Tag: Chicago piano instructor

With all that is going on in the world, I am almost ashamed to confess that 2022 was a great year for me. Through my job as a piano and drum teacher I have met some incredible people and discovered the depth and charm of the ones I already knew. Ever since I’ve changed my…

When you play something on an instrument you want to achieve something. It’s a natural thing because the instrument itself will never give you what you want. It will only be capable of compromise. Wait! By that I mean YOU have to do the compromise, both with your body and it’s limit, with your ear…

When I was expecting my first child, my mum told me something strange. “You’ll see, she said, you’re going to rediscover the world through her eyes. Everything will seem fresh and untouched because of her.” I wasn’t sure what she meant until I started spending time with my daughter, then later on, my son when…

I think that teaching is like telling a story. If someone wants to learn the double stroke roll on the drums or the I-IV-V on the piano, it is my job to make it comprehensible and easy to grasp. And I don’t know any better way to do that other than story telling. In our…

I shop for all sorts of things. Music equipment, music equipment and, of course, some music equipment. Some of those can be pretty expensive, like the music equipment. And I am not very smart about it when I buy. This is how it goes. I hear about the thing. I am then maybe interested. Then:…

Humanity is a hard concept. I am not kidding. Learning to survive took thousand of years. We have no fur or scales for protection, no fangs or claws for attack. We can’t run fast, we can’t see far like the eagle, we don’t have the hearing or the sense of smell developed like say a…

I just realize something: I’ve been playing the same kit for almost 40 years. I am talking about the red one I brought from France. Anybody that has taken lessons with me knows what I’m talking about. I love that drum set, it has been a faithful companion for many a gig and recording. It…

I prepare my lessons. I now think long and hard about what my students will study. I’ve never been a cookie cutter kind of teacher, every one gets a tailored lesson, yes, just like it says in the pamphlet. But there are just about a thousand directions a player can go. It is not easy…

Humanity used to listen to music once and then move on. The commoners would go to a concert or a ball room, enjoy the live musicians, and then return home where there was usually no music. If they wanted to relive the experience of music, they only had their memories, or they could sing. Or…

Among my beginners, I get two types: the loud ones and the quiet ones. Either type has its own pros and cons. The boldness of the loud ones makes them good performers, not afraid of the audience and eager to share their music with others. The quiet ones are exploring the delicate cogs of a…