22_Twinkle Lessons: Freedom, Individuality and Structure

Dear Parents,
The recital was really wonderful in so many ways. The children were all happy to be a part of the recital. They listened intently to the performances. The picture session at the end of the recital made all of the students feel important and nurtured. The performances are uploaded to the Core Studio Video Blog. The photos are posted on the Core Studio Photo Gallery. I hope you and the children enjoy looking at them.

I noticed this week the students were eager to play new pieces. I tried to let them play without giving them too many instructions. This can be difficult for adults to do. It's good to remember how important this is to preserving the intrinsic drive/motivation.

This preservation of the freedom of the child is a large part of the Montessori method:

"If it were necessary to compress the description of the principles of the Montessori method into a single phrase, perhaps the most comprehensive would be that it was a method based on Liberty in a prepared Environment."
from Dr. Montessori's writings

Similarly, in Suzuki lessons, the child is motivated by the "prepared environment"- (listening to the disc many hours a day, attending recitals, observing other students lessons, singing solfege, group classes, having an in tune quality instrument to play on.) The child can then freely learn to play the songs they hear. When the student is intrinsically motivated to create the sounds they hear, they will try as many times as needed to acquire the right sound, as long as there is no outside interference or instruction.

The Book 1 pieces are also an integral part of this "prepared environment". In "A Montessori Handbook" EC Orem discusses the development of the child through a multi-sensory approach with carefully structured materials in her method:

"The didactic (teaching) material, in fact, does not offer to the child the 'content' of the mind, but the Order for the "content". It causes him to distinguish identities from differences, extreme differences from fine gradations, and to classify, under conceptions of quality and of quantity...The mind has formed itself by a special exercise of attention, observing, comparing, and classifying."

This exactly describes the material in the Twinkles and Book 1 pieces. They are the raw material from which the children learn tonal patterns, harmonic patterns, phrases, rhythms, the rudimentary elements or framework in the language of music.

Individual children will use these beginning materials differently. Some students will learn the pieces in the exact order of the book, phrase by phrase with the help of their parent singing the solfege. Other children will pick out songs solely by ear near the end of the book, then come back to other pieces in a seemingly random order. It is important to allow this process to unfold naturally. It is the child's individual sensibility and motivation that we preserve this way.

The ability is then developed with the assistance of a mentor who gives the right instruction at the right time to aid in the growth of the child. The teacher is coming "behind" the student working on body balance, working on tone, making sure the basics are taken care of. It may be important for the teacher to hear the "new" piece in order that the child feels listened to, and it is a good way for the teacher to evaluate what skills are becoming part of the child's ability to play. The majority of the teachers time is spent developing ability on what the child already can do.

In terms of giving instructions to the child R.C. Orem says about Dr. Montessori's approach:
"Montessori says the teacher should "count her words," that is utilize carefully chosen words purposefully."
In her book Sensibility and Education, Dr. Kataoka says:
"The senses cannot be taught anything with verbal explanations."

The natural body balance and tactile sense is related to the sound so that the child learns through the senses. The instructions are by example, with only a few words, and are the most fundamental point at that moment to allow for maximum learning. This is very much like using composted organic soil amendments for plant health rather than trying to force growth with high nitrogen fertilizers.

It is important to make sure our instructions are really focused on THE most critical point that will enable quality, ease of learning, and skill development. Understanding and utilizing the most fundamental point in instructing students is both subtle and critically important to maximizing learning and avoiding over teaching. This Basics principle of skill development is one of the seven Core Education principles.

So, the way of knowing how to help the child is to always to start with the most basic point. Dr. Kataoka used to use the analogy of building a house to explain this to teachers -You do not want to put the walls on before the foundation of the house is strong.

Skills develop in a spiral so that we are always coming back to the most basic point-internalized sound/intention/ready. So, even at an advanced level of playing such as when a student is playing a concerto with orchestra, we are working on the bow, the ready position, the tone. Of course the balance between the orchestra and the piano, the phrasing, the concept of the whole are all necessary as well, but not possible without continuing to reinforce the most basic points. There is then this basics level of ability that must always be increasing in depth to enable the horizontal progression of advancing levels of difficulty.

Each week I will listen to your child play and will seek to find the most basic point that will produce the best result. Sometimes I will try different words to see what effect they have. I may try different ideas before I determine what is best. If you can understand how the instruction is uniquely suited to the child at that moment, you can really enable your child with the help you give them, and avoid the trap of too many instructions which make the child feel controlled.
Please use the Core Practice Assignment Sheet Books 1-2 (also under the right sidebar Practice Sheets) to help create structure in the weekly assignment. Beside each piece you can list a single focus point. As the lesson evolves you will notice there is one main focus point for the week. Please notate these few things on the assignment sheet to help you in practice. Remember it is not necessary to fix everything you see/hear that could be better. Please use the focus points from the lesson to help you from over instructing. You can mark the boxes to show how much each piece is played during the week. Naturally the child will be drawn to certain pieces at certain times. It is good to honor this, and also to make sure they are playing the pieces they already know well in order to develop their physical ability to produce good tone.
It's always a balance between freedom and structure.

all the best,
Leah Brammer

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21_Recital Preparation

Dear Parents,
The most important point to know about preparing for a performance is that it is exactly the same as every day practice! Day by day the student is building general skill as well as deepening their understanding/knowledge of the particular piece they are playing.

