There were so many questions posed in the DREAM STUDIO/GEEK BAR at the NCKP conference!!!
Here are a few of them answered in print:
USING YOUR iPAD
Q. How do I make folders on my iPad?
A. Simply hold your finger on an APP until it wiggles, and then drag it on top of any other APP. Now they have become a new folder. You can rename it by clicking the little X at the right end of the long white bar at the top of the folder window.
You can pull APPs out of a folder by opening the folder and then holding your finger on the APP, waiting for it to wiggle, then drag it out of the folder.
To stop the APPs from wiggling, touch the HOME button (the round button on the surface of the iPAD).
TIP: I like to keep FOLDERS of APPs
in my DOCK for my students. I have labeled these MUSIC, MUSIC2 and
MUSIC3. Then, I can easily find the APP I need to reinforce a certain
concept.
Q. How do I close APPs on my iPAD?
A. This is important, since open APPs can drain the battery.
Double-tap the HOME button (round button on surface of iPad). The screen will appear to 'lift up' and will reveal a list of APPs along the bottom of the iPad. These are all the APPs that are currently OPEN (RUNNING).
Hold your finger on any APP you wish to close. You will see a little red circle with a straight line through its center. Click on that little circle and the app will close. Notice that all of the apps along the bottom got red circles after you clicked on just one. That makes it quick and easy to just hit all of those red circles and close the APPs you don't want open any longer.
There is NO QUICK WAY to close all open APPs on an iPad.
Q. How can I organize which APPs appear on which screens on the iPAD?
A. From the home screen, just hold your finger on any APP. This will cause all of the APPs to wiggle. Then you may drag any wiggling APP to any other place on the screen, even to the dock at the bottom. You can even drag them to another 'page' by dragging them far to the right or left of the screen. A new page will open up and you can drop your APP there if you like.
Q. How can I quickly find an APP?
A. From the HOME SCREEN (main window), swipe to the LEFT and you will get a search window. Type the first few letters of the APP and several choices may appear.
Q. How do I move files to my iPAD?
A. You can move files to your iPad several ways:
My favorite way to move files to an APP within the iPAD and keep them organized is to use a program called DISK AID on my MAC. All you have to do is install this program (which is about $20) and then you plug in your iPad to your computer via a USB cable. (NOTE: You can also do this wirelessly as long as the computer and iPad are on the same wireless network.) DiskAid allows you to drag and drop folders from your computer into any APP on the iPad. It's so simple! For example, I use the program Home Concert Xtreme with MIDI files so that my students can play along with a virtual band/orchestra on their pieces. I like to keep these MIDI files organized by method book or composer, so I leave them in folders and drag them into the window inside Disk Aid.
You can also move files using iTunes. This works well for PDFs that you might be moving to PiaScore or Adobe Reader, for example. I don't like to use this method for Home Concert Xtreme, since it will not keep the files organized in folders.
You can also put files into DROPBOX and then open them in the DROPBOX app on your iPad. Then DropBox will ask you which application should open the file. Quick and easy! Dropbox is a free service for storing files online. (Only free up to a certain size limit, however.) www.Dropbox.com
You can sync some files through iCloud. Certain apps work very well with iCloud, including Keynote, Pages and Numbers.
You can EMAIL the files to yourself, and then open them in the email on the iPad and then choose an application to open the file.
By far, my favorite method is DISK AID! It is available for Mac or PC! Here is a link to their website: http://www.digidna.net/diskaid
**Oh, and did I mention that Disk Aid also works for transferring things to/from your iPHONE!?
Q. I am walking into a concert hall. How do I silence my iPad?
A. Um, well, you could just turn it OFF all the way. That is accomplished by holding down the top button (power button) until a screen appears that says 'slide to power off.' Then just slide your finger along the red arrow and the iPad will shut off.
If you don't want to turn off your iPad for any reason (for example, you're writing a blog!), but want it to be totally silent, go to the SETTINGS (grey/white APP on your home screen) and scroll down to SOUNDS. On the right side, then, slide the ringer and alerts to the left (off). You can also set 'change with buttons' to On/Off, so that you can easily silence the sounds of the iPad using the volume buttons on the side of the iPad. At the bottom of this right-hand window, you'll also see LOCK SOUNDS and KEYBOARD CLICKS. The lock sounds are when you slide your window across the unlock/lock screen (if this were 'on,' you'd hear a swooshing sound when you swipe; frankly, it's annoying!). The keyboard clicks are also VERY annoying, so I choose to leave mine OFF. You can turn them ON if you like the simulation of hearing clicks with each key that you type. Those of us that grew up with typewriters are used to the sound of clicking upon each key stroke, but it seems odd and out of place on the iPad (to my ear!). It's up to you! Also, on this screen, you can set the various sounds you might hear with each notification on the iPad, including ringtone, text message tone, the sound heard with new mail/sent mail, facebook posts, etc.
To ensure that SIRI doesn't suddenly start talking in the middle of the concert hall, you might also want to go to SETTINGS and then GENERAL and click on SIRI on the right side and turn OFF. Siri has a funny way of speaking when she shouldn't...
Q. How do I keep using my iPad but prevent notifications or calls from being received?
A. Turn your iPad on 'do not disturb.' You will find this in SETTINGS, then DO NOT DISTURB. Just slide that to ON and no notifications will pop up on your iPad screen and no calls will come through. You will not even be notified of text messages.
Note: You can schedule a 'do not disturb' time by going to SETTINGS, then NOTIFICATIONS. On the right side, DO NOT DISTURB will be at the top and you can touch that to open another screen to schedule a time to put your iPad into DO NOT DISTURB mode. On that screen, you can also choose to allow calls or messages to come into the iPad from people on your Favorites list, everyone, or no one.
TIP: I recommend using DO NOT DISTURB mode while you are teaching, especially if you are with a student on SKYPE!
More iPad tips to come...
Post your questions below and I am happy to answer them!
-Kathleen
Copyright 2013 Kathleen Theisen
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Saturday, July 27, 2013
Noontime recital ... Saturday -- Sean Chen
The amazing SEAN CHEN is performing a concert right now in the main ballroom. The program includes Bach: French Suite in G Major, Ravel: Valse nobles et sentimentale and La Valse. Wow, just wow. Sean is the 2013 Christel DeHaan Classical Fellow of the American Pianists Association and was also the third prize winner in the Cliburn Competition about a month ago. Sean lives in New Haven, Connecticut, where he is pursuing the Artist Diploma at Yale. His Bachelor and Master degrees are from Juilliard.
If you'd like to sample his playing, go to YouTube! There are many recordings there, including his incredible performance of Beethoven op 106, Das Hammerklavier, from the Cliburn Competition.
Ratko Delorko session: The History of the Piano
Saturday morning 11:15 ... Ratko Delorko, who gave an amazing talk on Friday, is back on stage now.
The MONOCHORD has been used since the fifth century.
It was not a musical instrument yet.
Viennese fortepianos
Clavichord - limited touch dynamics, after touch
He showed an inverted keyboard by Silbermann 1765. The white keys were UP higher and black keys were down. Static down weight of 16grams. 3 mm key dip. Dynamic down weight 18-800grams
It has restricted dynamics
This was Bach's preferred instrument. A lot of the well-tempered clavier was "born" on the Clavichord.
Professor Delorko has several video clips of the period instruments from his collection, with him performing, and he alternates these with modern grand "live."
The SPINET is louder, but no dynamics. Requires a high finger action.
VIRGINAL: strings are parallel to the keyboard. Sounding board is located toward middle of strings.
1570 example of virginal by Floriani... Live video clip.
On the modern grand... Heartbeat tempo, Focus on central registers. Old Italian embellish from the main note! Trills cannot be fast. (Because notes are plucked toward the center of the string) ... compressed dynamics, agogic like a speaker.
Harpsichord - lengthwise stringing, no key dynamics.
Example: linked keyboards change the down weight.
8 foot ... See handout... <insert notes here later>
Need high finger action. No dynamics.
On modern grand: nearly flat terrace dynamics, agogic like a speaker, embellishments respect same rules as Bach-improvise!, heartbeat tempo.
In England, Kirkman produced a harpsichord w a pedal that opens the llamellae. That creates more sound.
On the modern grand: constant non-legato, except in harmonic fields, interval steps are broad, jumps short. Turns are legato on beats. Anapest and Dactylus are short.
Cpe Bach book: true art of playing keyboard instruments.
Separation in steps and jumps... See handout...
Harmonic fields... Can connect ... See handout... <insert later>
'There is nothing written and you can't call these guys. We don't really know how it sounds. We play the wrong instrument.'
Scale phrasing... Bearings are extremely important.
Playing in every key without retuning.., Andreas Werkmeister 1691
Christofori invented the hammer pushing principle
There is an action he designed "can't really work, but it does."
1730... Bach tried Silbermann's instrument and Bach condemns it.
1732... Piano music starts to have "piano" and "forte" indications.
Knee levers...
Video clip of Ratko performing concerto in A Major on the fortepiano with orchestra. He pushes on the moderator to make it quieter.
Beethoven sonata op 49 no 2 on a Schantz fortepiano (video of him playing this piece on this instrument) on the modern grand... No slurs... Play non legato. Long palling in select sections only. Try 1/2 and 1/4 blow too. Dynamics equivalent...
Use professional editions. You may extend on beats. Scales may speed up a bit. Allegro doesn't necessarily mean fast!!!!
Presto is different from today. What was fast then? Horse! "Today we drive a car on the highway going 120 mph talking on a cellphone."
Video of Schubert Impromptu... Tempo switches in different modes/keys.
English principle:
Broadwood 1785 makes the first pedal at outside edges of the piano.
Una corda shift limiter. You can go to two strings or one string.
Damper pedal was split on some of these instruments. Beethoven had one with split piano. 1815.
Clementi piano... You could depress half the pedal for different sides of the piano. It also had the una corda shift limiter.
John Field ...invented the Nocturne, not Chopin.
On the modern piano, you can get the "sf" by playing a little early. You can't get the true "sf" on the modern instrument.
1830 Irmler piano. Video: Schumann: Romance in F# Major. This piano has a dark, baritone-like tone quality.
1847 Erard ... Chopin used between this and Pleyel.
This instrument begins to sound more modern. The dampers are beneath the strings and they react very slowly. He played a video of Raindrop Prelude on this instrument, then demonstrated on a modern grand.
1853 Beckstein, Steinweg, and Blüthner Started piano factories in different cities.
1856 leather coved hammer... Getting worse...
Video of Liszt on a Bösendorfer from 1856
The new, heavier pianos made people invent things like finger stretchers... Bad!
1859. Steinway patents cross-stringing. Now we are heading toward the modern instrument.
Brahms: Intermezzo, op 118... A Major..... Action comes from above... Video
1885 first dishwasher developed
1886 coca cola invented... Atlanta.
Scriabin on a Blüthner.... Video ... Piano had real gold ... 1905... BEAUTIFUL SOUND!
Modern concert grand - he listed the static down weights, etc, for modern as compared to all others he spoke of today.
Schimmel Pegasus... Cover opens electrically. You sit on a seat attached to the piano.
He ended with an amazing performance!
Friday, July 26, 2013
Peter Mack Masterclass
Right now, three winners of the Mtna national performance competitions are performing in a Master Class, working with the amazing Peter Mack. For those of you that haven't seen Professor Mack's master classes in the past, you might want to scroll down to see my notes from his master class in March at the MTNA conference. I'll be updating live throughout his master class, so keep hitting refresh.
The first student was the 2012 MTNA-Kawai Junior Competition winner. Katrina Jia, age 12, is a student of Fei Xu in Chandler, AZ. She played the Schumann ARABESKE, op. 18.
