A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of adjudicating for a local MTA’s Music Progressions event. One of the students performed my new piece, Twister. He was so excited to be playing for the actual composer but I was probably more excited to listen to him! The 7 year old boy had only be taking lessons for 9 months and was already playing a Level 3 piece with great flourish and energy. You could see the healthy pride that he had when he finished performing. He knew piano was his “thing.”
On the way into the room, he told me that he meant to draw me a picture of a tornado, but had forgotten. I told him, “That’s ok. It’s special for me just to hear you play my piece! But, if you still wanted to, you could mail me a picture. I’d love that.”
I didn’t think any more about the picture, but I did think a lot about the student. He had been fascinated by tornados for a long time, so this was the perfect piece for him. In talking with him about why he liked the piece, it reminded me of something very important: Most of the pieces that I’ve written that are successful with students, are successful because I’ve taken the time to ask questions about my intended audience:
“What does this level of student like?”
“What struggles do they have in this level of playing?”
“What kind of games and activities do they like?” (outside of music)
“What motivates children this age?”
“What fascinates students this age?”
In general, I think specific questions like these should be asked of any piece that a composer writes. Knowing your audience is crucial to connecting with your audience. [In case you are wondering, I’m not calling Twister a hit, but it has connected with a lot of students!]
Two days after this event, I checked my mail and found this great drawing from this exceptional student! Needless to say, it made my day.