Before a performance the practice should have become easy. Do all of the spots many times. Practice slowly, hands separate. Practice with metronome if assigned. Memorize tempo by playing the beginning phrase/part many times. Practice the ending. Go through the same process that has been assigned in previous weeks.

At the lesson before the performance there are no "new" points. This way the piece will be internalized and feel easy without lots of things to remember.

In the few days before the recital teachers and parents can help focus attention on the sound.
For example, "Listen for the the deep and light sounds." It is good to make the instruction on listening one holistic point rather than several different points of listening to remember. When the child is able to go directly to the sound awareness they will be able to concentrate in the performance environment.

It is not useful to play the piece through at the performance tempo hands together many times. This can actually create anxiety about performing when the student makes a mistake, or the quality goes down.

It is useful to practice the performance aspects of the recital ahead: Bow, get ready, play the beginning, play the ending, bow, walk off stage. This gives the child a sense of the whole performance.

It is also good to let the child focus on their performance piece 2 or 3 days ahead of the recital, without working on the other parts of the practice (technique, new pieces, review, reading.) This will also enable them to spend more time on the piece.

This is a critical time for repeat listening of the performance piece only on low volume. This will make playing the piece very familiar and natural for the child. It gives the student freedom to create the piece as they want it to sound.

On the day before and day of the recital it is good to take care of the basics carefully-enough sleep, good food, good feelings, practice, space to relax, and enough time to get ready and drive without rushing. It takes a whole day to do the best preparation. This is an important ability to foster in the child: preparation- the process of making ready.

20_Ability Development and the Growth mindset

Here is a quote from Alfred Binet, the inventor of the IQ test in the early 20th century:

"A few modern philosophers...assert that an individual's intelligence is a fixed quantity, a quantity which cannot be increased. We must protest and react against this brutal pessimism...With practice, training, and above all, method, we manage to increase our attention, our memory, our judgment and literally to become more intelligent than we were before."

It is interesting that the Binet-Simon scale was adopted in the US and has come to represent a number which defines a persons "fixed" intelligence.

Dr. Carol Dweck, a psychologist at Stanford, has written the book mindset: The new psychology of success. She defines two types of mindsets about learning-Fixed mindset and Growth mindset. A fixed mindset is one in which you believe your intelligence or the "way I am" is "fixed" or not changeable, and a growth mindset is one is which you believe that you can develop talent/ability/habits with practice.

Her documented research over many years shows just how much a persons mindset affects their ultimate ability to learn. When students believe that intelligence is fixed they are set up to need to prove their intelligence, do not want understand the value of working hard, and become fearful of mistakes which would make them look dumb. Their thinking is "If you have to work at something, you must not be good at it" and "things come easily to people who are true geniuses."

One of the interesting parts of this book is the research on how much praising children about their intelligence negatively effects their performance. She says: "If success means they're smart, then failure means they're dumb...If parents want to give their children a gift, the best thing they can do is to teach their children to love challenges, be intrigued by mistakes, enjoy effort, and keep on learning. That way their children don't have to be slaves of praise. They will have a lifelong way to build and repair their own confidence. "

How do we "teach" effort and determination? As I said in the last blog, infants and toddlers already have an intense amount of determination and drive. Our job is to preserve it by not praising results which focuses the child on getting praise for being smart or fast, and instead appreciate the process of repetition and effort. Dr. Dweck says:

"When we say to children, "Wow, you did that so quickly!" or "Look, you didn't make any mistakes!" what message are we sending? We are telling them that what we prize are speed and perfection. Speed and perfection are the enemy of difficult learning."

Dr. Suzuki says: "Knowledge plus 10,000 times equals ability." Malcom Gladwells book "Outliers: The story of success" second chapter is entitled "The 10,000 hour rule."
He discusses several breakthrough thinkers/performers/achievers from Mozart to Bill Gates. In each case he approximates it took them 10, 000 hours to acquire "true expertise". In Mozart's example he cites the point that his "masterworks" were composed at age 21 and later, after he had been composing full pieces for over ten years. He also points to the variable of opportunity (environment) and shows how each great achiever had the right opportunity at the right time.

Last week I attended the Piano Basics Workshop in Phoenix Arizona where I had a lesson. It must seem so odd to think after thirty years of studying and teaching Suzuki piano, I am taking a lesson on Twinkles. Yet each time there is something new to learn and improve, and I come back motivated to continue practicing and working to improve my tone.

