Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
You’re right Barbara. In fact, it’s the rare virtuoso who can explain what they are doing. Sometimes the best players make the worst teachers. But there are tons of teachers out there who are teaching literally after having had 10 lessons themselves, and they have never worked up to even an intermediate level. I tend to think that some of the best teachers are the ones who, through much determination and perserverence, manage to work their playing into a fairly advanced level, inspite of only modest talent.
You’re right Barbara. In fact, it’s the rare virtuoso who can explain what they are doing. Sometimes the best players make the worst teachers. But there are tons of teachers out there who are teaching literally after having had 10 lessons themselves, and they have never worked up to even an intermediate level. I tend to think that some of the best teachers are the ones who, through much determination and perserverence, manage to work their playing into a fairly advanced level, inspite of only modest talent.
You’re right Barbara. In fact, it’s the rare virtuoso who can explain what they are doing. Sometimes the best players make the worst teachers. But there are tons of teachers out there who are teaching literally after having had 10 lessons themselves, and they have never worked up to even an intermediate level. I tend to think that some of the best teachers are the ones who, through much determination and perserverence, manage to work their playing into a fairly advanced level, inspite of only modest talent.
About 3 years ago there was a revival of Edward Albee’s masterpiece WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF which ran for 3 weeks in Boston before going on to New York. I had seen the movie several times but never the play, so I went on opening night. The play is much longer than the movie and is divided into three acts that are each about an hour long. Towards the end of the first act, having drunk too much coffee at dinner, I ‘had to go.’ Nature wasn’t calling, it was screaming. And I knew that if I didn’t get to the Mens room at the very begining of intermission, I would have to stand on line for 10 minutes or more. So as the curtain fell on act one, I bolted up the isle, through the lobby, down the stairs to the lower lobby and into the Men’s room. I was the first one there. No more than 10 seconds after I got there the second man came in. It was Edward Albee. As we stood there side by side, I thought of all the stupid things I coulde say to him and fortunately rejected them all. Finally I said,”Do you still get nervous on opening night?” “Nah,” he said, “I’ve directed it too many times.” As soon as he said that, the room filled with more men, and we went our seperate ways.
There’s a famous story about the great conductor, Sir Thomas Beecham. This happened I’m guessing in the ’30s or ’40’s. He was in a department store buying some shirts when a very well dressed young woman, early 20’s perhaps, came over to him and asked if he wasn’t Thomas Beecham. He said yes, he was. She then asked him, in very upper crust tones, how his father was. The cheek thought Beecham. But he answered that his father was well. “That’s wonderful,” she said, “And what is he doing these days?” the young woman continued. Beecham, taken aback at the forwardness of this woman, but also perplexed as to who it was, said” Oh you know, he’s still very occupied with his factory.” “Oh I’m so glad to hear that,” the young woman said. Beecham decided to pursue this further, so he said to the woman,” And how is your father?” “Oh he’s very good thank you. He’ll be so happy to hear that you asked about him.” ” And what’s he doing these days?” Beecham continued. “Oh, you know, he’s still king.” she answered. The young woman was Princess Margaret and had met Beecham when he received his knighthood at Buckingham Palace!
I went to my 8th grade class reunion this past weekend(class of ’61!, do the math!) and one of my childhood friends is a tree surgeon. In Northwestern Connecticut where we grew up there are a lot of very famous people. He was cutting up a tree that had come down on a large estate just last week when a car stopped, the man got out and politely asked him how long he was going to be working there(with a chain saw). Mike assured him that he’d be done within the hour. “Well,” the man politely said,” Martha Stewart is going to be filming at my house tomorrow morning and the crew can’t have noise like that in the background. Are you sure you won’t be working tomorrow?” Mike assured him a second time that he would be done soon and wouldn’t be back the next morning. The man smiled and thanked him, then reached out to shake Mikes hand. “I’m Placido Domingo,” he said to Mike.
Mchael- Sorry to read about your hearing problem. It sounds like you’re on the right track though. I’ll be that the longer you play, the more your brain will rewire around the problem and it will resolve itself.
Vince- Many years ago when I was an undergraduate, Horowitz gave what has become a landmark Carnegie Hall Concert, his first public concert in over 12 years. Horowitz had HUGE problems with stage nerves and retired from public performance numerous times in his career because of it, so this particular concert was a BIG DEAL. He made an obvious mistake in the first measure of the first piece, and then went on to play a flawless and electrifying program. I believe you can find it on CD, and I believe that Horowitz insisted that the mistake be left in.
A piano teacher at my college worshiped Horowitz and I believe had even managed to have a couple of lessons with him. This man gave a faculty recital that exactly duplicated Horowitz’s Caregie Hall recital. All of the notes were there, and his technique was flawless. But his playing was deadly boring and the audience left in droves at intermission. It was really very sad that someone had dedicated so much of his life to music and was obviously talented, at least from a technical standpoint, but had absolutely no comprehension of musical expression.
I like what Diane had to say(I like all of what she has to say!) and she’s right about the various elements that go into producing a real (successful) artist.
There are many players on all instruments that have dazzling technique but have nothing to say. There are even some major international artists who, because they have been heavily promoted, have careers but nothing much to offer artistically. But the hard fact is that, in addition to having a real musical sensibility, you simply have to be able to learn music at lightening speed to move in the highest musical circles. If you are harpist for example in a major symphony orchestra with a 52 week season, you have to be able to learn a staggering amount of music quickly. No amount of heartfelt musicianship can make up for that fact.
