NCKP 2013: Part I

A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of attending the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy.  In this series, I'll share my notes and a few favorite quotes from the sessions I attended.  You can read more about NCKP here. Beauty and the Beast in the Piano Studio Marvin Blickenstaff

Beauty

1.  "Beautiful music has the power to change human beings." 2.  "Beautiful music nurtures souls; it enriches lives." 3.  "Momentarily, our lives are changed by beautiful sound." 4.  The human being needs beauty more than bread. 5.  Teaching beauty should be our highest priority.

Here are a few assignments for piano teachers:

Monitor your use of the word "beautiful."  Limit your use to 2-3 times in any given lesson.  Use it with discrimination and discipline; use it sparingly, use it meaningfully.  Students need to hear a beautiful sound and know the standard of what you consider to be beautiful.

Avoid using these words: "Okay" - lacks meaning; be more specific with your responses "Little bit" - you'll get a better response from your students when you exaggerate rather than diminish "Sort of" or "Kind of" - like "little bit" "But" - use "and" as a transition from positive to constructive "Good" - lacks meaning; articulate specifics; document praise with your perspective as a teacher (you only hear the student's performance once a week; students hear their own performance every day of the week)

Improve your teaching vocabulary with adjectives that describe sound.

Start a file of beautiful pieces, things that nurture the "musical soul" of your students.  Here are a couple of examples: "Echoes of November" (Stephen Chapman) "The Lake" (Alec Rowley) "Northern Winter" (Lynn Olson)

Believe in modeling.  Play for your students.  Your sound is worth a thousand words.

Play duets with your students.  "Duets are a pedagogical gold mine;" they teach rhythm, balance, ritards, accelerando, and diminuendo.  The teacher part guides the inflection of the piece and it's a great way to teach beauty.  Beauty, after all, is shaped sound.  "Our emotions are touched first and foremost by dynamic inflection."

When teaching a phrase, give students one thing to listen for, one hint for shaping the phrase.  Say something like, "In between phrases, we take a breath" and experience this in singing.

The Beast: Negative Teaching Attitudes

1.  Repertoire: a teaching year that is focused around only a few pieces

When repertoire is limited to only a few pieces, the student's reading skill is not developed, there is no excitement of new pieces, the narrow focus becomes boring and stagnant, and there is a loss of the student's sense of accomplishment.  Remember, "variety of repertoire is the spice of our musical lives" and "short-term accomplishment is tremendously encouraging to the student."  Instead, focus on building repertoire.  Try beginning one lesson each month with a mini recital of repertoire.

2.  Studio atmosphere that is strict, harsh, critical or unstructured

The "we're just here to have fun" mentality does not work for most students.  Also, type-casting (i.e. boys only like loud and fast pieces and girls only like soft and melodic pieces) does not promote learning or musical development.  "Music is the expression of the entire human condition, through organized sound."  Aim for a wide selection of repertoire for all students

3.  Musicianship skills: getting bogged down in analyzing every note and nit-picking technique

"Keep the magic of the piece alive in our students."

4.  Practice: not teaching the basics of successful practicing

"We don't practice enough with [our students] in the lesson."  Teaching effective practice should be a part of every lesson

5.  How we celebrate success:

Our students are desperate for affirmation; they need to know when they've done a job well.  Communicate this well and often.

//

Look for more of my notes from NCKP over the next few weeks!

Goals for 2013: July Update

The beautiful gardens at Lake Junaluska

Happy summer!  Hope y'all are having a summer full of lazy weekend picnics, freshly-picked flowers, outdoor experiences, and al fresco dining!  It's hard for me to believe the year is half over already - 2013 has been a great year so far.  Here's a little update on my goals.

