Mikael Eliasen Interview - Part I - Celebrating 25 Years at Curtis

PHILADELPHIA | Here's a fascinating two-part video. Hold on to your seat. Mikael Eliasen is a fearless and colorful personally.

I invited Mikael to give a master class at the Russian Opera Workshop 2011. As usual, he is booked for a few years in advance. We'll plan for 2012.

Interview Part I - http://youtu.be/MrqlKHhJ0n4
Interview Part II - http://youtu.be/SA0xYscvc_Y

Recently, Mikael celebrated 25th anniversary as the Artistic Director of the Curtis Opera Theatre and Head of Vocal Studies Department. Curtis' "Overtones" publication honored Mikael with an eloquent article contributed by the Wall Street Journal opera critic, Heidi Waleson.

In Part I, Mikael talks about the 25th anniversary concert, his collaboration with violinist Pamela Frank and Curtis Institute of Music director, violist Roberto Diaz. He talks with great pride of his former students, Leila Claire and Elliot Madore, currently in the Metropolitan Opera Lindeman Program, and current Curtis students who have joined him in the celebration.

Enjoy!


Ghena

Join PrivateLessons.com | Since 1996 | USA/Canada

Mikael Eliasen Interview - Part II - Auditions & Listening to Music

PHILADELPHIA | In Part II, I talk with Mikael Eliasen about how we listen to music, both for pleasure and in auditions. With 500 applicants for Curtis voice department alone, it is a fascinating look at the audition process.

Interview Part I - http://youtu.be/MrqlKHhJ0n4
Interview Part II - http://youtu.be/SA0xYscvc_Y

Enjoy!

Ghena

Join PrivateLessons.com | Since 1996 | USA/Canada

How do you get to the MET?

NEW YORK | In front of the Metropolitan Opera House, I caught up with soprano Danielle Pastin who just made her Met debut in Tchaikovsky's "Queen of Spades" (Pique Dame). Recently, she also made her Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra debut in Tchaikovsky's "Romeo & Juliet." One might say she is now well exposed to Russian repertoire. It was a busy afternoon in Lincoln Center on a very windy New York day. As we were shooting the interview, AVA alum Jason Switzer sang Beethoven 9th in Avery Fisher Hall. A bit later, the Met held its National Council Auditions Grand Finals where AVA Artist, Michelle Johnson and Joseph Barron from Curtis where named winners. Enjoy!


Ghena

Join PrivateLessons.com | Since 1996 | USA/Canada

Interview with composer Daron Hagen

NEW YORK | Enjoy this fascinating interview with New York based composer and a friend, Daron Hagen. From day one, Daron is a huge supporter of PrivateLessons.com. In this interview we reminisce about student days at the Curtis Institute of Music, lessons with his teacher composer Ned Rorem and performances of his student compositions. Now with six operas under his belt, Daron talks at length about the making of "Amelia" his recent work commissioned by the Seattle Opera.


Ghena

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... from music capital of Wallingford, CT

Sandie shares this message:

Your fees per year are so worth it! Since I joined I've gotten 144 inquiries. I still have 20 families (some with 2 or more children studying with me) that came to me through your site. Have taught 30 total inquiries. Thank you!


Sandie Apuzzo, Violin and Viola Teacher

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Crossover arts with Matt Herskowitz

NEW YORK | Here is a mini class reunion and an impromptu interview with pianist Matt Herskowitz who was in New York to promote his latest album "Jerusalem Trilogy." Since he was a teenage piano student at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, Matt was fascinated with jazz improvisation. Since then his career evolved as a versatile pianist composer, fusing classical, jazz and middle eastern influences. A Montréal resident, Matt teaches an improvisation course at the Montreal Conservatory.


Ghena

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Morgan shares this message:

... let me say that my $99 has every year been the best investment I've made in my teaching career. Your site is simple, well run, and gets the job done well.


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Jamie shares this message:

I really appreciate the students you send my way. Out of all the sites I've joined, yours has brought me the most.


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PrivateLessons.com | Happy Holidays 2010!

I am Ghena, the founder of PrivateLessons.com. Welcome and happy holidays to all! We are now in fifteenth year of operations and we are very proud of the fact that we assembled and attracted an enormously talented group of musicians to our roster. They are private teachers, they are performing and recording artists, they are film composers, songwriters. Every day, they share their love of music with so many different audiences, and one of the more important of audiences is you, the music student. And so this season we want to wish you lots and lots of music making for next year. Thank you and happy holidays!


Ghena

Join PrivateLessons.com | Since 1996 | USA/Canada

Back to Renaissance Music II

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Fall Street Scenes - Music in the Park

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Street Scenes - Music in the Park

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Summer Street Scenes -- Music in the Air

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Summer Street Scenes -- Music in the Park

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Happy Birthday America!

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Street Scenes: Independence Day Celebrations

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Music in the Park

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PrivateLessons.com turns 14 years old!

... from music capital of New York City

Eric shares this message:

I just wanted to thank PrivateLessons.com for such wonderful service and for being such a great company. I've gotten many messages since I've joined, a few students, a job with a company, opportunities, and people inquiring about other advice for things like what percussion equipment to buy, etc. So, many thanks and all the best!


Eric Roberts, Percussion Instructor NYC

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Street Scenes - Spanish Music in the Park

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Into the World of a Music Agent

In PrivateLessons.com interview with Eric Amada, we venture into the business side of music and entertainment. Born into a successful musical family, Eric was a Vice President at Columbia Artists Management, Inc. (CAMI) in New York, where he worked for 14 years. Now he is the owner of Arts Management Associates, a boutique firm that represents performing artists and entertainment acts.