Peter shared a quote from Ingrid Clarfield, who said something like if you play long notes and cut them off, people say you have no sense of timing. If you play it exactly right, people will say it is too mechanical. If you play it just slightly too long, then people think you are very musical and a genius!
Dr Mack - in true Dr Mack fashion - is now sitting at the piano, and placing hands onto the piano and asking the student (and also the audience of piano teachers) to guess which style of piece he would have been playing with that preparation. The audience, of course, was in stitches as he continued to ask style of piece, fast-slow, period, composer, name of piece, key, opus number... All without playing a single note. Of course, he did this as a preparation of showing the young pianist how she could begin her piece a little bit differently to capture the mood. Sheer genius.
More ideas: if you have a theme that comes back many times, you can plan to do something slightly different each time. Perhaps use different voicing or perhaps change the sense of timing. Dr. Mack: "What's your favorite thing to eat?" Ice cream. So you go out for ice cream and you have the happy smile. Then the next day, you go out for ice cream again and you have a big happy smile. Then the next day, the same. Then again and again. After several days of this, even ice cream will probably seem "old." When you have sections that repeat, you might want to change them after a few times.
Peter is soooo encouraging for the students with whom he works. With this first student, he continues to tell her how beautifully she plays at every chance.
The second performer is now on stage. Her name is Megan Lee and she is a student of Sean Schulze at Cleveland Institute of Music. Megan, who is a sophomore in high school, was the 2013 MTNA-Yamaha Senior Piano Competition Winner. She is performing the entire Sonata, op. 78 by Beethoven.
As Peter works with her on the opening slow phrase, he talks about every note being so beautiful. When you play each note so beautifully, it's more difficult to play a long line. There is a beautiful pearl with each note. "If instead you gave me a beautiful pearl necklace, all would make much more sense." Problem: how to unify lots of beautiful, beautiful notes. Unify the notes with your body. Peter demonstrated playing the same phrase by moving the body "in" toward the most intense moment. Now the student is at the piano and he has her start further "back" and have her move in very slowly as she plays, with a goal of going forward the most intense moment. The importance here is connecting a string of beautiful notes together into a longer phrase.
Dr Mack is asking the performer what is most amazing about THIS sonata. Beethoven was the "ultimate recycler." He takes a little theme and uses it over and over in many movements throughout a piece. As he demonstrates, he takes a little motif from the Pathetique to show how Beethoven recycles it throughout the piece. When you are working on a Beethoven Sonata,
"This is Beethoven playing the Apple-banana game!" I say apple, you say banana, then they went back and forth. Eventually, Peter threw in a watermelon, which was a SURPRISE. "Why was it a surprise? Because I had set up apple, banana." If we have had lofty Beethoven, he sets up a pattern and then he breaks it. The breaking of the pattern gives us the interest to impel the music forward.
How do you prepare a surprise FORTE? You play much quieter before it, so that the audience is "straining to listen."
This is one of the keys to interpreting Beethoven: whenever you can hear him setting up a pattern, that's lovely. When he breaks the pattern, make sure YOU break the pattern. Know where you break it and "play it so we go 'woo.' "
Peter played an example of the Waldstein Sonata and then slowed down the rhythm and it became Climb Every Mountain! "I'm going to ruin Beethoven for you." LOL! He noted how Beethoven borrowed from broadway. Lol.
Beethoven wrote a set of variations on RULE BRITANNIA. There is a clip from that tune in this op 78. Dr Mack stated he doesn't think this is a coincidence!
Look for patterns, look for breaking those patterns, then have so much fun with it!
Working with the third performer, Peter is focusing on RHYTHM and using a concept he calls the "leg metronome." After the student played an excerpt, Dr Mack said, "and what did you do that was so great?" Isn't he wonderful with students at getting them to realize what they just did!?
He is stressing how particular Ravel was regarding rhythm. He wrote exactly what he intended!
Ravel also unifies his pieces with repeated notes.
Regarding the LH theme: "this is as if ravel were saying, I know you're carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders, but here's another house."
He is recommending an app called SPEAK BEAT, which is a metronome with a voice. The voice is irritating. You can choose the voice... Bernadette, David, etc. LOL!
I'm not able to stay for the final few minutes of the MC, but it was simply a stunning demonstration of great teaching.
Karen Zorn speaking at PedX3
Karen Zorn is speaking right now at the NCKP. She is posing the question of how we can continue to
She is president of Longy School and talks of "Musicians as Agents of Change."
If you view music as an elite pursuit, then the world is getting smaller and smaller. If you view musicians as agents of change, then musicians can transform lives and communities. They need skills to make a differences.
2013: virtually all conservatories are struggling with the changes in society and attitude toward music programs.
Students have changed. Many aspiring musicians want a different future. They want a meaningful life, not just a musical life. Programs like TEACH FOR AMERICA are very popular.
The college application process has changed. They are not just judged for their academics. They are judged on their community service, as well. The need to volunteer is changing the students.
She believes we are on a new path. How do we redefine what it means to be a musician? This led her to EL SISTEMA. It's a social program, changing lives and communities. The program was started 30 years ago. Today, there are over 400,000 children participating in Venezuela alone. The goal is to guide and encourage children to become full citizens of the world.
Gustavo Dudamel is a graduate of EL SISTEMA.
" Through music it is possible to change the lives of thousands of children." -Dudamel
EL SISTEMA is a philosophy.
1 Social change through the pursuit of musical excellence - one is not prioritized at the expense of the other
2 The ensemble -mixed ensemble, where some players are playing the original score and others are playing other versions which are easier
3 Intensity - 3-4 hours a day, up to 6 days a week. It becomes an extended family. The students advance rapidly. The times are after-school, preventing them from getting involved in other less desirable activities after school.
4 Mentoring - everyone is expected to share with others once they have learned something. The teacher is also a student. The teacher and students are very close in age.
5 Accessibility - free or nearly free - in Venezuela, the programs are funded by the govt, but in the USA, the programs are funded through fundraising.
Participation as a musician ensures that music will survive. 75% of symphony subscribers learned to play music as a child.
In EL SISTEMA, "Every child is an asset." Each child is fully valued.
#1 need
Musicians who are trained to teach in groups, ensembles, deal with a variety of unknowns,
Longy looks at the opportunity to train the musicians who are prepared to teach in this program.
TAKE A STAND: SUPPORTING SOCIAL CHANGE THROUGH MUSIC... collaboration between LA PHIL and Longy School works to support the growth of EL SISTEMA in the USA.
They seek to change the face of music education.
They give professional development for teachers, a conference, and now a MASTER OF ARTS IN TEACHING at Longy to train teachers for EL SISTEMA program.
YOLA... Youth Orchestra Los Angeles... Is the EL SISTEMA program run in Los Angeles by the LA PHILHARMONIC.
The music education degree puts the teaching throughout the program, rather than a practicum at the end. The students take just as many courses in music as they do in education. They take lessons with the performers in the LA PHIL. There is also an emphasis on orchestration, since those skills will be needed within the EL SISTEMA program.
The graduates of the program will have public school certification, but will be expected to start their own EL SISTEMA programs.
Bard College has a Charter School that runs from 8am-5pm in Delano, Califoria. The town is an agricultural area. Unemployment rate is 38%. There are two state prisons. The EL SISTEMA program there allows the kids to have music two hours a day. They work on mariachi music, have a choir and a full classical orchestral program.
For more info:
www.take-a-stand.org
www.longy.edu
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Thursday evening concert
The audience was mesmerized by the phenomenal playing of 12-year old Katrina Jia, a student of Fei Xu and the 2012 MTNA-Kawai Junior Piano Competition Winner. Miss Jia lives in Chandler, AZ. Tonight, she performed:
Arabeske, op. 18 by Schumann
Étude, op. 25, no 2 by Chopin
Nocturne, op. 27, no 2 by Chopin
And
Jeux d'eau by Ravel.
The second performer is stepping on stage...
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
NCKP 2013 technology pre-conference
The pre-conference is coming to an end in a few minutes and it has been an amazing day in the TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE sessions. Updates will be posted later! If you are at the conference right now, please join the piano geeks in the DREAM STUDIO/GEEK BAR starting Thursday morning to see the perfect studio setup and to get answers to all of your burning tech questions!
NCKP 2013
Today is the first day of NCKP 2013!!!!! The pre-conference sessions run from 2pm til 9pm.
The PIANO GEEKS - George Litterst, Mario Ajero, Linda Christensen, Michelle Sisler, Kathy Maskell, Michelle Gordon and Kathleen Theisen - are presenting all of the technology pre-conference sessions and will be hosting a DREAM STUDIO/GEEK BAR throughout the conference. If you have any tech questions or just want to see what a 'dream' studio setup might look like, please stop and see us in the DREAM STUDIO! You'll find us wearing these:
For a preview of the TECHNOLOGY sessions today, check out the committee website:
http://www.keyboardpedagogy.org/national-conference-info2/about-the-conference/pre-conference-seminars/technology
Here are two 90 second video trailers I made for one tech session. Check out all of the new software and apps!
(1) http://youtu.be/7nu6214nD1k
(2) http://youtu.be/XG9hBWX8HSo
Stay tuned to the blog for updates and links to the LIVE STREAM!
The PIANO GEEKS - George Litterst, Mario Ajero, Linda Christensen, Michelle Sisler, Kathy Maskell, Michelle Gordon and Kathleen Theisen - are presenting all of the technology pre-conference sessions and will be hosting a DREAM STUDIO/GEEK BAR throughout the conference. If you have any tech questions or just want to see what a 'dream' studio setup might look like, please stop and see us in the DREAM STUDIO! You'll find us wearing these:
For a preview of the TECHNOLOGY sessions today, check out the committee website:
http://www.keyboardpedagogy.org/national-conference-info2/about-the-conference/pre-conference-seminars/technology
Here are two 90 second video trailers I made for one tech session. Check out all of the new software and apps!
(1) http://youtu.be/7nu6214nD1k
(2) http://youtu.be/XG9hBWX8HSo
Stay tuned to the blog for updates and links to the LIVE STREAM!
Sunday, May 26, 2013
Friday, May 17, 2013
iPad tip: Need to move a lot of Garage Band files back to your Mac?
As a music teacher who records a LOT of lessons, sometimes I would like to move a huge amount of Garage Band files from the iPad to the iMac. This is not possible in iTunes, as it requires that you click on each file separately in the Garage Band APP in the iPad and 'send to itunes' one at a time. It takes way too long.
Here is the easiest solution I have found yet, courtesy of my tech guru friend, George Litterst:
Using
DISK AID (software) on your MAC, navigate to STORAGE>APPS> GARAGE
BAND>LIBRARY>APPLICATION SUPPORT>DOCUMENTS
There, you will see a complete list of all Garage Band files on your iPad.
NOTE: If you don't see all of these menu items, go to DISK AID PREFERENCES and check the box for SHOW ROOT PATHS FOR APPS
Once
you see all of those files in a list, simply highlight all of them and
click on COPY TO MAC, choose a destination folder and VOILA! They are
moved to a folder within your mac or on an auxiliary drive.
Happy tech geek ;)
Here is the easiest solution I have found yet, courtesy of my tech guru friend, George Litterst:
Happy tech geek ;)
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Exhibit Hall
On Tuesday afternoon, I visited a lot of the exhibits just before closing. I was lucky enough to win the daily prize at the Alfred Booth - a set of Premier Piano Course books and a Mighty Bright light ;) Thanks, ALFRED! (Surprisingly, this is the 2nd time I have won a prize at MTNA! One year, I won a complete set of books from Ultimate Music Theory!)
I will be writing more about the exhibits and adding quite a few photos within the next day or so!
I will be writing more about the exhibits and adding quite a few photos within the next day or so!
