THE GOAL of the studio is to help each student develop the balance of
skills needed to play music with imagination and personal expression, and to
build the independent learning skills needed to support a lifetime of
music-making.
Avoiding adherence to any single teaching method, I draw on the collective
wisdom of generations of educators and composers.CURRICULUM
Private Lessons (weekly): Technique, ear training, theory and history
are all brought to bear in playing and interpreting music during weekly private
lessons.
Group Lessons (monthly): Students develop listening and performance
skills, self esteem and camaraderie by sharing and discussing works-in-progress
in an intimate, informal setting.
Studio Recitals (winter and spring): These celebrations in the hall
downtown bring the entire studio together for two festive afternoons of music.
Local and Regional Opportunities: Students receive access to, and
preparation for: Master Classes, Competitions, Festivals and Recitals in all
areas of Performance, Theory, Composition, Improvisation, Accompanying and
Chamber Music.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
“What age should we start lessons?” Although musical development
begins in the womb and continues with every birdsong and distant foghorn, with
singing and dancing and twirling in the living room, I believe that 7 or 8 years
old is a great age to start formal piano lessons.
Children of this age are generally cognitively ready to correlate rhythm and
sound with visual symbols, and physically ready to develop the fine motor skills
and right side/left side coordination needed to play the instrument. Rule of
thumb: a child who is reading at school is probably ready to start piano
lessons.
That said - younger siblings who have been watching their big brother’s lessons
and waiting their turn often start a bit earlier with great success. Older
beginners often catch up to their age group rapidly, as they have cognitive
advantage and great self motivation.
If your pre-schooler is successfully picking out tunes on the piano, it may not
be too soon. If you just sent your youngest grandchild off to college, it may
not be too late! Call for a readiness consultation.
“Do you make it fun?” Playing music is one of life’s great joys.
Learning to play music is one of life’s great challenges. “Fun” is probably too
small a box to contain this subject. But cheer and good humor are indispensible
tools in the studio, where students are engaged in such a complex learning
process. Equally as important – the studio must be a safe place to learn. Safe
to be creative and expressive. Safe to try, fail and try again.
“Does he have to play in the recital?” No…although it’s a rare student
who wants to be left out. They tend to view it like having a part in the play.
Furthermore, this is one of our great teaching opportunities, because knowing
how to present one’s self, in any arena, is an invaluable life skill. There is
extra work to be done in preparing for performance.
Mastering the physical technique for each piece of music is essential in order
to play with confidence, and we make use of all the best tools to gain the
necessary facility. But harmonic and phrase analysis of the score is also
essential. It informs the interpretation of the music. It provides the
foundation for faster learning, reliable memorization and, ultimately, freedom
of musical storytelling.
Then there is the often neglected issue of preparing the student for stage
performance, with all its attendant energy and potential for anxiety (see Group
Lessons, below).
“Why are Group Lessons so important?” During these monthly workshops,
as the students play and discuss their works-in-progress in small groups of
their peers, they are growing on several fronts.
It is in this setting that we best strengthen their listening skills. They
experience the power of expressive playing from both perspectives - the
musician’s and the listener’s - as we explore the interpretive possibilities in
each piece of music. This is often the moment that a student finally discerns
the difference between real and imagined sound production. They quickly become
inspiring and supportive compatriots, as they discover the gift that the
musician and the listener bring to each other.
The group lesson is such an outstanding way of motivating students and refining
their repertoire that participation is a requirement prior to recitals or
performances. Even the most veteran performers, appearing on the international
stage, would not dare to play new repertoire in a concert setting without having
first played it for colleagues and small local audiences. They know that new
repertoire is guaranteed to have hidden problems that will surface in the first
few presentations. Our pre-concert sessions will root out these bugs, identify
solutions and target our practice - ahead of time - allowing us to enjoy a
successful day at the recital.
Having prepared the music, we must now prepare the musician for that mind
boggling sight – the audience! In order to harness all that adrenaline as they
step forward onto center stage, they will need to have a few additional skills.
A little stage direction goes a long way - how to dress, how to bow, how to
pedal in dress shoes, what to do when you’re not playing, how to receive
applause graciously, how to respect to your fellow musicians and your composers,
etc. We will get comfortable with this issue prior to recital day, and have some
fun with it, too.