*Disclosure: I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

// Personal Goals

1. Run 2-3 times per week and increase circuit to 2 miles once per week

Progress: By May/June, we had sort of settled at 1-2 runs a week with lots of walking on our off days. Confession: Y'all, running is hard for me, especially in the heat. I have trouble motivating myself to run on a regular basis but I've found it's easier for me when it's colder out (go figure). Now that it's a little warmer out (in the 90s every day this past week!), we've been looking for a few exercise alternatives. We rented a tandem bike one Sunday afternoon for a 2.5-hour ride along the canal and we started a new workout regime this month called the Insanity Workout (aptly named!).

2. Find ways to give to others each month

Progress: Since April, we made a few donations of household and clothing items; volunteered with RAIHN, a hospitality organization for homeless families in May and earlier this month; and handed out Subway gift cards to those asking for spare change on the streets.

3. Read 6 books in 12 months

Progress: I read "7" this spring and am currently reading "EntreLeadership" by Dave Ramsey and "The 4-Hour Workweek" by Timothy Ferriss, though these are on hold until my summer class is over. For class, I'm reading "Tell Them Who I Am" by Elliot Liebow, an ethnography on homeless women that has special significance because of our work with RAIHN this year.

4. Study the Word actively

Progress: SD and I finished reading the Story — the Bible written in chronological, chapter book format. I've also been reading through a few plans on YouVersion (most recently, the one about Hosea).

5. Get up at 7:30 a.m. six out of seven days a week

Progress: For the most part, yes!

6. Be intentional with rest

Progress: I'm trying to be intentional with how I spend my time this summer by setting goals, staying organized, being productive in my working hours, and planning fun things for SD and me to do on the weekends (festivals, time on the roof, trying new recipes, etc.). So far, it's been a wonderful balance of work and rejuvenation.

7. Make a list of things we are grateful for to display in our home

Progress: I just hung up a new sheet in our kitchen — find the free printable version here.

8. Focus on inspiring influences; purge negativity

Progress: This really comes down to social media, for me. Focusing on inspiring influences means spending less time on Facebook and Twitter, especially on the weekends. It's amazing what a difference this makes!

9. Eat more whole foods

Progress: We started reading labels in the grocery store and being more intentional with the things we buy. We also started planning a few meals for the week before we go to the store, to ensure that we have everything on hand each night. This month, I've had class twice a week until after 8 p.m. so we've made good use of our crockpot with things like Pulled Pork Sliders and Jambalaya. Delicious!

10. Find ways to add value to others

Progress: I'm finding out that there are so many ways to do this — sending notes to those who are grieving or celebrating an accomplishment, going out of your way to help someone, smiling at people, baking things to give away, pausing to have a conversation with someone. Recently, I've been thinking about this goal for my studio: How can I add value to my students?

// Business Goals

1. Get published

Progress: I submitted two papers for journal publication consideration and I had a paper accepted to a research poster session at this year's National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy outside of Chicago!

2. Write a hymn arrangement

Progress: I composed a hymn tune for an existing text back in April for a class assignment. Next up, a hymn arrangement using some of these (and these) skills.

3. Spend more time in the practice room

Progress: I practiced 8-10 hours a week during the semester and I managed to keep 2-3 hours in my schedule for the first two months of summer, despite not being at school every day. I'm working my way through the Well-Tempered Clavier (mostly as a sightreading exercise), reviewing some keyboard skills, and improvising.

4. Create a blog schedule

Progress: Summer = less school + more time to write! This blog schedule helps keep me organized.

5. Update website

Progress: I had a short list of things to fix/update on my site at the beginning of the summer and I'm pleased to say I've done just about everything on the list! I've also been helping Steve update his site — go visit!

I'd love to hear how your 2013 goals are coming along. Feel free to share in the comments below or if you post them on a blog, please post the link. I'd love to read them!

