Tag: Chicago piano instructor
Fixing some dynamic problem in piano.
You get both type of piano players if you have a full schedule of students: the shy ones who play too soft or the Beethovenian ones who will bring the piano to its knees. Both are equally stuck in a dynamic range. One being soft or, as we say in music, Piano (yes, like the…
Resolutions.
I know we are not at that time of the year, the time when we take on big projects to fulfill big wishes. I am talking about New year’s eve, of course. That’s when the gyms around town fill up their calendars, when the sales of sugar plummets, when you see determined faces in your…
The new student.
I am always very excited to meet a new student. They always come with a spark in their eyes because they’re interested, curious, hungry for knowledge. Every time I am reminded that I have the best job in the world: sharing with someone my passion for music. I tell them to sit at the piano…
The musician’s plague
Musicians are often seen as people who are desperate for a job. We can all think of exception to the rule, of course, like the Elton John or Bruce Springsteen of our world, but in general, and especially if you’re at a lower level of pay and fame, the common agreement is that a musician…
The wild side of music.
What is cool in music today? What is rebellious? What shocks people and make them frown? Is it Hip-Hop? Taylor Swift? Beyoncé? Being a musician making a living can sometimes be attached to the Wow factor in the way you dress, or the behavior attached to your style of music. When Hip-Hop came on the…
Being overwhelmed when you are self-employed.
I have been creating my own income for three and a half decade now. I told in a blog I wrote not too long ago what my typical day is like which, in one word, is: busy. After each day, in the evening, I add up everything I did and I often think that I…
Technology in music.
There’s a big debate that’s all the rage these days, did you know? It goes something like this: is music better because of technology or not? Someone was telling me about a band who was playing original songs. The problem was that they had 20 different parts. One section was a forceful metal beat, followed…
Packing light.
I came to this country in 1991. I had 2 suitcases, two large ones. And that’s it. Actually, no, that’s not quite “it”. I also had my drum set with me, which is a big Madonna, we’re counting about 7 packages here. The lightest would be around 14 pounds, that’s the hi toms in his…
A royal waste of time.
I’ve been hacked. This very account, the one I use to write my blogs on has been taken over by, of all people, Russians. How do I know? Because I do not understand the Cyrillic alphabet, and it was all over the dashboard of my site. I am not accusing the Russians of being particularly…
Anticipating versus coping.
When you’re a musician, all to often, you’re self-employed. And, contrary to the common belief, if you are a musician who wants to stay in business, you need to get busy in order to be busy. This is the subject of this blog: where to spend your energy. I discovered very early on in my…