“How long should I set the timer when she practices?” I know we’ve
always been told that practice makes perfect, but it isn’t true. Practice makes
Permanent. Nothing carves problems in stone, irons wrinkles into fabric and
steals a child’s joy as surely as an egg timer sitting on the piano. Here are
some practice principles that will be more helpful.
• Establish a routine. Choose a good time of day, when your child won’t be
distracted by the TV or conflicted with other favorite activities. (In the
morning before school? First thing after school? Right before homework? In the
evening after the bath?) Experiment and see what works for your family.
• Set practice goals in terms of progress, not time. (“First I’ll read through
the new part of my new Minuet. Now I need to practice the tricky fingering in my
Etude. I’m going to memorize the next part of my Sonatina. How do my pinkies
look? OK, wait…THOSE wrong notes sounded GREAT – I’m going to make up a song
that starts like that.”)
• Err in favor of shorter practices, more often. For the young beginner, 25
minutes of practice, spread over the week (just 5 minutes a day, five days) will
net TEN times the progress of 50 minutes, crammed into one day. Over time, as
the music and skills expand, the practice time will naturally follow suit.
An integral part of every lesson will be in the form of practicum. Children
aren’t born knowing how to work in this way. It is another one of the many
skills that will develop at the piano, and serve them well in life.
“I believe that children are naturally creative. Why do they have to learn
theory?” These two elements in a child’s musical development are not
mutually exclusive – in fact they are entirely interdependent. We wouldn’t deny
our children their schoolroom lessons in reading, writing and grammar or bar
access to the library in order to protect their natural voice for storytelling
because we know that reading and studying the great works of literature is the
cornerstone of their language arts education.
By the same token, playing and understanding the works of the masters is the
foundation of music education. Bach, the Beatles, Beethoven, the Blues, Brahms,
Boogie – all western music derives from common forms and structures. This
subject may be more interesting to your child than you think, and the modern
ways of teaching and applying it may not be as dusty as you remember. Whether
interpreting the classics or improvising and composing music of their own, it is
theory combined with technique that provides musicians with the tools to express
themselves fluently and set their imagination free.
“Do you teach children with learning issues?” Yes…is there any other
kind? Children walk in the door with an infinite array of gifts and challenges
for learning. But they may also be coping with various degrees of Dyslexia,
Attention Deficit or Autism. Motor skill development may be delayed. Home life
may be experiencing difficult circumstances. These are the students who have
always inspired/required generations of music teachers to create their most
effective teaching tools which, together with a nurturing heart, help us to
create a meaningful music lesson for each individual child.
“She hasn’t practiced. Should we cancel this week (or quit altogether)?”
Missed lessons are the number one reason for lack of practice, and chronically
missing lessons or forgetting books and materials has a profoundly discouraging
effect on your child’s experience. The best remedy is to redouble efforts to
attend every lesson - with books in hand! Remember, too, that every child’s
interest level will naturally ebb and flow over the course of the years as they
mature and grow, and we should be careful not to over-react during the off-again
phases. If the time really comes for withdrawal or dismissal from lessons for
any reason, rest assured that although the lessons may end, the knowledge and
appreciation for music that your child has gained will remain for a lifetime.
MARY FOSTER GRANT is the youngest of five musical sisters, raised in a
household where Bach was king. She began her formal piano studies with Vicky
Hoffman at age 9, and by age 11 she had won her first competition. Various
scholarships and honors followed in subsequent years as she went on to study
with the legendary Michiko Morita Miyamoto.
In addition to her classical training she grew up with a love of traditional
music and dance. While dancing Greek syrtos or singing traditional Balkan songs
with her sisters, she developed the rich sense of rhythm, harmony and melody
that colors her interpretation of her beloved classical repertoire today. Mary
continues to perform regularly, playing both solo and chamber music.
Since opening her piano studio in 1995 she has been involved with many
projects in support of teachers and students throughout the county. A member of
the Washington State Music Teachers Association (WSMTA) and Music Teachers
National Association (MTNA), she served eight years on the board of the Kitsap
Chapter and co-founded the Kitsap Young Musicians Festival. She is a charter
member of both the West Sound Chapter of WSMTA and the Bainbridge Community
Piano Association, and currently serves as the Kitsap County coordinator for the
MusicLink Foundation. Mary maintains professional certification as a teacher of
music through both WSMTA and MTNA.
