You guys rock! In my almost ten years of teaching music, you’re the best group I’ve had yet. You ask all the right questions. You delight with me when your children achieve even seemingly small musical goals. You are right there, ever step of the way, rooting on our little musicians. Some of you have asked me how you can get more involved, so I’ve put together a few simple ideas for you.

First, please know that parents are always welcome in my studio to observe (and even participate) in lessons. Did I use a word you don’t understand? Please don’t be embarrassed to ask. Either I or your child will explain. Music is, most of the time, a communal activity. Sometimes as pianists we forget that. Don’t be scared to remind me!

It’s important that students can relate their piano education to the rest of the musical world. Play your favorite CDs, tapes, and records (8-tracks, anyone?) for your kids. Share the music that you love! Do you own recordings of music that are specific to your culture? Even better! The more exposure they get to different types of music, the easier they will get the big picture. Don’t have much recorded music? I’m putting together a CD lending library and will be happy to loan you some.

Don’t be afraid to sing along to the radio in your car. Go ahead and make a singing fool of yourself! Not only will it be fun, but your child will learn that it’s okay to have fun and take some chances. Who cares if your voice cracks or you forget the words? They will start to see that if they make mistakes while performing in a piano recital, it isn’t the end of the world. Don’t be someone who’s too embarrassed to sing lullabies, “Happy Birthday”, or hymns in your place of worship. Singing is an easy way to turn passive listening into active music-making.

Ask your child to summarize what he or she learned in a piano lesson, and their main goals for the week. Not only will you get a good idea of what the student is supposed to be working on, but he or she gets another opportunity to iterate it. If your child uses musically specific vocabulary that you don’t understand, ask for an explanation. It’s all great practice!

Finally– and this is the toughest one– if there is an appropriate musical performance in your area that grabs your attention, make time to attend with your child. It doesn’t matter what style of music, or what instruments are played. In an era when most of the music we hear is so produced, edited, and perfected, we need to show the younger generation that music can be real, live, and raw. I don’t mean to take away from our current popular music; it definitely has its merits. But it is an entirely different and special thing to witness music being made right in front of you.

I hope these suggestions will inspire you and get you more involved in your child’s music education.

With great respect,

Dina

Questions? Comments? Experiences to share? Hit me up!

“Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.” -Tim Notke

When it comes to music, most people are under the impression that either you are talented, or you’re not. Nothing could be further from the truth! Becoming a skilled pianist is within your reach, if you are willing to put in the hard work.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not telling you to practice for hours on end everyday. But don’t believe that talent alone will make you successful. Consistent practice is the key.

“It’s a consistency with which you do it, in other words, it’s an every-day-thing. You have a program, and a schedule, and you have to abide by that, religiously. You just stick to it, and it’s the consistency that pays off.” -Kobe Bryant

Even if you don’t want to be a famous concert pianist, even if your goal is just to play recreationally, consistent practice is necessary for progress. Set some small goals for yourself and set out to accomplish them. You can do it! If after a long practice session, it seems you haven’t gotten any better, don’t give up! Here is another quote to inspire you:

“Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” – Thomas Edison

Do you have thoughts or favorite quotes about talent vs. hard work? Feel free to chime in!

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To this day, I still watch it, grinning ear to ear. If you don’t know the performers, that’s the one and only Victor Borge in the red plaid pants. He obviously was a talented pianist, but also had a gift for comedy. I think what appealed to me as a child (and even still now) is that he looks like he’s just having so much fun!

Now, music is not always fun. A lot about learning to play the piano is hard work. Repetitive practicing, periods of imperceptible progress, lots of scales and exercises, occasional less-than-stellar performances, and on and on. Serious business. Whenever it gets to be too much, I remember Victor Borge on our little 1970s antenna TV, cracking jokes and having the time of his life.

The sale also features new grand and vertical Steinway, Boston, Essex, Brodmann, and George Steck pianos, plus Roland digital pianos. All pianos will be sold at prices not available in retail stores, with technical support from the sponsoring local Steinway dealer, Hopper Piano & Organ.

The sale will be open by appointment only Thursday through Saturday, June 3-5, and open to the public with no appointment necessary on Sunday, June 6, from 12-5pm. Call the Piano Sale Appointment Line, 919-613-4565, to schedule an appointment or for more information.

Next, have a listen to how Tzvi Erez plays the piece. It is a little faster but very steady.

Finally, we have Sergio Tiempo’s performance. He plays with what we call rubato; that is, he slows down and speeds up in many different places. You will hear that he does not keep to a very steady beat. Also, his dynamics are just beautiful. The loudest part is my favorite part!

Now, if you go back and listen to the first two videos, I bet you will notice their rubato too.

Curiosity Quest

Keeping your piano clean and dust-free is easy: Cover the keys when not in use (but do expose ivory keys to sunlight sometimes).  Wipe down the wood with a soft, dry or slightly damp cloth.  If your instrument is a furniture-style piano, you can polish it only occasionally.

Your acoustic piano should be serviced by a good piano technician once or twice a year. If your piano is new, it is recommended that you have it tuned a few times each year for the first few years. This is because the new strings are still stretching. Also, if your instrument’s environment changes temperature or humidity a lot, ask a piano technician how many additional tunings it may need.

Be careful!  Constant changes in humidity can cause some of the piano’s wood to crack!  If possible, don’t place your piano next to a window, by a fireplace, on an outside wall, in the basement, or in direct path of air condition, heating, or sunlight.

Two good technicians in our area are Terry Neely (919-460-0320) and Larry Fernandez (919-644-2350).

Your best bet is to get used to feeling nervous, before the actual recital. Perform for everyone that will hear you: parents, siblings, cousins, pets, friends, teachers, neighbors, etc. The more you perform for others, the easier it will be to play in front of a larger audience. Also, tape recording yourself is a good way to “trick” your body into being nervous.

Another good way to prepare for a recital is visualization. Sit in a quiet, dark, comfortable place. Close your eyes. Imagine your entire performance, from beginning to end. Visualize walking up to the piano, sitting down, opening your music, adjusting the seat. Collect your thoughts as you imagine yourself ready to take a breath and begin playing. Watch yourself, in your mind’s eye, as you play each note of your pieces perfectly, even your trouble spots. Then, imagine standing up, taking a bow, and walking away from the piano. Bravo!