Dr. Suzuki said "Only practice on the days that you eat".
From looking at the practice sheets I can see that see that the children are practicing daily. So, about now the daily habit should be getting easier-just in time for the holidays...music becomes a part of every day.
As my children were growing up holidays were special concert days instead of the regular practice. All the family would gather for the performance. It turned out that this became an event that evolved into making up a program to give out, getting out the video etc. So getting ready for the performance was important too.
Whether your child is doing make-up songs, Twinkles, or the Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody this is a wonderful way to acknowledge your child's efforts in a relatively pressure free situation. Grandparents usually can enjoy each little step and children enjoy playing for them because of this. If you are away at friends or family there may not be an adjustable bench and footstool, or even only a keyboard is available. Not to worry. Flexibility is good.
It is good to keep these occasions very relaxed and in the spirit of the holiday. The most important point is to really enjoy this time as it is and then your child will enjoy the attention, feel good about sharing their music, and want to do it again in the future.
If you are traveling away from home be sure to take the disc/listening. Long trips are perfect for extra listening, and a good chance to listen to the "Suzuki favorites" disc, or the Mozart Concerto.
This holiday I am very grateful for my wonderful students and parents!
Happy Thanksgiving.
Leah Brammer
Click here for link to the next Twinkle Lessons Blog
Monday, November 16, 2009
Friday, November 13, 2009
12_Twinkle Lessons - Fertilizing the roots
Dear Parents,
Dr. Kataoka said "The beginning is most important" (1) The sound/tone is being absorbed, physical movements are being imprinted, and the emotional habits are taking form. The mental construct forms the relationship between the physical condition, the emotional feeling and the aural sensibility.
In his book "Where Love is Deep" (2) Dr. Suzuki answers questions in an interview:
Dr. Suzuki's development of the Twinkle Variations for the beginning steps is a crucial part of the Suzuki method. By using an international folk song upon which he developed the variations containing the basics of tone production, Dr. Suzuki set out both a method and a philosophy of learning in the same piece.
Dr. Suzuki discusses the importance of the "preparation" habit (3). This preparation or "ready" allows the student to find the natural physical position, and to become ready inside by quieting the mind. Little by little this preparation time becomes shorter, and then immediate or instinctive. Ultimately when the student plays without stops, the concentration and body balance are learned from this practice of preparing for each note, and the fluency of playing becomes natural and without tension.
When the student practices with the "ready-go" method they are able to put their whole concentration into the physical-aural connection of making tone on one note. They do not have to think about the reading or even the sequence of the notes. Because they are playing only one note, they can learn to balance the body without tension and listen for the tone rather than thinking about which note to play next.
If the student is engaged to listen for subtle differences in the sound and how their body works to produce the sound, they will be absorbed in the process. This is an an observation of what is happening rather than a judgment about whether they are right or wrong, In this way the child is naturally concentrating and a lot can be accomplished in a relatively short amount of time.
On the assignment:
finger numbers: Please continue even if it seems easy. Please do both hands. It needs to be repeated until it is 100% memorized without thought. This is the prerequisite to playing notes in a sequence as it develops the awareness of each fingers individual capacity.
Ready Position: This is getting easier now as the physical position is memorized and the mind can become still. It is a very good beginning to the practice.
Please continue.
Twinkle A -Sing the rhythm for your child to set a tempo if they are playing too fast and not hearing each note. Too slow is just as difficult as too fast, so experiment with this. Basically slightly slower than the recording at this point is probably good. You can also use the tempo from the video recording of the lesson.
Twinkle B: It is good to keep the long note practice. This is a listening practice. Notice when your child begins to have a relaxed hand after playing the note rather than continuing to push the key down with extra pressure. The sound will be better. Bring their awareness to this.
Twinkle C: This rhythm is slight more difficult than Twinkle A and is good for discrimination. Last week one of the students was mixing up the two rhythms when I began teaching Twinkle C.