You come from a family of performing artists. Talk about growing up around such talent.

Coming from a musical family, I was always around classical musicians. My mother, pianist Susan Starr, performed so much when I was little and I was exposed to many, many great concerts. She also taught piano from home and I can't tell you how many times I woke up to a student warming up with Pischna. In little time, I was able to tell who was going to get hollered at and I’d get out of bed faster! My grandfather was a violinist with the Philadelphia Orchestra, so I was also exposed to a lot of orchestral performances, especially during the summers at the Robin Hood Dell and at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in Saratoga, NY. My sister, Lori Amada, was a very talented pianist who later moved over to French Horn. All three made their living performing and all went to Curtis Institute of Music. Almost everyone I knew performed an instrument at such a high level, but I was more of the black sheep of the family. I was obligated to choose an instrument to study and I chose clarinet, and was required to practice a minimum of one hour a day. I would have far preferred to be out playing baseball. As a teenager, I realized that most of my social life was due to the fact that I played clarinet yet I never seriously considered this as a profession for myself, especially after speaking with a neighbor one day who was such a talented clarinetist and him telling me he had no intention of playing professionally himself because he “did not want to be told what to play, when to play or where to play,” but simply did it for himself. Up to that point, I thought such talented people making a decision like that would be wasting their talent. However, it actually paved the way for me to realize that I did not need to go into the “family business,” and not all would be lost if I stopped playing as well one day. However, all of the exposure to such great musicianship and performances and studying music myself assisted me immensely later on in my chose field of Artist Representation as I had developed a really good ear for superior musicianship.



How did you become interested in arts management business?

While I do consider myself a natural candidate because of my early exposure, I initially wanted to be a sports announcer and went to Temple University to make this happen. I soon changed my focus to advertising, yet I was reluctant to move to NYC to work in that cut throat environment. After speaking to a few people in the industry, I landed my first job out of college working for the Florida Orchestra in Tampa as an assistant to the Director of Marketing. A year later, my name was recommended to Columbia Artists Management, Inc. (CAMI), as they were looking to fill a spot in the marketing department. So, I wound up in NYC after all. The director of sales there had worked with my mother years early and I guess he figured I had decent pedigree and he could turn me in to an agent. Well, he worked me hard, and after 14 years at CAMI, I started my own company in Philadelphia.



Many young artists dream of building careers. How does one get on the radar of artist managers? When is it the right time to engage in a business relationship?

A natural reaction is “how do I get concerts until I have an agent?” There are several organizations that prepare an artist for a career including Philadelphia’s Astral Artistic Services and Young Concert Artists, and a host of International Musical Competitions. The hard truth is that a majority of agents and managers want to manage careers, not artists.

Very, very few agents sign artists who contact them directly. I often get cold calls from young artists looking for representation. What I often tell them, if I find the time to reply, is that an effective agent is one who either believes in you and/or he thinks he can financially benefit. I think artists should be a little more careful and protective of their careers by not just signing with just any agent. I strongly believe artists need to carefully consider the magnitude of to whom they are entrusting their career. It’s almost like entering into a marriage. Just because you always wanted to get married one day and then you feel you are now ready does not mean you should just accept a proposal because that person seems like a good candidate on paper. Truth is that just because someone is an agent does not mean they will even book a single performance for you, and poof, you just lost a year or two of your life. An effective agent must be inspired and passionate about the artist they represent or it simply will not work.

People sometimes find me through directories and know nothing about me or my agency… I think it is like someone finding a potential spouse on an online dating service and then talking about marriage before dessert is served. Wouldn’t you want to be introduced or speak to someone who knew your “date” before you went out? However, if someone I knew and respected set up this interview and said “she is fabulous, you are going to thank me,” I’d be a lot more receptive, right? If Martha Argerich or Fima Bronfman were to write to me and tell me I simply had to hear this pianist that they thought was the next Evgeny Kissin, do you think I might find that of interest? So, in a nutshell, I would recommend speaking to colleagues and teachers who are familiar with the managers and really familiarize themselves with how to prepare to make a good impression. This means knowing what is unique about your talent. What separates you from the rest? What conductors are ready to hire you if I were to call them? Do you have quality recordings and references and reviews?



You represent Igudesman and Joo, one of the funniest acts exploding on the music scene since Victor Borge. How did this relationship come about?

I saw one of their videos. I immediately recognized their uniqueness, and their marketability, and the fact that they were working with such musical luminaries as Gidon Kremer, Emanuel Ax, Julian Rachlin and Mischa Maisky, I knew they would be received well with the organizations who book talent. At the same time, I also knew they were not a household name, and were virtually unknown in North America outside musical circles…. which means a tough sell to the general public. They were in the process of changing their representation in the states, and I was quite fortunate to have contacted them when I did. Although they were already in discussion with far larger agencies, I think it was my familiarity with them and my obvious passion and enthusiasm for their artistry that piqued their interest in me. We have a long way to go before we are successful in getting them into the largest performing arts centers in the states, but they are clearly on their way… and 15 million views on YouTube does not hurt!







With emergence of Internet technologies, recording industry went through major challenges and changes. At the same time, how did arts management business evolve and adapt?

Record companies are no longer operating in the same fashion as they did even 10 years ago. They are now looking for what has been coined 360 deals, where they pretty much control all aspects of an artist’s career, including management, booking, publicity, music publishing, etc. Very few classical artists ever made money on classical recordings anyway. If a classical artist were to sell 10,000 CDs, this would have been quite extraordinary. Not like the pop artists. It seemed to me that they would go out on tour to generate more record sales, where the classical artists would generate recordings to help secure live performances.

