a Plus 1 Week (aka a free lesson or a free make-up week… you decide which one you need more)

-         Tuition is the same as last semester, either up front or divided into five installments, due at the first lesson of each month.  Federation participation will be an additional $23 per solo entry.

-         Make-up weeks are March 5-9 (I go on tour with Lutheran High Mar 8-11) and May 14-18 (week after Recital), and Plus 1 week is April 2-6 (Holy Week)

-         Federation participants need to come to TWO performance classes before March 4; All other students are expected to come to THREE performance classes before the recital.  Students who participate in both Federation and the Recital are encouraged to come to FOUR performance classes throughout the semester (two before Federation and two before Recital).  Although not an absolute requirement for participation in both, it is strongly encouraged.

Performance Class / Recital Schedule

-         Performance Class:  Sat, Feb 4 from 5:30 – 6:30 pm @ Steinway Gallery

-         Performance Class:  Sat, Feb 25 from 6:30 – 7:30 pm @ Steinway Gallery

-         Performance Class:  Sat, March 3 from 10:30 – 11:30 am @ Steinway Gallery

-         St. Louis Area National Federation of Music Clubs Festival:  Sun, March 4, Time TBA (afternoon) @ St. Charles Community College

-         Performance Class:  Sun, April 1 from 3 – 4 pm @ Steinway Gallery

-         Performance Class:  Friday, April 20 from 5 – 6 pm @ Steinway Gallery

-         Performance Class:  Friday, May 4 from 5 – 6 pm @ Steinway Gallery

-         Recital:  Saturday, May 12, 9:30 am @ Steinway Gallery

… seriously, I’m so sorry.  I was on the phone with the administrative assistant for a long time trying to figure it all out.  I think other teachers must’ve booked the hall a year ago.

St. Louis Symphony Concert Dates

-         Mozart’s Magic Flute [Family Concert]:  Sunday, January 15 at 3 pm

-         Leon Fleischer plays Ravel’s Piano Concerto for Left Hand Alone:  Sunday, April 15 at 3 pm

-         Beethoven Symphony No. 5 / Stephen Hough plays Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3:  Sunday, May 6 at 3 pm

All concerts are at Powell Hall.  The Mozart is a family concert (tickets will be much cheaper, roughly $7-15) as opposed to the others, which are part of their regular concert season (approx $20/ticket or $10 with valid student ID, each ID able to purchase up to 4 tickets).  There are a number of other fantastic concerts I am unable to attend, which you might want to look into as well on your own, like the 5 Browns… five pianos on stage.  I encourage you to check out the schedule on their website:  www.slso.org.

Book Discussion:  Date and Time TBA.  We can talk more about this later, when I find out who wants to participate.  Highly, highly recommended reading though.

tuition, perf class, and next semester

A Happy Halloween morning to you!  And Happy Reformation Day to my fellow Reformed friends! :)  AND Happy World Series to everyone!!!  Woo-hoooo!!!!  Don't know about you, but I was on a high from that all. weekend. long.  It was awesome.  Pretty sure I needed a time-out last night because I was crabby from so much excitement haha.

A couple of things to start your week:  Just a friendly reminder that tuition is due in lesson this week for November.  Amazing to me that we're getting close to the end already.  We'll start discussing recital rep within the next couple of weeks as we head into the final stretch.  A reminder that we will NOT have lessons the week of Thanksgiving, except for make-ups.  And we will officially be done with the semester after the recital is over Sunday, Dec 11.  We will NOT have lessons the week after the recital either, except for make-ups.  I've been keeping track of make-ups so if you have doubts about that, let me know and I can give you an update.

Also a reminder that performance class is NEXT Saturday, November 12 at 10:30 at the Steinway Gallery.  We'll pick pieces for class this week or next week in lesson.  Some of the pieces we start picking for the final 2-3 performance classes will probably also be recital pieces eventually.  You can encourage your students to think back over the last two and a half months and decide which pieces have been their favorites / best efforts to start preparing for recital.

I'm hoping to have worked out next semester's schedule soon.  I should just go ahead and put a deadline of next Monday on it so that I don't squirrel around anymore... but hey, we won the World Series, right?  Gotta take time to enjoy that.  Anyway I will try to get next semester's schedule out to you by next Monday so that we can all start lining up dates and have a framework in mind.  There's a lot going on next semester which I will tell you about when I send out the schedule.  Get ready for big fun though :)

I think that's it for now.  Have a safe and happy Halloween!  See you in lesson!