So, please put the Twinkle recording on repeat. Clap the rhythms and name them "Twinkle A, Twinkle B, Twinkle C, Twinkle D or Twinkle Twinkle.
Following is a recording of Walter Giseking performing a set of Twinkle Variations written by Mozart that I have been listening to while writing this blog.
This recording is available through Amazon on the Recommended Recordings page of my website. It is in a box set and includes pieces from Book 7 including another set of variations written by Mozart in the Sonata K331.
Bibliography-
(1) Sensibility and Education - page 25
(2) Where Love is Deep-page 122 (out of print)
(3) The Suzuki Concept -page 44 (oriented more for violin study)
Click Here for link to the next Twinkle Lessons Blog
Dr. Kataoka said "The beginning is most important" (1) The sound/tone is being absorbed, physical movements are being imprinted, and the emotional habits are taking form. The mental construct forms the relationship between the physical condition, the emotional feeling and the aural sensibility.
In his book "Where Love is Deep" (2) Dr. Suzuki answers questions in an interview:
Hatano:So your aim is to bring the violin into children's lives and to foster their ability while letting them enjoy their lives.
Suzuki:Yes. And we always keep our eyes on the growing ability. Take sound for example. We watch the development of the child's sound: how his sound changes to finer sound, how refined his motion can be, how musical he can be.
Suppose we grow plants, we plant a seedling and watch it's root rather than it's leaves and branches. We watch the invisible expansion of it's root, water and fertilize the root. To foster what we can't see-- that is our aim. If we do that, a fine root can grow, though with few leaves, on a single teaching material and eventually it will become a larger tree. So, although we may use limited teaching materials, we aim at sturdy growth. If instead the basic stage is handled roughly, the growth may be smooth to a certain point, but then it will curve and stop after that, since the root is small.
Dr. Suzuki's development of the Twinkle Variations for the beginning steps is a crucial part of the Suzuki method. By using an international folk song upon which he developed the variations containing the basics of tone production, Dr. Suzuki set out both a method and a philosophy of learning in the same piece.
Dr. Suzuki discusses the importance of the "preparation" habit (3). This preparation or "ready" allows the student to find the natural physical position, and to become ready inside by quieting the mind. Little by little this preparation time becomes shorter, and then immediate or instinctive. Ultimately when the student plays without stops, the concentration and body balance are learned from this practice of preparing for each note, and the fluency of playing becomes natural and without tension.
When the student practices with the "ready-go" method they are able to put their whole concentration into the physical-aural connection of making tone on one note. They do not have to think about the reading or even the sequence of the notes. Because they are playing only one note, they can learn to balance the body without tension and listen for the tone rather than thinking about which note to play next.
If the student is engaged to listen for subtle differences in the sound and how their body works to produce the sound, they will be absorbed in the process. This is an an observation of what is happening rather than a judgment about whether they are right or wrong, In this way the child is naturally concentrating and a lot can be accomplished in a relatively short amount of time.
On the assignment:
finger numbers: Please continue even if it seems easy. Please do both hands. It needs to be repeated until it is 100% memorized without thought. This is the prerequisite to playing notes in a sequence as it develops the awareness of each fingers individual capacity.
Ready Position: This is getting easier now as the physical position is memorized and the mind can become still. It is a very good beginning to the practice.
Please continue.
Twinkle A -Sing the rhythm for your child to set a tempo if they are playing too fast and not hearing each note. Too slow is just as difficult as too fast, so experiment with this. Basically slightly slower than the recording at this point is probably good. You can also use the tempo from the video recording of the lesson.
Twinkle B: It is good to keep the long note practice. This is a listening practice. Notice when your child begins to have a relaxed hand after playing the note rather than continuing to push the key down with extra pressure. The sound will be better. Bring their awareness to this.
Twinkle C: This rhythm is slight more difficult than Twinkle A and is good for discrimination. Last week one of the students was mixing up the two rhythms when I began teaching Twinkle C.