While it is now easy to put up a wonderful video recording of yourself performing on your website, or on social media outlets and gain exposure, it also means 1,000,000 other people are also doing it. What is required is that you do something that really sticks out. Anyone can make a recording of Chopin Preludes or Bach Fugues. And it hardly matters if you play exceptionally well because that is practically expected. You need to find a way to make your outstanding performance stand out. Perhaps an agent can open some doors. Some artists have received attention for their appearance, whether it is because of how attractive they are, or because they have overcome physical limitations or even because of the color of their skin. If you are a pop artist and you write a hit song, no one does it better than you! In the classical world, what are you going to show me that I haven’t seen a hundred times and that my grandfather didn’t himself see?

It was not my intention to be so harsh here, but this is a tough and unfair business and this is because it isn’t about who is fastest or scores the most points. The same could be said about Hollywood, I guess. But I will share with you, paraphrasing what I used to hear my mother telling her students: if you can find happiness making a living doing anything else, you may be well-advised to pursue that avenue because you will undoubtedly find tremendous hurdles and damaged feelings. You should not venture down this avenue unless you truly know you wouldn’t be happy doing anything else and you are ready to sacrifice… tremendously.

-- end --




Ghena

Join PrivateLessons.com |Since 1996 | USA/Canada

Street Scenes - Music in the Park

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Musical Street Scenes - May 2010

Ghena

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Jennifer Hamady on The Art of Singing

In our interview with PrivateLessons.com member Jennifer Hamady, we discuss her book "The Art of Singing - Discovering and Developing Your True Voice". Based in New York City, Jennifer is a vocal coach and a professional singer. She worked with Stevie Wonder, Patti LaBelle, Def Leppard, Christina Aguilera, Wyclef Jean, Lee Ann Womack, Smokey Robinson, Jessica Simpson, Delta Goodrem, Babyface, Kid Rock and Usher on tour, in the studio and on television. Jennifer also toured as the lead singer in Cirque du Soleil's DELIRIUM.



What was the "aha!" moment that encouraged you to write the book? How many aha's did you have while writing it?

The book actually began as a series of emails. I traveled quite a bit when I started my practice, both as a coach and a singer, and would stay in touch with clients electronically while on the road. I noticed after a time that the same questions would come in, and that my answers seemed to be both unexpected and helpful. This- coupled with my growing belief that there had to be a healthier and more integrated way to both train the voice and educate the singer- led me to refashion my ongoing conversations into a manuscript.

There simply isn’t enough time in the day, much less the year, to share all of the ‘aha!’s I had while writing the book. Each page contains the result of so many of these moments; understandings born from revelations as a singer and/or in working with other singers that not only supported, but indeed created in many ways the foundation of my ideas and approach. And it is an evolving one; I believe that there is no certain wisdom any of us can possess… in singing, teaching, or in life. I’m fully aware that in a few years I’ll sit down to work on a second edition armed with completely new and possibly even contradictory experiences and insights.

Perhaps the biggest ‘aha!’ in the book writing process, if you’re up for a story, occurred about seven years before it was finally released in 2009. At that time, I’d just finished writing the manuscript, and went with my family to Italy for the summer… a vacation for them, and an opportunity to do a final edit of the book in style for me. So it was with great horror that not only was my laptop stolen when we first arrived in Rome, but that the files I’d left at home were corrupted. Meaning… that I had to write The Entire Book Over Again…

Having no other choice, I decided to do my best to recapture what I’d spent years meticulously and loving compiling. This proved to be a losing battle… and happily so. So much had happened to me and in my life since completing the first version of the book… as a woman, a singer, a student, and a teacher. My desire to prove myself in all of these areas in my early twenties had shifted into a passion to witness and humbly share, and I believe the current version of the book reflects that shift, and is vastly if not altogether improved for it.

Another revelation came from my decision about the cover art. Writing a book is a very personal process, and as you progress, it becomes more and more challenging to imagine releasing it to your editor, much less to the world. So it was a beautiful lesson for me to follow my instincts when they whispered that I should turn the cover completely and entirely over to my friend Randall Hasson. I literally handed him the manuscript one day, told him I loved and trusted him, and waited with bated breath for the result. It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Randy poured himself into the project, and gave me such a gift with his beautiful work of art; I couldn’t have dreamed of anything more special or reflective of what I believe the spirit of the book to be.

All of this came into being for me- the book, the cover, the learning- from a series of grand ‘aha!’ moments in the area of ‘letting go’… of right and wrong, of good and bad, of perfection, of control, of ‘shoulds’ and ‘what if?’s. This release is, I believe, one of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves. It opens up the possibility of powerfully partnering with others and truly sharing ourselves with the world.



You talk about trusting one's instincts, unlearning bad habits and envisioning before creating. Please elaborate.

Much of our learning today is additive. Meaning, we’re constantly taking in information and trying to reconcile it with what we already know, rather than standing without prejudice or intent in the face of new ideas. Because of this, we continue building up the dam of ‘what we believe to be true’ that blocks, rather than allows, the freshness of wisdom to flow to us, through us, and change us.

In singing, as in other areas of our lives and learning, we need to deconstruct this dam that’s been built for us by society, and by us in our compliance with it, before we can properly survey the landscape and ascertain what structure is truly best. In the realm of singing, this means addressing our culture’s subtle and overt perceptions of singers and singing, as well as our understanding of the nature of our voices- and the bodies in which they’re housed- and what the use of our instruments mean to us as people. While these ideas may seem simple, they in fact involve very complex relationships that transcend vocal production, including issues of fear, ego, control, expectation, perfection, personal value and worth.