Tuesday evening concert: ANDERSON AND ROE
I was only able to stay for the first half of the concert, since I had to catch a redeye flight back to NYC, but what a treat it was to hear Anderson and Roe tonight! This duo pleases both the eye and ear, with beautiful sounds at the Steinways, as well as grand gestures throughout their performances. Those of you that have heard them know that they often perform their own arrangements of orchestral works. Tonight was no exception. The "treat" for the first half was an arrangement of Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring!" This is the 100th anniversary of the first performance of the original work in Paris, which caused riots among the audience members. Anderson and Roe's grand gestures came to life in this piece, with Ms Roe actually jumping OFF the bench with full force on several occasions. I had the fortune of sitting in between Bob and Karen Vandall during this concert, and got to hear a great story about how Bob, when he was young, used to play his LP record of Rite of Spring over and over and blast the speakers. When his mother came home, she made him turn it off! Anderson and Roe also delighted the audience with their stories in between the pieces. The rest of the first half consisted of a Mozart opera paraphrase from The Magic Flute, the complete Sonata in D for two pianos by Mozart and ended the first half with their now famous Ragtime Alla Turca, based on Mozart's Rondo Alla Turca. Oddly, the program said the piece was by Johann Sebastian Bach. One must wonder how that came to be printed next to "Alla Turca" and a Köchel number!
The duo was also selling their scores and recordings in the lobby at intermission. Some of the arrangements are available from Alfred and others from Anderson and Roe's own publishing company. I didn't get the name of it, but I am sure it's easy to google it.
If you happened to stay for the 2nd half of the concert, feel free to add your comments to this blog! I am sorry I missed it!
You all can check out ANDERSON AND ROE on YouTube, as well. They have unstoppable energy! Here is one video of the RAGTIME alla TURCA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYSNmMJHVqM
The duo was also selling their scores and recordings in the lobby at intermission. Some of the arrangements are available from Alfred and others from Anderson and Roe's own publishing company. I didn't get the name of it, but I am sure it's easy to google it.
If you happened to stay for the 2nd half of the concert, feel free to add your comments to this blog! I am sorry I missed it!
You all can check out ANDERSON AND ROE on YouTube, as well. They have unstoppable energy! Here is one video of the RAGTIME alla TURCA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYSNmMJHVqM
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
IMTF
I stopped in a bit late on the Independent Music Teachers Forum meeting this afternoon.
The group of teachers in attendance had already split into four different discussion groups, and I have jumped into the group that is discussing BUSINESS PRACTICES AND MARKETING.
The teachers in this group noted that students are coming mostly from parent referrals, not from web inquiries. A discussion ensued about SEO with websites and getting to the top of an internet search.
Debra Hatfield from TX talked about how important it is to get kids "talking" about what they are doing. Her studio does six recitals a year and all are different, including costumed recitals, etc. She also had a float in the city parade one year. They put eight keyboards on the float and had students playing on the float.
We switched groups after a few minutes and I jumped over to a group that was discussing MOTIVATION. One teacher said what motivates her students is having the younger students see the older students performing at the group classes and recitals. She has group classes once a month by grade level.
Another teacher: the key is to make it as social as possible. Pianists are used to being alone, so when they are matched with mentors for theory tests or competitions.
Another teacher: having kids perform a monster concert. 15-20 kids at once. It makes them practice. They have to be up to tempo before the rehearsal. Bribery: serve donuts. One teacher opens up her monster event to other teachers' studios.
In Hawaii, they have that monster festival at a shopping center.
I mentioned that I think the motivation comes from the music itself and from seeing the teacher's passion about music-making, as well. Perform for your students. Let them see your passion!
One teacher mentioned that a teacher lets the high school students be like kings and queens at the events, eat first at receptions, give them tapestry blankets, etc. That teacher lets the kids make the rule, even deciding where they perform on the recital. (First, last, etc)
Points and prizes offered by some teachers. Where do you order? Oriental Trading, Music in Motion, local music stores, etc.
You could give kids a studio shirt or piece of sheet music to hang on the Christmas tree.
Some teachers charge for recitals.
We had a talk about attitude. One teacher mentioned that the 'attitude' is creeping in at a younger age now. I recommended the book, The Narcissism Epidemic.
Off the bench activities... Push ups, jumping jacks, etc, then go back to playing. GOTB... Get off the bench... Any child under 10 should be off the bench twice in a lesson.
Pupil savers... Kathleen Theisen compiled a list if these on her Facebook page.
The group of teachers in attendance had already split into four different discussion groups, and I have jumped into the group that is discussing BUSINESS PRACTICES AND MARKETING.
The teachers in this group noted that students are coming mostly from parent referrals, not from web inquiries. A discussion ensued about SEO with websites and getting to the top of an internet search.
Debra Hatfield from TX talked about how important it is to get kids "talking" about what they are doing. Her studio does six recitals a year and all are different, including costumed recitals, etc. She also had a float in the city parade one year. They put eight keyboards on the float and had students playing on the float.
We switched groups after a few minutes and I jumped over to a group that was discussing MOTIVATION. One teacher said what motivates her students is having the younger students see the older students performing at the group classes and recitals. She has group classes once a month by grade level.
Another teacher: the key is to make it as social as possible. Pianists are used to being alone, so when they are matched with mentors for theory tests or competitions.
Another teacher: having kids perform a monster concert. 15-20 kids at once. It makes them practice. They have to be up to tempo before the rehearsal. Bribery: serve donuts. One teacher opens up her monster event to other teachers' studios.
In Hawaii, they have that monster festival at a shopping center.
I mentioned that I think the motivation comes from the music itself and from seeing the teacher's passion about music-making, as well. Perform for your students. Let them see your passion!
One teacher mentioned that a teacher lets the high school students be like kings and queens at the events, eat first at receptions, give them tapestry blankets, etc. That teacher lets the kids make the rule, even deciding where they perform on the recital. (First, last, etc)
Points and prizes offered by some teachers. Where do you order? Oriental Trading, Music in Motion, local music stores, etc.
You could give kids a studio shirt or piece of sheet music to hang on the Christmas tree.
Some teachers charge for recitals.
We had a talk about attitude. One teacher mentioned that the 'attitude' is creeping in at a younger age now. I recommended the book, The Narcissism Epidemic.
Off the bench activities... Push ups, jumping jacks, etc, then go back to playing. GOTB... Get off the bench... Any child under 10 should be off the bench twice in a lesson.
Pupil savers... Kathleen Theisen compiled a list if these on her Facebook page.
Showcase: Glenda Austin and Carolyn Miller for WILLIS MUSIC
Glenda and Carolyn open their session by performing SAMBA SENSATION. This is Glenda's newest duet, which was commissioned by a Phoenix Piano Ensemble. The performance was just last week.
Glenda shared some intermediate pieces by John Thompson that weren't familiar to me or to the people next to me, but are lovely pieces:
Scherzando in G Major by John Thompson... It lies well under fingers
Nocturne by Thompson...
Lofty Peaks by Thompson... Big, crashing chords. It's a bit like Schumann's "An Important Event."
Valse Burlesque by Thompson
Rhapsodie Hongroise by Thompson ... In style of Liszt.
A quote from someone near me: "I would have never dreamt he wrote these." These are not at all like what people usually think of when they hear the name John Thompson.
Elementary level book of pieces by John Thompson:
Forest Dawn...
Captain Kidd... G minor piece, has LH melody, allows kids to play in two flats at an elementary level, which doesn't happen very often in other rep.
Humoresque...6/8, a minor, like a tarantella
Edna Mae Burnam... 1907-2007... Probably best known for A DOZEN A DAY. Willis has published some collections of her other piano works, as well.
Butterfly Time: patterned LH quarters in two note slurs and RH sixteenth note patterns.
Jubilee!... This is coplandesque with open fifths in LH and a faster-moving RH part.
Echoes of Gypsies...big, showy piece with quiet moments, as well. The "vivo" section is like the Rondo Alla Turca.
The Singing Fountain... Has LH singing melody and RH has a repeated arpeggiated figure
Elementary book by Edna Mae Burnam...
Two Birds in a Tree.. Beginner piece that can be played on black or white keys. This could even be taught by rote. Glenda encouraged the teachers to improvise an accompaniment to this piece.
The Clock that Stopped...contrasting touch between legato and portato
The Singing Mermaid...piece with overlapping pedal, calm chord progressions, meditative style
WILLIAM GILLOCK
1917-1993
Grew up in an area near Joplin, MO, where Glenda currently lives.
Spooky Footsteps... Very cute elementary level in D Minor. For my friends in CT, this piece is at approx the level of Primary 2 in the YMF.
Rocking Chair Blues... In 2/4 with triplets and swing feel based on I IV V pattern
Stormy Weather...c minor...triplet rising arpeggios... Kids love this piece.
On a Paris Boulevard
Intermediate to advanced level pieces (CLASSIC PIANO REPERTOIRE)
*** these pieces are WONDERFUL!!!
Festive Piece... Nice intermediate-level piece. D minor, ends with Picardy third.
A Memory of Vienna... Lilting waltz
Valse Étude...this is a show stopper and is one of Glenda's top ten favorites. It has a beautiful middle section that is very lyrical.
Glenda reminded the teachers that if you don't have students who can play these pieces, YOU can play them! This is a great stress-busters, too.
Fountain in the Rain... One of the most famous of Gillock's pieces.
It's now available as a duet, arranged by Glenda Austin. This is late elementary/early intermediate level.
Glenda suggested that people program both the solo and duet version on the same recital.
COMPOSER'S CHOICE books by Glenda Austin and Eric Baumgartner (2 separate books)
Pieces from Glenda's book:
Midnight Caravan... Great fast piece at the intermediate level.
Reverie... Written on three staves..
Tangorific...this was written by Glenda for her teacher, Mrs Holden.
Chromatic Conversation...this piece is a blues that has a conversation between LH bass riff and RH melodic riffs
From Eric's books:
New Orleans Nocturne... Even eighth notes, lots of seventh chords.
Jackrabbit Ramble...
Aretta's Rumble... This was written for his wife, who is a puppeteer.
Beale Street Boogie...swung eighth note boogie pattern in the LH, off beat chords in RH
Carolyn C. Setliff:
Romantic Serenade...cut time, single note melody with arpeggiated figure in LH
Romantic Reflections...opens with big rhapsodic chords, then goes into a music box-like theme
Intermezzo in D Flat Major... Gorgeous tune
New piece:
Chop Suey... Piano solo by Glenda Austin. Early elementary solo.
Flight of Freedom ... Piano solo by Glenda Austin. This was inspired by watching a 24/7 eagle cam online. My note: This is a lot like a Gillock piece in Lyric Preludes, so if you have students who like that one, they will like this.
There is also a series of pieces for the sanctuary, gospel, etc.
Glenda ended the session with a performance of VALSE BELLE, a new composition which she dedicated to me. This was a very moving moment for me to get to hear her perform this piece "live."
Glenda shared some intermediate pieces by John Thompson that weren't familiar to me or to the people next to me, but are lovely pieces:
Scherzando in G Major by John Thompson... It lies well under fingers
Nocturne by Thompson...
Lofty Peaks by Thompson... Big, crashing chords. It's a bit like Schumann's "An Important Event."
Valse Burlesque by Thompson
Rhapsodie Hongroise by Thompson ... In style of Liszt.
A quote from someone near me: "I would have never dreamt he wrote these." These are not at all like what people usually think of when they hear the name John Thompson.
Elementary level book of pieces by John Thompson:
Forest Dawn...
Captain Kidd... G minor piece, has LH melody, allows kids to play in two flats at an elementary level, which doesn't happen very often in other rep.
