Yes, We Had a Virtual Recital

I didn’t want to do it. I fought against it. I rolled my eyes when other friends in this profession told me about their “virtual recitals”… it sounds like an oxymoron to me.

But after five months of teaching online, I was seeing major progress in my students, and they had no place to show it off! Some had started to do two lessons per week, since the pandemic left them with so much free time. Also, students who don’t usually continue over the summer were continuing… and in the summers I teach almost all student-selected repertoire… which tends to inspire more practicing. I couldn’t keep all this goodness to myself, so I broke down and scheduled The Music Dispatch’s first ever Virtual Recital.

While there is absolutely no substitute for sitting in the same room sharing music, there were a lot of good things about the experience. Attendance was good, sound quality was decent, and there were lots of guests that would not have been able to join us for a “real” recital: Grandma and Grandpa from out of state, Aunts, cousins, and friends, not to mention EVERYONE’S PETS!!!!!!

It was great to work toward that “performance ready” level of proficiency in the weeks leading up to it, and I had some pretty good feedback from students afterward. People liked seeing what everyone else had been working on! I also hope that it gave attendees and performers feel a little less alone in this strange landscape - it certainly had that effect on me.

Teaching Through A Global Pandemic

I could never have imagined what happened this year. I am still processing my emotions about the last six months, but I can tell you that gratitude has been a major theme. The ability to keep working, keep earning a living, and to do so in a way that kept myself and my students (and their families) safe (by going virtual), has been an unthinkable blessing. The ability to see and interact with my students, even on a screen, throughout this time has been a gift as well. It has been hard work to keep my mental health and physical well-being in good shape through this pandemic, but I know that continuing to have contact with my students, as well as being able to continue in a job that is meaningful and fulfilling to me helped so much, and I know that not everyone has been so lucky. I can only hope that continuing their musical studies has been a bright spot for my students as well.

THANK YOU to all the families and students that stuck it out with me during this time.

(Also, I have NO JUDGEMENT for those families that decided to put lessons on pause!)

Today I’m sending EVERYONE good vibes and best wishes as they start the weirdest Back-To-School season, after the weirdest summer ever.

Vacationnnnnnn!!!!

I was on vacation last week.  As much as I love teaching (often it’s the best part of my day!), I find that some time away from my students lets us miss one another a little, and gives us that much more inspiration when we get back together.  It is also important for me to travel to get a wider perspective on life, a sense of peacefulness, and a re-set from the angst of northeast winters.  This definitely serves my students.  A grumpy teacher is a bad teacher!  

 

Two Students Changed Up My Game

A few years ago, I had a student whose mother instructed me in no uncertain terms that I was not to pressure her daughter in any way: not to practice, not to play the music perfectly.  She just wanted a space for her daughter to grow in her ability to ENJOY music.  I had to figure out how to make it fun for her at every single lesson, and still integrate the difficult work of getting her fingers to listen to her brain, and absorb the language of written music.  It was tricky and it took a lot of extra concentration and engagement on my part.

 

Around the same time, I had another student that was so wild and wiggly that it was almost impossible to get him to sit on the piano bench with me for more than 2 minutes at a time.  Just to get through the lessons, we had to play a ton of musical games, and I had to entice him to play by showing him how to play songs that he knew from the radio.  The idea of making “progress” had to be abandoned, in favor of just getting him to sit next to me on the piano bench and play SOMETHING.

 

Guess what: it’s been 4 years, and they’re both still studying with me. And, they are two of my most accomplished, hardest working, and musically independent students.  I don’t take credit for this, because teaching in this way was not my idea or preference (at first!).  But seeing how these students’ musical lives have unfolded completely challenged my original teaching style.