Read more:
Goals for 2013: April Update
Making Things Happen in 2013 - Part I
Making Things Happen in 2013 - Part II
Making Things Happen in 2013 - Part III

Music and Worship Arts Week

I know it's been a few weeks since our trip to NC but our time at Lake Junaluska was too good not to share!  Here's a quick recap of our experience at Music and Worship Arts Week 2013:

- observing the middle school choir, under the direction of Dan Stokes
- meeting new people and catching up with good friends
- buying new music to play with SD
- accompanying two reading sessions
- attending an amazing organ recital, given by Andrew Henderson
- singing around the piano at the house
- learning a few new handbell techniques
- discovering the Blue Rooster Southern Grill (we ate there twice in one week AND we ran into our former pastor from Rochester and his wife BOTH times we were there.  Really, what are the chances?!)
- inspiring worship + inspiring sermons by Susan Leonard-Ray
- huddling under an umbrella on the deck in the evenings during summer rain storms

Love the Blue Ridge Mountains - there's something so peaceful about this view and that fresh mountain air.

The Rose Walk at the Lake did not disappoint and I loved making this walk to worship each morning and to seminars and rehearsals throughout the day.  Such beauty!

In the evenings, we spent some quality time at the lake house - so many memories here, including having the guys grill for us last summer!

SD had been waiting for this moment for an entire year - the best pulled pork sandwich (ever?) from Bogart's in Waynesville.  We had more than our fair share of good southern food during our week's stay!

On our last day, we took a drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway - can you ever get tired of this view?

The hydrangeas were in full bloom everywhere we went and I could not get over the blues and purples - my favorite!

Read about last year's trip here.

XRIJF 2013

Last week, Rochester welcomed jazz musicians from around the world for the 12th annual Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival.  SD and I always love being a part of the crowd at festivals like this - downtown comes alive with good food, good music, and people of all ages.  The Jazz Fest offers a variety of shows - some free, some $20, and a few headliners at $55-$125 per ticket.  We're usually more than content with the shows on the various free stages set up in the streets and we made a plan to visit Gibbs Street (pictured above) for the opening night festivities.

Friday afternoon, I received an email saying an anonymous donor had donated XRIJF club passes for a select group of Eastman students!  So began our exciting night as club pass enthusiasts.

We hopped in and out of several of the $20 shows (Prime Time Brass, Bill Dobbins, Phil Robson Trio, and Patricia Barber, to name a few), pausing long enough to hear snippets of the groups on the free stages and sample of few food truck wares.  Halfway through the night, we stopped in the middle of Gibbs Street to review the evening's line-up in the program book.  A young couple approached us and asked if we wanted free VIP tickets to Friday's headline show, Pink Martini.  The show was halfway over at this point but we gratefully accepted and eagerly made our way to the crowded hall.  It was AMAZING.  We heard the last seven or so songs, spanning a variety of genres and styles, pinching ourselves to make sure it was real.  We found the couple after the show and thanked them again for giving us the opportunity to attend such a great show!  We walked around a little while longer, happy and overwhelmed with gratitude before heading home for the night.

We spent the week in North Carolina (more on our trip soon!) but we made it back to Rochester in time for the last night of the Jazz Fest.  After we finished unpacking, we walked down to one of the free stages to hear Trombone Shorty.  The crowd was ridiculous - around 30,000 people - it was so awesome to see so many come out for an event like this!

The show was great - mostly pop/funk rather than the jazz side of things I know he's sort of known for but we really enjoyed hearing him live and being part of such an exciting finale to this year's Jazz Fest!  We are already looking forward to next year!

Image credit: personal

Off to the Lake!

It's Lake Week!

We're off to North Carolina for a week of worship, seminars, reading sessions (I'm even accompanying this year!), and a little R&R (including our share of southern food).  This is my sixth time attending Music and Worship Arts Week and I learn something new each time.  It's a time of renewal, inspiration, and fellowship and I always feel refreshed when I leave.  Here's to a great week!

P.S. Read about last year's trip here.

Image Credit: unsplash

Life Lately

Hi y'all!

It's been a little while since I've shared a newsy update with you and I thought there was no better time than the present!  Here's what I've been up to lately and what I have planned for the summer:

First of all, I finished my first year of doctoral work at Eastman - one year down, two (hopefully, two) years to go!

