Tag: piano drum teacher

With my gigging students we sometimes talk about performing. Of course, it is always a difficult subject. I am very aware of the shortcomings of our discussions. After all, we are in my studio, there is no audience, no prepared songs, no promotion for the concert. It is almost impossible to recreate the conditions of…

When I talk to a parent who’s about to sign up her daughter for class, I ask how old her child is. If she’s less than 10 years old, I explain that I will require a few things from the parent in order to accept the student. Don’t worry, I don’t ask a lot. They…

We all know the feeling. We’re going towards a place where there is loud music and, as we approach it, our body start to feel the vibrations of the bass. The deep “Thumps” intensify as we get closer. Our whole being resonate with the music before we have entered the room where it originates. It…

I think human beings are not the weakest ones of the animal kingdom. It is not an obvious statement when you look at the formidable tigers, panthers and other cats that are loaded with weapons. Or the way a butterfly can camouflage and protect itself from predators, not mentioning, of course, creatures like turtles or…

When you start taking lessons on drums or piano, first you are excited about discovering new territories. If you are truly motivated, you might keep that flame going strong for quite a while. But, eventually, as with everything, it gets old, as the saying goes. So, what to do? Should you avoid going to your…

We do not live in a vacuum. In general, we need others. As a self employed musician, that part of ourselves can be the difference between making it or not. Being on your own imposes a lot of stress from the decisions you make and the consequences that ensues.  Although it is possible to white-knuckle…

When parents bring their child to my studio, I don’t ask them to go buy a book and have them follow it through the weeks. What I do, instead, is look at the pupil, talk to her and gauge what would be the best way to communicate music with her. What I mean is that…

Acquiring speed requires a lot of patience. The patience of watching an iceberg move, or a tree grow. Yes, it takes that much. And it is a very frustrating process: the one working hard to gain speed doesn’t see his own progress. I explain. Let’s suppose you are doing scales on the piano. When you…

When I talk to other piano teachers, pretty soon they discuss their two nemesis, the very things that students seem to be completely oblivious to: reading and rhythm. The story goes that, no matter what they try, students are not interested in reading, the metronome or a quarter note. And the younger the pupil, the…

Ah, dear new students, welcome! You are awaited here, at this very website, this very studio, by this very instructor. You are someone special and you do not know about it. New students always think they are approaching things the wrong way. They are afraid of making the wrong move, afraid of having the wrong…