So, please put the Twinkle recording on repeat. Clap the rhythms and name them "Twinkle A, Twinkle B, Twinkle C, Twinkle D or Twinkle Twinkle.
Following is a recording of Walter Giseking performing a set of Twinkle Variations written by Mozart that I have been listening to while writing this blog.
This recording is available through Amazon on the Recommended Recordings page of my website. It is in a box set and includes pieces from Book 7 including another set of variations written by Mozart in the Sonata K331.
Bibliography-
(1) Sensibility and Education - page 25
(2) Where Love is Deep-page 122 (out of print)
(3) The Suzuki Concept -page 44 (oriented more for violin study)
Click Here for link to the next Twinkle Lessons Blog
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Marc-Andre Hamelin -Herbst Theatre- December 15!
Marc-Andre Hamelin's concert is definitely not to be missed. The City Box Office promo says of Hamelin:"A Startlingly original blend of virtuosity and power has earned this Canadian artist legendary status. Long known for his matchless exploration of unfamiliar piano terrain, Hamelin is now universally recognized for the depth and originality of his interpretations of Classical and Romantic repertoire."
Here is the program:
Haydn: Variations in F minor, hob. XVII:6
Mozart: Sonata in A minor, K310
Liszt: Venezia e Napoli, from Annees de Pelerinage
Faure: Nocturne No.6, Op. 63
Alkan: Symphonie for Solo Piano
Here is hamelin performing Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody #2
Tickets are almost sold out. See you there!
City Box Office tickets for Marc-Andre Hamelin on December 15
Here is the program:
Haydn: Variations in F minor, hob. XVII:6
Mozart: Sonata in A minor, K310
Liszt: Venezia e Napoli, from Annees de Pelerinage
Faure: Nocturne No.6, Op. 63
Alkan: Symphonie for Solo Piano
Here is hamelin performing Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody #2
Tickets are almost sold out. See you there!
City Box Office tickets for Marc-Andre Hamelin on December 15
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
11_Twinkle Lessons -Discrimination
Dear Parents,
The boys really enjoyed the class this week. They have gotten much better with the rhythms, singing the solfege and are recognizing the pieces. Being able to recognize and name the pieces is very good for sound discrimination.
On Practice time:
Some students are now able to figure out the notes of the songs on the piano. Please continue to let them do this as it develops their ability to hear sound patterns and find them on the piano. It also drives their motivation to play. So, this independence is important for their overall progress even as it reinforces some physical habits we are trying to evolve. Three points are important to make this activity beneficial:
1. They need to hear the disc many hours a day so that the tone on the recording is the internalized sound they are trying to produce on the piano.
2. They are doing it on their own without instruction. In this way they will not go too far beyond what they can naturally do.
3. Separate this free time to figure out songs from the structured practice time. You can do this simply by taking a bow before and after the actual "practice".
Learning Suzuki method enables a child to play in the "Flow" without words in the way of the experience. This happens if we do not give them too many instructions.
So, anytime you can use a physical que this helps. Please use a soft hand to help them find the correct posture. Then, you can speak softly with a few key reminder phrases that you get from the lessons. This way your voice does not interfere with the sound of the piano.
On the Bow: Please continue to improve the bow by asking for one point such as "please look down when you bow", or "eyes at the end please".
On the Twinkles: Please have them listen for different kinds of sounds.
Twinkle A is all short sounds. When the finger releases the sound the hand relaxes. Teaching short sounds first imprints the physical movement so that the hand does not hold stiffness after the sound is played. Playing the short sound with a good tone is like throwing the dart into the very middle of the dart board. Playing becomes focused and accurate from this practice.
Please ask your child to listen for every sound to be short. When they finish that one pattern ask them if all of the sounds were short. If they say no, please affirm that they have very good hearing! This listening and knowing what has been played develops concentration and discrimination.
Twinkle B the first step is to listen for the long sounds, and practice long sounds. Through this practice they will begin to relax on the long note and not hold the note down with tension. Notice when the sound is really good.