There were several students in the workshop who are now graduated from high school and still coming to the workshops to study and perform. I believe one of them is majoring in piano, the others are not. To me this shows how wonderful the Suzuki method is! The students after all this time are still studying piano because they did not grow up only practicing for the next competition, but instead for their own learning, to participate in non-competitive graduations which are based on skill acquisition, to play together with others in a 10 piano concert, or for a Friendship concert. They have a lifelong love for music and sound they hasn't ended when they graduated from high school and listed their competitions on their college application.

A growth mindset enables a person to continue to improve even after they are already one of the "best" in their field. It sustains intrinsic motivation by keeping alive the drive to learn for self-
improvement and for a sense of contribution and purpose. This is Life Ability - the ability to live life optimally.

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19_Twinkle Lessons: Affirm, Motivate, Inspire

It has been rainy cloudy weather for many days now here in California. However, for the last 3 years California has been in a drought. I could say "I have not been able to go outside for many days", or I could say "The rain is very good for the plants and it is becoming very green on the hills." Both would be "true." I also could say "The sky is clear" ignoring the rain and hoping that the weather would change. This might serve to make me feel better. When I focus on the green healthy plants I am accepting the situation as it is and I also feel grateful that we are not in a drought.

When working with children, affirming the positive aspects of the situation does much more than make the child feel better. It also serves as a positive feedback loop. By telling the child; "when you moved your finger that time the sound was much better", you are helping the child to connect their actions with the result in a way that enables them to learn faster. This ability to learn and improve is the primary motivating factor for the child. By giving the child an affirmation of what they are doing correctly, we are increasing their ability to learn and improve. Positive affirmation is one of the seven principles of core education

This is very different concept than the "carrot and stick" approach of "positive/negative reinforcement." A simple example of "positive reinforcement" would be: "If you practice with good concentration for 15 minutes you can watch TV".

There is a fascinating new book (December 2009)by Daniel H. Pink entitled Drive - The surprising Truth About What Motivates Us
Publishers weekly writes this review:
"According to Pink (A Whole New Mind), everything we think we know about what motivates us is wrong. He pits the latest scientific discoveries about the mind against the outmoded wisdom that claims people can only be motivated by the hope of gain and the fear of loss. Pink cites a dizzying number of studies revealing that the "carrot and stick approach" can actually significantly reduce the ability of workers to produce creative solutions to problems. What motivates us once our basic survival needs are met is the ability to grow and develop, to realize our fullest potential. Case studies of Google's "20 percent time" (in which employees work on projects of their choosing one full day each week) and Best Buy's "Results Only Work Environment" (in which employees can work whenever and however they choose—as long as they meet specific goals) demonstrate growing endorsement for this approach. A series of appendixes include further reading and tips on applying this method to businesses, fitness and child-rearing. Drawing on research in psychology, economics and sociology, Pink's analysis—and new model—of motivation offers tremendous insight into our deepest nature".

Daniel Pink cites an important book; "The hidden costs of rewards" by psychologists Mark Lepper and David Greene written in 1978. They did an experiment on motivation with preschool children. They watched a classroom and identified children who chose to draw in their free play time. Next they divided those children into 3 groups: the "expected reward group" was told they would receive a blue ribbon for drawing, the "unexpected reward group" who received a certificate after they chose to draw, and the third group who received "no reward." Two weeks after the first session where the rewards were given the "expected reward group" had little interest in drawing. The "unexpected reward group" and the "no reward" group were both still engaged in drawing during their free time. These researchers went on to prove their thesis in many more experiments. Daniel Pink goes on to site many more studies and examples of how extrinsic rewards diminish motivation.

I believe this is partially because the child looses their sense of autonomy and feels controlled rather than nurtured and supported. The question then is not whether to use a "carrot or a stick" to influence a child's behavior, but how can we preserve and nurture intrinsic motivation? Think about a baby learning to walk. It's great when parents are happy that the child is trying to walk, but it is also obvious that the child is trying to walk because they are driven to do so. I have never known a parent to give candy to a child if they took an extra step! It is great to recognize progress with natural authentic enthusiasm, and fine to have an occasional treat when something is really accomplished. This would fall under the "unexpected reward" category.

When we give children appropriate feedback about what they are doing that is improving their ability, we are helping them learn while preserving their motivation. It is rarely necessary to point out what is wrong because the child has the sound internalized. It is ok to bring awareness to something that needs attention such as the finger numbers by singing them, or asking the child to check to see what fingers are playing. This keeps the learning objective and helps reduce negative emotions related to the necessary concentration and work required in learning. It is important to empower the child in their own learning. This preserves their own internal drive to learn. This week-end I was teaching students at a workshop in Philadelphia that I had never met before. I was truly amazed at their desire to learn. After listening to them play, I would help them by affirming what was really good in their playing such as "The first part of the piece sounded very nice", or "You have learned all of the notes to the piece" and then give them a point to practice. Next, I would ask "Do you want to keep working on this?" Invariably the answer was "Yes."
What happens if the child says "no?" Most often this happens because the child feels for some reason that it is too hard/takes too long. Make the assignment easier/smaller until the child feels it is doable. It doesn't matter if you think the assignment is hard or not. It is the child's drive (intrinsic motivation) to do it that is important.
Success then is the ability to do the assignment well without extrinsic reward or punishment. In the long run, success and improvement is what will motivate the child and develop the ability to practice.

