Tag: Chicago piano instruction

I don’t think I often talk about who my favorite players are. I have taught a lot of people and we haven’t approach that subject often. I sometimes mention a particular player when trying to illustrate a point. I might also echo or support the opinion of someone who’s a fan of a drummer or…

I just watch a video of Lang Lang playing a game of “Recognize this song” with a podcaster. This is him at the 2008 Olympic Ceremony: This picture is Public Domain. If you don’t know Lang Lang, he’s a Chinese classical pianist extraordinaire. He’s not only toured the world playing the classical repertoire but has…

I am very lucky to enjoy a full schedule. Sometimes it’s a bit challenging, but I am not complaining. I have among my students all sorts of people. I am also fortunate enough that they want to get along with me. I am, after all, with my quirks and qualities, just like everybody else. Sometimes…

When most people think about becoming a musician, they have a pretty good idea of what the job entails. It usually means gigging, or teaching. Either way, it means struggling to get into a band that pays or struggling to get students. You’ll be late on your bills, your roof will leak and your soup…

I am always surprised to see great artists like Bruce Springsteen or Sting really care for their fans. When the band The Police reunited for their farewell tour, they would invite some of their fans to come before the show and enjoy the company of the band members as well as have a tour of…

I was reading the Wikipedia page of a famous female French singer named Barbara. She was one of the few invited in the very restricted circle of songwriter/composer/poet of the artists of the 60’s and 70’s. For the reader in the know, she’s in the same class as George Brassens, Jacques Brel and Leo Ferre.…

Do you remember the first word you said? Maybe you do, actually, if your mum or your dad told you. How about the first 30 words? There! Now I’m pretty sure you do not. Don’t worry, I don’t remember them either. Follow up question: was it difficult to learn your native tongue? Did it require…

I enjoy being a business owner. It gives me freedom. I don’t have to deal with a boss, with company politics or difficult co-workers. There are too many great perks to my situation to list them all. The greatest one of them all, of course, is dealing with all the great people I have the…

And here we are, a beautiful Saturday morning at the beginning of October. The sun is shining and the temperature is warm because we’re having a glorious Indian Summer. So what to do? The park or a little bit of shopping seems inviting. Maybe a BBQ for the evening, maybe cleaning up the yard, gardening…

Not long at all. During the first lesson with me you’ll learn your first rhythm, a fill or two or three, you might be playing along some songs and you might be doing some reading and some technique. A month or so after, you should be able to groove in a few different styles and…