Wednesday, May 9, 2012
bawston
Wow. Am I ever busy. Yesterday began at 7am at home, reviewing math with Jacob for a test and ended in Boston after a long drive, 5 hours of rehearsals, dinner at 1030. I was never so happy to see a bed. Today was not much better and it's now 430 and I'm having lunch before my 3rd rehearsal. Its all modern music, some of it is freaking hard, and my head is swarming with notes. So how fun is this? Am I having fun yet? Not exactly sure. I couldn't run yesterday. And unless I want to run at 930 tonight, it's another skipped day. Also just realized its Mothers day on Sunday and I won't be home until 9. How important is Mothers day to me? Would I have agreed to play this concert had I known? Not sure. Tomorrow, I have a break at noon. I noticed a track near the piano shop and I'm determined to go, even if I show up at rehearsal sweaty and looking like something the cat dragged home. Hope it doesn't rain.
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That reads like quite a schedule! I am sure your performance is going to be really great.
ReplyDeleteAbout my piano question... Son is 7 (almost 8) and his teacher is hoping he will be able to take the ABRSM 1 (and most likely 2 depending on how he progresses this summer). He started playing about a year ago and seems to enjoy the experience of learning and playing. His challenge is sight reading. He sight reads some, but not as fast and fluently as his teacher wants him to. His teacher is excellent and has a good rapport with him, but her approach is sort of old school and tough....for the sight reading especially ... just do it/learn it (maybe they do it differently in Europe where she studied) ! He has begun to resist the sight reading practice. Meanwhile I want to make it not so tedious for him to learn/practice sight reading. Do you have any tips for making him more comfortable with sight reading and make it more of a rewarding experience to practice that aspect of music? How do you encourage your students to sight read?
I know nothing about western music and do not play any instruments and am quite unable to help him except with flash cards. However recently I have started looking through his books and trying to teach myself the basics. Son also likes to teach me what he has learnt. Perhaps I will be able to play Fur Elise one day when I am 90!
I am also a bit unsure of the why and the importance of the exam? Do your students take it? Son himself seems unfazed by taking any tests... academic or for music; and I am hoping my own ambivalence about the testing process does not transfer itself to him.
Hi Kiran, every teacher has different benchmarks. Teachers who have their students participate in ABRSM and NYSMA each year usually have students who practice more and become more proficient, skill wise. Personally, I only have my advanced students participate in NYSMA after a few years of piano. However, every student performs in performance class 3 times a year instead of just 1 big recital at the end of the year. But that is me. THe importance of sight reading is just being able to learn notes faster. But it takes time. Your son just started piano a year ago, so personally sight reading would not be high on my priorities. Getting comfortable at note reading, steady and strong fingers, confidence, those are the kinds of things that are important to me with my beginning students.
ReplyDeleteAs for practicing sight reading. My more advanced kids borrow piano books with easy songs in them. And they are asked to play one song a day. And we sight read one piece from their book each week, too. For the most part they enjoy it because they get to choose themselves from an array of books and it's important that the sightreading be easy for them. Important to choose sight reading that is 'easy' but still a slight challenge to play in time, with the right rhythm and notes. If sightreading is a chore, then the book is too hard. You have to start at the right level. And the most important thing about sightreading is interestingly not the actual notes but keeping time. Move with the beat, do not dwell on past notes, go with the flow!
So that's my two cents. Hope this helps!! Good luck to your son!
Thanks for the good advice about the kitchen reno!! Lots to figure out and think about there. Do you know the houzz.com website? I have found it so helpful!
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