After they are playing the rhythm with the long sound you can direct their attention to the short sounds. Was the first note really short? "I thought so too."
If you practice Twinkles this way they will not become boring. They are of course work. But they will remain interesting. The key is that the practice is affirming what the sound was, how the finger moved etc. in a neutral way with non-judgment about the child. By involving the child in the process of this knowing we are enabling them.
Dr. Kataoka says:
Here is a link to a great article written about the Twinkles by Dr. Kataoka:
Dr. Kataokas article on Twinkles
I posted a video of Marc-Andre Hamelin performing the Hungarian Rhapsody #2 by Liszt with his own original cadenza. Please watch it if you have not already.
Below is the same piece performed at the 2007 10 Piano Concert in Sacramento. You may recognize parts of it as the "Bugs bunny/Tom and Jerry song.
Andrew Loo who you have seen in previous posts is performing as well as my daughter Bria. The 10 Piano Concerts are a very special part of studying Suzuki Piano. This is a very fun piece and is a wonderful opportunity for the children to "play with one heart"
Part 1
Part 2
Again, thanks so much for taking the time to read these posts, to watch the videos and to work with your children daily. This is a big job, perhaps more than you previously imagined. The benefits will be seen many years from now, but also please enjoy the process too. As a mother of two grown children I have felt how long a practice time can be and how short a time it is from childhood to adulthood. They are both true. You are all doing a wonderful job.
Leah Brammer
Click here for link to the next Twinkle Lessons Blog
The boys really enjoyed the class this week. They have gotten much better with the rhythms, singing the solfege and are recognizing the pieces. Being able to recognize and name the pieces is very good for sound discrimination.
On Practice time:
Some students are now able to figure out the notes of the songs on the piano. Please continue to let them do this as it develops their ability to hear sound patterns and find them on the piano. It also drives their motivation to play. So, this independence is important for their overall progress even as it reinforces some physical habits we are trying to evolve. Three points are important to make this activity beneficial:
1. They need to hear the disc many hours a day so that the tone on the recording is the internalized sound they are trying to produce on the piano.
2. They are doing it on their own without instruction. In this way they will not go too far beyond what they can naturally do.
3. Separate this free time to figure out songs from the structured practice time. You can do this simply by taking a bow before and after the actual "practice".
Learning Suzuki method enables a child to play in the "Flow" without words in the way of the experience. This happens if we do not give them too many instructions.
So, anytime you can use a physical que this helps. Please use a soft hand to help them find the correct posture. Then, you can speak softly with a few key reminder phrases that you get from the lessons. This way your voice does not interfere with the sound of the piano.
On the Bow: Please continue to improve the bow by asking for one point such as "please look down when you bow", or "eyes at the end please".
On the Twinkles: Please have them listen for different kinds of sounds.
Twinkle A is all short sounds. When the finger releases the sound the hand relaxes. Teaching short sounds first imprints the physical movement so that the hand does not hold stiffness after the sound is played. Playing the short sound with a good tone is like throwing the dart into the very middle of the dart board. Playing becomes focused and accurate from this practice.
Please ask your child to listen for every sound to be short. When they finish that one pattern ask them if all of the sounds were short. If they say no, please affirm that they have very good hearing! This listening and knowing what has been played develops concentration and discrimination.
Twinkle B the first step is to listen for the long sounds, and practice long sounds. Through this practice they will begin to relax on the long note and not hold the note down with tension. Notice when the sound is really good.
After they are playing the rhythm with the long sound you can direct their attention to the short sounds. Was the first note really short? "I thought so too."
If you practice Twinkles this way they will not become boring. They are of course work. But they will remain interesting. The key is that the practice is affirming what the sound was, how the finger moved etc. in a neutral way with non-judgment about the child. By involving the child in the process of this knowing we are enabling them.