 

I was taught music mostly in a… let’s say… “factory farming” style.  Very linear, very by-the-book.  It worked for me and my Type-A personality.   Let’s be honest, it was definitely “easier” to replicate this type of teaching in the beginning of my teaching career, but it was often boring, for the student and for me.  And having boring piano lessons does not create a good musician, and it does not cultivate a love of music.  Following the students’ joy and helping them find their own stride makes them self-motivated and independent, and as a bonus, fulfills me as a teacher and as a human.  Eschewing the pre-made book curriculum and instead thinking hard, being creative, and trying to be a good listener to each of my students means I finish the day exhausted…but contented and inspired.  I trust (on a good day) that my students feel the same.

Freeing The Music

Music speaks for itself.  There is no reason or need to convince a human being to create music; it is deep in our instincts.  Give a kid a pan and a wooden spoon and see how long it takes her to bang on it in a rhythmic pattern.  Sing a familiar song and see how long it takes the people around you to chime in.  Mastering the technical aspects of making music can be a lifelong quest, but the drive to create and participate in this very human activity are endemic.  

 

Since music-making is such a natural thing, sometimes my task as a teacher is simply to dismantle the things that obstruct the process.  Maybe the student’s posture or technique is making it physically harder for them to sing or play, and they don’t even realize it.  So we work together to retrain the student away from the destructive habit, and they can then continue with more ease.  Even more often, the obstruction is some kind of fear, where the student is holding back their own success.  Whether they’re afraid of failure, being judged, or not meeting their own expectations, fear is debilitating.  So then my challenge is to build that person’s confidence and courage.  We can take things a bit more incrementally, or do review for a little while.  Playing an easier level of music brings that feeling of accomplishment a little more often.  We can also play things we already know, just to have that pleasure of playing something that sounds really great.  Other times, the person is fine with musical challenges, but needs very positive verbal reinforcement.  So I give them 97% compliments and psyched-up suggestions, and 3% constructive criticism.  

 

My goal is to help people make music.  While much of the time, that job description includes instruction on proper technique, explanation of musical theory concepts, and coaching disciplined practicing, a lot of the time it is more an issue of getting the barricades out of the way, and just letting the music come out!!

 

Learning the Dance Steps to Forget Them

When I was a teenager, I learned to swing dance. I learned the moves and steps very carefully, and then practiced them obsessively.  I practiced my swing-out swivels every time I opened the fridge to get some orange juice, did 6-count weight changes while waiting in line, and did the Charleston while walking the dog.  I even practicedin the shower!  At social dances, I spent time getting verbal feedback from leads about how I was following, and learned the rules of dance communication.  And then, in glorious experiences that left an afterglow on my life for days, I forgot all the steps and all the rules, and just felt the music with my partner.  My feet already knew what to do, and I was free to be creative, responsive, and expressive.  

 

It has been fascinating to visit this aspect of music learning as well. Once students put in the disciplined work to get the feel of certain things- a couple of notes in a row, a chord, or a synching of the left and right hands, they can forget all the practice and just let their skills lend to a greater experience of making music.  That’s when the magic happens.  As a teacher, I am always challenged to balance these things.  I know the student needs to be working hard on new technical challenges, but I try to make myself remember to facilitate the magic experience too.  If I can put my type-A striving aside for a few minutes and guide the student to a place where they can experience the rush of enjoyment of making actual music, no matter how simple, the discipline will (almost!) take care of itself.

Discovering Improvisation

This past year, I have started to include more improvisation in my general curriculum.  I never learned about improvisation in formal lessons or classes (not even in college!), so presenting it to beginning, or even somewhat-seasoned players is new territory for me.  Every student reacts to improvisation a little differently, but overall, it’s been a revelation.  Most students get so charged up and excited from the experience, we both end up completely bewildered and thrilled, which means we must be onto something!  

I have a 7-year-old piano student (in his first year of study), who especially loves to play songs he already knows.  He exudes the sheer joy of making music when he plays something he’s already really comfortable with, so I try to have him do some of this at each lesson.  At one recent lesson, though, we basically played one of these familiar songs as a jazz tune, meaning that we played it over and over again, taking turns improvising on the form.  No, that’s not how I verbally described it to him, but that’s definitely what we were doing!  Wonder of wonders! It was an incredible experience!  

