Introduction I believe that playing the piano should be free and easy on the body. The piano, above all instruments, is one that encourages a relaxed and fluid posture in which no joint or muscle is cramped or extended beyond its natural capacity.
And yet, so many beginning pianists tense their shoulders, hold their breath, stiffen their hands, and do many other kinds of physical exertions that are not natural to the instrument. So what is going on?
The Intuitive Pianist The freest and most magical playing comes from those who approach the piano with grace, intuition, and trust. An intuitive pianist knows that the piano is not a thing to be conquered, but a living spirit that can communicate with us. The intuitive pianist looks at the architecture of a piece, knows that phrases have shape, and understands that rhythm is its own language with its own idioms.
Such a pianist understands that theory is a key that helps unlock doors, and uses it to his advantage, without letting it stifle him. It is understood that there is no challenge that can't be worked through with patience and confidence and that whimsy is an essential ingredient in exploring a piece of music. The body is free and light, and every joint and muscle is engaged in joyful, buoyant playing. Most of all, the intuitive pianist understands that, above all, self-expression and communication are both the process and the goal of exquisite piano playing.
Many of us have lost our ability to be free and easy at anything that challenges us because of bad physical and mental habits that we've picked up over time. Approaching the piano for the first time - or after many years - with a sense of kindness, trust, and intuition is the bestway to break bad habits and create new, healthy, long-lasting ones.
Process over Result My goal as a teacher is to turn every budding piano player into an intuitive pianist. I emphasize process over repertoire-driven results. To understand, please read on.
Have you ever seen a young child beautifully play a Chopin waltz or a Bach invention, and then watch as he haphazardly tries to sight-read his way through the simplest of children's songs or a pop tune, painfully plunking the rhythm and notes out with unsteady hands? Without a doubt, such a child is the product of a repertoire-based teacher, that is, a teacher who has focused solely on the building of a classical repertoire, rather than on the fortification of the child as an independent, intuitive pianist.
So, how can a child who is barely able to sight-read an elementary nursery tune, play such exquisite classical pieces? The answer is simple: mimicry.
Mimicking what the piano teacher does, and then repeating those hand patterns over and over, will eventually get a student to play even the most advanced piano pieces. But knowing a few pieces does not make someone a pianist; it means only that one has a good capacity for imitation and memorization. Perhaps you are an adult and you recall taking several years of piano lessons and, during that time (and afterwards), never feeling truly capable, steady, or independent at the keys. It is very possible you were taught to play by rote. This means that more emphasis was placed on getting you to play individual pieces of piano music, such as Beethoven's Fur Elise or Bach's Prelude in C Major, than on teaching you the fundamentals of intuitive reading and playing, such as recognition of rhythmic patterns, for instance, or relaxed posture on the bench. You could play a Chopin waltz beautifully, by memory, and then struggle to read the sheet music for Jingle Bell Rock at a holiday party.
I encourage each one of my students - from children to adults - to become natural, self-sustaining readers, thinkers, and interpreters of piano music. The emphasis is on the process of acquiring literacy in piano music and fluidity at the keys, not on the result of having a defined classical repertoire. This is done by continually discussing with every student the fundamentals of hand technique, breathing, posture, basic theory and advanced theoretical concepts, sight-reading, rhythmic recognition, and music history. Concepts will be applied immediately after discussion, and so students are expected to be focused and alert during every lesson in order to understand and retain concepts and then apply them to keyboard.
The success of process-driven piano study comes also from my approach of tailoring not only the program of study but every lesson to the individual's level and needs. The arc of lessons will change naturally as the student becomes more adept in some concepts, while she needs work in others.
Piano Material and Genres Musical material is carefully selected to illustrate specific concepts and is chosen uniquely for the student based on her needs and interests. For instance, a student who wants to be able to play rock songs on piano will be given theory and chord work that will prepare her for this piano style, while a student requiring work on sight-reading might be given material that encourages healthy sight-reading habits. But please note, the emphasis on process over result means that BOTH kinds of students will still be expected to learn Western music theory as well as music that may appear to be unrelated to their area of interest if I have determined it will serve their overall piano education.
Without a doubt, potential students reading this will think, But I really just want to play The Beatles and Neil Young; I don't want to spend time practicing classical arpeggios. And others will think, Well, I really just want to learn how to play the great composers like Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, and Rachmaninoff; I don't need to spend my time learning how to play The Rolling Stones on piano. And to this I say: Yes you do.
For piano students who object to this approach, I offer this basic tenet: In the study of piano, everything is related. I can promise you that working through the chord structure of songs by Jim Croce and Paul Simon on piano will make that Mozart sonata easier to play. And for the pop and rock students, learning how to cleanly execute those classical arpeggios and broad scales will make learning a Bowie song or improvising on tunes by Jobim or Pink Floyd much easier.
I tell students to get away from genre and just focus on becoming the absolute best musician you can be. In this way, you will also become an expert in the genre of your choice.
What is Expected of Piano Students * FOCUS: Above all, students are expected to be focused during lessons. I have found in my teaching experience that this is as important as regular practice. Students who seldom practice, but give me 100% of their attention when they are in the lesson, have still been able to make great progress. This is due to the large amount of concepts and application that we cover in every lesson.
*QUALITY PRACTICE: When it comes to practicing, quality is more important than quantity. One scale played with purpose and close attention is worth twenty scales done in front of the television. In terms of time spent practicing per week, this means that students must take the time - even if it's a short amount of time - to practice conscientiously a little bit every day.
*MUSIC THEORY: All students will be expected to learn music theory as part of their complete piano education; there are no exceptions. In addition, beginning and intermediate students, including those who have specifically expressed an interest in only learning popular music, will be expected to work through some classical piano material during lessons. This is to encourage development of finger independence, sight-reading, rhythmic recognition, hand technique and posture, and the recognition of musical themes, figures, and cadences. Exceptions will be made for advanced pianists who already possess excellent sight-reading abilities and hand technique and wish to learn popular piano styles, as well as singers who wish to learn piano in order to accompany themselves.
*PATIENCE: Students are expected to be patient with themselves, with the material, and with the instrument. While the piano is an instrument that encourages easy posture and natural hand position, it is also one that requires immense neuro-muscular coordination. Beginning students especially may feel a sense of "heaviness" or "stickiness" in the muscles of their fingers, hands, and arms as they begin playing hands together. This is normal and will resolve with time, particularly if the student is patient and accepting of his current (temporary) limitations at the keyboard.
*CURIOSITY: Students are ALWAYS expected to ask questions about the instrument, the material, or anything else music-related to the teacher. Asking questions is one of the best ways to learn, and a student who withholds a question when she has a doubt about something we are reviewing is one whose progress will suffer.
*KINDNESS: Students are expected to be kind to themselves and to the instrument at all times. This is not only for the mental and emotional well-being of the student, but it also has a practical application: A student who stiffens his hands in anger or frustration at a difficult passage will invariably end up playing that passage worse. Grace, lightness, joyous exploration, and understanding are the surest ways to achieve success at the piano.
*COMMITMENT: I accept students of all levels, ages, and abilities. I only ask that regardless of what level of training you come in with, you understand that music education takes time, effort, and commitment.There will be some weeks where you do not have much musical homework to get through, and other weeks where you will have quite a bit to accomplish before our next lesson. I let the student’s progress, interests, and goals guide our lesson plans, and I hope that no matter where we are in our studies, you take each assignment and task seriously, no matter how big or small.