March 19, 2009
Practice Time!
When I was learning to play the piano, I used to practice for 4 to 5 hours a day (much to the annoyance of my family).
Even today, after more than 36 years as a professional musician, I find that I still must make time to practice. Maybe not for 4 or 5 hours, but I still need to spend some time on my instrument (with an occasional day off).
The great piano virtuoso Vladimir Horowitz is quoted as saying: “If I miss one day of practice, I notice it. If I miss two days of practicing, the critics notice it. If I miss three days of practicing, everyone notices it.”
Anyone who wants to be a musician must practice his or her craft. Any performer who brags about never practicing is either lying, or not very good.
Posted by leonolguin at 02:03 PM | Comments (0)
July 26, 2006
Class in a Meat Locker
Last night I taught an evening piano class at Brevard Community College in Melbourne.
I always greatly enjoy teaching these classes; they take me out of the studio and I get to meet all sorts of wonderful people.
My students are always delightful, since they all want to be there and truly desire to learn a new approach to the piano.
The class last night went well, except for one problem. While the rest of the country is currently baking in the relentless heat, we were all freezing due to a relentless air conditioner. It couldn’t have been more than 55 degrees in the room, as the air was running constantly.
Unfortunately, I had no control over the air temperature, as the air conditioner was controlled by some mysterious force from deep within building.
In addition, since this was a summer class, there wasn’t anyone else in the building, and the maintenance and security staff seemed to have all gone home.
The class, 6 women and one man, soldiered on bravely, as did the teacher, but we were not prepared to be so chilly on a Florida summer evening.
During the breaks, everyone immediately went outside to “thaw out.”
We tired opening the doors to let some of the cold out, but of course, that let the numerous insects in.
Everyone still had a good time, but by the end of the class, you never saw a group of people more anxious to leave.
At least I didn’t get all sweaty as I packed up my PA and keyboard.
Of course, the minute I stepped outside, my glasses immediately fogged up, and I was rendered temporarily blind.
Given what some people are going through as I write this (unprecedented heat waves in both Northern and Southern California, record temperatures in other parts of the nation…) I certainly have nothing to complain about.
As I left the campus at around 10PM, the air conditioning was still merrily blasting away, bringing near arctic conditions to a now empty room.
I was feeling a bit guilty for wasting so much energy.
Posted by leon at 06:07 PM | Comments (0)
March 02, 2006
My Other Life
As I write this, Sheryl is in the studio with one of her students. She has a few private students who study voice and guitar with her. She doesn’t advertise for students, but every now and then someone will ask if she teaches privately, and if she has an opening in her schedule and the prospective student is serious about learning, she’ll work with them.
Well, I haven’t written about this here, but I have a few private students as well. In addition, I have hundreds of “public” students.
Besides being the PSG (Project Studio Guy) I am also the KTTK guy.
KTTK stands for “Keys to the Keyboard,” the overall name I use for my keyboard classes. A few times a month, I teach groups of students how to play by ear, and how to play the piano (or keyboard) using the “popular”, chord-based approach. This is done in a 3-hour workshop format.
The classes, which are held at various colleges and recreation centers throughout Florida, range in size from 10 to 50, and the students range in age from 10 to 90!
It’s a great way to get out of the studio, meet new people, and share the joy of making music.
For a while, I tried to keep two blogs going. The other blog is still up, and you can find it at http://www.keystothekeyboard.com, but I have decided to concentrate my writing efforts on this blog alone, and incorporate my experiences as a teacher as well.
You can read about my classes at http://www.solocreativemedia.com.
Teaching at the Vero Beach Community Center
Posted by leon at 11:03 AM | Comments (0)