Springtime Recital Musings
My student that is scheduled at this time is M.I.A. so I thought I'd take the opportunity to muse on my studio recital, held on Sunday.
It was mostly a blur, although I remember snippets quite vividly:
- Two young students became confused over the concert program. There were a few program changes, which threw them into a panic. They came running up to me during a performance in a tizzy. I had to sit with them to calm them down.
- One young student had the crowd in the palm of his hand while he performed the James Bond theme. I saw heads bopping in time to the music and parents smiling. It was clear to many that he enjoyed being on stage and enjoyed the music.
- One young girl who stomped up the stage and then did an adorable curtsey.
- A few parents smiling (some out of sheer pleasure while others in sheer puzzlement) over a student who performed to a Technobeat accompaniment on CD.
- One adult student who had a rough performance but returned afterwards to play through.
- One student nailed her rhythm troublespots in a piece she has been struggling with for most of the year.
I did wind up performing by memory. It was my first public performance of Andaluza. There were a few odd notes and I got the rhythm mixed up in a few places, but I negotiated them smoothly. It still sounded like a Spanish dance. Memorizing the patterns and chords helped immensely.
I believe that most people miss the glitches, if handled right. Studying Iaido certainly helps as I don't think I flinched when something went off track.
I've come a long way since being the performer who always choked on stage. I hope that inspires some of my more timid students. If I could transform from an uncontrollable bundle of nerves to someone who can fake it through trouble spots, so can they.
At a teachers' meeting yesterday, several of us were discussing recital etiquette. I do have some recital etiquette pointers on my student/parent section on my website however, my colleagues and I agreed yesterday that this is an area to be explained for EACH performance to ensure that the performers have the least amount of distractions.
Here are some other sites on recital etiquette. I haven't read through all them yet, so any feedback on this list is greatly welcome:
(c) 2006 by Musespeak(tm), Calgary, AB Canada. All rights reserved.
Friday Fun Link #27
Before I forget...here's this week's fun link - it's a Number Jump Puzzle. See if you can recognize the musician who is covered up by the boxes.
Ok, NOW I'm off to practice. Drat, these long workdays are a drag.
(c) 2006 by Musespeak(tm), Calgary, AB, Canada. All rights reserved.
On Time, Ahead of Time & Yet Outta Time
When I asked as student how his week has been going, he replied, "Average." He had tests and assignments - the usual.
It hasn't been an average week for me. Yesterday, two students swapped lesson times for the week and today, two simply didn't show for their lessons while two anounced that they will be leaving. Lesson swapping is a great system but in this case, I had to jump into the fray since this student was having challenges finding someone available to trade with. No-shows do happen from time to time. However, we teachers do appreciate the heads up beforehand so we can re-adjust our schedule. Though, the nice thing about running a private studio is that I can get some office work (or housework) done when a student doesn't show. I got quite a bit of ARMTA work done. Just about set for Monday's general meeting. I even managed to catalogue some new music I recently purchased for the studio library.
I am sad to see the two students leave but I understand that sometimes, life's demands don't leave room for one to do music.
My students' piano recital is this Sunday. Getting the signs and Certificates of Achievement done was a nice brainless task, unlike the recital programme, which took at least three drafts (I stopped counting). It's amazing how many changes were made with people changing songs or saying that a schedule conflict has come up and they can no longer attend. Well, I've printed off over 100 programmes. Any other changes will have to be made from the stage.
Now all that's left to finalize are the post-recital reception supplies, figure out the most efficient way to get through the programme, pick up the church key (would you believe it takes 74 minutes to get to the church by city transit?) and put together my Recital Box/Bag (tape, footstool, etc.). Perhaps I'll get the students to sit up front in their performance order and get everyone to follow the programme instead of having an MC introduce them. The MC is a nice touch, but I'm really trying to keep the running time within an hour. With students playing more than one song and exam students running through their programme, timing is a challenge.
This round, the students who are playing more than one songwill perform each song at different points in the programme. I read somewhere that it gives parents and students something to look forward to as family are concerned with three only things - "When is Johnny playing? When does he play next? When is this over?" From a performer's standpoint, it gives them a chance to regroup. We'll see how it works on Sunday.
Alas, I am outta time. I thought I had ample time to drop off a job application (I'm looking for a PT job to help with the bills - especially in the summer drought) and to get all my bookkeeping done. I was three months behind on the personal side. I finally updated my personal chequebook (still pathetic looking) and will have to tackle the business side tomorrow (er...later today).
Off to practice. I still have some problem spots in my song that need to be ironed out before Sunday and a wedding music consultation on Saturday. Time to dust off those wedding songs. Hopefully, I can squeeze in a good practice, get enough sleep AND catch the 9:10 bus on time in the morning...
(c) 2006 by Musespeak(tm), Calgary, AB, Canada. All rights reserved.
Fun Music Ideas
Around this time, it's a big push to keep students focussed and motivated to practice. Several of my students are exploring other genres to keep their interest or to simply give them a break from their main pieces. Here are just a few, which may serve as ideas for other musicians:
Happy exploring!
(c) 2006 by Musespeak(tm), Calgary, AB, Canada. All rights reserved.
Super Saturday Link #3
This week's link takes to ImaginASIAN 2006: A Celebration of Asian Heritage Month. I attended a fantastic concert that was part of ImaginASIAN 2006, featuring Silk Road, a Juno-nominated fusion group based in Vancouver.
There are many other events, which you can check out on their calendar page.