In my experience, to properly begin the exploration of vocal training, the aforementioned issues must be addressed and resolved. Once they have, instincts and intuition step in... they’ve always been there, but are often hushed by the louder voices that plead for perfection, control, and notoriety. In the stillness, we can listen to ourselves and hear the whisperings of where we as people- and as singers- want to go… not because we should or need to in order to validate some personal or societal expectation, but because we dream and long to go there. When we are solid in this vision, its creation becomes a joy-filled journey.



Discuss learning how to learn, becoming one's own best teacher, and breaking away from negative conditioning.

The third chapter is dedicated to the realm of learning, and in my opinion, is one of the most important parts of the book. After all, the answer to the question of what we learn follows, rather than precedes, how it is that we will learn.

Many of us had less than optimal experiences in school, where the memorization and regurgitation of facts trumped the process of learning and its enjoyment. We may have believed that we were passive and second-class receivers of information rather than co-creators of relationships with curiosity, experience, and eventually, wisdom.

I have found that in all learning, particularly in singing, we must bring to the table a sense of equality and confidence as students if we want to participate optimally. That doesn’t mean that other people don’t hold incredible amounts of wisdom for us to absorb. It simply means that the process of empowered learning is in the context of relationship, with the specific information being the byproduct rather than the goal of the dance. When this respectful balance is achieved, new wisdoms easily and powerfully replace previously held ideas, stereotypes, and illusions- both mental and physical- because we had a both a say and a role in creating them.



Your chapter on fear covers a range of issues. Talk about managing fear.

These are such great questions… all with answers that could fill an entire book if addressed comprehensively. Perhaps the best way to briefly summarize my view is that I believe fear to be a positive, rather than a negative force. Our fears are, in my opinion and experience, calls to action that encourage us to move into new areas and experiences.

Unfortunately, many of us hear this call to action as a cry to retreat. We resist fears when they come, dismissing the pull to somewhere new in an effort to remain still, safe, and often, stuck. Our pride and egos compound the issue, frantically insisting that any effort to stretch out of our comfort zones will necessitate risking personal annihilation. And so we remain, longing for a great adventure while floundering in mere survival. We’re alive, but we’re not thriving.

In reality (my reality, anyway...) ‘failure’ is a myth. It’s an illusion. One look at nature will demonstrate this point. There is no wrong or right in the birth to death cycle. There is no judgment upon how a flower or a tree sprouts, blossoms and reaches for the light. Things simply are. It is we human beings that decide to create and impose the illusions of good and bad on what is simply an experience of and participation in the passing of time… an imposition which keeps us from really enjoying and being present in life. Look at young children… do they fear failure? Do they fear rejection? Do they worry about how it will look if they fall when learning to walk? Hardly. It is time we unlearn these illusions and remember the truth.

Interestingly, many singers are drawn to the profession in order to work through and reconcile these issues of fear and failure. Often, they have become convinced- incorrectly- that in an otherwise ‘unsuccessful’ life, their talent is the thing that will make them valid and worthy. Yet when this theory needs to be tested upon the metaphorical and literal stage, the fear that created this bizarre agreement rears its head and insists on neither trying to succeed (for fear or failure) nor giving up and pursuing something else (for pride and fear of ‘looking bad’). It’s a painful dance to both experience and witness. Fortunately, this very struggle, if approached with care, can result in its eventual resolution, and thus, personal and vocal freedom.


Define a healthy voice.

In my opinion, a healthy voice entails three equally important things: a healthy vocal instrument (larynx, vocal folds, strong and connected support mechanism, etc.,), a healthy body (physical health and somatic wellness), and a healthy mind (lack of stress, a sense of humility and confidence, and trust and faith in one’s place in the world). They are wildly and fascinatingly interrelated; without one, there will be a struggle in the long, if not the short term.



Recording sessions have their challenges. How do you achieve a sense of live performance in the studio?

In my opinion- and experience- the biggest piece of ‘technology’ that gets in the way in the studio is the mind. Certainly there are audio variables that in both their newness and foreignness to the natural singing process can cause problems (see below). But generally, it is concerns regarding the experience that singers bring to a recording session that exacerbate, if not cause, a less than optimal performance.

This is largely due to the inherent nature of a recording session. In a way it is a performance, but in another way not, as it will be immediately revisited, checked, tweaked, tuned, overdubbed, and ‘fixed’. It is hard therefore to be in the creative moment- which necessarily involves releasing the moment and performance- when we know that in one minute or less, we’re going to clinically analyze and even alter what we just created.

I therefore suggest to singers that they treat their recording sessions as live performances. I find that it’s best to walk into the booth and sing a song straight through, without thought, without listening back, and without thinking too much about headphone levels and mix and such. Just go for it. Afterwards, you can put your analytical thinking cap and intellectual listening ears back on to critique and, if necessary, correct what you’ve done.

While I’ve learned over the years to embrace and enjoy the process of performing in the studio, certain sessions still present challenges for me. I recently did a gig, for example, where in my headphones I was singing powerfully and perfectly in tune to the track, only to hear after stepping out of the booth that I was a quarter-tone flat throughout the whole line.

It is in this moment that the quality of a session is determined… it is in this moment that a singer has a choice: to get frustrated, embarrassed, angry, and critical of others, or to remain practical and curious about the cause of and solution to the discrepancy. Nine times out of ten, lowering the volume of my voice and/or the overall track in my headphones, or removing one headphone will correct my aural perception and therefore, pitch and performance accuracy. This seems to be true for most of my clients and colleagues as well.