Humoresque...6/8, a minor, like a tarantella
Edna Mae Burnam... 1907-2007... Probably best known for A DOZEN A DAY. Willis has published some collections of her other piano works, as well.
Butterfly Time: patterned LH quarters in two note slurs and RH sixteenth note patterns.
Jubilee!... This is coplandesque with open fifths in LH and a faster-moving RH part.
Echoes of Gypsies...big, showy piece with quiet moments, as well. The "vivo" section is like the Rondo Alla Turca.
The Singing Fountain... Has LH singing melody and RH has a repeated arpeggiated figure
Elementary book by Edna Mae Burnam...
Two Birds in a Tree.. Beginner piece that can be played on black or white keys. This could even be taught by rote. Glenda encouraged the teachers to improvise an accompaniment to this piece.
The Clock that Stopped...contrasting touch between legato and portato
The Singing Mermaid...piece with overlapping pedal, calm chord progressions, meditative style
WILLIAM GILLOCK
1917-1993
Grew up in an area near Joplin, MO, where Glenda currently lives.
Spooky Footsteps... Very cute elementary level in D Minor. For my friends in CT, this piece is at approx the level of Primary 2 in the YMF.
Rocking Chair Blues... In 2/4 with triplets and swing feel based on I IV V pattern
Stormy Weather...c minor...triplet rising arpeggios... Kids love this piece.
On a Paris Boulevard
Intermediate to advanced level pieces (CLASSIC PIANO REPERTOIRE)
*** these pieces are WONDERFUL!!!
Festive Piece... Nice intermediate-level piece. D minor, ends with Picardy third.
A Memory of Vienna... Lilting waltz
Valse Étude...this is a show stopper and is one of Glenda's top ten favorites. It has a beautiful middle section that is very lyrical.
Glenda reminded the teachers that if you don't have students who can play these pieces, YOU can play them! This is a great stress-busters, too.
Fountain in the Rain... One of the most famous of Gillock's pieces.
It's now available as a duet, arranged by Glenda Austin. This is late elementary/early intermediate level.
Glenda suggested that people program both the solo and duet version on the same recital.
COMPOSER'S CHOICE books by Glenda Austin and Eric Baumgartner (2 separate books)
Pieces from Glenda's book:
Midnight Caravan... Great fast piece at the intermediate level.
Reverie... Written on three staves..
Tangorific...this was written by Glenda for her teacher, Mrs Holden.
Chromatic Conversation...this piece is a blues that has a conversation between LH bass riff and RH melodic riffs
From Eric's books:
New Orleans Nocturne... Even eighth notes, lots of seventh chords.
Jackrabbit Ramble...
Aretta's Rumble... This was written for his wife, who is a puppeteer.
Beale Street Boogie...swung eighth note boogie pattern in the LH, off beat chords in RH
Carolyn C. Setliff:
Romantic Serenade...cut time, single note melody with arpeggiated figure in LH
Romantic Reflections...opens with big rhapsodic chords, then goes into a music box-like theme
Intermezzo in D Flat Major... Gorgeous tune
New piece:
Chop Suey... Piano solo by Glenda Austin. Early elementary solo.
Flight of Freedom ... Piano solo by Glenda Austin. This was inspired by watching a 24/7 eagle cam online. My note: This is a lot like a Gillock piece in Lyric Preludes, so if you have students who like that one, they will like this.
There is also a series of pieces for the sanctuary, gospel, etc.
Glenda ended the session with a performance of VALSE BELLE, a new composition which she dedicated to me. This was a very moving moment for me to get to hear her perform this piece "live."
Got Questions? We've got answers!!!
Session to answer any questions at all...
I arrived late to this session after checking out of my room and dropping off bags, so please forgive the short post.
Presenters in this sessions are Ingrid Clarfield, Pete Jutras, Randall Faber, & Scott McBride Smith.
Pete Jutras:
We can learn a lot from video game makers. Most games have a goal right in front of you. There is an intermediate goal that is right there, then an advanced goal that may take weeks or months. It's important to give kids a short- term goal so that they feel a sense of accomplishment as a step to the larger goal.
Randy Faber:
The problem of only focusing on competitions is that the students are only focusing on polish on those pieces. They need easier pieces to keep building skills at the same time, so that sight reading, theory, etc, aren't neglected.
Ingrid:
The assignment in the assignment book should look by different for the pieces that are being polished. Week before a competition: Clear ideas on dynamics, tempi, opening and closing gestures. If its a back-burner piece, there are diff tempo goals (1/2 tempo, for example) and goals to think about balance in certain sections, etc. Ingrid stressed that it is important to have different goals for pieces depending on what the goal is for each piece.
Randy:
Someone asked a question about licensing and copyright of arraignments. Randy suggested that he contact the copyright holder or the company that owns the exclusive contract to the work, and you might get rights, but it's not easy. Congress passed a bill for recording. They legislated that the publisher has the right to say who does the first recording, but then afterward, everyone can record it after that with payment of mechanical royalty, but there is not a similar l for print music.
Studio management:
A teacher asked a question about working with continual transfer families (military families).
Scott : you do what you always do; "teach away." Give them your best work, just like you would with any other students. Also explore Skype teaching!
Method books: a method book doesn't move. A student moves. A book is just a book.
You don't have to do unit 3 on Tuesday because it's Tuesday. You do unit three when the student is ready.
Early level study ... Keep the music and repertoire moving. When we hit the post intermediate level, the students hit a phenomena of playing only 3 or 4 pieces at a time, and that's where we run into the problem.
Double-jointed students: Randy: teach these kids the same way you teach others. Many teachers make a mistake of having kids over curl the fingers and that collapses the bridge. Think of playing a finger and the process of moving into the curl so that there is a balance. That handles the issue of the flat finger.
Method book: do you recommend that students stay in one method?
Randy: a student has to see a lot of the same thing to take in the perception. When you move from method to method, you jeopardize the sequence. You're introducing a liability instead of an asset. In the 60s, pedagogy programs pushed teachers to use mixed methods to build reading, but now, teachers are better off NOT jumping around bc you won't get the value of what was intended within the methods.
Scott encourages his students to write their own methods. He said he finds that American methods go too slow and feels we need the ear involved and we go quicker.
A student with nails that are cut every day but the nails are still in the way. Have the student keep cutting it back. You can adjust the angle slightly.
Wrap up: what advice from the panel to young students and teachers?
Scott: Passion and love of music will carry you over every difficulty
Ingrid: So excited to see teachers taking notes. Continue to think of yourselves as students for the rest of your lives. There is not one day of my life where I teach a lesson and where I don't do something wrong.
Pete: never stop learning. Never lose sight of WHY you went into music. We get stuck in details of teaching and don't always let the magic show through. If the students aren't getting the magic, then we are missing out. The kids should see the passion.
Randy: be yourself. The way you interact with a child is very unique. You'll have special gifts and loves and those will convey in special ways. You can make a difference with every student.
I arrived late to this session after checking out of my room and dropping off bags, so please forgive the short post.
Presenters in this sessions are Ingrid Clarfield, Pete Jutras, Randall Faber, & Scott McBride Smith.
Pete Jutras:
We can learn a lot from video game makers. Most games have a goal right in front of you. There is an intermediate goal that is right there, then an advanced goal that may take weeks or months. It's important to give kids a short- term goal so that they feel a sense of accomplishment as a step to the larger goal.
Randy Faber:
The problem of only focusing on competitions is that the students are only focusing on polish on those pieces. They need easier pieces to keep building skills at the same time, so that sight reading, theory, etc, aren't neglected.
Ingrid:
The assignment in the assignment book should look by different for the pieces that are being polished. Week before a competition: Clear ideas on dynamics, tempi, opening and closing gestures. If its a back-burner piece, there are diff tempo goals (1/2 tempo, for example) and goals to think about balance in certain sections, etc. Ingrid stressed that it is important to have different goals for pieces depending on what the goal is for each piece.
Randy:
Someone asked a question about licensing and copyright of arraignments. Randy suggested that he contact the copyright holder or the company that owns the exclusive contract to the work, and you might get rights, but it's not easy. Congress passed a bill for recording. They legislated that the publisher has the right to say who does the first recording, but then afterward, everyone can record it after that with payment of mechanical royalty, but there is not a similar l for print music.
Studio management:
A teacher asked a question about working with continual transfer families (military families).
Scott : you do what you always do; "teach away." Give them your best work, just like you would with any other students. Also explore Skype teaching!
Method books: a method book doesn't move. A student moves. A book is just a book.
You don't have to do unit 3 on Tuesday because it's Tuesday. You do unit three when the student is ready.
Early level study ... Keep the music and repertoire moving. When we hit the post intermediate level, the students hit a phenomena of playing only 3 or 4 pieces at a time, and that's where we run into the problem.
Double-jointed students: Randy: teach these kids the same way you teach others. Many teachers make a mistake of having kids over curl the fingers and that collapses the bridge. Think of playing a finger and the process of moving into the curl so that there is a balance. That handles the issue of the flat finger.
Method book: do you recommend that students stay in one method?
Randy: a student has to see a lot of the same thing to take in the perception. When you move from method to method, you jeopardize the sequence. You're introducing a liability instead of an asset. In the 60s, pedagogy programs pushed teachers to use mixed methods to build reading, but now, teachers are better off NOT jumping around bc you won't get the value of what was intended within the methods.
Scott encourages his students to write their own methods. He said he finds that American methods go too slow and feels we need the ear involved and we go quicker.
A student with nails that are cut every day but the nails are still in the way. Have the student keep cutting it back. You can adjust the angle slightly.
Wrap up: what advice from the panel to young students and teachers?
Scott: Passion and love of music will carry you over every difficulty
Ingrid: So excited to see teachers taking notes. Continue to think of yourselves as students for the rest of your lives. There is not one day of my life where I teach a lesson and where I don't do something wrong.
Pete: never stop learning. Never lose sight of WHY you went into music. We get stuck in details of teaching and don't always let the magic show through. If the students aren't getting the magic, then we are missing out. The kids should see the passion.
Randy: be yourself. The way you interact with a child is very unique. You'll have special gifts and loves and those will convey in special ways. You can make a difference with every student.
Anderson and Roe master class ... Tuesday morning
Right now, MTNA President is introducing Anderson and Roe for their master class. He referred to them as the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rodgers of piano! Isn't that sooooo true?
First performers are two 10 year olds performing Spanish Dances, Op 12, second movement: Moderato, by Moszkowski.
Anderson's first question to the performers was, "do you guys enjoy performing this piece?" Ms Roe pointed out the title and the need to pull from the idea of "dance" and "Spanish." "We don't really get the dance spirit from your performance." The piece was almost too steady and didn't make us think of dancing. Mr Anderson is asking them to give as much shape and expression in the melody as possible. He reminds the secondo player to give interest to the part and support the primo player. They worked with these two young players to try to get more shape and expression. Mr Anderson reminded them that the primo plays two phrases and said, "oh, I like your shirt; but, oh, it has a spot." Ms Roe asked the students to sing the tune to have it become more expressive. "I'm too aware of all the little notes, instead of the shape of the entire phrase." Ms Roe summarized what they had worked on and reminded the students that the main melody comes back several times within the piece and they need to find the meaning and feeling of each. Sometimes, "coming home feels really warm."(Mr Anderson)
At one point in the piece, the main tune comes back, but the final note turns upward. Mr Anderson reminded them to "tickle their (the audience's) back" with that change.
Anderson and Roe sat down at the second piano and played a section for the students, and then asked them if they had ever waltzed. Mr Anderson marched and waltzed around the stage. Then they sat down again at second piano and played along with the two young performers. Mr Anderson also reminded them of the expressivity needed in the octave leap. 'Your singer needs time to reach that note.' They did a lot of demonstrating at the second piano. He also remarked that it needs to feel improvisatory, and doesn't need to sound metronomic. Mr Anderson had them play a fermata on the high note and wait to resolve that high note and played along to get them to be more expressive.
