Here’s a link to a site where you can print some crazy musical scores. Somebody sure had a sense of humor. This would be a great gift to send home with your students on April Fools Day. :]
Month: April 2009
Congrats to Elizabeth!
Congrats to my student, Elizabeth, who won the 3-part Invention division of the local Bach Competition earlier this year. Last Sunday afternoon she performed in the winners recital. It was her first entry in a piano competition, and she played fabulously!
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Program Notes from 2009
My senior recital was last night! Let me tell you, it feels GREAT to have that accomplishment behind me!
Here’s the program notes:
Prelude & Fugue in C minor, from Book II WTC (BWV 871)………J.S. Bach (1685-1750)
Piano Sonata No. 17 in D minor, Op. 31 No. 2 “Tempest”………..Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)Largo – AllegroAdagioAllegretto
Program Notes from 2008
I’ve been working on the program notes for my senior recital, which is coming up….and thought I’d look up my program notes from my junior recital last year! They’re kind of fun to read.
Für Alina…………………………………………Arvo Pärt (1935-present)Préludes, Book I……………………………Claude Debussy (1862-1918)…La danse de Puck
…Minstrels
An Inspiring Reminder…
The following is a something that has been recently circulating via email forwarding (thanks Dr. Le!). I thought it make some excellent points, reminding us of our ultimate goal as musicians. Hope you find it as inspiring as I did! (Sorry for its length — but let me tell you, it’s definitely worth taking the time to read it!)
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(Welcome address to freshman at Boston Conservatory, given by Karl Paulnack, pianist and director of music division at Boston Conservatory.)
“One of my parents’ deepest fears, I suspect, is that society would not properly value me as a musician, that I wouldn’t be appreciated. I had very good grades in high school, I was good in science and math, and they imagined that as a doctor or a research chemist or an engineer, I might be more appreciated than I would be as a musician. I still remember my mother’s remark when I announced my decision to apply to music school—she said, “you’re WASTING your SAT scores.” On some level, I think, my parents were not sure themselves what the value of music was, what its purpose was. And they LOVED music, they listened to classical music all the time. They just weren’t really clear about its function. So let me talk about that a little bit, because we live in a society that puts music in the “arts and entertainment” section of the newspaper, and serious music, the kind your kids are about to engage in, has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with entertainment, in fact it’s the opposite of entertainment. Let me talk a little bit about music, and how it works. Continue reading “An Inspiring Reminder…”
Accuracy vs. Musicality
There are many performers who I consider to have amazing accuracy of notes, but minimal musicality….others who hit many wrong notes, but have AMAZING musicality. The greatest performers, I think, are those who manage to do both successfully. But if I had to choose between one extreme or another, I would choose the musicality over the note accuracy, hands down.
I tend to fall in the latter category. I wish I could play more accurately more consistently…but to tell you the truth, I’m far more concerned with playing musically. Continue reading “Accuracy vs. Musicality”
Student Composition Recital
On Friday, April 3, a Student Composition Recital was held at my college. Two of my pieces were performed!
Here’s my horn solo with French horn accompaniment… Continue reading “Student Composition Recital”
Recital Preparation
My students are currently preparing for our studio piano recital in May. They are all doing great. I was doing some brainstorming (which can be dangerous), and decided to hold a “practice recital” the weekend before the actual recital. I envisioned all my students cramming into my music room, listening to each other playing their pieces, and then leading discussion about various aspects of performing. Afterwards, we would play a round or two of Music Bingo. 🙂 Continue reading “Recital Preparation”
Link: www.musicards.net
I found this cool link among the resources on my friend’s vocal studio site. Musicards.net provides an interactive way to practice note names, key signatures, intervals, piano key names, among other things. Just think of it as “interactive flashcards.” It’s a great to site to refer to your students!