When Everything Else Fails: Breathe! A Mindful Approach to Music Teaching
The goal of this presentation is to empower teachers and students of all ages to practice self-care through breathing, mindful music making and connection. Teachers today seek to equip our students with the tools for leading successful studios and a career in music, especially during times where learning has changed so much. Providing our students with breathing and mindfulness techniques is a fundamental piece of that success and more important than ever during these trying times.
Discovering Argentina’s Musical Identity
Argentinean music is the result of the influence of many cultural expressions. The massive influence of European immigration at the beginning of the XIX Century brought Spaniards and Italians to Argentina, which collided with the preexistent native elements and created a unique a new cultural expression. The Argentinean composer Luis Gianneo (1897-1968) was able to express all the facets of Argentinean music in this collection of piano pieces for the beginning and early-intermediate student. This lecture-recital explores the variety of musical elements together with the richness of pedagogical possibilities found in these pieces.
A Musical Trip to Argentina
A lecture recital of piano music that will show the variety of musical and folkloric expressions of this country, together with the most distinctive geographical and cultural features of the regions that conform to it. This lecture recital is designed for students of the elementary school level and is directed to enhance their experience and appreciation of diversity.
Piano with Spanish Flavor
The rhythms and melodies of Spanish music present a kaleidoscopic variety of challenges for the young pianist. Shaping, phrasing, keyboard choreography and emotional connection to the music are only some of the concepts that this music poses for teaching purposes. This presentation explores intermediate Spanish repertoire and how it can be used to teach expression at the piano.
Teaching Intermediate Repertoire to Adult Students
Teachers know that teaching adults is different from teaching children. Many adult students took piano lessons during childhood and adolescence -often times achieving proficient degree of performing intermediate repertoire-, but decided to quit, due to lack of interest, bad experiences or personal circumstances. When they decided to resume instruction, they found that their motor skills, memory ability and life style had changed, which directly affected their practice and learning experience. The role of a teacher is crucial in these cases, especially because the student’s self-confidence is at stake and their enjoyment of music depends directly on their relationship with their teacher and on a new experience of music lessons. The impact teachers have on the lives of the adult learners is just as important as the one they would have on the lives of younger students. This is even more evident when the repertoire taught is early-intermediate and advanced. This presentation explores different adult-learning theories and research that helps us understand how adults learn best, what their needs are and how to establish a successful learning environment for the adult learner. Creative strategies to approach aspects of intermediate piano repertoire such as technique, musicality, memorization, and performance anxiety will be discussed and explained through examples.