On the site, you can also find out about the Asian Heritage Month celebrations in Halifax, Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Regina, Victoria and Vancouver.
Enjoy!
(c) 2006 by Musespeak(tm), Calgary, AB, Canada. All rights reserved.
Piano Paperwork Musings
This past weekend, Maestro and I processed all the student registrations submitted during the Early Registration period. Maestro lounged on his bed as I inputted the student's registration information into my teaching schedule, Palm Pilot, e-mail groups, birthday lists, my website administration site and Quickbooks. Quickbooks and my Palm Pilot are already programmed to enter the monthly invoices (Quickbooks) or beep before each piano lesson next year (Palm Pilot).
Maestro would shoot up out of bed as soon as he heard the stapler, paper slicer and hole punch - all of which he guards zealously. He vascillated from watching my every move intently to make sure I use all tools properly, to lunging for them. The latter leads to him being hip-checked. Why he thinks they are toys is beyond me.
(c) 2006 by Musespeak(tm), Calgary, AB Canada. All rights reserved.
Website Searches of Note
My marketing friend, Andrea Coutu, recommended a while back that I track visits to my website. There have been some interesting searches conducted which lead people to my site. Here are just a few of the more interesting or common searches done for Musings:
- Piano pedagogy certificate program
- Musikgarten
- Musical ear
- Piano Practice Excuses
- APTA Festival + Calgary
- RSI Iaido
- Iaido Calgary
- Creative Practicing
- How to Cheat on RCM Exams
- Benefits of Music
- Summer pedagogy programs
- Summer Piano Programs
Number 9 was a surprise. That particular blog had "rhythm cheat sheet" and a reference to my students taking an RCM examination. I know that students have tried time and time again to cheat on theory exams, employing similar techniques used for other school tests. However, cheating on a piano exam isn't heard of too often. There was an incident a couple of years back, in which three piano teachers and one RCM Examination Representative were suspended for obtaining and giving the actual sight reading and ear training exam questions to students in advance of their exams.
Here are some of the more colourful/common searches done for Musespeak(tm)'s site:
- Lakeland Terrier
- Music Background
- Writing Background
- Music images
- RCM Exams
- Music Lessons Calgary
- Voice Lessons Calgary
- Guitar Lessons Okotoks
- Music Theory
- Accompanying Policies
Who would have thought that Maestro would be searched for?
(c) 2006 by Musespeak(tm), Calgary, AB, Canada. All rights reserved.
Friday Fun Link #26
Hi all,
This week's fun link is theory related (a tribute to all theory students writing exams this weekend). It's Something's Fishy About These Scales. Enjoy!
(c) 2006 by Musespeak(tm), Calgary, AB, Canada. All rights reserved.
Overcoming Stage Fright
Call it what you want - performance jitters, butterflies, stage fright - it all comes down to the same sickening feeling people get before performing. It doesn't happen all the time but when it does, it can be paralyzing.
Here are some interesting articles on how to overcome stage fright (some are music related, some are general):
Also, I hear these books are very good:
Happy reading.
(c) 2006 by Musespeak(tm), Calgary, AB, Canada. All rights reserved.
Friday Fun Link #25
It's hard to believe that another Friday is upon us. This week has been quite long. I just took a quick break from bookkeeping to play this week's Friday Fun Link, which is Music Rags to Riches. It's like "Who Wants to be a Millionaire". Enjoy!
As for me, it's back to bookkeeping, which surprisingly, is going all right. My accountant said I'm doing all right and made a couple of recommendations to make my life (and his) easier.
By the way, I set up a second blog, Musespeak Newswire, which is a news blog to inform readers of updates to Musespeak's site. Check it out.
(c) 2006, Musespeak(tm), Calgary, AB, Canada. All rights reserved.
Site Feed Issue Resolved
Fiddling with the atom.xml file several times was an exercise in futility. The code kept reverting back to the outdated format and information (complete with errors) each time I opened the document.
I decided to go another route. Subscribing has never been easier! Simply click on the subscription button on the side bar and you will get e-mail updates.
The original atom.xml file is now the site feed for Musespeak Newswire. Please note the change. Thank you.
(c) 2006, by Musespeak(tm), Calgary, AB, Canada. All rights reserved.
Performing to Expectations
We're into high performance season for musicians. Some of my students have already begun their stint at the APTA Festival. I was delighted today to see the comments one of my students received. We're definitely on the right track. Just a few tiny things to improve on but nothing this student can't handle. I can only hope that the rest of my students do as well. Some students have recently memorized their exam and/or festival pieces so there may be some wobbly performances.
As my brother once told me, "They'll perform as well as expected."
I can't wait to see how my students found the Technique Games and the Music is More than You See Workshop on embellishing. I especially can't wait to find out how two of my students will do in the pop class, where they are strongly encouraged to improvise and/or embellish. One is a good improvisor and should play well. The other? We'll see.
It's the same deal with next week's theory examinations. One student is postponing her exam, while the other four should perform as expected. I hope one squeaks by with a passing grade, but following instructions has been a challenge for this student. Writing a music theory exam is like taking an accounting test: If you get one step wrong, it will drastically affect the rest of your answer. Not following directions will adversely affect your grade. The other three will pass, if past performance is any indication.
This week, I'm asking my students to decide what they will perform at the studio recital at the end of the month. I suppose I should do the same. I know that I should perform by memory, but I don't know if I'll have time to memorize. Jeez, I can't even decide what to play, let alone whether I'll use the book.
(c) 2006, Musespeak(tm), Calgary, AB, Canada. All rights reserved.