Dr. Kataoka says:
Tone is the basic element of music. If we do not completely learn how to produce tone in our childhood, we become people who are uninterested in tone, and then we can allow ourselves to play piano with a terrible and noisy sound. People who play like this gradually begin to dislike playing the piano. But if we play carefully with soft fingers, making a resonant sound and avoiding a crashing noise, we can give our whole minds to the tone we are playing.
Here is a link to a great article written about the Twinkles by Dr. Kataoka:
Dr. Kataokas article on Twinkles
I posted a video of Marc-Andre Hamelin performing the Hungarian Rhapsody #2 by Liszt with his own original cadenza. Please watch it if you have not already.
Below is the same piece performed at the 2007 10 Piano Concert in Sacramento. You may recognize parts of it as the "Bugs bunny/Tom and Jerry song.
Andrew Loo who you have seen in previous posts is performing as well as my daughter Bria. The 10 Piano Concerts are a very special part of studying Suzuki Piano. This is a very fun piece and is a wonderful opportunity for the children to "play with one heart"
Part 1
Part 2
Again, thanks so much for taking the time to read these posts, to watch the videos and to work with your children daily. This is a big job, perhaps more than you previously imagined. The benefits will be seen many years from now, but also please enjoy the process too. As a mother of two grown children I have felt how long a practice time can be and how short a time it is from childhood to adulthood. They are both true. You are all doing a wonderful job.
Leah Brammer
Click here for link to the next Twinkle Lessons Blog
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Exploring the Senses - touch/feel
When we think about the relative importance of touch in learning compared to the other senses we usually associate this difference as emotional. Touch is crucial. Blind people see in other ways. People that are deaf, adapt other forms of communication.
What about people that cannot feel? It's very destructive to the sense of self in relating to the outside world.
Is that bad? Well, no, not if you have a kinesthetic memory pattern that allows you to understand that reality without the actual physical experience. However in terms of initial physical imprinting for babies and young children it is probably the most important and the most directly related to intuition. This may seem in contrast to the idea that intuition happens outside of the physical dimension, but the embed formula has to be there through experience at some point.
In other words, babies feel. Children feel.
When does this become less important than what the mind thinks?
At about the point that a person has to cope with a difficulty that requires thinking.
In learning piano if a child can get direct learning through the awareness of touch in playing the piano to get different kinds of sounds they become very sensitive capable people. The sense of touch is the direct experience educator.
People can benefit greatly by developing the sense of touch and it's correlation to the hands as the communicator in addition to speaking. This develops direct ability at all kinds of computer/communication skills in addition to being in touch with the artistic value of making music.
Piano ability is life ability.
What about people that cannot feel? It's very destructive to the sense of self in relating to the outside world.
Is that bad? Well, no, not if you have a kinesthetic memory pattern that allows you to understand that reality without the actual physical experience. However in terms of initial physical imprinting for babies and young children it is probably the most important and the most directly related to intuition. This may seem in contrast to the idea that intuition happens outside of the physical dimension, but the embed formula has to be there through experience at some point.
In other words, babies feel. Children feel.
When does this become less important than what the mind thinks?
At about the point that a person has to cope with a difficulty that requires thinking.
In learning piano if a child can get direct learning through the awareness of touch in playing the piano to get different kinds of sounds they become very sensitive capable people. The sense of touch is the direct experience educator.
People can benefit greatly by developing the sense of touch and it's correlation to the hands as the communicator in addition to speaking. This develops direct ability at all kinds of computer/communication skills in addition to being in touch with the artistic value of making music.
Piano ability is life ability.
Exploring the Senses -Smell/Taste
Consider what you remember by smell, what it brings back in feeling and response to you.
How much did you learn about the world by the sense of smell?
Is it important to you now?
How important is it for learning?
Do we teach it?
Should we consider it a factor in education?
Is it part of a core education?
How much did you learn about the world by the sense of smell?
Is it important to you now?
How important is it for learning?
Do we teach it?
Should we consider it a factor in education?
Is it part of a core education?
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