Inspiration is inherent in motivation. Listening to the disc is an important part of providing inspiration because it provides the model. This involves listening to music that is well beyond the pieces that the child is currently learning as well as the current pieces they are learning. Having opportunities to perform and share with others is also very important. Hearing a live concert is probably the most inspiring experience because it most directly raises our concept of what is possible, our ideal.

Lastly, we inspire children when we give credence, and a voice to their aspirations. At the Philadelphia workshop after a student played a Bach minuet I asked her if she had heard other pieces by Bach and recommended some Bach pieces (Italian Concerto) for her to listen to . I told her that I could imagine her playing many pieces by Bach because she had a good feeling for the style of Bach. She said "When you say that I feel so inspired". It is the teacher/parents unerring belief in the child's capacity that develops and sustains aspirations-the desire to learn the next piece, finish the book, the vision of playing a concerto for Level 10 graduation, etc. Inspiration and aspirations go together just like inhale and exhale. We need them both. Inspiration and Aspiration are the basis of intrinsic motivation.


On the assignment:
Finger numbers and note names: Please continue the repetition on these skills. They may be good to do after a period of concentration.
Ready Practice -on each note of the A phrase of Twinkle: This practice of the ready without any playing is for the purpose of making the shifting from one finger to the next easy without having to reposition the hand/elbow/body. Once this is easy, the ready time on each note of the Twinkles will be shorter and the assignment will now go faster. It is good to do one time at the beginning of practice.
Twinkle A: It is good to do the whole Twinkle now instead of just the first phrase. This will help them to memorize the sequence.
Twinkle B and C: Continue to experiment with the way you say "go" in order to help the child have good rhythm. Be aware of the physical changes your child makes when you say "ready" and only add other words when necessary.
Twinkle D: Sing sometimes,and other times say "Please move your fingers, please move your fingers, soft hand" in a quiet voice. Sometimes have your child do a performance where they bow, get ready, say go for them, play Twinkle D (by themselves), and then bow. Perhaps you can make a video, have other people watch, set up the stuffed animals for a performance, or other idea to make this "performance" or "recital" different from the regular practice.
Right hand melodies: Some children will prefer to try to find the notes without much help. Others will prefer that you sing the solfege. You can ask. Try it both ways. Switch back and forth. Also it is fine to sing finger numbers sometimes. We want them to be able to respond by playing the finger we sing. So, try different ways and always ask what your child thinks is helping. This helps them be objective about their learning and separate their emotions from their mental/physical learning.
Time: Be mindful of your child's natural concentration period. Each day is different. It is good to give choices ("Twinkle B or Twinkle C?") and set priorities on any given day ("Let's do Twinkle D one more time to get your fingers really moving and then we can work on Lightly Row tomorrow-is that ok?"). Choose review to develop skill, choose the new pieces to motivate as long as they are not too difficult. Let the child decide which is better for that day.
Day by Day,
Affirm, Motivate, Inspire
Leah Brammer

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18_Twinkle Lessons-Tone Lessons

Dear Parents,
We are at the important stage of learning legato and focusing on creating "ringing tone". Therefore, I am going to "remix" some of my previous writings on tone with new thoughts for this blog.

Developing ability continues in a spiral so that we are always always coming back to the most basic points as we advance. Students in books 2 and up will come back to the Twinkle rhythm to practice tone production with a relaxed hand on sections of their pieces. Great pianists will repeat the sound of one note over and over to achieve the best sound.

Understanding develops in a spiral as well. It is not necessarily the things we study and take a test on that have deep meaning to us, rather it is what we internalize and use that has meaning and depth. As we continue to understand and research how children learn, our own ability to apply that knowledge becomes greater.

Listening is Step 1
By listening, the students are internalizing the sequence of the notes, the rhythm and the tempo of the songs, and the tone as well.
It is interesting that the students know which is the good tone immediately when I ask them. They can already hear when the tone has tension in it, just as babies hear and respond to tension in a persons voice. Everything is absorbed by the child, even our own attention and feelings. Dr. Suzuki says:

"Tone has living soul. Without form it breathes."

Ready is step 2.
Think about what you do when you seek to hear something -you become still. This is a kind of "focusing" with the aural sense. When students become "ready" they become still and thus become able to really hear the subtleties in the sound they are producing.

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.

