Applause! Applause! Good for you. Piano lessons are good for you no matter what your age or where you are in life. If you want to get the most from your money, here is good advice in the article, 5 Things Your Piano Teacher May Not Be Telling You. You’re Not Practicing Enough You Need […]
December, the end of 2016, is a good time to think about “how you are going to get better” in the new year. I enjoy reading Dr. Noa Kageyama’s blog The Bulletproof Musician. This guy brings interesting research to bare on the art of practice and performance. His topics are helpful and create margin […]
It is that time of year when piano studios are waking up from the summer slumber. A key to success is teaching students how to practice. In fact, I think this is one of the most important things we teach students as this skill can be transferred to all areas of life. As you teach […]
Rule 27: Limit Yourself I just had a recent experience where the speaker for that day did a 45 minute knowledge dump. At one point, about 20 minutes into the sermon, I wrote to my wife, “What is the purpose of his talk? What is the take-a-way from his sermon”? It was clear to me […]
Baggage claim can be stressful. Did my luggage make it? You think that it is yours and as you go to grab it another person snags it up. If you miss your bags, not to fear, it will come around again. Some uncomfortable moments. Feedback can be uncomfortable but is vital to improvement. I want feedback with my students to be like the baggage conveyor … a constant loop between my choir and myself. I need feedback from them and they need feedback from me. So, how do you create and maintain a productive feedback loop? (more…)
Last summer, I had the privilege of attending the Choral Director’s Workshop attached to the Oregon Bach Festival. Several sessions were devoted to tweaking one’s conducting. Dr. Sharon Paul, of the University of Oregon, led the sessions which consisted of each participant conducting a piece and receiving feedback. In preparation, I felt confident that […]
#21 Model The Path My student teacher landed in my classroom the second semester. She saw a well-oiled-machine. The technique time had very littler verbal instruction. I was communicating with hand gestures. To her it seemed almost telepathic. Hand gestures for the primary vowels, tone placement, rules of transfer, and dynamics. All maticulously taught […]
#18 SUPERMODELINGWe have all had moments when our modeling for students was less than super and the student performance reflected it. When I model vocally a passage from a piece and tell my students “like this,” I better make sure my body alignment, breath, vowels, soft-palate, diction, and body language are what I want. Students […]
I am trying with renewed interest to finish this book!! I began last summer in an effort to make some notes listing some concrete things I could do to enhance my student’s individual practice. In the process, I hoped to gain knowledge that would improve my choral rehearsals. So, I went back and read through […]
Before you model, tell those for whom you are modeling what to look for. The author makes the observation that many times “shadowing” or “mentoring” is ineffective because the mentoree does not know what they are looking for. This happens in the choral rehearsal many times when I model or play a recording. After […]