For the past few weeks (and until my summer class starts in July), I've been focusing on a few professional projects (paper submissions and academic CV, anyone?).  I'm also teaching a few piano students.  Have I mentioned that I love having a little bit of teaching back in my schedule?  I am learning so much being back in school and it's been wonderful to be able to immediately apply new ideas related to teaching and learning.

Over the holiday weekend, we visited SD's hometown of Sandy Hook, CT and enjoyed spending time with his parents, brother (who flew in from Utah), and family friends.  Of course, there was enough good food to feed a small village - everything from a southern-inspired menu of smoked ribs, cornbread casserole, and summer berry pudding to a New England seafood supper.  I even held a lobster!  It was wonderful to be "back home" for a few days.  Read more about our weekend here.

Later this month, we're flying south to NC for Music and Worship Arts Week at Lake Junaluska (read about last year's trip here).  In addition to a week full of inspiring worship, seminars, and events, we are greatly anticipating fried chicken and sweet tea dinners and at least one pulled pork sandwich from Bogart's in Waynesville (SD will tell you it's the best he's had).  Then, in July we're heading to Chicago for the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy - I've been invited to present some of my research on creativity in music learning at two poster sessions and SD is graciously joining me for moral support!  (For those of you that may not know, a poster session is an opportunity for people to display their research and discuss it with others in the field.)  I'm honored to have this opportunity to share my work but I'm also thrilled to finally attend this conference!

Despite the lure of summer travel, Rochester is pretty wonderful this time of year.  The restaurants and coffee shops on Park Avenue become open-air in the summer months, spilling out onto the sidewalks with a very European feel (furry friends welcome).  People sit in the park with their paper bag lunches and books to pass the Noon-time hour.  Personally, we enjoy spending time in the late afternoon/early evening up on the roof of our building, admiring the view and relishing the peacefulness of the summer breeze (we're pretty sure it's a slice of heaven on earth).  There are festivals almost every weekend, celebrating everything from the lilacs in Highland Park to jazz to barbecued ribs and bluegrass to the historic Erie Canal.  We made a summer events calendar just to keep track of it all.  Our summer bucket list includes:

- dinner with friends on the roof - a night out at the Jazz Festival - an evening walk + gelato - homemade carrot cake - exploring a few of the neighboring towns during Canal days - Fried Green Tomato sliders - pleasure reading (just finished reading 7, currently reading EntreLeadership) - take-out taste test between the two leading barbecue places in town

Wishing you all a wonderful summer!

7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess

*Disclosure: I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

With the recent holiday weekend and a long car ride on either side, I finally finished reading 7 by Jen Hatmaker (please be impressed that I stuck with this bit of pleasure reading throughout the spring semester).

The book chronicles the author's seven-month experiment: seven categories (food, clothes, possessions, media, waste, spending, and stress) stripped down to seven essentials for a month. 

Seven food items.
Seven articles of clothing.
Seven items to give away each day.
Seven forms of media to do without.
Seven ways to reduce waste and become more environmentally responsible.
Seven places to spend money.
Seven prayers a day to remind us to pause, give thanks, reflect, and focus on what matters.

My heart has been challenged by this "mutiny against excess" — our lives are so full, so busy, and yet we strive for more. We live with more than we need and yet we buy more. We value our abundant wardrobes, earthly possessions, and excessive lifestyle spending habits. 

Consumerism and the need for more have become part of our societal identity. Whatever happened to that life of simplicity, abandon, and giving that Jesus talked about? It's easy to lose sight of what we really need in our lives versus the things we want.

Where are our priorities in life? What do we value? Do our spending habits reflect this? Are we responsible with the things we've been given? Do we freely give away what we don't need or do we feel the need to hold onto it? Have we ignored opportunities to help those in need?

