It's Never Too Late: Adult Piano Study

 

When I gave one of my first presentations talking about adult students planning their own parties and studio classes, I was shocked by the audience response. “Adults don‘t have time to meet as a group!” “My adults are far too busy to take any initiative of their own.” “You can‘t expect so much from adult students.”

Thank heavens that was many, MANY years ago, and this myth has been dispelled both through research and the changing times. Yet, even beyond social get-togethers, are our adult piano students ready for the “book club” way of learning, where adults form groups in order to learn from each other?

Yes, according to Alan Tough, who in 1979 wrote “The Adult's Learning Projects” (Research in Education Series No. 1. Toronto: Ontario Institute for Studies in Education) According to his research, the overwhelming majority (about 70%) of adult learning takes place outside institutional frameworks. Less than 10% of adult learners work with a teacher during this learning. Coined as “Self-Directed Learning” (SDL), research in this area is vast, dating back to the beginning of the twentieth century with John Dewey.¹

Susan Capestro, who has a large adult piano studio in Massachusetts, has seen first hand the results of SDL. Her students formed what they affectionately call “Team Traumerei,” and they practically mutinied their “captain” in pursuit of their educational goals! Luckily, “Captain Capestro” gladly walked the gangplank and proved that we are simply facilitators of our students‘ learning.

Please, email me with anything you‘d like addressed in this column . We‘re in this together!

“Team Traumerei” — The Class That Taught Itself

by Susan Capestro

“Team Traumerei ”—the name sounds more like an Olympic bobsledding team, but it actually is the name coined by the adults from my group performance class. This is the story of how these piano students inspired and empowered each other.

I have incorporated occasional group classes as a supplement to weekly individual piano lessons for years. My approach to group lessons is to make the experience more than just performing solos for each other. I attempt to invent and manage class activities so students can actually teach each other, as well as learn from me.

Many of the students have known each other for years, creating a supportive sense of camaraderie. Their musical backgrounds are as diverse as their professional backgrounds. Some of the students are also piano/vocalists. I encourage them all to look at our lessons as music lessons, not just piano lessons.

The eclecticism and conviviality of the class often creates a surprising and interesting musical synergy, which greatly augments opportunities for learning. One day, to my surprise, the class took my cue. It caught the creative ball and ran with it, and began to teach itself!

The Beginning of “Team Traumerei”

What was the turning point for this group class? One evening, there were six students performing their prepared pieces, including Christine. Christine is a fabulous pianist, as well as a mother of two and a dentist. I knew Christine was planning on playing Chopin‘s Nocturne Opus 9, No. 1. I had decided to let Christine perform last.

As luck would have it, Steve, the second performer for the evening, also chose to play the same Chopin Nocturne. I let my students decide what to play, but I would not have guessed he‘d choose Opus 9, No. 1; the last time I‘d heard him play it had been about a year earlier. Being well seasoned, he gave quite a gorgeous performance. But now, I realized Steve and Christine would both be playing the exact same piece.

While the subsequent students performed, I mulled over this quandary. Would it be a problem? Ultimately I decided to capitalize on it and treat it as an opportunity, not a crisis. After all, I‘d been trying to teach them to develop their own unique idea of how a piece should sound. I had encouraged them to stay away from modeling their playing after a specific recording or artist‘s rendition. They knew, theoretically, that it was entirely possible to hear two pianists play beautifully but sound entirely different.

When it was Christine‘s turn to play, I announced that we had an unusual opportunity to hear two pianists perform the exact same piece. I knew both students had terrifically strong concepts about the sound of the piece. Sure enough, Christine played it beautifully, yet it was obviously different from Steve‘s rendition.

The group was blown away by both the obvious quality of the two performances, as well as the differences in interpretation. We could not have had a better comparison; a discussion followed about the differences in the sound, and what each pianist did in order to create that specific sound. We talked about tone quality and production, technique, and different touches. One performer‘s rendition sounded very pianistic, while another was more orchestral. Finally, each used rubato, but in slightly different places, in slightly different ways. It was a constructive, positive learning experience for all.

“Team Traumerei” Emerges

At the end of class, someone half jokingly said, “Hey, maybe we should all play this nocturne!” Then someone else perceptively chimed in, “Yeah, then we could hear how different all of our interpretations are.” Amid laughter, and some comments from the “peanut gallery,” here is the conversation that followed:

“Perhaps we should just all learn the same piece!”

“Yeah, let‘s just pick a piece, and we‘ll all learn it. Then, at the next musicale, we can all play it for each other.”

“But really, what should that piece be? It shouldn‘t be anything too long or difficult.”

“That‘s a good idea, actually; that way, everyone can play it, not just the people who can handle really advanced repertoire.”

Both pleased and entertained, I just sat there, not saying a word. However, amidst all of this, I was seized by a sudden panic, and managed to blurt out one small plea, “It‘s a great idea, but please don‘t pick Für Elise!”²

They decided on Schumann‘s “Traumerei” from Kinderszenen Opus 15 because it is short and not too terribly difficult, yet has challenges in bringing out counterpoint, plus plenty of room for interpretation. Although a couple of students had already played it (one renaming it “Traumatized”), I agreed “Traumerei” would be the piece. Then another student, Sarah, dubbed the group “Team Traumerei.”

In addition to the other pieces they were learning, seven students learned “Traumerei.” In the ensuing weeks, we worked out fingerings, revisited counterpoint, and voiced melodies that passed between the hands. We learned about good and not so good editions. Ultimately, they made their own interpretive decisions.