The second performers are now playing the Valse from Suite for Two Pianos, no 1 in F Major, op 15 by Arensky. These brothers, ages 11 and 14, have quite the flair as duo-pianists!!! Anderson and Roe are complimenting them about their great sense of ensemble. Mr Anderson is pointing out two things that are important in the opening: (1) chromatic lines ("something milky and sensual, risky about them, like a chorus of girls in the background singing this..." A "meow"...) and (2) more of a lilt in the melody. Mr Anderson asked them if they have listened to a lot of Strauss Waltzes like they play on New Year's Day in Vienna. These two boys play very well together!! Mr Anderson recommended a bit of pedal on the chromaticism. Ms Roe recommended lighter touch on second beat. Mr Anderson also recommend a bit of an overlap in the legato on the chromaticism to create that "oozing chocolate effect." They worked with both pianists on this idea, since they both have that line at one point or another in the piece. He worked with the second player on the big octave crashing chords and reminded him that it has to look joyful and effortless. Anderson and Roe were trying to get an explosion of sound in the hairpin passages (chromatic passages in the high treble range). They are going for over-arching phrase ideas and not individual notes and passages.
Mr Anderson sat down a few times to play along and showed effortless joy in making music! If one could take away one overarching idea from this master class, it is that Anderson and Roe were trying to evoke from the performers as much musical passion & expression on stage as possible.
10:20am
The final performers are now on stage. They are two 11th graders, performing the Sonata in D Major for two pianos, first movement, by Mozart. Anderson and Roe mentioned that whenever they perform this piece, it's the one they have to rehearse the most. There is the opening motive of a four-bar "hear ye, hear ye, exclamatory entrance." Thoughts from A&R: Let it be "cinematic and orchestral." Is it possible to make it sound big and orchestral but not harsh? They are asking for more warmth from the performers and the instruments. Mr Anderson described one of the LH parts (low repeated notes) as a bassoon. (My note: This is always the case when we play Mozart, isn't it? We almost need to think of opera orchestras and singers!) Ms Roe also pointed out that a lot of this piece is not downbeat-centric. They were having the primo player aim for for the second beat (quarter, stressed half note..). She recommended dabbing the bass notes with pedal. It's like a bass player plucking the string. There is a "residue." 'Warmth, resonance and energy in a pizzicato.' There is a tension going to the c# below the D.
There are still a few minutes remaining, but I have to run upstairs to pack and check out of my room, so I will be signing off the blog for now.
Ironically, in my inbox this morning arrived a "daily thought" from REAL SIMPLE magazine that said, "YOU CANNOT CREATE EXPERIENCE. YOU MUST UNDERGO IT." (Albert Camus) This is so "a propo" for today, given the age of the performers this morning. These young performers were all so talented; I am sure we will continue to hear them as they grow!
First performers are two 10 year olds performing Spanish Dances, Op 12, second movement: Moderato, by Moszkowski.
Anderson's first question to the performers was, "do you guys enjoy performing this piece?" Ms Roe pointed out the title and the need to pull from the idea of "dance" and "Spanish." "We don't really get the dance spirit from your performance." The piece was almost too steady and didn't make us think of dancing. Mr Anderson is asking them to give as much shape and expression in the melody as possible. He reminds the secondo player to give interest to the part and support the primo player. They worked with these two young players to try to get more shape and expression. Mr Anderson reminded them that the primo plays two phrases and said, "oh, I like your shirt; but, oh, it has a spot." Ms Roe asked the students to sing the tune to have it become more expressive. "I'm too aware of all the little notes, instead of the shape of the entire phrase." Ms Roe summarized what they had worked on and reminded the students that the main melody comes back several times within the piece and they need to find the meaning and feeling of each. Sometimes, "coming home feels really warm."(Mr Anderson)
At one point in the piece, the main tune comes back, but the final note turns upward. Mr Anderson reminded them to "tickle their (the audience's) back" with that change.
Anderson and Roe sat down at the second piano and played a section for the students, and then asked them if they had ever waltzed. Mr Anderson marched and waltzed around the stage. Then they sat down again at second piano and played along with the two young performers. Mr Anderson also reminded them of the expressivity needed in the octave leap. 'Your singer needs time to reach that note.' They did a lot of demonstrating at the second piano. He also remarked that it needs to feel improvisatory, and doesn't need to sound metronomic. Mr Anderson had them play a fermata on the high note and wait to resolve that high note and played along to get them to be more expressive.
The second performers are now playing the Valse from Suite for Two Pianos, no 1 in F Major, op 15 by Arensky. These brothers, ages 11 and 14, have quite the flair as duo-pianists!!! Anderson and Roe are complimenting them about their great sense of ensemble. Mr Anderson is pointing out two things that are important in the opening: (1) chromatic lines ("something milky and sensual, risky about them, like a chorus of girls in the background singing this..." A "meow"...) and (2) more of a lilt in the melody. Mr Anderson asked them if they have listened to a lot of Strauss Waltzes like they play on New Year's Day in Vienna. These two boys play very well together!! Mr Anderson recommended a bit of pedal on the chromaticism. Ms Roe recommended lighter touch on second beat. Mr Anderson also recommend a bit of an overlap in the legato on the chromaticism to create that "oozing chocolate effect." They worked with both pianists on this idea, since they both have that line at one point or another in the piece. He worked with the second player on the big octave crashing chords and reminded him that it has to look joyful and effortless. Anderson and Roe were trying to get an explosion of sound in the hairpin passages (chromatic passages in the high treble range). They are going for over-arching phrase ideas and not individual notes and passages.
Mr Anderson sat down a few times to play along and showed effortless joy in making music! If one could take away one overarching idea from this master class, it is that Anderson and Roe were trying to evoke from the performers as much musical passion & expression on stage as possible.
10:20am
The final performers are now on stage. They are two 11th graders, performing the Sonata in D Major for two pianos, first movement, by Mozart. Anderson and Roe mentioned that whenever they perform this piece, it's the one they have to rehearse the most. There is the opening motive of a four-bar "hear ye, hear ye, exclamatory entrance." Thoughts from A&R: Let it be "cinematic and orchestral." Is it possible to make it sound big and orchestral but not harsh? They are asking for more warmth from the performers and the instruments. Mr Anderson described one of the LH parts (low repeated notes) as a bassoon. (My note: This is always the case when we play Mozart, isn't it? We almost need to think of opera orchestras and singers!) Ms Roe also pointed out that a lot of this piece is not downbeat-centric. They were having the primo player aim for for the second beat (quarter, stressed half note..). She recommended dabbing the bass notes with pedal. It's like a bass player plucking the string. There is a "residue." 'Warmth, resonance and energy in a pizzicato.' There is a tension going to the c# below the D.
There are still a few minutes remaining, but I have to run upstairs to pack and check out of my room, so I will be signing off the blog for now.
Ironically, in my inbox this morning arrived a "daily thought" from REAL SIMPLE magazine that said, "YOU CANNOT CREATE EXPERIENCE. YOU MUST UNDERGO IT." (Albert Camus) This is so "a propo" for today, given the age of the performers this morning. These young performers were all so talented; I am sure we will continue to hear them as they grow!
Monday, March 11, 2013
Senior high competition winners' concert
I heard the most amazing rendition of Lowell Liebermann's 'Gargoyles' by a 10th grade pianist from Cleveland--- Megan Lee, a scholarship student of Sean Schulze at Cleveland Institute of Music.
Ms Lee received a standing ovation from a good portion of the audience at this concert! She has studied piano for ten years.
Ms Lee received a standing ovation from a good portion of the audience at this concert! She has studied piano for ten years.
Students of Howard Karp
After Martha Thomas gave an amazing presentation about the intermediate piano music of Max Reger, a small crowd gathered to talk with her. We suddenly realized that all of us had studied with Howard Karp, master teacher who spent decades at University of Wisconsin. Here is a pic of four of us who are students of Professor Karp!
The Forgotten Romantic: Max Reger's Intermediate Piano Repertoire, presented by Martha Thomas NCTM, University of Georgia
Max Reger...
Teacher, concertizing pianist, conductor, administrator, etc. He wore many hats!
1906 gave a very important concert in St Petersburg. Prokofiev heard him.
1912-13 He gave 106 concerts. (Difficult in a time before airline travel!)
A lot of people were very critical of his work. He was considered a revolutionary.
Supporters: Ferruccio Busoni referred to Reger as "Greatest living and deeply German composer" 1905
Arnold Shoenberg supported him.
Richard Strauss
Stylistic influence of Schumann or Brahms. She has found a piece that she calls "the fourth Brahms rhapsody." Other: Chopin, Grieg, Mendelssohn, Wagner, Liszt. Most important influence is not from the romantic era: JS BACH.
Reger referred to BACH as "the beginning and end of all music."
146 opus numbers and many works wOo. One collection has 111 pieces, so he actually wrote a lot of pieces.
He only had 25 years to write. His idea of resting involved writing a lot of music. He wrote for a lot of instruments. He wrote no symphony and no opera. He died at age 43.
Major pieces:
Prolific composer... Long list.
For piano:
21 opus numbers and many without opus.
Bach and Telemann variations... Each about 30 minutes long. Had he only written one of these, he'd still be in the history books. These are GREAT!
Piano concerto in F minor
No piano sonata but used sonata form in chamber music
Character piece
Max Hehemann (one of Reger's biographers): "Whether we like it or not, Reger simply happens to be complicated."
Reger uses non periodic shaping of phrases, revolutionary chromatic harmony, massive sound spectra (maybe because he was organist?), dense texture,
His shorter pieces tend to be through 3 sharps or flats. Rhythms are uncomplicated. He used basic harmonic progressions. Length: 1-3 pages generally. Two voices. Hand span: one octave.
ALBUM FOR YOUNG PEOPLE, opus 17
Composed 1895, published 1902
20 pieces, written as pedagogical compositions
published by Schott (only contains 14 of the 20 pieces)
Written while he was a student at the conservatory in Weissbaden. He wrote these for his own students.
1. Frohsinn. (Cheerfulness) A major. It has an Alberti-like structure in LH. He gives the melody to the LH. He goes into a unison passage right before the end of the piece. (This is common in these pieces.)
(Prof Thomas demonstrated the piece)
2. Hasche mich! This starts with a two voice texture. There are 3-note chords divided between the two hands. It has patterns similar to Watchman's Song by Grieg, but this piece is easier than the Grieg piece.
4. Das tote Vöglein. Chorale-style writing. It's a bit like "An Old Valentine" by Gillock, which would be a good preparation for this Reger piece.
5. Über Stock und Stein. Lively, 6/8 time, thin texture, hemiola pattern. This is a lot like Gade's "Round Dance." This is one of her favorites.
6. Was die Großmutter erzählt. (What the grandmother saw). Andante espressivo. Charming. Two-page piece. Stark changes of character. It's a bit like Schumann's "The Poor Orphan" from Album for the Young.
7. Ein Tänzchen B Flat Major. No pedal. Chords are small. Reminds a bit of "The Clown" by Kabalevsky. This is good prep for Schumann.
8. Bange Frage. (Anxious question.) A Minor. It has a built-in Q&A. It sounds sophisticated. It has part-writing that will necessitate writing in a lot of the fingerings for the student.
9. Weihnachtstraum. A major. LH has the Silent Night melody and the RH has intervallic patterns in two-note groupings. Astonishingly beautiful piece. Melody notes are larger; harmonies are smaller.