"[It's] so demanding... The only way you don't enjoy it is if you don't compete to the best of your ability."

- Tony La Russa, Manager of the St. Louis Cardinals, 11-time World Series Champs

... the same can be said for piano :)

Mizzou

This is a picture of my friend James, who is the choral director at Carl Sandburg College up near Chicago.  We were in school together at Mizzou while he did his masters in choral conducting and I was in my latter years as an undergrad.  Below, witness his excitement upon opening the most recent University of Missouri School of Music brochure to find a picture of you know who :)

My hair is definitely shorter in the brochure, but yes, it's yours truly.  Taken roughly two years ago in front of the columns and Jesse Hall.  That picture is my pride and joy.  I even had a former student last year who was a senior in high school at the time and received last year's School of Music brochure amongst all the college stuff she was getting in the mail at the time and later ask if it was really me.  HA!  Didn't know your piano teacher was actually legit, huh?  I love it.  Thanks for sharing, James.  You made my day, old friend!

happy wednesday

I don't know about you, but I need a laugh.  The last couple of days I have been a complete snotball.  My allergies have been acting up and my sinuses have not been happy about it.  It makes for lovely evenings as I stare into the tube, drugged up with a cup of tea and horrendous mornings with the neti pot.  I'm barely getting my work done, if that.  Awesome, right?

But this morning, my mom posted the following on my facebook wall, which made me feel tremendously better, at least on the inside.  This was taken at the Mayo Clinic atrium, where this couple walked in for a check-up and spotted a piano.  Totally impromptu.  Youtube informs me they've been married 62 yrs and he was 90 at the time this was taken.  Boy do I love old people.  And man do I love my instrument.  Watch and enjoy...

From my cup of tea to yours, Happy Wednesday.  Cheers.

haha!

Found this via a friend of mine on facebook this morning.  Have yet to find the original source but word on the street is that it was published by The New Yorker Magazine back in the 70's.  Some humor for your Monday Funday...

... if only it really were that easy ;)

musical academia

Excellent article about life in the arts, post university education.  Excellent read for composers, performers, and teachers alike, particularly those who would contemplate a life of academia.

"Why Composers Should Drop Out of University, etc..."

TED talks

Click HERE for a phenomenal video about educating our children in the arts and how the public school system is killing their creativity... 

"Every child is an artist..." - Picasso

fall 2011 performance schedule

Below is a list of scheduled performance classes as well as the recital.  I ask that your student make it to at least three classes this semester, as well as the recital, which hopefully will be a date that works out for as many as possible... I really tried to avoid during-the-week school programs and weekend Christmas parties (fingers crossed!).

All performances will be at the Steinway Gallery at Dorsett and 270... this means both performance classes and the recital.  We are no longer at Central Presbyterian on Saturday mornings.

The performance classes are the keys to a smooth recital.  Even if your pianist has performed in front of an audience before, performing is just like everything else -- use it or lose it!  It's easy to get rusty or get your nerves up for no reason other than lack of practice opportunities.  Not to mention that since each student is constantly working on new rep, it's important to be able to perform each piece at least once or twice in a smaller setting before playing in front of a larger audience... each piece presents its own set of performance challenges.

Our first performance class is coming up soon.  If you plan on coming to this first one, your student and I will choose pieces to play in lesson this next week... 1 or 2 to get started.  This first one will be pretty low-key as we all get back into the swing of the routine :)  You can encourage them to pick a couple of pieces to play that they've worked on already, are comfortable with, and like well enough to play in front of the group.

Performance Class:  Saturday, Sept 3 @ Steinway, 10:30-11:30 am
Performance Class:  Saturday, Sept 24 @ Steinway, 10:30-11:30 am
Performance Class:  Saturday, Oct 8 @ Steinway, 10:30-11:30 am
Performance Class:  Saturday, Nov 12 @ Steinway, 10:30-11:30 am
Performance Class:  Saturday, Nov 26 @ Steinway, 10:30-11:30 am
Performance Class / Dress Rehearsal:  Tuesday, Dec 6 @ Steinway, 4-5 pm
RECITAL:  Sunday, Dec 11 @ Steinway, 7-8 pm

Let me know if you have any questions or concerns!