Therefore, remain calm and committed to doing your best rather than to perfection. The former you can control, the latter you cannot. Any attempts at the converse will inevitably weaken your performance, as well as your experience.



You provide an example of how The Washington Post critic dismissed Andrea Bocelli's operatic skills while the audience was enthralled with his passion. What value did the critic bring to his readers?

I think the critic shared quite a bit of value regarding standards in and ideas about classical vocal technique. My issue was not necessarily with the content of his commentary, but rather, the lack of context, which included a moving and powerful presentation that left people in tears and cheering. I felt that this omission did a disservice to an accurate encapsulation of the performance and experience.

My intention in including the review was to provoke a conversation about this very issue… how in our desire to measure ‘quality’ of technique and levels of talent- in all forms of art- we often relegate to the background the effort and passion that leads artists to step onto the stage in the first place. In my mind, this passion is as valid an art form as the ‘technique’ itself. I loved this example because the reviewer’s staunch dislike of Bocelli’s performance was in such sharp contrast to the audience’s reaction. As singers, we are familiar with this conversation… whether it involves a debate of classical versus commercial technique, or training versus inherent ability, there often seems to be very little middle ground. I wanted to open that space up, and encourage us all to spend some time breathing and dancing in much larger ideas of ability and success…



How do you advise your clients to remain centered and unaffected by negative reviews?

I love the Tao Te Ching, and reference it often. It, along with the tenants of Buddhism and other eastern philosophies, discuss the nature of duality, and how a lack of attachment is the first step on the path to peace. I agree with these views, and feel readings in these areas would benefit all artists, and indeed, all people.

One of the most foreign and challenging of these concepts for us Westerners involves releasing attachment to both the negative and the positive. We must not only let go of the bad reviews. We too, while appreciating them, must also let go of the good ones. If we’re attached to either, we’re attached to both. Once we are able to achieve this full release, the process of singing and being in the present moment open up with a thrill that far surpasses any external or internal validation.

It is tempting to dismiss these ideas as spiritual mumbo-jumbo, but before you do, consider those performances and performers that you feel to be top-notch. Those you remember and think of as truly transformational. I’d bet that for most of us, it is those artists that from the moment they step on stage powerfully draw us into their worlds and experiences. We are attracted not to their ‘perfection’ but to their sincerity… to the permission they give us through their own vulnerability to bring forth a similar honesty within ourselves…

Certainly we all need critics, and I suggest that clients welcome reviews and constructive criticism as opportunities to see themselves through new eyes, to stretch, and to grow. But while on stage, let prior, future, and even current opinions fade- including your own. They no longer and do not yet exist. All that is present is the moment. Do your best, open your soul, and share your song.



You were a lead singer in Cirque du Soleil's DELIRIUM, touring in 16 countries. What was it like to perform for over 1 million people?

Mind blowing. Breathtaking. Frustrating. Humbling. Surreal. Awe-inspiring. Spiritual. Like a beginning. Like coming home.

I remember when we walked into the arena in Budapest… the largest we played on tour- something like 20,000 seats- we all stood there for a moment before sound check and just listened to the stillness… the quiet. The space was filled with expectation for what was to come… for what we would deliver to That Many People. I still get goose bumps thinking about it. Thank you for allowing me to re-experience that.

And thanks to you & your readers for sharing this wonderful conversation with me. Always a pleasure.

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Ghena

Join PrivateLessons.com | Since 1996 | USA/Canada

... from music capital of Sacramento CA

Judith shares this message:

Thank you for the wonderful service..........you all are great!!!

Judith Lynne Favero, Speech Level Singing Instructor

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Some of my favorite people

Rare footage of pianist Vladimir Sokoloff. He was one of my piano teachers at Curtis -- unassuming, remarkable musician! I also played lessons for Julius Baker's students, which generally started at 7 a.m. with a bagel, coffee and a joke.

This footage is from a TV program in the early 60s featuring flutist Julius Baker and pianist Vladimir Sokoloff









Ghena

Join PrivateLessons.com | Since 1996 | USA/Canada

Spring - Primavera - Весна - Frühling

Spring is enchanting. It explains why so many songwriters are inspired to write songs of Spring.







Ghena

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Dr. Chuan C. Chang on Fundamentals of Piano Practice

In PrivateLessons.com interview with Dr. Chuan C. Chang, the author of "Fundamentals of Piano Practice" we touch on a complex subject of learning. Passionate about piano, Dr. Chang, a physicist, puts on a hat of analytical research scientist to explain a more efficient approach to learning to play piano. The book offers a clear path to improving learning skills.



What was the impetus for your book?

The invaluable teachings of Yvonne Combe, probably one of the greatest piano teachers of all time. Without this book, her teachings would have been lost forever. However, my book, after over 15 years of further research, goes even beyond Combe's teachings because of advances in knowledge not available to Combe and because of the application of scientific methods of project management.

I further made this book freely downloadable in order to accelerate the adoption of good practice methods because you can't put a price on musicianship, and piano students have suffered long enough from a lack of properly trained piano teachers and teaching materials.


Principles of Learning: Talk about the missing link between traditional teaching practices and teaching how to learn.