10. Großes Fest. This has chords with octaves, but you could leave out notes in order for small-hands to play this. B Flat Major. Allegro alla Marcia. This is a little harder than "Solider's March." Grieg Op 68, no 1 is the same style, as well.
11. Abendgesang. He distinguishes between melody and harmony notes with larger/smaller font. Melody is in the thumb, like Gillock SOARING from Lyric Preludes.
12. Fast zu keck! Allegro vivace. F Major. Three pages long. Fast and energetic. Fun! There is a big unison passage at the end of the second page. A lot of fun to play. Passages get divided between the two hands.
13. Frühlingslust. ( Spring's Delight) melody is divided between the hands. It fits the hand beautifully.
15. Reigen. (Round Dance) Two-part writing, lively.
18. Nordischer Tanz. D Major. It's a lot like Spinning Song, but harder. There are double notes in the RH.
19. Erster Streit. D Minor pre-tarantella piece. There are unison passages. The biggest danger is starting it too fast.
20. Versöhnung. A Major. Cantabile. It sounds like Schumann.
Collection without opus:
111 Canons (1895)
Pedagogical collection
Two and three part canons
All major and minor keys
The opening canon quotes Clementi Op 36. He also took a lot of Bach fugue subjects. His contrapuntal writing is fabulous.
Blätter und Blüten... Another collection without opus.
Humoreske. B minor. Fun piece!
Hasche-Mann... Similar to the third piece from Kinderscenen.
Frühlingslied. It sounds a lot like Wild Rose. Similar motive. Same harmonic progression at the beginning. Same key. Same range of the piano. This is upper intermediate.
Jagstück. (Hunting Song) easier than Schumann's hunting song. Chords are rolled. Notes can be omitted.
Scherzino. Great recital-ender piece for a student with slightly bigger hands. It's very patterned, more so than many of his other compositions.
Four Sonatinas, op 89
She likes Sonatina #2 the best. They are very classical-sounding. Transparent texture. They sound like Kuhlau and Clementi.
It's in D Major. Delightful. It's about five pages long.
Zehn Kleine Vortragsstücke, op 44
For teaching purposes
Burletta, #2 is a bit like the Grieg Elfin Dance
Op 143... From 1915... Dreaming by the Fireside... Traume und...? There are no black keys in this piece. This is fairly complicated, upper intermediate. It's very patterned. This is a great étude-style piece for students who aren't ready for Chopin.
Lose Blätter for Piano, op 13. Album Leaves. It has an almost direct quote from Schumann Fantasy. His publisher demanded the little pieces bc he didn't want the 30min pieces that would sit on the self and mildew.
#11 Appassionato. Fairly complicated, "Brahmsian" texture. Short. One page. This is a good prep for Rachmaninov C# minor prelude. This is also in C sharp minor.
Teacher, concertizing pianist, conductor, administrator, etc. He wore many hats!
1906 gave a very important concert in St Petersburg. Prokofiev heard him.
1912-13 He gave 106 concerts. (Difficult in a time before airline travel!)
A lot of people were very critical of his work. He was considered a revolutionary.
Supporters: Ferruccio Busoni referred to Reger as "Greatest living and deeply German composer" 1905
Arnold Shoenberg supported him.
Richard Strauss
Stylistic influence of Schumann or Brahms. She has found a piece that she calls "the fourth Brahms rhapsody." Other: Chopin, Grieg, Mendelssohn, Wagner, Liszt. Most important influence is not from the romantic era: JS BACH.
Reger referred to BACH as "the beginning and end of all music."
146 opus numbers and many works wOo. One collection has 111 pieces, so he actually wrote a lot of pieces.
He only had 25 years to write. His idea of resting involved writing a lot of music. He wrote for a lot of instruments. He wrote no symphony and no opera. He died at age 43.
Major pieces:
Prolific composer... Long list.
For piano:
21 opus numbers and many without opus.
Bach and Telemann variations... Each about 30 minutes long. Had he only written one of these, he'd still be in the history books. These are GREAT!
Piano concerto in F minor
No piano sonata but used sonata form in chamber music
Character piece
Max Hehemann (one of Reger's biographers): "Whether we like it or not, Reger simply happens to be complicated."
Reger uses non periodic shaping of phrases, revolutionary chromatic harmony, massive sound spectra (maybe because he was organist?), dense texture,
His shorter pieces tend to be through 3 sharps or flats. Rhythms are uncomplicated. He used basic harmonic progressions. Length: 1-3 pages generally. Two voices. Hand span: one octave.
ALBUM FOR YOUNG PEOPLE, opus 17
Composed 1895, published 1902
20 pieces, written as pedagogical compositions
published by Schott (only contains 14 of the 20 pieces)
Written while he was a student at the conservatory in Weissbaden. He wrote these for his own students.
1. Frohsinn. (Cheerfulness) A major. It has an Alberti-like structure in LH. He gives the melody to the LH. He goes into a unison passage right before the end of the piece. (This is common in these pieces.)
(Prof Thomas demonstrated the piece)
2. Hasche mich! This starts with a two voice texture. There are 3-note chords divided between the two hands. It has patterns similar to Watchman's Song by Grieg, but this piece is easier than the Grieg piece.
4. Das tote Vöglein. Chorale-style writing. It's a bit like "An Old Valentine" by Gillock, which would be a good preparation for this Reger piece.
5. Über Stock und Stein. Lively, 6/8 time, thin texture, hemiola pattern. This is a lot like Gade's "Round Dance." This is one of her favorites.
6. Was die Großmutter erzählt. (What the grandmother saw). Andante espressivo. Charming. Two-page piece. Stark changes of character. It's a bit like Schumann's "The Poor Orphan" from Album for the Young.
7. Ein Tänzchen B Flat Major. No pedal. Chords are small. Reminds a bit of "The Clown" by Kabalevsky. This is good prep for Schumann.
8. Bange Frage. (Anxious question.) A Minor. It has a built-in Q&A. It sounds sophisticated. It has part-writing that will necessitate writing in a lot of the fingerings for the student.
9. Weihnachtstraum. A major. LH has the Silent Night melody and the RH has intervallic patterns in two-note groupings. Astonishingly beautiful piece. Melody notes are larger; harmonies are smaller.
10. Großes Fest. This has chords with octaves, but you could leave out notes in order for small-hands to play this. B Flat Major. Allegro alla Marcia. This is a little harder than "Solider's March." Grieg Op 68, no 1 is the same style, as well.
11. Abendgesang. He distinguishes between melody and harmony notes with larger/smaller font. Melody is in the thumb, like Gillock SOARING from Lyric Preludes.
12. Fast zu keck! Allegro vivace. F Major. Three pages long. Fast and energetic. Fun! There is a big unison passage at the end of the second page. A lot of fun to play. Passages get divided between the two hands.
13. Frühlingslust. ( Spring's Delight) melody is divided between the hands. It fits the hand beautifully.
15. Reigen. (Round Dance) Two-part writing, lively.
18. Nordischer Tanz. D Major. It's a lot like Spinning Song, but harder. There are double notes in the RH.
19. Erster Streit. D Minor pre-tarantella piece. There are unison passages. The biggest danger is starting it too fast.
20. Versöhnung. A Major. Cantabile. It sounds like Schumann.
Collection without opus:
111 Canons (1895)
Pedagogical collection
Two and three part canons
All major and minor keys
The opening canon quotes Clementi Op 36. He also took a lot of Bach fugue subjects. His contrapuntal writing is fabulous.
Blätter und Blüten... Another collection without opus.
Humoreske. B minor. Fun piece!
Hasche-Mann... Similar to the third piece from Kinderscenen.
Frühlingslied. It sounds a lot like Wild Rose. Similar motive. Same harmonic progression at the beginning. Same key. Same range of the piano. This is upper intermediate.
Jagstück. (Hunting Song) easier than Schumann's hunting song. Chords are rolled. Notes can be omitted.
Scherzino. Great recital-ender piece for a student with slightly bigger hands. It's very patterned, more so than many of his other compositions.
Four Sonatinas, op 89
She likes Sonatina #2 the best. They are very classical-sounding. Transparent texture. They sound like Kuhlau and Clementi.
It's in D Major. Delightful. It's about five pages long.
Zehn Kleine Vortragsstücke, op 44
For teaching purposes
Burletta, #2 is a bit like the Grieg Elfin Dance
Op 143... From 1915... Dreaming by the Fireside... Traume und...? There are no black keys in this piece. This is fairly complicated, upper intermediate. It's very patterned. This is a great étude-style piece for students who aren't ready for Chopin.
Lose Blätter for Piano, op 13. Album Leaves. It has an almost direct quote from Schumann Fantasy. His publisher demanded the little pieces bc he didn't want the 30min pieces that would sit on the self and mildew.
#11 Appassionato. Fairly complicated, "Brahmsian" texture. Short. One page. This is a good prep for Rachmaninov C# minor prelude. This is also in C sharp minor.
Keynote address ... Rick Beyer, author
Rick Beyer is giving the keynote address right now. He said his mom warned him not to ever speak to an audience that knows more about a topic than you do! I'll keep updating as he speaks...
He also mentioned that he took piano for two years and learned two songs: one that was Yankee Doodle and one that wasn't. Haha.
Ivan Vaughan... May be the most important person in the history of rock n roll. He changed twelves of billions of music fans. He introduced two friends to each other. He introduced John and Paul. (Lennon and McCartney... July 6, 1957). This illustrates the most important history lesson he knows... "Everything that ever happened ALMOST DIDN'T."
Martin Scorsese and Robert Deniro... Scorsese had hired Kander and Ebb to write the music for a musical. Deniro didn't like the title song. He asked them if they could do better. They walked out, outraged that an actor told them how to write a song. The musical was called "New York, New York." If it weren't for Robert Deniro's anger, the song New York, New York would never have been written. No one even remembers the original song that he had complained about, but everyone knows NY NY!
"But for a button..." Story... Handel was a hot headed second violinist in the opera company and got into a duel with another musician. The sword got caught on a button and broke, saving their lives. Handel went on to become a famous composer, writing The Messiah.
Isidore Hocberg...lost all his possessions, but found his way with creativity. He called up Gershwin, a high school buddy, and Gershwin set him up with someone with whom he could write songs. His name is Yip Harburg in the Americanized version. He is best known for writing the music for The Wizard of Oz. He also wrote, "Brother, can you spare a dime?" He also wrote "big blue tears." I could go on crying big blue tears, ever since you said we're through. He wrote the "spare a dime" lyrics when a homeless man asked him that phrase. A chance encounter gave us one of the most important American songs ever written.
The act of creation is often NOT PRETTY.
Rick Beyer sang a bit of the flying trapeze, and got the audience to sing along. The song was inspired by a real person... A young Frenchman who made his Paris debut as an aerial acrobat. We remember him today for what he WORE... A skin-tight piece of clothing that he invented himself. His name? Jules Leotard.
The oldest song in the world with music that is still extant? You have to go back 3400 years to find the earliest known piece of published music. It's a hymn to a moon goodness that's carved in stone. An archaeologist cross-referenced the musical notation to figure out what the actual notes were. "You can still get it on a tablet." Hahaha
He threw a POP QUIZ! If you win, you will not get Carl Castle's voice on your answering machine.
1973...Watergate Hearings inspired a broadway musical. Bennett and friends had an all-night "therapy session to talk about their lives, their worries, etc. He was a dancer, and his friends were dancers... The musical was A CHORUS LINE.
two songs from 1850's... Dixie and Jingle Bells... One from the north. One from the south. Dixie was written by an Ohio man in a NY hotel room for a minstrel show. He was enraged when the song was adopted as a confederate anthem. He said, if i had known they would It was written by a "damned Yankee." Haha
Peirpont grew up in Bedford, Mass, but he published Jingle Bells while living in Savannah Georgia. Pierpont also wrote many songs for the confederate.
