Debussy and Emotional Well-Being...

Tonight I was playing one of my favorites, the Prelude from Debussy's "Suite Bergamasque." The harmonies and rising and falling of the passages reminded me why I love playing music so much: not only can I respond to the music, but it can respond to me. My hands are telling the piano what to express, and in the best of circumstances, the piano carries it out with perfect understanding.

When I'm not emotionally "in tune," however, I find that it is reflected in my piano playing. If I am distracted, it goes without saying that my playing will sound distracted. I think I've discovered that throughout my life, I've used the piano as sort of an indicator of what's going on internally. It's a healthy way for me to disengage from life in a productive way -- instead of ignoring my emotions, it allows them to be gently exposed, leaving my body just a little less cluttered from the world.

Meanwhile, you've got to listen to Debussy's Suite Bergamasque. Most people only hear Clair de Lune, which is the suite's last movement, but the first two movements are gorgeous and have their own character, and will give greater depth to your understanding of the more familiar Clair de Lune...anyway. Have a good night.

Summer Lessons: to do or not to do?

I am teaching summer lessons this year, and I am finding that, like most things, there are challenges and rewards. The rewards, so far, have been 1) the lack of school-related stress interfering with piano practice, 2) attitudes are much more relaxed in general, and 3) it's just more...fun! Music should be something people enjoy, and maybe summer lessons can provide a bit of "healing" from associating piano with the mundanity of the rest of the year. However, the drawbacks, other than "summer sluggishness," are mostly associated with crazy vacation scheduling, summer camps, etc.

At http://pianoeducation.org, John Zeigler wrote an article to piano teachers encouraging them to offer summer piano lessons. He suggested a few things that I found interesting:

• Communicate with the parents and students that it has negative effects to stop for such a long time during the summer -- they lose a lot of skills that will have to be regained during the already busy fall semester.
• Use the summer to bring in any ignored aspects of piano education, such as music history, theory, and (heaven forbid!) songs the students might actually want to learn! :)
• Prepare for any upcoming competitions, such as recitals, auditions, etc. This will motivate the students to come to lessons, if they are the type that are motivated under pressure.
• Have a summer concert! I like this idea. Especially since many of my students will be learning songs they have picked out themselves this summer.
• Have a summer "clinic" -- I have considered this, because even students that have stopped taking lessons for the summer might be willing to give up a day.
• Even give a few free "music appreciation" classes! Involve adult students and advertise around town.

Just thought these were some interesting ideas...hope you find them useful!