My entire book is about this topic! Here, I talk only about teaching piano (and probably most musical instruments and music in general), because teachings in schools and universities for science, math, etc., are not missing significant links and do excellent jobs; in fact my book is an attempt to pattern music teaching to those proven practices. The differences are far-reaching, but amazingly simple in practice. I list some major ones:

(1) Documentation. No one has any knowledge of how Liszt acquired technique (including Liszt, apparently). Great pianists were unable to analyze their technique acquisition methods or were unable to document them. One motivation may have been to enhance the myth of a genius who can do things others can't -- a very convenient excuse for not teaching every trick and aggrandizing their stature. With the exception of a few fragmentary attempts, no teacher or pianist has documented these methods until my book was written. Thus piano learning was one of few fields with no standard text book, which meant that the wrong intuitive methods were re-invented and taught ad infinitum (see my book for definition of "intuitive methods"). Note that an important aspect of documentation is providing accurate definitions of everything that is discussed in the book, something that has been sorely lacking in practically every book written on learning piano.

(2) Research. This is most clearly demonstrated by reading any book on piano; the majority have no references to other books. This means that the writer simply wrote down her/is ideas without checking them with those of others or researching what was previously investigated, or comparing his methods with those of others to see which ones are right and which are wrong. True, teachers such as Whiteside had experimented with different teaching methods and recorded the results. But research by one teacher doesn't get you very far; it is when all available research is assembled, analyzed and written up, do you really benefit. In addition, even when written, most writings of pianists are not sufficiently organized in terms of theory, correctness, and completeness, to be useful because of their lack of formal training in pedagogy. Scientists like me must learn and teach practically every day of our lives; otherwise we fall hopelessly behind very quickly; by contrast, piano teachers rarely interact with each other to improve their teaching methods.

(3) The Power of the Intuitive Magnet. Because the intuitive methods and their pitfalls were never identified, they became the standard teaching methods. For the first time, my book defines the intuitive method and discusses its pitfalls.

(4) Knowledge vs Art. Artists are understandably wary about reducing art to a science, because that can put them out of business, and every student becomes a talented musician or even a genius. Their lack of understanding of science makes them utter statements such as "Art is not Science" or "Music is not math", and thus they tend to separate the two while in reality, science provides possibly the greatest help that artists can get. Under the intuitive methods, artists did not have time to acquire other knowledge because it required a lifetime to learn art. The floodgates are opened when science is finally added to art because learning is accelerated and there is plenty of time for artists to learn everything else. This is one reason why many piano teachers cannot teach from my book, because they can't speak the same language and make too many mistakes when they try. Thus one requisite for raising the level of piano teaching is better education of the piano teachers.

(5) Misconceptions about inborn talent. Talent has never been clearly defined and has been overvalued as a requisite to becoming a successful pianist. The truth is that talent is more created than inborn. If you give the same set of students to a poor teacher and a good teacher, the good teacher will produce many more talented pianists than the poor one. "Lack of talent" has been the most convenient scapegoat when a teacher fails to teach. Of course, there are differences in the abilities of every student. But we must more carefully differentiate between inborn talent, the educational opportunities, and age effects, etc., because any of these factors can dominate the effective talent level of a specific person.

(6) I can go on and on. I may have sounded facetious or derogatory in some of the descriptions of piano teachers above because I did not have space to discuss the justifiable reasons for their shortcomings, and I made statements that are clearly one-sided in order to make a clearer point.


Learning Rate Calculation: Excluding mathematical formulas, in broader terms, how do methods in your book reduce learning curve vs. intuitive methods?

(1) Hands Separate practice, (2) Shortening difficult passages, (3) Memorizing before practicing, (4) making music, (5) avoiding exercises of the Hanon type and "practice music" such as Czerny, (5) a large class of "learning tricks" such as parallel sets and outlining, (6) Mental Play (allows practice without a piano, helps memorization, etc), and (7) details of technical acquisition such as the Thumb Over method, glissando motion, cartwheel motion, etc.


Photographic Memory: Is it truth or fiction?

Truth; it is easy once you start practicing it; but it is more acquired than inborn. In many students, it appears inborn because the differences are so huge between good photographic memorizers and poor ones. And the good ones seem to have acquired it "in no time". But the good ones learned to do it at an early age, which makes all the difference. For example, absolute pitch is totally learned, but a 2-yr old can learn it in minutes while a 50 year old may not learn it well in 3 years. Photographic memory is Mental Play, and is learned by practicing Mental Play. Thus the statement "photographic memory is inborn" is fiction.


Mental Play: As we have seen in recent Olympics, athletes do a mental exercise, visualizing the routine before they start. Talk about the benefits of mental play in music.

Very well put, because it is huge; for a pianist, it is just as important as finger technical skills, yet most teachers don't even teach it. Without it, you can lose your absolute pitch in a matter of years. Your recitals will be full of errors. You have no way of controlling nervousness before a performance. But most importantly, Mental Play (MP) is a measure of your musical IQ. Memorization is the skill most closely associated with MP, and good memory will raise your effective IQ just as adding memory to a slow computer will speed it up. As you pointed out, every one of those giant slalom skiers would either not win, become injured, or worse without MP. All accomplished pianists eventually compose music, and without MP, composition is impossible, so they eventually learn; however, they progress much faster if taught correctly from the beginning, instead of "random invention by necessity". This is similar to the situation whereby a school student will learn to add, subtract, and multiply much faster if taught in class than if left alone to figure out how to do it.


Practice Routine: Talk about the right and wrong procedures.

