![]() It is a joy to celebrate accomplishments and overcome challenges with students at every level. Performing is an art that takes time to develop, and with each stage of the journey come new accomplishments and challenges. Though we teach musicality, tone, technique, and dynamics from the beginning of piano study, it takes time for students to truly internalize all these aspects and effectively convey them in performance. Goals of steadiness and accuracy evolve into concerns of interpretation and musicality. It took years for me to begin to feel more independent in this area – to convey a song’s style and character well, and make the music “come alive” on my own.Īs ‘piano students’ become ‘pianists,’ their performance ability and etiquette changes. In elementary and middle school, my piano teachers taught me exactly how to play each piece and how each section should sound. In college, my teacher played a significant role in guiding me through technical challenges and helping me to develop the character of the piece, however, I had much more say in how I would play the piece and the sounds that I would evoke. However, the musicality is more intentional and internalized by this point, I ‘owned’ the interpretation. You may hear a few little memory glitches and muddled notes, as memorization is a typical challenge for intermediate and advanced-level students playing longer, more complex repertoire. Subsequently, you will see a noticeable development in stage presence and a leap in ability (though there’s always room to grow!). There is a bit of a gap between this performance and the previous video (11 years to be exact). The final video is from one of my undergraduate recitals. Even so, there is progress overall my playing, confidence at the piano, and performance etiquette had improved. At this point in time, I had rheumatoid arthritis, and so I wasn’t physically capable of a demanding, virtuosic performance. There is more expression throughout the piece, the songs are more substantial, and I even had arranged one of the songs myself. As an 11-year-old, I am much more comfortable with the instrument, and you will notice that a little bit of poise has developed with my years of recital experience. The next video is from my 7 th year of piano study. This kind of early performance reveals a solid foundation for my later piano studies. There is some musicality, but it may be limited a little by the student’s nerves. The extra presentational aspects (bowing, facial expressions, posture) may not be completely polished, but the playing is steady and accurate. Many beginning piano students perform in much the same way. However, I was well-prepared, played with a steady beat, and even added in a little musicality: As with most elementary students, I completely forgot to bow or adjust the bench with my obvious nerves and excitement. This first video is from my 3 rd year of piano lessons, when I was 7 years old. Recently, I pulled out more of my recital videos and began thinking about the progression of student performing. As a video of one of my piano recitals appeared on the screen, memories surfaced. My family tried a new tradition this past New Year’s: we stayed home, played some board games, and watched home videos. **Students may participate in festivals, competitions and various other performance opportunities. *Openings are limited to each teacher’s unique schedule. ![]() Notifications of student selection will be made by April.Applications will be available by request in the Spring.Protégé is comfortable learning & performing late intermediate to advanced piano literature.Protégé understands music is a gift to be shared through performance.Protégé is equipped to be a life long musician.Protégé knows how to critically interact with music in every day life.Perform for MMK students & other protégé students during Tuesday studio classes.Assist teachers in the MMK Studio Classes (ages 11 and up only).Attend Studio Class on four Tuesdays throughout the year and one Friday: Required.Demonstrate consistent desire to tackle both challenging and enjoyable repertoire.Reach clear weekly goals with scales, chords, & arpeggio practice.Craft advantageous, individual performance goals with coaching from Studio Teachers.**.A desire to acquire and practice leadership skills (for age 11 and up only).Commitment to excellence in performing.A desire & drive to become a skilled, artistic musician.Faithfulness in thoughtful, daily practice.Each Studio Teacher will select students who demonstrate the following:
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