Teaching tone is step 3.
Teaching tone is bringing awareness to the natural state of learning the children already possess. The sound/tone is already internalized through the period of listening. Now we can ask "Were all the sounds ringing tone?" This is teaching awareness. You can notice the difference in how the note is sustained when it is played with a "hit tone", or with a relaxed moving finger. The hit tone is very loud at first and then dies off quickly. The "heart tone" has more of a bell shape to the sound.
Dr Suzuki says:

"Music is the language of the heart without words."
and also:
"Beautiful Tone, Beautiful Heart"

Twinkle A: Listen for short clear sounds. Listen that the rhythm is natural and not too slow.
Twinkle B. Listen for the long sound. The practice of playing one sound and listening until it stops is very useful. This is a good review practice even though they are already playing Twinkle B.
Twinkle C: make sure the rhythm is accurate. Sometimes the children still confuse Twinkle A and Twinkle C.
Twinkle D - Legato-smooth connected singing tone
Teaching legato is perhaps the most difficult and most important task to teach beginning piano students. When students play staccato it is much easier to relax the hand. When students first play legato there is a strong tendency to keep "pushing" to hold the note down.
Dr. Kataoka relates playing legato to walking:

"For legato, all we need is to do with the fingers on the keyboard what we do with our legs when we walk normally. Human beings are not naturally stiff and do not find it hard to move. Normal people shift their body weight from one leg to the other with true dexterity, and walk lightly while smoothly balancing the body. It is the same with the fingers."

This is a useful analogy and it is good to walk around noticing how your legs move smoothly without stopping as the weight shifts. Also notice how important your feet movement is and compare this to the first joint of your finger or fingerpad.

When the student is able to play legato well on a single note the next task is to stretch out the hand and connect the Do with the So. Then they can successively move the weight from one finger to the next in the same way as walking.

Another important aspect of legato is the movement of the thumb. Dr. Kataoka used to say "Don't play piano like a monkey!" to students (and teachers) because they didn't move their thumb. She was fascinated at how students used their thumbs when texting on their cell phones.(it was popular in Japan before it was in the US) To play legato the thumb also has to connect the sounds by moving and not pushing with the joints locked in a stiff position. The movement is sideways the way that the hand naturally grasps or picks up something. If you try this you can observe how the thumb moves differently from the other fingers. When playing the piano this movement becomes unnatural because the sideways movement also must make the key go down in order to produce sound.

The connection of the physical feeling of the finger moving with the continuation of the sound enables direct playing so that the piano effectively becomes the voice. The sound and the movement become the same thing. The child makes this connection of how the movement of the fingers and body directly affects the sound in a similar way to how a baby learns to move it's mouth and tongue to produce different sounds.

Once the student can play a beautiful legato on Twinkle with a natural body, it is relatively easy to learn the notes of the melodies in Book 1. Singing the solfege with the disc will also make this go much much faster. You may want to select the Twinkles plus the first few pieces on the disc and put them on repeat for a couple weeks while the students are first learning these beginning songs.
The most important point is that the students can play with a beautiful tone and a happy heart:
Dr. Kataoka says:

"Being able to play the piano using a heartfelt, true, natural and musical tone becomes a great joy throughout your entire life.

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17_Happy Continuum

Dear Parents,
Happy 2010!

In my New Years Blog 2009 I wrote about the book Remix by Lawrence Lessig which I was reading at that time. He wrote about the evolving RW (read/write) culture made possible by new technologies which enable people to creatively contribute/comment/create/edit/quote/analyze/synthesize/ and thus "remix" information of all types including words/sounds/photo/visual-video into multiple mediums. The book also discusses copyright issues with the use and remixing of different media. After reading that book I made my website part of the "Creative Commons License" which is basically a share and share alike license.

This was the beginning of my using the web to research in a new way by gathering all kinds of resources from videos and websites, and also uploading my own content. I am really amazed at the quality of information that is available now and the quantity of information that one must sort through in order to find the quality. It has been a wonderful year of research!

Also in my New Years blog last year I wrote about Dr. Kataoka's article on the essence of Tibetan Buddhism. In her article, "One day is a lifetime," she draws the connection between each moment and each sound being important for human beings. Dr. Kataoka says in that article:

Whether we are talking about each and every day or each and every note, the fact that every single unit is precious and important is the same. When you live each day and every day with your heart and soul in the best natural way, there is a continuum which results in a wonderful lifetime.

In continuing with the research and writing that began last New Year, I have been watching the online videos of the 2009 Peace Summit in Vancouver with the Dalai Lama, other Nobel laureates and leaders.
Please watch this incredible video from the 2009 Vancouver Peace Summit. Much of the Summit focused on education as a key to peace. Education of the heart.

The whole clip is a session on Creativity with various speakers. One of the speakers, Eckart Tolle, talks about how to tap into the creative source, and the necessity of developing ability in order to use creativity. He begins talking about the penalty shootout in a soccer event , and relates it to concentration and the process of going within to tap into a creative source..