That's basically the difference between intuitive and correct methods. In the correct methods, you are either taught exactly what to do (e.g., practice relaxation, Thumb Over method), or given a set of tools to solve problems (hands separate, parallel sets). The human hands/brain are incredible instruments in the infinity of motions they can execute, most of which are totally unfamiliar to most, and must be taught. In the intuitive method, you are asked to try to play something you can't by repeating it. Again, the incredible ability of the brain/hand appears here in that eventually, the hands will accidentally discover the right motions, and in most cases, the pianist is unaware of the accident -- s/he just feels that s/he can play it all of a sudden. It is easy to understand that a good teacher can explain the necessary motions in a lesson or two, while it may take longer -- sometimes a lifetime, for a student to accidentally discover it. Liszt took 2 yrs to discover Thumb Over, AFTER he had already become a recognized pianist. Today, a teacher can teach it to an eight-year old in a few lessons. The wrong methods are discussed in great detail in my book, because so many of them seem so intuitively correct -- the reason why I named them "intuitive methods", although obviously, not all intuitive methods are wrong. To be strictly correct, they should be called "wrong intuitive methods".


Technique: You suggest that finger dexterity of advanced pianists and regular folks is not much different, and that technique is a function of brain/nerve development. Please elaborate.

Some of that was covered in 6. above. What I meant by my statement is that with proper training, the majority of humans can acquire finger dexterity of concert pianists, just as the majority of humans can grow muscles by weight lifting. Note that even concert pianists must practice every day in order to have sufficient finger control for performances. Thus finger dexterity is definitely more training and conditioning than inborn. As several famous musicians have repeated said, ‘If I don’t practice for a day, I notice. If I don’t practice for two days, my friends notice. And if I don’t practice for three days, the whole audience notices.’


Slow Practice: Sergei Rachmaninoff was known to practice extremely slowly. What developments happen during slow practice? What are the negatives, if any?

This is controversial, as I have no concrete research evidence to show that it helps; however, it is entirely consistent with the ideas in my book. With very slow play, you can practice the Basic Keystroke (BK) concepts in my book. BK consists of an accelerating keydrop (gravity drop) followed by rapid relaxation, followed by a relaxed hold and finally a quick lift at a very precise time. You can't practice these components while playing a Chopin Etude at full speed. Playing at about 1 note/second will allow you to practice them. The idea is to practice them sufficiently so that they become automatic components of every note you play. The negative is that it requires an inordinate amount of time -- but that may not be an issue, if learning it is a NECESSITY.


Transferable Skills: You liken learning a musical composition to project management. Please explain.

Technique acquisition and composing are all project management issues, and any expert in project management will agree with that, and when they read my book, they will recognize the basic elements of project management everywhere in my book. That is why my book (and learning piano) can be so useful for success in school and in life in general. Some basic principles are: (1) work only on segments of the project that you can manage and hopefully you can choose segments that are easy to manage, (2) once finished, have a way of maintaining that segment so you don't lose it, (3) define a hierarchy of segments with different difficulties and attack each in the most logical way -- for piano, you should start with the most difficult because it takes the longest time to learn; for warfare, you may want to start with the easiest so as to disrupt your enemy and not have to fight their strength until absolutely necessary, (4) all segments must be contiguous; isolated units are vulnerable to deterioration from all sides and are harder to maintain. Etc. You must know how to begin, continue, and finish a project, and have some way of knowing how long it will take. You must have a basic theory as well as the knowledge base to carry the project through. That is, theory is only the beginning; every project is knowledge based.


Your book is quite thorough, yet you state it is just the beginning. What other research on this subject do you see in the future?

The best way to illustrate this is to say that the invention of the transistor was a great breakthrough because it replaced the vacuum tube which was large and expensive to make and operate, and it totally changed how we communicate. This might represent the first appearance of my book. But it was only the beginning; then came integrated circuits which essentially put most of the electronics of an entire radio or TV on a chip, etc., and now 50 yrs or so later, we have the internet and Google. Thus the addition of science to any discipline usually causes that discipline to advance to levels not initially predictable. This has been repeated in medicine, biology, chemistry, psychology (neurology), architecture, etc., except in piano until my book was written. Some possible research topics are the role of momentum in rapid passages, brain studies of musical response, especially as a function of age (especially the very young), quantitative measurements of genetic and other factors that affect the musical brain, the physiology of fast and slow muscles, the different roles played by nerves vs muscles, -- there is basically an infinity of them because each advance will engender new questions. Music conservatories must now embark on these endeavors instead of trying to maintain the status quo which has led nowhere for hundreds of years. Make no mistake; change WILL come. Look how the electronic pianos are cheaper, always in tune (the modeled [vs sampled] pianos now allow you to play Chopin's Pleyel or Mozart's harpsichord all in one instrument), sound much better than practically any upright piano, and can do many things that mechanical pianos can't. But obviously, the most important questions center around technique development and the human brain.


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Ghena

Join PrivateLessons.com | Since 1996 | USA/Canada

... from music capital of New York City

Jennifer shares this message:

Thank you so much for creating this wonderful site. I've worked with a number of great clients thanks to it, as well as have had many people buy and enjoy my book.

Jennifer Hamady, Voice Teacher/Vocal Coach

Ghena

Join PrivateLessons.com | Since 1996 | USA/Canada

Josef Lhevinne on Beautiful Music Making

Recently, I decided to re-read "Basic Principles in Pianoforte Playing" by Josef Lhevinne (1874-1944). Originally published in 1924, the book is only 45 pages, and says it all.

It took a brilliant musical mind and a lifetime of music study to articulate with crystal clarity the foundation of beautiful music making.

Lhevinne outlines basic principles, the keys that help unlock freedom of expression. It is a starting point and the rest of the journey is as individual as there are musicians in this world.

Here is 1928 recording of Lhevinne playing Schultz-Evler "The Blue Danube." It puts a smile on my face every time. Enjoy!




Ghena

Join PrivateLessons.com | Since 1996 | USA/Canada

"This is my career, not a job"

PrivateLessons.com Member, Ron Jackson offers a snapshot of a life of a busy working musician. Based in New York, Ron has an established presence on the international Jazz scene and is a dedicated private guitar teacher.

