Screen Shots: How to capture your iPad/iPhone Screen with the touch of a button (or two)

Screen Shots:  You can snap a quick ‘picture’ of your iPad/iPhone screen by pressing the home button (big round button on the case) and the on/off switch at the same time. The screen will flash and the photo you snapped will appear in your PHOTOS, usually in the album called CAMERA ROLL.   

This is a useful trick for capturing a quick screen shot of something your student was working on in the lesson.  For example: make a quick screen shot of the ‘high score’ screen in an app like PianoMaestro, FlashNoteDerby, etc.  

My students like to get a screen shot of their completed worksheet from the SproutBeat app, which is a cool app with lots of neat music theory worksheets.  I snap a Screen Shot and then email it to the student or their parent.  (Note: I can also print directly from that app if I have my AirPrint printer ‘on’ at that moment.) 

Quick tip: Using iPhone CAMERA to 'read the fine print'

Quick Tip:  Can’t see the ‘fine print’ at the bottom of a page, a footnote, or an ingredient list on a food label?  Use your ‘camera’ on your mobile device to ‘zoom in’ on the fine print to view it larger on the screen.  You don’t even need to snap a photo.  Just zoom in and view through the mobile screen.  (I use this a lot in grocery stores to read labels!)

AirDrop: How to quickly transfer a large video from your iPad/iPhone to your student's iPad/iPhone

AirDrop: 

Need a quick and easy way to transfer a large video to a student after a lesson?  Instead of emailing (which isn’t possible for videos over about 54 seconds long), dropping it into DropBox or GoogleDrive,  or uploading to YouTube as an unlisted video, why not use AirDrop!?    AirDrop allows to you drop virtually anything from your iPad or iPhone onto someone else’s iPad or iPhone, as long as they are within about 20 feet of you.  

How?  On your iPhone or iPad, swipe up from the bottom center to open the controls (opaque grey screen).  Turn on the bluetooth connection (squiggly thing) on the top row in the middle.  It will turn WHITE when it’s on.  Then tap on AirDrop near the bottom.  Another window will open asking if you'd like to make yourself discoverable.  You can choose CONTACTS ONLY or EVERYONE.  If the person you’re planning to share the video with is in your CONTACTS, then choose CONTACTS.  Otherwise, choose EVERYONE.   Have the other person go through the same procedure.   Then go to your PHOTOS and choose the video you’d like to share with your student, select it from the video album and click on the little box with the up arrow shooting out of it (found in the lower left corner).  That’s the universal sign for ‘share’ on an apple device.  From there, click on AirDrop (which will now be in the center of the screen) and it will light up in blue.  You will see a list of all of the people within approx. 20 feet who also have AirDrop “on” within their device.  Choose the person with whom you’d like to share your file.  That person will receive a notice on their screen saying that you’d like to share a file with them.  They can decline or accept.  If they accept, the file goes into their device.  A copy is still on YOUR DEVICE, so you can either keep it or delete it if you no longer need it.   

When you’re finished AirDropping a file, be sure to swipe up from the center of the bottom and turn off AirDrop and then turn off your BlueTooth.

I have found that this is a convenient way to transfer a video to the parents of a young student after a lesson.  Then I don't have to share the video through DropBox or GoogleDrive.   When I have uploaded unlisted videos to YouTube, the students don't always use them, but they will use them if the video is on their mobile device or on mom/dad's mobile device!

Facebook Tech Tip!

Tech tip of the day... Did you know you have an 'OTHER' inbox on Facebook?   That's where facebook sends all of the messages that come from people who are NOT your facebook friends.  To check the 'other' inbox, from a computer browser (or browser on mobile device, but NOT THE FACEBOOK APP on a mobile device), click on the messages button on the top of the screen and then click on OTHER when the box opens.  You'll be amazed at what's there ;)  (photos attached for examples!)

The middle thing is your INBOX! 

Notice here on the left that you have an INBOX and OTHER INBOX. 

APPLE COMPUTER tip of the week:  SCREEN CAPTURE

To capture a portion of your screen as an image file, simply type SHIFT COMMAND 4 and a little sign that looks like a CODA SIGN appears. Click anywhere at the edge of what you want to 'capture' and then hold the mouse button and drag to the other side of the object. The image file you just captured saved to your computer. Mine save automatically to my desktop but you might have your default set as the documents folder or something similar. You can then drag and drop that image file into an email to send to a student, friend, etc, or can drag it to iPhoto for editing.

If you'd like to capture the entire screen, type COMMAND SHIFT 3.


A colleague asked me if there's a way to capture a specific application window.  YES! There is!!!!   Type SHIFT COMMAND 4 and then tap the spacebar.  The window turns an odd opaque color and a little camera appears.  Move the camera over the window you'd like to capture. Then click the mouse.  Voila!  You captured an application window. 

APPLE COMPUTER user tips:

"MAC" computer tip of the week smile emoticon :

If you have a "MAC" computer, did you know that you can have it read everything to you? I frequently have my MAC read articles or books to me while I am cooking or cleaning the kitchen!