I am teaching some older students the blues scale and 12-bar blues chord progression, which provides another route into structured improvisation.  People who like pop music usually like the sound of the blues scale, so it’s an easy sell!  Writing blues lyrics is also one of the simplest ways to dip one’s toe into songwriting, and I am eager to see where this will take some of my students.

I have invented an improvisational game where the student and I take turns improvising in a completely free and open space.  No form, no rules, except to determine whose turn it is, and how to signal that we are switching.  A couple of my students love this game so much, they want to play every single lesson!  In the past, I hadn’t thought of young children being into improvisation, and I certainly never had any opportunity to improvise when I was a beginning piano student, but now I know that a player of any age or ability level can have fun with this, and become a better musician in the process.  It’s weirdly natural.  It’s almost like… playing.  

 

“This is the life…  Just cruisin’ out on the piano.”

-a 10-year-old, very psyched up after improvising

The Importance of Performing

Some people aren’t that into getting up in front of other people.  Some people are super into it, and ham like they’re hosting a variety show.  Regardless of where a student falls on that spectrum, I always encourage my students to perform.  It serves them to receive positive feedback from listeners, and it gives their families a chance to express their support and enjoyment of this new skill they are acquiring.  It also serves the student to feel the unique stress and excitement of the performance experience.  Feeling nervous and pressured, and then getting 'eye of the tiger'-level focus and doing a great job is a unique type of intoxication I would recommend to anyone!  

A musical performance also meets some primal need (in my humble opinion!)… there is a possibility that the listeners will all connect to each other through the transcendental experience of hearing the music, and the player will perceive their very important role in leading the audience in this experience.  Maybe hearing “This Is Not Yankee Doodle” or “Sailing on the Sea” for the 100th time doesn’t send you to heaven, but I have been moved by performances of young children, beginner adults, and sophisticated teenagers alike.  When a student puts their passion and focus into a performance, there is a vulnerability and a level of trust there, that is humbling and inspiring to me as a listener (and as a teacher).  This is all part of the journey that we are on together.

I like to have my students take turns hosting recitals as house concerts, rather than using a church or community center.  I like the familiarity of it, and the less-stuffy, low-pressure nature of that environment. When I was a kid, I absolutely hated music recitals, so I am doing everything I can to NOT recreate that same experience for my students!!   I love for my students (the kid ones at least) to go crazy playing together in the play room, while the adults toast some mimosas upstairs, and then to start the program after everyone is feeling relaxed and friendly.  It also feels old-timey and wholesome, hearkening back to a less technological time, when gathering around the piano at someone’s house party was a common practice.

Happy New Year!

The beginning of 2016 has provided a nice opportunity for my students and I to reflect on what is working in our lessons, and what we would like to add or change about our time together.  I have heard about new songs and genres that students are interested in learning, and also favorite activities that would ideally be included in every lesson.  Musical tic-tac-toe is a favorite with the younger set.  ;)  And I have one entire family taking lessons that saw a musical over winter break, and they became collectively obsessed with the soundtrack.  They are now playing one of the songs as a TRIO (arranged by yours truly)!! I'm talking about 6 hands on the piano at once! It is so much fun. 

My favorite response so far, though, was from the 6 year old boy that would not give me any specific feedback at all, and after exhausting all my tactics to get him to share, I asked him simply, "What is your favorite part of piano lessons?"  He said, "My favorite part of piano lessons is playing the piano."  I guess that says it all.  :)  Happy 2016!

 

Celebrating the launch of Music Dispatch Website

I'm comfortable in many arrangements: standing in front of a microphone, sitting next to a student at the piano, settling in for an airplane flight, balancing in yoga handstand, presenting an assembly for 600 kindergarteners, holding the hand of a crying friend...

But.... navigating website design software?  SOMEBODY SAVE ME FROM THIS ACTIVITY!!!  But I guess if I expect my students to fearlessly confront uncharted waters (of musical performance), I can do the same.  So here's my maiden voyage on the stormy seas of web page design.  Click around-- I hope you do something you love today.  :)