How to survive in the music business when it's always up and down

By Ron Jackson


In the music business it's either sink or swim! When it comes to gigs, either it's dead or it's crazy busy! You know the saying, "How do you make a musician complain?" ---"Give them a gig" I prefer to have a gig!! Sometimes I'll do some crazy things to make a gig. Here are some examples of some things I've done recently........

1.) Play a gig in the evening in New York, then drive 3 hours that same night to play in Maryland the next morning @ 7am then drive back 3 hours to Brooklyn, teach privately for 3 hours then make another gig that night.

2.) I was playing 3-5 gigs a day when I was performing at schools for Jazz at Lincoln Center a couple of weeks ago, the call times were so early, that I had to wake up @ 6am, sometimes drive for an hour, then play.

3.) Wake up with only 4 hours of sleep, teach for 7 hours, then play a duo gig (guitar and saxophone for 5 1/2 hours, while driving to make each gig.

It's rough trying to make all these jobs, I run on steam, trying to rest in bed in between some days so I don't get sick.

Here's the question?
"Is it worth it?"
YES !!!!!

This is my career, not a job. I am one of the lucky musicians who can say when some straight 9-5ver asks, "What kind of work do you do?" I can proudly say, "I play music". They always look surprised!!!!

It's a tough business, it's takes more than just being a great musician to make a living.

Ghena

Join PrivateLessons.com | Since 1996 | USA/Canada

Happy 200th birthday, Mr. Chopin!

Ghena

Join PrivateLessons.com | Since 1996 | USA/Canada

... from music capital of Anchorage, Alaska

Mary shares this message:

I really appreciate your website ... I get results from it, and it helps my bottom line ... Kudos to YOU!!

Mary LaFever, Guitar Teacher

Ghena

Join PrivateLessons.com | Since 1996 | USA/Canada

Artistic Liberty

PrivateLessons.com Member, Ney Mello explores the future of classical music performance standards. Based in Silver Spring MD, Ney is a performing and recording artist and a dedicated guitar teacher.

Can we please have actual artistic Liberty for the classical guys and girls?

By Ney Mello


Recently I have been studying String quartets and symphonic writing in order to increase my grasp of multifocal arranging techniques and approaches. I have also become aware of how few are and were the real artists playing concerts in the classical world today and last century.

One artist who had the real classical music spirit was Glenn Gould. Now..What IS the real classical music spirit and why is it not happening in more than a handful of "controversial" masters in the last century and today?

In fact classical repertoire is poised for an inevitable return to its source as a living art. A restoration of the old living values of genuine artistry and humanism has become the only way for classical music to stay relevant in today's world.

If it does not it will die completely. Attendance to classical recitals and concerts is decaying fast to nothing and record downloads and CD sales are almost non existent these days and orchestras are being eliminated.

The source of all this decay and death in the classical establishment is precisely its own decision to be dead in spirit and to teach the classical musicians to play alike as quasi-automatons devoid of personal vision and interpretation (except affected, directed and precisely dictated musical conduct regulations - as is done in so many master classes which are de facto indoctrination seminars of a most totalitarian nature).

Classical musicians have been indoctrinated on how to play the works “correctly" and as "they should be played".....This fascist cultural gestalt was not the reality in the 16th to 18th centuries, when the music was alive and Franz Liszt was a "rock star" phenom as well as Paganini and so forth. In fact very much like today's Gwen Stefani, Paganini influenced fashion trends with popular apparel items such as “Paganini style" gloves.

Mozart was like Andrew Lloyd Weber in popular impact with is opera productions etc... so was Puccini.

However the 20th century was a deathly period for classical music and the final days are almost here...unless: The renaissance of real feeling and real musicality gets going soon.

When it happens (if it happens) improvisation will be re-instated as it was in the times of living classical music. Embellishments will be again a common practice. Performers will be again musicians instead of recitalists quoting the printed page as they were ordered to do and always in the same standard spiritually dead manner.

Furthermore the forced ideological concept of recitalist versus composer must be dropped as it is one of the most poisonous forces that has weakened the classical world to it's knees.

Any composer is also a player and when they played they changed things around a lot and added sometimes an hour of "extra" improvised on the spot variations during a concert's solo cadenza. This was forbidden in the 20th century and remains prohibited today in spite being a blatant violation of these composers’ fundamental values and artistic intentions. The classical player has been reduced to a flesh and blood ipod!.. Just play the file and nothing more. No room for human creativity.

In my estimation, among the very few artists who actually lived and live as real classical musicians free from the collective death inducing directives of the oppressive classical ideology of the late 19th and 20th centuries are: Julian Bream, Martha Argerich, Muza Rubackyte, Gidon Kremer, Ivo Pogorelich, Yehudi Menuhin and Glenn Gould among a few rare others.

Ghena

Join PrivateLessons.com | Since 1996 | USA/Canada

One Line Drawing, a Performance Art

Once, I wrote songs on poems by Ben Wolf. He was so touched, in appreciation he gave me his one line drawing entitled The Accompanist.

I just rediscovered it in my library. It’s time to frame it.












Ben Wolf was an artist, author and a great supporter of the arts in Philadelphia.

The more famous of his one line drawings is of Leopold Stokowski, which graces the cover of Abram Chasins' book.













One line drawing is quite a performance art. Once you start a drawing, it’s show time.

Mr. Wolf told me a story of how he was working on a drawing of Stokowski but couldn’t quite capture it, and then, in one magical moment, there he was.













Ghena

Join PrivateLessons.com | Since 1996 | USA/Canada