How can you set up the same thing? Open SYSTEM PREFERENCES. (Go to the apple at the upper left, scroll down to SYSTEM PREF.)

Click on DICTATION AND SPEECH

Click on TEXT TO SPEECH

Choose the voice you would like to hear. (Mine is set on "ALEX.")
Select a 'speaking rate.' If you need to read something quickly, listen at the fastest speed. (ha - I almost typed 'tempo.' LOL)

Check the box that says "speak selected text when the key is pressed." You can click on 'CHANGE KEY' to set up which shortcut key you'd like to use to tell the computer to speak to you. I use a combination of three keys - SHIFT COMMAND S
You can set up any key or keys you like.

While you are in DICTATION AND SPEECH, you can also set up DICTATION in a similar way, and then you can dictate what you'd like the computer to 'type' for you. (Some of you may do this on your mobile devices already.) You can use 'dictation' wherever you'd normally type text.

You can also speak the punctuation. So, you can say something like this: "Hello Jane comma how are you question mark" and it will appear like this: "Hello Jane,  how are you?"

Showing appreciation for TEACHERS ?

Want to show your appreciation for the teachers who work with your children? A lot of parents send massive amounts of food to school. Please consider giving things other than food this year. Your child's teachers are spending a lot of their own $$ to buy supplies for their classroom and for the students who cannot afford them. Judging by posts in several professional teacher groups online, many teachers are spending upwards of $1000 a year (some WAY more than this) of their own money on classroom supplies. How about sending in gift cards for Target, Barnes and Noble, Staples, etc, so that the teachers can buy what they need for their classroom, rather than sending in cakes and cookies, some of which don't ever get eaten? If you are a parent, please consider this. None of us need more of the sugary stuff, but we DO need pencils, markers, etc, in our classrooms.  Thank you!

Tips on using facebook

Some tips on using FACEBOOK:

(1) There is an 'other' inbox where messages land when they are sent by someone who isn't a 'friend' connection on facebook. e.g. Someone in a group says, 'sure, I will send you a copy of that curriculum I wrote for 3rd grade music,' and it will likely land in your 'other' inbox. Check it from a computer or from a BROWSER on iPad/iPhone, but not from the Facebook app on mobile devices. It doesn't appear on those.

(2) A lot of the posts that your friends write do NOT appear in your 'feed' unless you've put them into the 'close friends' category. If you want to see everything someone wrote, go to their timeline. Otherwise, facebook filters all of it.

(3) If you are a member of a GROUP, you can search that group using the little magnifying glass at the top right corner of the group. Again, GO TO THE GROUP. Don't read the posts from the feed, or you're only getting 10% of them (or less). You can search for topics, keywords, names, etc.

(4) If you want to follow a post in a group, there is no need to type the word 'following' as a reply in the post. That's annoying and takes up space in the thread. Just choose 'get notifications' or 'save "x"/add to your SAVED LINKS' from the drop-down menu that looks like a little V at the top right of the individual post.

(5) As a member of a group, it's best to read that GROUP from the group itself, and not from the feed, or you're missing a lot of the posts. You have a list of groups on the lefthand side your HOME screen and you can slide open to it on iPad and iPhone or can simply type the name of the group in the bar at the top of the screen.

How to conduct an INTERVIEW with a new student

Hello friends! If you teach private lessons, here is an article I just wrote about how to conduct an INTERVIEW with a new student. https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=673591039398912&id=429624533795565&fref=nf



Pedagogy Ponderings Question of the Week: "I’m curious to know what you do during an interview process."

Answered by:  Kathleen Theisen, NCTM, Past-President, CT State MTA; Independent Piano & Voice Teacher, Darien, CT; Minister of Music, Darien UMC; Music Teacher/Choral Director, Darien Public Schools.

To know what I do during the interview itself, you'll need to know what I do BEFORE the interview! When I first get an email or phone call from a prospective new client, I take down all pertinent info - names of the student(s), age(s), approximate years of study, what music they are currently playing, what books they own, name(s) of previous teacher(s), reason for changing teacher (if a transfer), goals, other instruments played/studied.

My initial interview is set up as a lesson, but is usually shorter than a regular lesson. I leave time to answer questions from the student and parents after I work with the student for a little while. I normally work with each student 30-45 minutes during this interview. I often start out by asking the student to play something that he/she loves to play. This is often something he/she performed on a recital with the previous teacher, or could even be a theme song to a video game that he/she learned on his or her own! While the student is playing this piece, I can informally assess sense of timing, sense of geography of the piano (can they get around easily), sense of posture and ease at the instrument, use of arm weight, turning of the hand, proper finger positioning on the keys, etc. I also get a very good idea about musicality by the phrasing, expressiveness, etc., in the student's playing of the piece that they 'love the most.' Sometimes, I make a few comments about the piece, or work briefly on one or two big ideas within that piece. With an early intermediate student, I might work on phrasing of a melody or balance between the hands.