5 years ago the winner of the USA competition, Xavier de Maistre, stayed with me for a week. He was about to start his new job with the Vienna Philharmonic. The players in that orchestra also play in the Vienna Staatsoper orchestra as well. Xavier had to learn the harp parts to 60 operas for that season!! And he was going to have to play them without any rehearsal because they were already in the orchestra’s repertoire. Not everyone has that ability, but Xavier does, as do most of the harpists I know in major orchestras. Sorry everybody, but speed really does count.
Let’s be real. The vast majority of harpists have two options open to them to earn money. They can teach and/or play weddings and function. Nearly all are going to do both. Broadway shows have almost completely dried up. Studio work is almost non-existent, and orchestra jobs come up so rarely that there could be dozens of highly qualified harpists who never get to make their career there. For these reasons I have to say that it is difficult to encourage even a good student to spend 4 to 6 years and heaven knows how much money pursuing a degree(or several degrees) in performance. They leave school saddled with debt and no way of making that money back.
I have been teaching a talented student for the past two years and I’ve tried to convey to him and his parents the above information. I’ve told him that he has enough talent and intellect to be able to pursue the different aspects of making a living as a professional harpist without getting the degrees. In performance, no one cares about the degrees. I’ve suggested to him several times that if there is some other non-musical career that he could train for that will earn him a decent living he should do that. He’s probably going to go to culinary school(he loves to cook) and will continue harp in private lessons. If in the end he does decide to go to music school, he will at least do it with his eyes wide open and know up front what he is getting into. I think that one of my roles as a teacher is to be realistic.
Stephen- Your question is an interesting one. There are always, in each generation, students who have extroadinary skills. They learn music faster than you can put it on the stand and they learn it accurately. Their hands just seem to fall on the strings the correct way from the begining. Most importantly, they are persistant and expect a very high standard from themselves. They often memorize easily and in performance just never seem to make a mistake. Does that necessarily mean they will become major artists as adults. Not at all. There are so many factors that go into becoming a major artist that skill at playing the instrument is only one of many needed for success.
In my lifetime, I have seen several harpists who were child prodigies and were phenomenally talented burn out as young adults and actually give up the instrument for years. I have also seen extreemely talented harpists jinxed by personality traits that sabotaged their careers. And then of course there is the question of timing. If there are no major (or minor) job openings for years, a wonderfully prepared and talented musician may be stuck doing the grunt work that everyone else has to do to make a living and may ultimately give up the instrument and change careers to make a living.
One of my clients told me an interesting story recently. She had studied as a child with a woman on Long Island who for many years was THE harp teacher there. There were regular student recitals, and before one particular recital all of the students were warming up and practicing their pieces. This woman’s mother watched all of this for a while and then, pointing a finger at one 6 or 7 year old child who was warming up said “She’s the one who’s going to make it. She’s persistant.” The child she was pointing to was Nancy Allen.
Cynthia- Don’t ever be afraid to withdraw a piece if it is causing you too much difficulty. As a teacher, I have found myself occasionally assigning a piece to a student that I thought would work and that I thought they were up to. But then I’d decide,after 3 or 4 lessons on it, that it wasn’t going the way I thought it would and I will withdraw it. I see no point in having a student work for an inordinate amount of time on a piece that they are clearly having problems with.
Thanks Diane- Actually, it motivates me too because I have to make an effort to stay a step or two ahead of him.
I think that the problem for many students is that their only point of reference is their own way of playing. One of the (many) jobs of the teacher is to raise the bar for the student. Let me give an example.
I’ve got a very good student at the moment-a 17 year old boy who is very dedicated to the harp- and for the last year I have been telling him over and over again to get his scales faster. They’ve been plodding along at 4 notes to the beat, at 72 on the metronome. So several weeks ago I told him to get them up to 84 for the next lesson. He was actually able to play them at 80 without too much trouble so that’s why I chose 84. The next week he played the right hand(his strong hand) at 84 and had the left hand almost there. Without thinking about it, I told him to let me sit at the harp. I put the metronome on 104, told him the number, and played a left hand scale up and down 4 octaves at 104. Then I did the same thing with the right. He was leaning forward intently studying my hands as they played. I then put the metronome up to 112, told him the number, and played each hand seperately up and down 4 octaves at that speed. When I had finished, he said,”They’re perfect!” I decided to push my luck. I said,”I’m not finished!” I put the metronome on 116 and played 4 octave scales in each hand at that tempo. He turned to me and said,” I’m going to work soooooooo hard on scales this week!” I was not doing this to show off. I did it to show him that it could be done and to show him what it looked like. It made a huge impression on him and got him, after a year and a half, to really take scales seriously. At his lesson yesterday he played both hands at 88, 4 notes to the beat. I told him to get both hands to 92 or 96 for next week. If that’s what it takes to inspire him then I’m willing to do it. And by the way, my top speed, after warming up, is 126, 4 notes to the beat!
The parent sounds very narcisstic. This means that she is not going to listen to anything you say, AND THEN, if she gets a bad instrument, will blame you for not advising her properly. So I would suggest you go into ‘cover-your-butt ‘ mode. Put all of your advice down on paper. What you recommend, and what you don’t, and why. Tell her you’ve made this handout for your students and give her a copy. That will relieve you of any responsibility if she looses her shirt on something terrible.