To quote one of my newer students from yesterday: "We get to do recitals?!? YES!!!" (complete with big fat hand motions haha)

June recital, awards, and other musings...

As I sit here on this lovely May evening typing up the last bits of this spring's studio recital program, I grow more and more excited for it's unveiling.  With selections such as "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," the Ping Pong Song, Variations on Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Schumann's The Wild Rider, a simplified version of Für Elise, and "I Wanna Hold Your Hand," I'm certain this program will be just as fantastic as February's recital a few months ago.  Ten of my students will perform next week ot the best of their ability and I'm so excited and proud of all of them.

I've been thinking about a couple of awards to give out at the recital over the course of this past week as well.  I have some incredibly hard workers in my studio...

... a Beethoven award for students who exhibit incredible musicality and artistry in their playing...

"To play without passion is inexcusable!" - Ludwig van Beethoven

... a Haydn award for students who've displayed extraordinary dedication and discipline in their practice habits...

"Young people can learn from my example that something can come from nothing.  What I have become is the result of my hard efforts." - Franz Josef Haydn

... and a Mozart award for those students with a fantastic attitude and a deep love for their music...

"Neither a lofty degree of intelligence nor imagination nor both together go to the making of genius.  Love, love, love, that is the soul of genius." - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Three or four students come to mind immediately.  Now I'm even more excited.  The end of the year is always such a bittersweet time for me... a time to look forward to rest, but also a time to reflect back on the year, savoring it's beauty and progress and sad for it's passing.  It's been a good year.  It's gonna be a great recital.  And I'm excited for the phoenix phenomenon that will take place in my brain and heart over break as I let go of a year passed and prepare for the arrival of a new one this fall.

May 2011: perf class, dress rehearsal, and recital June 1

Hopefully this post finds you well.  Seems everyone is running on "E" these days as the academic year comes to a close...

That being said, we are going to push through this last month of piano before we adjourn for a few weeks this summer.  I've already had a chance to discuss this with some parents.  But this is the official notice of year-end details :)  Here is the schedule for May and this summer...

Performance Class:  14 May @ 11 am at Central Presbyterian choir room (we'll continue talking about Beethoven and start performing recital pieces)
Dress Rehearsal:  31 May, 4-5 pm at Steinway Piano Gallery @ Dorsett and 270 (first come, first serve -- come anytime during the hour to practice recital pieces in the hall one last time before final performance.  Lacefield students:  dress rehearsal + the recital will count as lesson for that week)
Recital:  1 June @ 7 pm at Steinway Piano Gallery (come 10-15 mins early to warm up; appropriate recital attire required -- no jeans, no flip flops, no cami straps, skirts must be knee-length or longer please)

(the former date of May 21 is no longer on the performance calendar per my last email)

Please notify me by this coming Monday (May 9) whether your child is able to participate in the June 1 recital or not.  Recital participants MUST have their music picked out and approved no later than 16 May.  Recital participants are strongly encouraged to attend both the May 14 performance class at Central in addition to the May 31 Dress Rehearsal.

For this summer:  lessons will adjourn for the month of June.  Summer lessons begin in July for anyone that would like to take lessons as available.  Summer lessons will end the last week of July and the studio will break for 2 weeks before starting the fall teaching semester, which begins 15 August.  I will post more details regarding fall semester within the next week or so.

This is exactly what I look for in beginning students...

I laughed so hard, I almost cried.

The Final List

For those of you following the series of New York Times articles on the Top 10 Composers of All Time by Anthony Tommasini, click here to access the final list.  I don't agree with everything he says, but his process has sure been interesting and he makes a lot of really valid arguments.

Top 10 Composers of All Time

The entire interactive video series of articles done by the New York Times on the 10 Greatest Composers of all time can be accessed by clicking on the above hyperlink.  Apparently my last post missed parts 1, 3, and 4:  Bach, Schubert / Beethoven, and Debussy.  Part 5 to debut Jan 17, 2011.

Vienna Four

Great article in the New York Times about the 10 greatest composers of all time, this article focuses specifically on the Vienna Four:  Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, and Schubert (first article in a series continuing through Jan 21, 2011).