Autumn 2005, Vol. 16 #3

Just for the fun of it . . .

There's no doubt that we're living in the "FUN" age. Everything has to be fun, and if it's not, it seems that its life span is of short duration. In the area of education in music, technology has provided students with multi sources of pleasure in the form of electronic instruments, products, materials, and activities - all designed to ensure that taking music lessons (and maybe even practicing) can be fun!

Most of us would agree that music-making should be fun - fun for the "doer" and fun for the listener, and surely we welcome every bit of help we can get to make this happen. However, I sometimes find myself wondering if, as we take advantage of all of the technological resources at our disposal, we indeed are spending enough time nurturing the joy that should come from exploring the actual music itself.

In the Rhythm Dept., Belinda Green's audio clips demonstrate practice steps and use of rubato mentioned in her article, "How do you teach the rhythm of 'Moonlight Mood' from William Gillock's Lyric Preludes?"

In the Adult Piano Study Dept., Thomas Pearsall provides additional photographs of props he uses in his piano studio as he answers the question "How has your adult teaching changed since you first started teaching adults?"

Apropos of this, I still remember a lesson (long before the days of keyboard technology) in which one of my teenage students was being introduced to her first Bach "Two-Part Invention" (No. 1 in C Major). I played it for her and then we analyzed it, discovering the subject out of which Bach had made this piece and what he subsequently "invented" out of this subject - how he featured it in the lower as well as in the upper voice; how he sometimes wrote it upside down (inverted); how it sometimes occurred in major and sometimes in minor; and how Bach occasionally rhythmically augmented its note values. We also discovered the dialog that resulted from the composer's use of imitation between the two voices, and the function of cadences to mark the ends of major sections in the piece. And of course, we discussed the character (mood) created by the piece. Our experience with this Invention consumed the entire lesson. Although I have no idea what the student might recall about it, the thing I remember the most was her final one-word response to what she had discovered about the piece - "COOL!!"

Certainly most of us who teach also think the music of Bach is "cool" - and so is the music of Handel, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Chopin, Brahms, Debussy, Bartok, Tcherepnin, and all of the other master composers.

Remembering the above lesson has prompted me to pose a question which I have been thinking a lot about lately: "Is it possible that we have gotten so involved with the accessories we use to ensure that our students are having 'fun,' that they are getting "short tripped" on experiencing what I think should be the primary source of the "fun" in a music lesson - the music itself?" A true test to determine our success with developing students who actually have fun practicing and playing the pieces we assign might be to utilize nothing in our studio for a month or two except an acoustic piano, a pencil, and a volume or two of "good" music. In this "bare-bones" setting, would the lesson still be "fun?" Would making music at the piano still be "fun?" And if so, how long would this "fun"last? As teachers of music, I think that perhaps putting our teaching to a test such as this might be an interesting experiment - one well worth considering. (As always, I would welcome your thoughts on this subject ....)

At this point, I see from the clock that it's time to bring this to a close because my next student, Emily, will be arriving momentarily. I am really looking forward to today's lesson because we're going to explore a Mozart sonata - just for the fun of it!

About Our Cover Art

Cover photo by Jack Mitchell of Nancy Arganbright and Dallas Weekley. Used with permission.

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MULTIMEDIA ARTICLES

Rhythm Department

Belinda Green provides audio clips of practice steps and use of rubato in her article, "How do you teach the rhythm of 'Moonlight Mood' from William Gillock's Lyric Preludes?"

Adult Piano Study Department

Thomas Pearsall's additional photographs of props he uses in his piano studio communicate loudly and clearly as he answers the question "How has your adult teaching changed since you first started teaching adults?"

Also be sure to check out our page of
links to ALL of our multimedia articles in past issues.

Table of Contents from

Autumn 2005, Volume 16, Number 3

	The Magic Triangle: Teacher/Student/Parent Barbara Kreader, Editor	What guidelines can teachers, parents, and students use when buying and maintaining a piano?	Virgil E. Smith
	The Other Teacher: Home Practice Elvina Pearce, Editor	What are the pros and cons of parents supervising their children's practice?	Marilyn C. Andersen Nancy Breth Carol Ann Ishman
	Independence Day: Music Reading Craig Sale, Editor	What do you do with a transfer student who reads well on the treble staff but is insecure with reading on the bass staff?	Steve Betts Jacqueline Blender Melody A. Hanberry
	Let's Get Physical: Technique Scott McBride Smith, Editor	Joanne Baker - Memories of one of piano teaching's great ladies	Scott McBride Smith
	The Heart of the Matter: Rhythm Bruce Berr, Editor	How do you teach the rhythm of "Moonlight Mood" from William Gillock's Lyric Preludes?	Mary Jane Clarke Belinda Green
	Issues and Ideas: Perspectives in Pedagogy Rebecca Johnson, Editor	How has keyboard pedagogy changed over the last 20-30 years? ­ Part II	Louise Goss Marvin Blickenstaff
	It's Never Too Late: Adult Piano Study Michelle Conda, Editor	How has your adult teaching changed since you first started teaching adults?	Victoria B. Harris Tom Pearsall
	Putting It All Together: Repertoire & Performance Nancy Bachus, Editor	When do you introduce concertos and what are some you have taught at the elementary and intermediate levels?	Kim Bakkum Gregory Butler Paul Wirth
	Tomorrow Today: Technology George Litterst, Editor	How do you get help when you have problems with technology?	Sam Ecoff Robert Klamka Shana Kirk
	The World Around Us: News and Views Helen Smith Tarchalski, Editor	The Renaissance of the Piano Duet - an interview with Weekley and Arganbright	Dallas Weekley Nancy Arganbright
Keyboard Kids' Companion Helen Smith Tarchalski, Editor		Puzzles, Practice Projects, Meet the Composers, and more!	Helen Smith Tarchalski

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