Studio of Leah Brammer: Please and Thank-you

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Please and Thank-you

Reprinted from the studio notes of Leah Brammer

Parents ,

Please bow every day at home before and after piano practice. This is very important.

The bow has the same meaning at home as in the lesson. To bow at the beginning is to agree to work together. It is a matter of respect. Make sure that you have eye contact at the beginning and end of the bow. This connection with the other person helps establish good feelings.

To bow at the end is to say thank-you for your time and energy, and we are done.

In Japan bowing is a matter of every-day life. Children grow up with it the same way we grow up with phrases such as : “Hello, how are you?”, “Thank-you for having me” , “ please” and “ thank-you” . In every culture, it is part of education to learn to appreciate and communicate with other people.

In recitals, the bow shows appreciation and communication with the audience. To bow at the beginning the performer is saying “please listen and enjoy my playing.” When the audience claps they are saying “ok”.
At the end of the performance the bow means “Thank-you for listening to me”’ and the corresponding clapping means “Thank-you for playing.”
Performers all over the world recognize the significance and importance of the bow.

It is very simple, but also very important for pianist to learn that the bow is an integral part of the performance. Without a good bow, the performance cannot be good. With daily practice the bow will feel natural and the child will gain self-confidence from this repetition.

Please bow every day as part of practice and see how this communication between you and your child can bring good feeling to your time together.
Just like please and Thank-you.

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Core Education Principles

1. Life Ability
Core Education develops life ability- the ability to live life optimally.

2. Natural Learning
Core Education utilizes and preserves natural learning, which is direct learning from the environment.

3. Whole Learning
Children learn through absorption of the total environment rather than part by part. This is sometimes called ”right-brain learning” Whole learning is a better way to describe this absorption as it involves both the right brain (learning through the senses/intuition and left brain (analytical) types of learning working together.

4. Ability Development
Pattern recognition and the forming of relationships between these patterns can be developed through repetition for optimum learning. This then includes physical ability, mental/memory, emotional balance and spiritual development as well. This is the balancing concept of whole learning and involves understanding of learning in relationship to sequencing and the development of ability through the acquisition of foundation skills

5. Integral Learning
Core learning involves recognition and support for the physical, emotional, and spiritual aspects of development in combination with mental/cognitive learning to form life abilities.

6. The core focus principle of nurturing:
This principle is that the most fundamental aspect in a child’s learning must always be addressed rather than focusing on the content of what is being learned. It is finding the core aspect of the process that will produce the easiest and quickest way to learn. It is closely connected to Ability Development.

7. Positive affirmation
Core education involves affirmation as a critical component of feedback for the child. Using verbal acknowledgment of that which is correct will accelerate learning. It is not a judgment such as good or bad, but is a positive statement of fact to the child about how they are learning.

Through understanding and applying these principles teachers and parents can recreate the concept of education from the learning of facts to the development of ability.