I am preparing to give a few workshops about motivating students to play more musically. My thesis has been that learning to listen and love a wide range of musical and non-musical sounds is one of the secrets to producing beautiful sounds at the piano. Teaching students to notice these sounds is what is so challenging, yet rewarding as a teacher.
You can understand then why Leon Fleisher’s comments in a recent WSJ article excited me:
The secret of great musical performance lies in listening, he reveals. “It is a tripartite process: We have to be three people at once. Person A ‘hears’ what the music should sound like, setting the goals. Person B sits there and pushes the keys down, in response to Person A. Person C sits apart and judges, telling Person B what adjustments to make. This goes on simultaneously. Most students are concerned with producing what they want—A and B—but they have the least amount of space in their brains for listening: C.
And then there is the comment he makes that will resonant with all of us as teachers:
In all the conservatories, including my own at the Peabody Conservatory and the Curtis Institute, the kids are extremely competitive—they want to play louder and faster than the pianist in the next studio. Most of them can play the hell out of the piano in a way that their elders never could. But they belong more appropriately in the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. It all has very little to do with making art. They have a lot of work to do, but it’s easier just to pump plastic.
Ah…so I’m not alone! And neither are you.
Do take some time to read this interesting article about Leon Fleisher as he talks with the editor about his new autobiography, “My Nine Lives.” In the article, Fleisher also says some interesting things about French, German, and Russian music which you may or may not like. This and a bit about his physical challenge in his right hand when two of his fingers began to curve involuntarily, make for interesting reading.
And you will once again understand why I subscribe to the Wall Street Journal!
I like to sit in with a local Jazz group called the Wolverines. They’ve been in the business for more decades that I’ve been alive. They love those jazz standards and are history buffs on old time swingers that even music majors haven’t heard of. Who knows what I think I’m trying to do on that drum set when I sit in, but obviously I’m 28 year old me doing whatever it is i’m doing up there… Well the pianist gave me some advice recently that I’ll never forget:
Look out into the audience. Place yourself out there with them. Listen to the drummer on stage, and play the way you know that drummer should sound. -You know how that drummer should sound. You can actually make him/her sound that way now.
I’m not saying I sound any better up there Lol… yet.
Great thoughts and quotes, Wendy! This is one of my constant aims in both my own playing and with my students. I’d love to hear more of your ideas on how to practically work toward this end!