WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO TAKE SUMMER PIANO LESSONS ?

The advantages of taking summer piano lessons:

1. Summertime is a time when students can really focus on practice without the pressures from school.

2. Piano practice is a better pastime, than television and video games.

3. Children actually have the time to practice more and add new music to the repertoire list, learn new skills or try a new piano method.

The disadvantages of not taking summer piano lessons:

1. Taking summer off results in students failing to move forward with their playing.

2. Piano practice is a better pastime, than television and video games.

3. The teacher will try very hard to bring the student back to their previous level of proficiency, but the experience will be frustrating for students.  The teacher has to help the student stumble through things that they used to play with ease, having to re-teach old things without demoralizing the student.

and finally the big one!!!

4. “Use it or Lose it”. You have made a substantial investment in your child’s education. Many parents figure they will “save money” by stopping music lessons for the summer. This is actually quite a big short-sighted decision – because it is not taking into account the “attrition” of skills and techniques, and having to re-learn these things come Fall “Back to School” time. If you have to learn something TWICE you have wasted your money. Your child (and you!) have worked hard on their instrument all school year, and if they take all summer off from lessons they will LOSE IT because they didn’t USE IT all summer long.

Solutions:

Please take summer lessons as much as you can. Even a few odd lessons here and there throughout the summer will make a big difference!

Piano practice review #1, Clementi Sonatina

A piano session with Maria Rayzvasser, Clementi Sonatina

This Clementi Sonatina is an example of sonata form – one of the most important and difficult musical forms. There is a large body of theory that has to be studied. Now that the student knows the sections of the sonata-allegro movement she is ready to study more difficult Classical Sonatas. We plan on learning some of Mozart’s Viennese Sonatinas during the next semester. Stay tuned!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUknyXrDA_Q

 

 

Piano practice review #2, Bach Prelude

Here is another piano lesson with Maria Rayzvasser, Bach Prelude

Everyone is making mistakes at public performances from time to time. Even talented and experienced musicians. There is one basic rule about how to do it “right” – no one should notice the mistake unless he knows the piece very well. I teach my students how to behave on stage if they forgot the music or something unexpected happened during the performance.
For example at the video the student forgot almost 3 bars of this Bach Prelude. Guess where?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfCKYZBh1zE

 

(Answer: 0:59-1:03)