America's first recording star? A African-American street musician... George Washington Johnson...late 1800's ... Really good as a street musician who whistled and laughed in tune. A talent scout found him and they recorded him a lot. In the 1890's, the recorded onto a wax cylinder. There was no master. Each recording has to be made individually. He had to perform his songs 50 times a day in order to be able to record anything. He made 50,000 recordings. He played a clip of THE LAUGHING SONG. George was paid 20cents a song, so musicians "have always been screwed financially." He fell from the public eye poor and forgotten.
Early phonographs were a novelty that phonograph concerts were a novelty. People went to the theatre to hear records being played.
John Philip Sousa was worried that recorded music was ruining live music in America. He wrote "THE MENACE OF MECHANICAL MUSIC." "Sweeping across the country... Comes now the mechanical device... And substitute for human skill, intelligence and soul..." With recorded music available, he feared that people would stop learning to play live music. Today, we live Ina. World drenched in recorded music.
Ben Franklin saw a musician playing on the rims of glasses, so he was inspired to invent the Armonica. It inspired Mozart and Beethoven to write pieces for it. Factories sprung up to make lots of these. Many people felt it had healing properties. People became to believe that it caused insanity, though. The instruction manual warned of its impact on peoples' temperament. It was banned in parts of Germany. By the 1800's, people had turned against the instrument. It was kill by it's own magical powers...
A song once saved the life of a president. John Tyler went on a ship called the Princeton. There was a new cannon called "the peacemaker." They announced that they were going to fire the cannon one more time, but someone broke into an impromptu song and he didn't want to be rude and walk out on the song. The cannon blew up and six people died.
Jean Baptiste Lully... Killed by his own conducting... He was pounding a stick and hit his foot. He got gangrene and lead poisoning and died two months later. He's the only person to be killed by his own conducting.
1913.. Curtain opens ... RIOT! It was the premiere of THE RITE OF SPRING. Two months earlier, in March 1913, a similar concert took place in Vienna at a concert by Schoenberg. He had to be forced off the stage. The citizens of the USA were also torn apart by something musical... It took the country by storm... The TANGO! The dance swept across Europe and America in 1913. Tango classes became all the rage. NYC had a tango car on the trolleys so people could dance their way to and from work. Harvard U banned it's track team from doing the tango. The tango fever subsided, but other culture wars have appeared throughout history and somehow, we are still here.
Hail to the Chief is a showtune from THE LADY OF THE LAKE.
Take me out to the Ballgame was written on the subway by a guy who had never been to a ball game. There are a bunch of verses, all about Katie.
The Drifters... "Save the Last Dance for Me." Doc Pomas (sp?) wrote the lyrics to that song. He wanted to be a blues singer, so he started writing to make some extra money. He wrote the lyrics to a lot of pop songs. He wrote the lyrics on the back of an old wedding invitation when he was thinking of his own wedding three years prior. He was crippled by polio since he was a child. He urged his new wife to dance with other guests. His song was really a plea of a man who couldn't dance with his bride.
He also mentioned that he took piano for two years and learned two songs: one that was Yankee Doodle and one that wasn't. Haha.
Ivan Vaughan... May be the most important person in the history of rock n roll. He changed twelves of billions of music fans. He introduced two friends to each other. He introduced John and Paul. (Lennon and McCartney... July 6, 1957). This illustrates the most important history lesson he knows... "Everything that ever happened ALMOST DIDN'T."
Martin Scorsese and Robert Deniro... Scorsese had hired Kander and Ebb to write the music for a musical. Deniro didn't like the title song. He asked them if they could do better. They walked out, outraged that an actor told them how to write a song. The musical was called "New York, New York." If it weren't for Robert Deniro's anger, the song New York, New York would never have been written. No one even remembers the original song that he had complained about, but everyone knows NY NY!
"But for a button..." Story... Handel was a hot headed second violinist in the opera company and got into a duel with another musician. The sword got caught on a button and broke, saving their lives. Handel went on to become a famous composer, writing The Messiah.
Isidore Hocberg...lost all his possessions, but found his way with creativity. He called up Gershwin, a high school buddy, and Gershwin set him up with someone with whom he could write songs. His name is Yip Harburg in the Americanized version. He is best known for writing the music for The Wizard of Oz. He also wrote, "Brother, can you spare a dime?" He also wrote "big blue tears." I could go on crying big blue tears, ever since you said we're through. He wrote the "spare a dime" lyrics when a homeless man asked him that phrase. A chance encounter gave us one of the most important American songs ever written.
The act of creation is often NOT PRETTY.
Rick Beyer sang a bit of the flying trapeze, and got the audience to sing along. The song was inspired by a real person... A young Frenchman who made his Paris debut as an aerial acrobat. We remember him today for what he WORE... A skin-tight piece of clothing that he invented himself. His name? Jules Leotard.
The oldest song in the world with music that is still extant? You have to go back 3400 years to find the earliest known piece of published music. It's a hymn to a moon goodness that's carved in stone. An archaeologist cross-referenced the musical notation to figure out what the actual notes were. "You can still get it on a tablet." Hahaha
He threw a POP QUIZ! If you win, you will not get Carl Castle's voice on your answering machine.
1973...Watergate Hearings inspired a broadway musical. Bennett and friends had an all-night "therapy session to talk about their lives, their worries, etc. He was a dancer, and his friends were dancers... The musical was A CHORUS LINE.
two songs from 1850's... Dixie and Jingle Bells... One from the north. One from the south. Dixie was written by an Ohio man in a NY hotel room for a minstrel show. He was enraged when the song was adopted as a confederate anthem. He said, if i had known they would It was written by a "damned Yankee." Haha
Peirpont grew up in Bedford, Mass, but he published Jingle Bells while living in Savannah Georgia. Pierpont also wrote many songs for the confederate.
America's first recording star? A African-American street musician... George Washington Johnson...late 1800's ... Really good as a street musician who whistled and laughed in tune. A talent scout found him and they recorded him a lot. In the 1890's, the recorded onto a wax cylinder. There was no master. Each recording has to be made individually. He had to perform his songs 50 times a day in order to be able to record anything. He made 50,000 recordings. He played a clip of THE LAUGHING SONG. George was paid 20cents a song, so musicians "have always been screwed financially." He fell from the public eye poor and forgotten.
Early phonographs were a novelty that phonograph concerts were a novelty. People went to the theatre to hear records being played.
John Philip Sousa was worried that recorded music was ruining live music in America. He wrote "THE MENACE OF MECHANICAL MUSIC." "Sweeping across the country... Comes now the mechanical device... And substitute for human skill, intelligence and soul..." With recorded music available, he feared that people would stop learning to play live music. Today, we live Ina. World drenched in recorded music.
Ben Franklin saw a musician playing on the rims of glasses, so he was inspired to invent the Armonica. It inspired Mozart and Beethoven to write pieces for it. Factories sprung up to make lots of these. Many people felt it had healing properties. People became to believe that it caused insanity, though. The instruction manual warned of its impact on peoples' temperament. It was banned in parts of Germany. By the 1800's, people had turned against the instrument. It was kill by it's own magical powers...
A song once saved the life of a president. John Tyler went on a ship called the Princeton. There was a new cannon called "the peacemaker." They announced that they were going to fire the cannon one more time, but someone broke into an impromptu song and he didn't want to be rude and walk out on the song. The cannon blew up and six people died.
Jean Baptiste Lully... Killed by his own conducting... He was pounding a stick and hit his foot. He got gangrene and lead poisoning and died two months later. He's the only person to be killed by his own conducting.
1913.. Curtain opens ... RIOT! It was the premiere of THE RITE OF SPRING. Two months earlier, in March 1913, a similar concert took place in Vienna at a concert by Schoenberg. He had to be forced off the stage. The citizens of the USA were also torn apart by something musical... It took the country by storm... The TANGO! The dance swept across Europe and America in 1913. Tango classes became all the rage. NYC had a tango car on the trolleys so people could dance their way to and from work. Harvard U banned it's track team from doing the tango. The tango fever subsided, but other culture wars have appeared throughout history and somehow, we are still here.
Hail to the Chief is a showtune from THE LADY OF THE LAKE.
Take me out to the Ballgame was written on the subway by a guy who had never been to a ball game. There are a bunch of verses, all about Katie.
The Drifters... "Save the Last Dance for Me." Doc Pomas (sp?) wrote the lyrics to that song. He wanted to be a blues singer, so he started writing to make some extra money. He wrote the lyrics to a lot of pop songs. He wrote the lyrics on the back of an old wedding invitation when he was thinking of his own wedding three years prior. He was crippled by polio since he was a child. He urged his new wife to dance with other guests. His song was really a plea of a man who couldn't dance with his bride.
Early morning!
This morning, I attended a 7-9am meeting of the nominating committee, as a representative for the Eastern Division. Lovely view of the mountains in the dark this morning from my room at 6am... ;-)
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Master Class with Peter Mack - Sunday morning
Due to the time change and the crazy travel schedule, I didn't arrive at Professor Peter Mack's master class until the 2nd performer was about to perform. Lucky for me, I got to see this amazing, witty, charming Irishman do his 'thing' on stage! Also lucky for me, I got to hear a 16-yr old pianist, Alec Allee-Munoz, from Newbury Park, CA (student of Edward Francis) perform "Desperate Measures, op. 48 (Paganini Variations)" by Robert Muczynski.
After Alec performed the piece, Professor Mack worked with him, involving the audience of teachers at every opportunity. Some thoughts from the professor's wonderful presentation:
Instead of thinking of this piece as a set of variations, think of it as one piece that can CREATE a set of variations. Prof Mack stressed thinking of the overall set so that the audience will feel 'swept away.'
Then I hear the BEST COMMENT EVER in a Master Class. If there were an award for this category, Prof. Mack might very well win 1st, 2nd and 3rd prize! He made a remark that this young pianist has very fashionable hair, but the 'sweep' hides his eyes. Mack stated, 'when I watch a pianist with their eyes hidden, I feel isolated.' He even stated that he keeps hair 'things' in his teaching studio & if students arrive for their lesson with hair in their eyes, he has them grab something to put in their hair to move it out of their eyes. (He then made a remark that he lets them keep that, since he doesn't want a lice epidemic to spread! hahaha)
Professor Mack encouraged the student to 'crouch down' while playing the piano to show the audience a change to quiet dynamic level. He also pointed out that he likes his students to sit on the edge of the bench because they move more and it stops them from slouching.
Then, to demonstrate shaping of phrases, Prof Mack asked the student to play one section of music and play the one note that he should 'go to' within that phrase. He then turned to the audience and asked them to clap at the point where the climax of the phrase should be and he further stated that if they didn't clap, he would look at them and single them out. HAHA! The audience was clapping at every possible downbeat and Prof Mack pointed out to the student that this was because HE wasn't making it clear in his playing which note was important. After the student played it again, with one note clearly standing out among the others, Prof Mack complimented the student that it was better, but that wasn't the note he would've chosen! Then he gave an analogy to think of your life. You wake up in the morning and you're at home, all calm and peaceful and relaxed. Then you go out into the 'scary world' and how do you feel? Then you go back home. He was encouraging the student to aim for the note that wasn't in the home key. The phrase should all go to one note and that one note is outside the harmonic area.
It seems that Prof Mack is full of analogies and stories as he gives a Master Class (and this is the first one I have ever seen! WHY!?)! He was referring to a section where you can think of the tempo getting faster and faster in one section and then slower in another. He said it's like the mad scientist in her laboratory mixing the chemical, but later she has compassion for her victim. "Listen to the bubbles and toxic chemicals." Professor Mack had the audience in stitches the entire time!
