When to Do Music
Being a kid is tough, man. So is being eleven or fifteen. And sometimes, it's pretty tough being an adult, too.
The whiplashy nature of life spares no one. Sometimes we can do something about it, and sometimes we can't, but we can always take a moment to put down our various loads and connect to something else through our music. Or maybe you'd fare better by bringing your heavy burden into your music. Do you need to sing the blues alone, or would you prefer to collaborate right now? Maybe you just need to lie on your bed and spin some Bessie Smith records. Or maybe you're happier than you've ever been and everything is simply wonderful at the moment.
In any case, come to music. Come to your music to celebrate, to ease your aches, or just to change up the pace. Connect to humanity or disconnect from it all -- whatever you need.
Bring your life into your music, and your music will radiate life.
The Two-Goal Approach to Rehearsing
How long should you practice? That's a good question, but let's shift a little. I find that a two-goal approach to rehearsal is more effective than solely watching the clock or only playing what you're already good at (which is super fun and important, but it's a different thing than rehearsing). To have a solid rehearsal, make and meet two goals.
First, set a minimum time goal. For the short-attention-span set, this can be rather short, but it's a personal decision. You'll figure out what works for you as you mature as a musician. The second goal (the main goal) is an accomplishment goal. What art-smashing dragons are creeping around that need to be vanquished? Choose a reachable goal at each rehearsal, and then work toward it. Perhaps you'd like to finally nail those four difficult measures or some tricky transition. Maybe your fingering is wacky or the strum pattern is hard to maintain while singing. How are your dynamics? Your style? Are you maintaining a steady tempo? Of all the things you'd like to improve, pick one or two and get going.
Reach both goals before throwing in the towel for the session. If you meet the time goal but not the accomplishment goal, keep going. If you have slain your dragon but it only took a few minutes, pick a new beast and keep slaying until you also reach that time goal. Once you've met these two goals, you have succeeded for the day (and are basically winning at life).
Success feels fantastic, doesn't it? It sounds pretty good, too.
St. George and The Dragon, by Ken Riley
The Circle of Fifths: a Video and an Image
The circle of fifths is glorious, I say. Understanding it will help you be a better musician. It's why we do the scales in that same old order all the time, and it's what I'm talking about when I say the one, four, and five (it's actually the I, IV, and V, as you know). Patterns abound, and you will be amazed and delighted.
But get yourself a snack because this glorious video is about 20 minutes long.
Behold the circle of fifths.
Ceci N'est Pas Une Pipe (or the Paper Ain't the Music)
La trahison des images, by René Magritte
In 1929, a Belgian painter crafted an image of a smoking pipe with text on the canvas that translates as "this is not a pipe." What? It sure looks like a pipe, but it sure isn't. It's just paint on canvas.
Similarly, the sheet music is not the music. Yes, we rely on the paper to know what the composer intended. We pull ideas out of it. We even call it "the music," but the true music is not what's on the paper. The paper music's job is to launch us into the art of music, which happens as moments -- moments in time informed by the notations on the page.
But the notation is not the music, even if we call it the music. And the painting is not a pipe, even though it is intended to look like it. The page and the painting both help us to arrive at ideas and moments and thoughts and feelings and maybe even truth and beauty. You know -- art.
Marking Your Music and Avoiding the Hulk
If you hear yourself saying something during your rehearsal like "whoops — I always do that," cool your jets and get your pencil out.
Mark your music in a way that will make sense to you when you get to that spot. Slow down your tempo and do a little bit at a time (isolate) until each piece is good. Then put the pieces back together and then back into context (integrate). Get a running start and let your markings help you.
This will bring improvement far more effectively than crashing through it haphazardly and leaving the pieces wherever they land. The bull-in-a-china-shop approach is often counterproductive, truth be told. I often think of it as Hulk Smash. And nobody likes to be smashed.
So mark it up, slow it down, and isolate/integrate. Try not to smash things.
You can do it. I'll help.
Fall 2017 Schedules Due
Please enter your fall 2017 schedule info by next Monday, July 24. We will switch to the fall schedule the following week, Monday, July 31. Enter your availability and preferences on the Fall2017 page.
A lot of relevant information will not be readily available to many families just yet (like fall sports schedules or play practices), so please include as many available hours as possible so we can find the best fits for all the students, parents, and siblings whose activities impact the schedule. You might even find that the info is available with a little poking around.
Once I've collected your information and have worked out a schedule that works for all the people involved (and also geographically for me), I'll contact you individually to nail down details.
The Joy of Rehearsing
Between lessons is when the awesomeness happens.
Imagine if you'd never been in a swimming pool. I could describe what it feels like to be completely surrounded by water, newly buoyant with slow motion legs, feeling the water pressing in on you in every direction. Sunshine, splashes, and the smell of sunscreen — use all your senses. I could say what it feels like, and you could repeat the things I say, but you won't truly feel it until you've actually been in the water yourself.
And so it is with the joy of rehearsal. Dive in. Get immersed in the pursuit of accuracy and artistry. Toss around the musical choices in front of you and see what floats. I can talk about it all day, but you have to jump in to know what I mean.
So, come on in. The water's fine!
Poolside Piano Practice, by George Hughes
Well Done (Send Pictures)
Congratulations on another successful recital! I am pleased and proud, and I hope you are too. Good performances, good food (thanks!), and good learning all around.
Parents, if you'd like to send me some photos from the show, I'll make a photo album page for us all to enjoy. Send me your best shots.
Again, congrats to you all. It was a wonderful night.
Recital Assignments Posted!
The act assignments for the spring recital are posted here. Since this page has kids' names on it, I've protected it with a password, which I've emailed to you. Give a shout if you have trouble accessing the page. Cheers!
How to Prepare for the Recital
Here's how to prepare for our upcoming recital (and lots of other things).
Memorize! Make sure you memorize things like dynamics, too. Internalize the details.
Connect to the heart of the piece. Make artistic choices. What is this piece about?
Perform it in low-pressure situations before the big day. Then ramp it up.
Between memorization and recital day, perform your pieces for family and friends as often as possible. Start small. First, perform in your homes for a small audience. Then, perform for others away from your normal rehearsal spaces. Play for grandparents, friends, neighbors, and whoever else will let you come over and perform.
Performing will give you insights that you cannot get from rehearsals alone. You will be able to see how your body reacts to the pressure. Maybe you'll get sweaty or feel like giggling or have some uncomfortable combination of trembling, dizziness, or being weirdly emotional. It's hard to predict, but you'll be able to deal with this business much more effectively if you've performed your pieces before recital day — you know, practice performing. So call your grandmas and set a performance appointment. It'll help.
Once you've memorized, brought out the art, and performed in various places, you will have nothing left to do but enjoy the recital.
Nervousness (Probably) Won't Kill You
So, what if you get totally nervous? Here are some ideas that may help when you are feeling nervous about your impending performance.
First, check your breathing. Make sure you are actually breathing in and out, and make it slow and deep.
While you breathe, think about your piece and rely on your preparation.
Start the piece in your mind. Picture yourself giving a successful performance.
Remember that everyone is rooting for you, especially me.
Notice that no one has burst into flame, and believe that you will neither burst into flame nor melt into a quivering puddle, even if it feels like you might.
If you are as prepared as you can be, the fun factor will increase and someday overshadow your nerves. Chin up. You can totally do it.
Practice and Your Brain
What happens in my brain when I practice? (Lots.) So couldn't I just think about practicing instead of actually practicing? (Perhaps.)
These questions and more are beautifully and nerdfully discussed in the following video from TEDEd.
Go practice.