Then I usually go on to some melodic 'playbacks' using either a major five-note scale, a 5-note Dorian scale or a blues scale. I play a one or two-measure ‘riff’ and the student copies me exactly. I start off with very easy patterns and progress toward harder patterns to see the student’s ‘feel’ for ‘time,’ as well as his/her ability to hear or watch a melody and then play it back. I usually play on my own piano and he/she copies me at the other piano. Then, I let the student improvise a few 'choruses' in a blues or a bossa nova pattern while I accompany them from the 2nd piano. The bossa nova pattern in D Dorian allows them to play in straight 8th notes throughout their improvisation and the Blues  shows me if they can feel 'swung 8ths.’ While playing this bit of improvisation, I get a good sense of the student's natural ability to think outside the box, their creativity, their willingness to take risks, and so much more. When they are copying me, I can also see quickly how good they are at timing, fingering, pitch and much more.

What we do after these two activities varies from student to student. Sometimes, I will have a student work on some rhythms with me. For example, we will do some sight-reading of just rhythms, or I will have them speak, tap or clap various patterns by rote or note. I often have my students ‘patch’ a beat on their lap while speaking rhythms out loud as they keep that steady beat. Some transfer students are able to do this easily. They are usually the students who have a very good innate sense of rhythm (and would likely be the kids who would score high on a test like Edwin Gordon’s PMMA.) Some of the APPs I use: RhythmLab, SmartMusic, RhythmCat

Sometimes, I have students sight-read melodies in an app like Smart Music, SightReadPlus or PianoMaestro. At other times, I use sight-reading books like those by Faber&Faber or Olson&Marlais. I immediately sense if the students are reading line-to-space or if they are reading 'note names,' a common habit in transfer students (especially those who play a single-line instrument like violin or flute in addition to piano) that needs to be broken quickly! We read music by pattern, not by note name (though note names need to be learned, as well, but in thick texture, no pianist is reading every note name. We look and see PATTERNS.) I often have students play a simple melody and say things like 'up a step, down a step, or simply, UP/DOWN.'

I usually try to teach a few pieces to the student while they are here, as well. These are very short, quick, easy pieces, just to see how they practice and go through various processes of learning. Sometimes, these are rote pieces (especially with younger kids). I will even use a piece like EBENEEZER SNEEZER (by Lynn Freeman Olson) with the kids under 7 to see how well they can play repeated notes, use their arm to bounce, and how well they can copy me. With slightly older students, I often teach some of the easier pieces from Catherine Rollin's PATHWAYS TO ARTISTRY, BOOK 1 (Repertoire Book). A piece like TIC TOC MUSETTE is easily taught by rote (especially since I have added words to it that include each student's name!) but can also be used to assess a student's level of reading skill. Another great piece for the interview is LORD BLOOMFIELD'S TRILLING MARCH. I like this one because the LH is primarily DO and SOL and I can have the kids play the bass line and sing the solfege, even if they've never done solfege. This allows me to assess sense of pitch, as well! DRUM DANCE is great too, even if we only work on the melody. The syncopation in measure 5 shows me if students are able to play short - LONG - short rhythms easily, with and without out-loud counting.

I leave the end of the ‘interview lesson' for questions from the student and parents, and use this time (if I haven't already done this) to ask the students if they can commit to daily practice. My general rule is: 'only practice on the days you eat.' That basically means every single day! We also discuss use of any technology that can be utilized at home, the use of the assignment binder, purchasing of music (I do not photocopy things unless it’s public domain or unless I composed it!), and any other studio policies that need clarification.

In general, if a student is coming for an interview, they have already seen my website. They usually are referred by another student or by a local piano technician, so they already know about my teaching. Some even come to studio recitals to 'check out' my students' playing before they come for the interview. (I recently took on 2 new students where I exchanged emails with the parents, then had a phone interview with both parents on a conference call, then they all came to my June studio recital, then they came for the initial interview. They already knew a LOT about my studio even before we worked together, and after about 6 lessons, they are doing very well and have settled into my studio routine.)

Remember also that an interview is a two-way process. It’s the student’s chance to see if he/she wants to work with YOU and it’s your chance to see if you feel the student is a good fit for YOUR studio. If either side of that equation has qualms about the match, it’s best to refer the family to a colleague. A successful interview will give you a great deal of information about the student and the family. You will likely be able to come up with a plan for this student after that initial meeting, and then within a lesson or two beyond that, you will likely be able to confirm your original thoughts about which path to take with that particular student.

Best wishes in your upcoming interviews!

Do you think that USA schools are failing? This may change your mind!

five myths about our schools that fall apart when you look closer: 

http://www.upworthy.com/5-myths-about-our-schools-that-fall-apart-when-you-look-closer-6

resolutions? not necessary! Great post from ENTREPRENEUR!

http://m.entrepreneur.com/article/230333

resolutions? not necessary! Great post from ENTREPRENEUR!

http://m.entrepreneur.com/article/230333

Elissa Milne - brilliant post: "it takes two generations"

A brilliant post by blogger and teacher, Elissa Milne: 


http://elissamilne.wordpress.com/2013/12/15/it-takes-two-generations/



HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Using your iPad - a few basic questions answered

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

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! 

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 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... 

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!