At one point, the piece requires the pianist to play one measure piano and the next forte, and back and forth as such. Prof Mack turned to the young pianist and said, "Tell me, can you keep a secret?" He was encouraging the young man to keep a secret that the next measure would be an opposite dynamic. He suggested a practice technique for this: play one measure very loud, then pause, then play the next one very quiet, then pause, etc. Change the body between loud and quiet. Since it takes time to change the body, you'll take a bit of time between the changes. As you practice, this amount of time will lessen.
In a 'scherzando' variation, Prof Mack reminded the young pianist to show us that he is at play. Don't look too serious. He told the student that it needs a bit more rubato to be creepy... (going back to a story about the mad scientist!).
In the slow variation, he said it is about 'lingering.' He demonstrated at the piano, with hints of singing along. He told the student this is really a contralto singing, and you don't ever hurry contraltos! HAHA! "You have time."
He also reminded the pianist that the music has a bit of 'teasing.'
It is very difficult to capture in words how one would describe a Peter Mack master class. I'm convinced that Peter should be in the movies. I'd pay to see him as a 'character' in a movie like Batman or Spiderman! It was a pleasure to watch him sing, dance and play his way through teaching this young student. (LUCKY STUDENT!!!)
After Alec performed the piece, Professor Mack worked with him, involving the audience of teachers at every opportunity. Some thoughts from the professor's wonderful presentation:
Instead of thinking of this piece as a set of variations, think of it as one piece that can CREATE a set of variations. Prof Mack stressed thinking of the overall set so that the audience will feel 'swept away.'
Then I hear the BEST COMMENT EVER in a Master Class. If there were an award for this category, Prof. Mack might very well win 1st, 2nd and 3rd prize! He made a remark that this young pianist has very fashionable hair, but the 'sweep' hides his eyes. Mack stated, 'when I watch a pianist with their eyes hidden, I feel isolated.' He even stated that he keeps hair 'things' in his teaching studio & if students arrive for their lesson with hair in their eyes, he has them grab something to put in their hair to move it out of their eyes. (He then made a remark that he lets them keep that, since he doesn't want a lice epidemic to spread! hahaha)
Professor Mack encouraged the student to 'crouch down' while playing the piano to show the audience a change to quiet dynamic level. He also pointed out that he likes his students to sit on the edge of the bench because they move more and it stops them from slouching.
Then, to demonstrate shaping of phrases, Prof Mack asked the student to play one section of music and play the one note that he should 'go to' within that phrase. He then turned to the audience and asked them to clap at the point where the climax of the phrase should be and he further stated that if they didn't clap, he would look at them and single them out. HAHA! The audience was clapping at every possible downbeat and Prof Mack pointed out to the student that this was because HE wasn't making it clear in his playing which note was important. After the student played it again, with one note clearly standing out among the others, Prof Mack complimented the student that it was better, but that wasn't the note he would've chosen! Then he gave an analogy to think of your life. You wake up in the morning and you're at home, all calm and peaceful and relaxed. Then you go out into the 'scary world' and how do you feel? Then you go back home. He was encouraging the student to aim for the note that wasn't in the home key. The phrase should all go to one note and that one note is outside the harmonic area.
It seems that Prof Mack is full of analogies and stories as he gives a Master Class (and this is the first one I have ever seen! WHY!?)! He was referring to a section where you can think of the tempo getting faster and faster in one section and then slower in another. He said it's like the mad scientist in her laboratory mixing the chemical, but later she has compassion for her victim. "Listen to the bubbles and toxic chemicals." Professor Mack had the audience in stitches the entire time!
At one point, the piece requires the pianist to play one measure piano and the next forte, and back and forth as such. Prof Mack turned to the young pianist and said, "Tell me, can you keep a secret?" He was encouraging the young man to keep a secret that the next measure would be an opposite dynamic. He suggested a practice technique for this: play one measure very loud, then pause, then play the next one very quiet, then pause, etc. Change the body between loud and quiet. Since it takes time to change the body, you'll take a bit of time between the changes. As you practice, this amount of time will lessen.
In a 'scherzando' variation, Prof Mack reminded the young pianist to show us that he is at play. Don't look too serious. He told the student that it needs a bit more rubato to be creepy... (going back to a story about the mad scientist!).
In the slow variation, he said it is about 'lingering.' He demonstrated at the piano, with hints of singing along. He told the student this is really a contralto singing, and you don't ever hurry contraltos! HAHA! "You have time."
He also reminded the pianist that the music has a bit of 'teasing.'
It is very difficult to capture in words how one would describe a Peter Mack master class. I'm convinced that Peter should be in the movies. I'd pay to see him as a 'character' in a movie like Batman or Spiderman! It was a pleasure to watch him sing, dance and play his way through teaching this young student. (LUCKY STUDENT!!!)
Premieres!
Wow... Wonderful new music from Jennifer Linn and Dennis Alexander that we just heard! Both pieces were well-received and were just lovely!
Jennifer Linn is sharing the story of her trio, Serendipity. She and her husband moved to Cody, Wyoming 25 yrs ago when her son had just been born. Her husband had taken a teaching job in WY. Jennifer heard that Dennis Alexander was doing a teacher workshop in her new town, and she went. She said only about 8 people attended and she won the door prize! She was inspired by hearing a composer play his own works. She said this is all serendipitous!
Dennis Alexander is talking about how honored he is to share the stage with Jennifer. She has become a "real force" as a composer. Many of us have taught her music.
They are gushing with thanks for each other!
Dennis: in 1986, Dennis met Amanda Vick Lethco for dinner and she asked Dennis to do some workshops for Alfred to help her and Willard show their new method. They wanted a young "whippersnapper" to give workshops. Dennis flew out to CA to meet Morty and Iris Manus, and was surprised that Morty himself picked up Dennis at the airport! Morty asked Dennis if he had ever written any music, and Dennis said no, "no one had ever asked me." So, Dennis started writing, and 27 years later, here we are! Dennis didn't expect it to turn into a career!
Ann Rivers Witherspoon, who is moderating the session, asked Dennis to name his own favorites of his own compositions. He mentioned the 24 Character Preludes. Also, With These Hands, which Dennis wrote after his son passed away in 1999.
Jennifer... Favorites of her own compositions... The Hummingbird, for her ability to write in a French style. It captures the spirit. Les Petites Impressions and Reflections... Favorite books. "By the Waterfall" is one of her favorites. It's a very nice "pre-Debussy" piece.
Ann said one of her favorites of Jennifer's compositions is the Arabesque and a favorite of Dennis's compositions is Toccata Brilliante (has saved lots of musical careers!) Dennis mentioned that his inspiration for that piece is Sunbird by Lynn Freeman Olson.
Dennis pointed out that you never know which piece will be popular and sell lots of copies.
Both of these composers normally write for piano solo and duet, so these premieres pulled them outside of their usual oeuvres. Dennis also mentioned he had never written before for strings. He tried to give both of the string parts an opportunity to shine.
Note that both of these pieces were written for intermediate high school players. Dennis's piece is published by Alfred and Jennifer's composition is published by Hal Leonard. If you are attending the conference, you can purchase these pieces in the exhibit hall at the Alfred booth (Dennis) and Hal Leonard booth (Jennifer) and the composers will even sign them for you or your students!
Here are recordings of both pieces:
SERENDIPITY by JENNIFER LINN: http://youtu.be/ws4djKrU01w
DANCE SUITE by DENNIS ALEXANDER: http://youtu.be/4gRblGqe9SM
Jennifer Linn is sharing the story of her trio, Serendipity. She and her husband moved to Cody, Wyoming 25 yrs ago when her son had just been born. Her husband had taken a teaching job in WY. Jennifer heard that Dennis Alexander was doing a teacher workshop in her new town, and she went. She said only about 8 people attended and she won the door prize! She was inspired by hearing a composer play his own works. She said this is all serendipitous!
Dennis Alexander is talking about how honored he is to share the stage with Jennifer. She has become a "real force" as a composer. Many of us have taught her music.
They are gushing with thanks for each other!
Dennis: in 1986, Dennis met Amanda Vick Lethco for dinner and she asked Dennis to do some workshops for Alfred to help her and Willard show their new method. They wanted a young "whippersnapper" to give workshops. Dennis flew out to CA to meet Morty and Iris Manus, and was surprised that Morty himself picked up Dennis at the airport! Morty asked Dennis if he had ever written any music, and Dennis said no, "no one had ever asked me." So, Dennis started writing, and 27 years later, here we are! Dennis didn't expect it to turn into a career!
Ann Rivers Witherspoon, who is moderating the session, asked Dennis to name his own favorites of his own compositions. He mentioned the 24 Character Preludes. Also, With These Hands, which Dennis wrote after his son passed away in 1999.
Jennifer... Favorites of her own compositions... The Hummingbird, for her ability to write in a French style. It captures the spirit. Les Petites Impressions and Reflections... Favorite books. "By the Waterfall" is one of her favorites. It's a very nice "pre-Debussy" piece.
Ann said one of her favorites of Jennifer's compositions is the Arabesque and a favorite of Dennis's compositions is Toccata Brilliante (has saved lots of musical careers!) Dennis mentioned that his inspiration for that piece is Sunbird by Lynn Freeman Olson.
Dennis pointed out that you never know which piece will be popular and sell lots of copies.
Both of these composers normally write for piano solo and duet, so these premieres pulled them outside of their usual oeuvres. Dennis also mentioned he had never written before for strings. He tried to give both of the string parts an opportunity to shine.
Note that both of these pieces were written for intermediate high school players. Dennis's piece is published by Alfred and Jennifer's composition is published by Hal Leonard. If you are attending the conference, you can purchase these pieces in the exhibit hall at the Alfred booth (Dennis) and Hal Leonard booth (Jennifer) and the composers will even sign them for you or your students!
Here are recordings of both pieces:
SERENDIPITY by JENNIFER LINN: http://youtu.be/ws4djKrU01w
DANCE SUITE by DENNIS ALEXANDER: http://youtu.be/4gRblGqe9SM
1pm showcases
I caught a little bit of the Alfred Showcase at 1pm and heard an amazing performance by Anderson and Roe. (See previous post.) Then I headed off to hear a bit from The Royal Conservatory Music Development Program, formerly The Achievement Program or NMCP. The presenters are talking thru the whole program. The program has gone thru several name changes, and Carnegie Hall is no long co sponsoring the program in the USA, but it's still really the same program as it has been for quite some time. For more info, www.MusicDevelopmentProgram.org
FYI... I had one student play the Grade 7 Piano Exam in The Achievement Program in December, and he scored in the 90s, called First Class Honors with Distinction, which is the highest mark given to the participants. This was the first time I entered a student into this program and got to know the syllabus pretty well through this process. All registration is done online, and scores/remarks are also given to students and teachers online. There are 10 levels (grades) in the program.
FYI... I had one student play the Grade 7 Piano Exam in The Achievement Program in December, and he scored in the 90s, called First Class Honors with Distinction, which is the highest mark given to the participants. This was the first time I entered a student into this program and got to know the syllabus pretty well through this process. All registration is done online, and scores/remarks are also given to students and teachers online. There are 10 levels (grades) in the program.
Anderson & Roe
Just heard an amazing performance of a new arrangement of Ballet from Orphee and Eurydice by Gluck, arr. Greg Anderson, with Anderson & Roe at the piano. WOW! What a great surprise during the Alfred workshop!
Amazing Sunday so far
Amazing sessions so far today! I'm taking copious notes and will update blog on the next break!
Saturday, March 9, 2013
Opening concert/welcoming remarks
Conference attendees have gathered in the Grand Ballroom tonight for opening remarks by conference leaders and MTNA leaders. There will also be a concert soon by the AHN TRIO.
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