Please watch this as it is right on point with the use of "ready" and the development of ability.
After the video begins (there is a 15 second commercial) fast forward to 29:30 (drag the red circle to the right with your mouse) to get to Eckart Tolle's talk which is about 7 minutes.

2009 Vancouver Peace Summit-Creativity Session


On the assignment:
Twinkles: Eckart Tolle's concept of "going within" from the video is the "Ready" or becoming still physically and mentally. "Ready" also includes physically still in a natural balanced position which enables the student to efficiently produce the best sound and performance.

Continue with "ready go" for Twinkles A, B, and C. On Twinkle D "theme", please spot 5 times or so the beginning "Do-Do-So" while listening for legato. After this please have your child play the whole Twinkle D while you sing the solgege, and also have him play without any singing (or any instruction) It is good to have your child experience the concept of the whole piece and play freely even if it is not all the way legato. By doing the spot every day, the ability to play legato will transfer into the whole piece.
Finger numbers: Please go over Left hand numbers every day as well as the right, switching back and forth between the hands. We will be starting Left hand twinkles shortly.
Note names: Please have the child find notes from one end of the piano to the other in the same way we did in the group class. Have them say the name as they play the note.
You can switch back and forth between letter names and solfege. It is good to do this standing up with the bench out of the way.
On the Video recordings:
The video camera has become an important part of the studio and the learning process. The video recordings are an invaluable aid for parents to review the lesson points, observe the posture and sound, and follow through with the assignment. Since lessons are only once a week, this is an ideal way for you to get extra help without leaving your home. This Twinkle class is the first time I have recorded lessons and then posted them online for parents. In the process of doing this I have spent a lot of time reviewing the lessons myself. I have really learned so much from this.

The lessons are becoming longer now and so I want to make them more usable by having them in smaller parts. The easiest way to do this is to add tracks to the video recording. You can do this by pressing pause and then record again. This way each section such as Twinkle A, Twinkle B will have a separate place on the recording, will be easier to upload, and easier to view small sections. I will show you how to do this at the next lesson.

Looking forward to a great year,
Day by Day,
Leah Brammer

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Happy Holidays! -Jingle Bells performed by Minnie and Cindy

16_Twinkle Lessons -Whole and Sequential Learning

Dear Parents,
Thank-you so much for the Christmas gifts. It was wonderful to see the children so happy to be giving the cards and gifts they brought.

By researching how children learn naturally and optimally we can provide the best environment and instruction to develop and expand children's ability to learn.
Dr. Suzuki named his school "Talent Education Institute" because of his realization and belief that all children with the right environment can learn music and develop "talent", or ability. In his book Where Love is Deep Dr. Suzuki says about the word "talent":
"I used the word in the sense that talent is something to be nurtured...I just used the word 'talent education' in my own way, and maybe I should say ability. But 'ability education' wouldn't make sense to anyone. If there is a better word, please tell me."

Ability education is the development of life ability-or talent at life. I use the phrase core education to refer to the same thing. The definition of the word core is:
" the central, innermost, or most essential part of anything." It is learning that enables the ability to learn which is the essential part of education. This is why I use the term "core education"
Developing talent involves preserving and nurturing the natural way children learn from birth. It is through their sensibilities that children learn. In her book Sensibility and Education, Dr. Kataoka says:
"A child can be a genius at ten, brillant at age 15, but an ordinary citizen after age twenty." (Japanese proverb) Why? The key to the answer lies in the fundamental difference between the nature of children and adults. Once we become adults, we start to accumulate knowledge which becomes the basis for our thought process and the source of our judgment. While sensibility, which is given to us by God when we are born, never fails us, knowledge, which is the wisdom of human beings, sometimes interferes with correct judgment made by sensibility. Knowledge is quite a powerful tool for us, but we should not always depend on it.. Our education must take better care of the sensibility of children so that they will not become "ordinary" adults who depend on knowledge to the extent that they ignore correct judgments made by their sensibility."
Whole learning is a process of ingesting the environment/concept all at once in an intuitive way.
It is the same principle that Dr. Kataoka refers to in learning through the senses rather than only the intellect. Children learn through touch, sound, intuition. We remember smells from our childhood that bring back vivid memories.
Babies and children learn through absorption of the total environment rather than part by part. This is also sometimes called ”right-brain learning” Whole learning is a better way to describe this absorption as it involves the right brain (learning through the senses/intuition and left brain (analytical) types of learning working together.
Whole learning is a concept which means that the child has a grasp of a concept without necessarily knowing the details or even being able to produce anything. It is this type of learning that enables a person to perceive what is going on without necessarily being able to actually say in words what is happening. In learning language, babies are absorbing the environment and understand long before they are able to articulate. Children in general understand feelings even when they do not know exactly what is being said.