If you're looking for a witty, easy-to-read book that will challenge you to live a more fulfilling life, I encourage you to read 7!

Have you read this book?  I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Related post: The Go-Giver

A Night at the Symphony

Last Wednesday marked the 100th anniversary of Stravinsky's famed Rite of Spring and we jumped at the opportunity to hear the piece performed live. In addition to the Stravinsky, the program was to include a relatively new piece by an American composer and a concerto, featuring a young, 17-year-old soloist. We flipped through our program books in anticipation of the pre-concert talk, one I hoped would include an educational and dynamic look at Stravinsky and the controversial headliner of the evening.

The guest conductor and the evening's featured soloist walked on stage to enthusiastic applause from the crowd that had gathered. The woman conducting the interview began by admiring the young performer's illustrious career and marveling at his accomplishments. I went back to reading my program. When she asked the conductor to tell the audience more about the pieces, I sat up a little straighter. He reiterated what was in the program notes, but focused more on the instrumentation, motivic ideas, and how he first encountered each piece rather than the history or context.  Once the talk was over, the orchestra gradually took their place on stage.  After tuning, the players and the hall waited in expectation for the conductor to take the podium, someone from the administration came out instead to thank everyone for their contributions this year. Put a note in the program book or make an announcement during the pre-concert talk but walking out on stage right before the first piece? It just seemed like the wrong time to talk about money.

The American piece was inspired by the paintings of an abstract expressionist painter. Each movement introduced a new color and I found myself wishing they had chosen to show an example of the artist's work by printing a few thumbnails in the program book or projecting them on a screen during the pre-concert talk. I found the piece itself to be fairly unimaginative - a series of rises and falls that lacked direction. It was nice enough to listen to for a few minutes but 15 minutes later, the open fifths and repeating motive were not enough to sustain my attention and I did not think the orchestra played their best. Is this why new music gets such a bad rap sometimes?

The concerto had some truly beautiful moments. Though the technical playing was extremely accurate, clear, and precise and the lyrical playing was sweet and captivating, I do not recall anything truly unique about the performance. And yet, the audience gave an instant standing ovation. When did standing ovations become common practice for every concert? For me, standing ovations are for exemplary playing, true musical excellence, an unforgettable performance. Returning to the stage with the audience still on their feet, he sat down at the piano to play an encore. I don't recall ever hearing an encore before Intermission but I prepared my ears for a palette cleanser - perhaps something light, something Baroque? The piece he chose was in the same style as the concerto and several minutes long. So long, orchestra members began to fidget. The final chord was met with another standing ovation. He attempted to play a second encore but the conductor tapped him on the shoulder and motioned backstage.

Steve and I turned to each other at Intermission with the same thought - mental exhaustion. Over an hour of listening to two musical styles very different from the Rite, the piece we really came to hear - it's a lot to take in. Is this what people have come to expect of symphony concerts?

The players took their seats, the lights blinked, and the conductor took the stage with only his baton in hand (he conducted the piece without music). Just before the downbeat, a high-pitched ringing sounded in the hall, seemingly near where we were sitting. People turned and looked around during the opening bassoon solo. The sound (perhaps someone's hearing aid) continued for at least 20 minutes of the 30-minute work - an unfortunate distraction. I was already feeling a bit frustrated and the combination of mental fatigue and the persistent ringing inhibited my reception of the Rite. One thing I had hoped to feel was the orchestra's energy - an excitement and intensity that grabbed me and had me on the edge of my seat. I was distracted and I'm sure the players were exhausted - I can't imagine the mental fatigue they must have felt trying to get through something so intense after such a long first half.  It just wasn't a great experience.

