I interviewed M (piano teacher) yesterday evening to see what she was all about. It was apparent right off the bat that she was not the teacher for me. I realized that nobody but a seasoned performer will do, and I arrived home slightly disappointed but glad I'd consulted.
Came home, baked some chicken breast I'd thawed and was just sitting down to eat when I got a call - it was L! Of the three piano teachers I identified and contacted, I was most excited about the prospect of being her student. As soon as I heard her voice, I had one of those aha! moments. We totally hit it off and talked animatedly for 40 minutes.
Not only does she perform regularly, but she composes works that are performed by major symphonies across the nation. Her lessons are theory-heavy and she has a well-established community of adult students of all levels who regularly hold studio lessons, at which students listen to and motivate each other. The adults also organize little performance-lounge sessions at places around town to get accustomed to performing. L also teaches composition and has students who focus on it rather than on performance. The more she talked, the more excited I became! Advanced adult students are rare (because adults either give up formal music training like I did and continue on their own as hobbyists, or go to music school and become teachers themselves), which is why she was eager to find a slot for me despite being uber busy.
We talked about my interests, repertoire and the different styles of performing that go with different eras and different composers. She teaches primarily applicational theory, which is why she strives to have her students learn various and sundry pieces.
She put me on the calendar for next Tuesday at 7 PM. Can I really wait that long? I tried to convince her to take me tonight and she almost acquiesced, until she remembered she had a rehearsal to attend. Curses! She invited me to a beginning students' concert on Sunday afternoon featuring one of her most talented composers (he sounds almost like an idiot savant), among others.
I want to be the best, whatever that means.
1 year ago
1 comment:
Dang, that sounds very nice! Almost enough to make me want to start up lessons again. Composition, especially, is something I'm very interested in and was one of the few music classes in college which I was unable to take. :-( I'm actually reading a book on counterpoint right now with the goal in mind of composing some stuff.... I don't suppose you could email me more information about L? O:-) (My email address should be attached to my comment.. if not let me know.)
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