So, "knowledge" in this way is not really measurable. Students who learn primarily this way may not always do well on a test. However, given a practical situation they may be able to cope with the problem solving issues that another student going by the textbook answers would be unable to solve. This is how a person can be in a completely foreign country where they do not speak the language,yet be able to communicate and act appropriately without ever learning the customs or being told the protocol.
Contrast this with how a person can grow up to be completely unaware of how other people are thinking/feeling/perceiving, or unable to make good judgments. We see this in real life all the time and wonder how to educate children to make wise judgments in the complexities of day to day reality.

In music study, it is being able to understand and speak the language of music without necessarily knowing what a dotted quarter note is or the actual definition of all those Italian terms. Of course this knowledge is important. However, the child who learns holistically can play freely without the burden of too much thinking in the way.
The principle of skill development or sequence learning is the aspect of learning that develops ability. It is the principle 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. 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. It is step by step that one can execute an ability whether it is playing piano, tennis, math or any endeavor that involves skill development. Without this we become a society of people that have knowledge, but fail to actualize that knowledge into ability.
Dr. Suzuki says:
"We may be able to say in an adult life, in many cases, is a life in which one cannot practice what one knows to be good."

When you hear a great pianist such as Marc-Andre Hamelin perform (last Tuesday evening) it is so inspiring because he puts everyone in the audience in this state of direct experience with the music. Obviously he has done a lot of study because in addition to playing completely freely he has an unbelievable skill level that has taken hard work, diligence and time. On the side of this blog I have posted a video of him performing a piece that he played on Tuesday evening.

So, we are always balancing whole learning where the person has an overall sense of the situation and learns freely/naturally with sequential learning where the ability to do something is developed with day to day practice and diligence.

In relation to the children's learning at this point in time:
Whole Learning: Continue to have listening on all day even as the holiday is busy and there may be less actual focus time at the piano. Sing solfege in the car with the disc. This absorption or internalization of the pieces is the "ready" for playing the melodies which we will begin after the holidays.
In practice to help students learn holistically allow them to experiment with finding the notes to the new pieces without any assistance. Allow the child to make mistakes without any judgment, but as a natural part of the learning process the way we know a baby will take a step and then fall down. Be careful not to give too many verbal instructions.

Sequential Learning/Skill Development When we are assigning spot practice we are using sequential steps to build ability. This is the Twinkles with "ready-go" part of the practice right now and occupies most of the practice at this point. To help students in sequential learning continue to write down the specific points from the lesson and mark off the assignment sheet with the sticker to show that the assignment is completed as assigned. Also give specific affirmations such as "When you moved your finger the sound/tone was really good."
*Please be sure in the ready position on thumb that the fingers are relaxed and not closed in a tight position. When the fingers are tight and the thumb plays there is a strong tendency to then put the thumb over top of the fingers when going to the next finger-finger #4. (Try it)
The thumb should never be over top of the fingers or else the fingers are unable to move when it is their time to play.

As parents and teachers we have the response ability to provide the environment for whole learning and the structure to enable sequential learning and develop life ability.

The holidays are a wonderful whole learning experience for children.
Happy Holidays!

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15_Twinkle Lessons-Applying the Integral Learning Concept

Dear Parents,
Last week I pointed out that December is a good month for the children to be able to absorb and integrate the skills that we have been working on since the beginning of the school year. It would also be good for you to review what has been in the previous blogs and relate it to your child's lessons.

On the Assignment:

Mental: You can follow through the group lesson activity of making alphabet/solfege snakes by starting on the lowest note of the piano "A" and saying the names of every white note. Then you can go back and do it again saying the solfege starting with "la". Also, please continue finger numbers daily even though I did not do them with every student in the lessons.

Physical: The most important point I see for all the children right now is that there is enough time in the ready where the body becomes still. Actually this point will probably be true all the way through learning Book 1. So much learning is going on in the "ready" when it seems that nothing is happening. Because, "nothing" is the point of ready. You could also think of it as "everything" because they are two sides of the same thing. In"ready" the body finds balance in the position, the mind settles down from outside thoughts, and there is a feeling/awareness of the moment. The sound is internalized as intention. Then on "go" the student is on the natural rhythm.
When there is good body balance in the ready position the student can achieve the best sound. So, you will notice that I am always working to find the best position. I am deciding this by any tension I see, how the fingers are moving, and also by the sound the student is making. As you work with your child on the body balance in the ready position you will come to know when the position will produce the best sound.

So, the most important point to teach is tone/sound. The sound has vibration that rings and affects the human being on many levels. It is produced with a balanced body, a clear mind, a soft heart, and hearing awareness.

Spiritual/Inspiration:
Play beautiful music in your home. The Nutcracker recording I recommended last week performed on 2 pianos with Martha Argerich is a wonderful recording that you will use for many years. On the side of this blog are You-tube links to that recording so that you can listen to it. I highly recommend buying the recording, so am putting the links on the side of this blog to inspire you to order it.

I was very happy this week when I played my arrangement of the Pachelbel Canon/ First Noel for the children that a couple students recognized the Pachelbel Canon .