In my many years of teaching, I had never witnessed a more energized and motivated group of students. Carol marveled at the piece‘s complexity. “There‘s a lot of stuff on that page!!” was her profound observation. This, from a former book editor!

Fortunately, not all of “Team Traumerei” was ready at the next musicale, so we only heard three of them. The rest were heard a couple of months later. Most students grouped “Traumerei” along with another piece or two, which also helped break up the repetition. All were played with the score. And what terrific performances they were!

The class members made wonderfully astute observations regarding each other‘s playing. I heard comments such as “I like the way you brought out all the different lines, we could really hear them.” “You were able to play with just the right amount of rubato; how did you do that?” And perhaps most revealing, “It sounded so much like you!” Our orchestral-sounding pianist gave a rendition that was orchestral sounding. Our jazzy and rhythmic piano vocalist gave a performance that was rock solid, with a very grounded rhythm.

As I ushered the class out the door, I felt a deep sense of satisfaction. Then, as the door closed behind them, I thought I heard a snippet or two of conversation, something about “the next one,” although I wasn‘t sure…

“The Variation Association” is Formed

In private lessons the following week, my suspicions were confirmed. The students from the group had all been emailing each other, and had decided to learn a second piece, en masse. This time, I was asked to compile a list of choices. Each student participating would vote on their first, second, and third choice. Whichever piece got the most votes would be the one they would all play.

“Aha!” I thought, another opportunity! I put together a list of 12 choices, unabashedly attempting to steer them toward repertoire from the 20th century. This list of short, intermediate level selections also included questions for the students to ask themselves to help make the decision.

Many instantly fell in love with the theme from the first movement of Dello Joio‘s Piano Sonata No. 3, and it quickly became their chosen piece. With this, “Team Traumerei” morphed into “The Variation Association,” with each student agreeing, not only to learn and play it, but also to create his or her own rendition of this theme.

For the next year or so, this became another wonderful learning opportunity. For some students, it acted as a point of departure for exploring themes and variations by various composers. For others, it created a great impetus toward composing. Yet a couple of other pianists simply chose to improvise, either by using some of the piece‘s harmonies, or by employing lines that reminded them of the melodic elements of the theme. One student decided to re-harmonize the theme, using more active chords, which were jazzier.

You can hear two very different variations of this theme, created by students. Steve offers a recording of a composed variation, which includes a surprising key modulation. Click here to view manuscript of Steve’s variation. Rubi plays an improvised variation. Rubi had a plan for her two-part contemporary jazz/Latin/pop stylization in her head, which varied slightly each time she performed it.

Variations on Dello Joio's Piano Sonata No. 3

“Opus Three”—Here we go again!

Since they had begun taking a chunk of learning into their own hands, the class who taught themselves was growing in ways I would never have anticipated. And they were not done yet.

After the variation project was completed, the group decided to take on yet another project. This time, it was decided that each member of the group would learn a piece chosen by a committee. This committee was, of course, comprised of all the other students in the class. Seven very brave students decided to participate—all agreed that whatever piece was chosen for them, they would have to live with it, whether they liked it or not.

Each student emailed me a list of the seven participants, with pieces they would like to hear each perform. I combined them all into one master list. If someone‘s list came up a bit short of choices, I filled them in. I also served as a consultant regarding the difficulty level and suitability of pieces. The committee‘s admirable goal was to choose a piece for each performer that was manageable for the individual‘s playing level, yet challenging enough. Ideally, they agreed, it would stretch each student into musical areas that they may not have yet explored. The beauty of this was that finally my students really understood what I go through in choosing repertoire for them.

One evening, the “Opus 3” participants held a meeting in my studio to discuss and vote on which piece to pick for each other. The student being voted on was asked to leave the room during the committee‘s discussion. Although I was permitted to have one vote in each case, I tried not to say too much because they were accomplishing wonderful things on their own, and I didn‘t want to ruin this effect.

Amongst laughter, last-ditch attempts were made to sway decisions, and pleas for mercy were heard. Listening to the ensuing discussions, if I didn‘t know where I was, I may have thought I was in a room full of piano teachers, deciding on repertoire for their students.

The committee members began to articulate the most amazing insights, so it was clear to me that I, as the teacher, should best stay out of their way. For example, the group wanted Carol to revisit a Chopin Prelude she had learned previously. They thought it would be valuable for her to gain a more thorough understanding of both the piece and the learning process. As it turned out, they chose a piece by Chick Corea for her. Following a different tack, they theorized that the piece‘s flowing left hand rhythmic figures would help Carol develop more of a sense of continuity in her playing.

A Teacher‘s Modified Job Description

I‘m so pleased, because evidently, in many ways, I‘ve managed to bring about situations where my students do my job for me. There are times now when I simply sit by, functioning more or less as a consultant, while my “students” go about their self-directed learning.

It all started with my belief that students learn just as much from each other as they do from me. Whenever someone asks me a question during group class, and I know another student may have an answer, I let that person answer it. I‘d rather have another student say it, since my students get enough of an earful of me in their individual lessons.

This particular group of adults has developed a wonderful synergy, especially since they have evolved into “The Class That Taught Itself.” Who knows what they may dream up for their next project!

In the next issue: Are Adult Students Ready for Concerto Playing?

Footnotes

¹ For an easy to read overview of adult learning theory, go to: http://www.infed.org/biblio/b-selfdr.htm

² Visions of hearing six or seven renditions of this hackneyed favorite danced through my head, and, well, I‘m not ready to give up teaching just yet!

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