Then, I started thinking. "What would have made it better? What can be done differently in the future? How can orchestras engage a more diverse audience, one that includes more young people?" Here are a few ideas:

1. Plan shorter concerts. Why do we feel the need to have these epic 2-hour long concerts? If we, as trained musicians struggle to stay focused and attentive, how must those with less musical training feel? It can be overwhelming. What if there were more opportunities for people to hear classical works in programs 45-60 minutes in length?
2. Present more engaging pre-concert talks. This is a great opportunity to teach people about the orchestra, the players, and the music on the program. A get-to-know the artists is fine, too but try not to dumb things down for the audience. Teach them. Use media, visuals, and musical examples (recorded or live) to bring the music and its history to life.
3. Take more risks in programming. Putting a hefty concerto on the same program as the Stravinsky was a safe move, in my opinion. It guaranteed a certain audience that came only to see the 17-year-old prodigy perform (note: several people left at Intermission). The Stravinsky drew a different audience and I'm not sure the two really worked together enough to be on the same program. The American piece was new music, it's true, but what did that add to the program? It could have served as a palette cleanser between the two larger works but instead it opened the program. Choose repertoire that challenges your players and your audiences to learn about and experience new things.
4. Make connections. The pre-concert talk is a perfect time to draw connections between the music on the program and things that are familiar to your audience. Compare the radical response to Stravinsky's Rite of Spring with a current event. Discuss the tenets of abstract expressionism as an artistic movement and illustrate how this is applied in modern composition. Teach the audience what a "motive" is and compare it to something they know. Make this music relevant to your listeners.

Perhaps there are things we can do to change people's expectations of the symphony experience, update the traditional model, and engage people of all ages. Perhaps "a night at the symphony" can be more than just something you do once you reach retirement. Perhaps it really can be for everyone.

Teaching Hymns to Children - Part II

Now that we've talked about some considerations for teaching hymns to children, here are a few ideas for hymn selection and ways to incorporate them into worship:

HYMN SELECTION

Range considerations • Choose hymns that fall in a comfortable singing range for children (typically, no lower than D above Middle C and no higher than Treble D)

Repetition and variety • Find opportunities in hymns to teach the children about musical form: AABA, ABA, verse/chorus

Good text • Connect the hymns you choose to an overall theme, Scripture reference, or season of the church year • Give children an opportunity to sing in another language: German, Latin, Spanish, Zulu, Cherokee, etc.

SUGGESTIONS

1. Have children process into the service during the opening hymn 2. Plan a joint choir anthem with adult choir, children's choir, and handbells for a special service (ex. We Gather Together) 3. Create a special music slot for a children's choir anthem before the children's message 4. Plan a hymn festival to celebrate the church's legacy of hymn-singing

How have you used hymns with your children's choir? Have any other suggestions not mentioned here? Please leave a comment below!

Image Credit: personal

Previously: Teaching Hymns to Children - Part I

Teaching Hymns to Children - Part I

Is there value in teaching hymns to children? Are they effective teaching tools? How do you incorporate them into rehearsals? Here are a few thoughts:

Why teach hymns to children?

Church heritage

• Connect the children to the church's history and invite them to be a part of the legacy
• Help develop their identity as a choir. How is a church children's choir different than an elementary school or community choir?

Spiritual formation

• Connect the hymn texts to Scripture verses
• Discuss the meaning of the text and communicate its relevance for today

Music education

• Use hymns to teach children about singing: unison, 2-part, canon, vowels, consonants, shaping
• Identify elements of tonality and rhythm once the hymn is learned: recognition of patterns, phrase structure, meter, melodic lines
• Introduce the children to the various genres of music represented in the hymnal: spirituals, folk melodies, etc.

Considerations

Hymns in rehearsals

• Choose a hymn to use as a gathering or welcome song
• Select a hymn of the month (I tend to use only the first verse)
• Connect hymns to anthems and other special music with a common theme or musical element

Hymns in worship

• Use hymn arrangements as anthems
• Have the children lead the opening hymn for the congregation (from the front or while processing in)
• Give children an opportunity to be active participants in the service

Role in worship

• Children in leadership
• Emphasis on purpose over performance

Check back on Wednesday for Part II of this discussion - hymn selection and suggestions for worship!