Emotional: The children love working out the new songs. I think the solfege singing has facilitated their ability to do this. Please continue singing solfege and naming the songs on the recording as you hear them.
Also, it is wonderful if the students can share their own music with others. Each holiday I ask parents to make recording of their children playing piano to give to friends and family, post on Facebook, etc. It is fun to make a compilation of videos over several years as a Christmas present so even if the beginners aren't playing songs yet it will be good to have the beginning steps recorded. Twinkle Twinkle is a fine Holiday song!
Please read this article written and revised over the years:
The Gift of Giving

Environment:
Outside noise does effect the ability to concentrate. Ideally one can focus totally and not be distracted. However when there is quiet it is much easier to open up to the sound of the piano in the room. The children have become much more adjusted to being quiet in the studio. This week there was definitely more energy in the air with the Christmas decorations up. As the Christmas season becomes more busy, let's work to make the studio quiet during lessons. Then in between the lessons as we are changing students it is fine to talk. The bow at the beginning is the signal for the room to become quiet, and the bow at the end is the signal that it is ok to move around and talk.

Happy Holidays!
Leah Brammer

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14_Twinkle Lessons - Integral Learning

The month of December is a good month for integration and absorption of skills.
The skills already learned can become easy and natural through the depth of learning that comes with time. Dr. Suzuki says: "Never hurry, don't be lazy" This is a good time to balance the busy holidays with practice sessions that do not hurry to the next skill.
Dr. Suzuki also said:"Knowledge plus 10,000 times equals ability."

Core Education is direct experience that integrates the mental realm with the physical and develops ability. Connecting the sound with the physical action is an integration of the physical with the mental and leads to an integration with the emotional and inspirational.
When the ability to play is developed so that the thinking and physical movements are not occupying the persons total concentration, but are integrated into the experience the student can "play by heart".

At this time it is important for the skills acquired be repeated enough times that they become a framework for other learning which will be built on top of it. The "framework" can also be compared to the software on a computer, or a map. Children's brains are forming the neural pathways that are like highways for later traffic. It is much harder for adults to acquire new frameworks -like learning a new language for example or using technical devices.
This is why childhood is so important.

The framework for playing piano is being developed through playing the Twinkles.
It is so wonderful that the Twinkles develop both pattern memory (the sequence of the notes in Twinkle) and pattern differentiation (the rhythms in the variations).
This absorption of the learning will enable the child to apply the framework of producing sounds to the new pieces.

Teaching legato is perhaps the most difficult and most important task to teach beginning piano students. When students play staccato it is much easier to relax the hand. When students first play legato there is a strong tendency to keep "pushing" to hold the note down.
Dr. Kataoka relates playing legato to walking:
"For legato, all we need is to do with the fingers on the keyboard what we do with our legs when we walk normally. Human beings are not naturally stiff and do not find it hard to move. Normal people shift their body weight from one leg to the other with true dexterity, and walk lightly while smoothly balancing the body. It is the same with the fingers."
This is a useful analogy and it is good to walk around noticing how your legs move smoothly without stopping as the weight shifts. Also notice how important your feet movement is and compare this to the first joint of your finger or fingerpad.

Another important aspect of legato is the movement of the thumb. Dr. Kataoka used to say "Don't play piano like a monkey!" to students (and teachers) because they didn't move their thumb. She was fascinated at how students used their thumbs when texting on their cell phones.(it was popular in Japan before it was in the US) To play legato the thumb also has to connect the sounds by moving and not pushing. The movement is sideways the way that the hand naturally grasps or picks up something. If you try this you can observe how the thumb moves differently from the other fingers. When playing the piano this movement becomes unnatural because the sideways movement also must make the key go down in order to produce sound.

The connection of the physical feeling of the finger moving with the continuation of the sound enables direct playing so that the piano effectively becomes the voice. The sound and the movement become the same thing. The child makes this connection of how the movement of the fingers and body directly affects the sound in a similar way to how a baby learns to move it's mouth and tongue to produce different sounds.
The first step is the internalized sound. Please listen to the disc on low volume all the time.
Then by directing attention to the sound as much as possible in practice and in lessons, the child learns naturally how to move the body to get the sound that they want.

Here is a recent NPR article "Musicians Hear Better" which cites current research being done on the development of auditory discernment through studying music
Dr. Mark Jude Tramo, a professor of neurology at Harvard and director of the Institute for Music & Brain Science says in the article : A musician "is going to be able to do better on any task that involves auditory concentration."

For holiday listening I would like to recommend a wonderful disc with pianist Martha Argerich performing Tchaikovsky"s Nutcracker suite with Nicolas Economou in the two piano version as well as Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto #1 with the Berlin Philharmonic orchestra. It is the first disc on the Listening Recommendations page of this website.

I hope you are enjoying the journey of this research. Thank-you for you attention to it.
Leah Brammer

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13_Twinkle Lessons - November 17, 2009 - Happy Thanksgiving

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

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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:

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)


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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

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:

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

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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.