You're not really getting into a flow state when you practice? After one or two hours you're mentally and physically exhausted? It could be because you're stopping the flow in your body unknowingly: by holding your breath.
Breathing is the single most important thing to take care of when you're pr...
10 year old Szofi ist new at school, and her greatest wish is to sing in the school choir. She always loved to sing, and in the choir there is that nice girl from her new class, and that's great, because otherwise not many people have been noticing her yet.
And then there is the choir teacher... she is so sweet and patient, in every rehearsal, so very enthusiastic, that the choir has already been awarded several prizes. What a great honour for a "small" school choir! What an honour and joy to be a part of it and sing there. Of course she is on board!
But after the first rehearsal Szofi has to realize that the actions of the conductor aren't so inspiring after all... should she say something or remain silent?
Why Christian Tetzlaff's statements are important and what it all has to do with resonance.
This week, an interview with Christian Tetzlaff in Strings Magazine caused a little sensation on the internet.
Concert violinist Tetzlaff answers the question, what he would tell today's young generation...
The most beautiful conducting gesture in the world
He had the most beautiful conducting gesture in the world, and he was my choral conductor for five years. When you sing together on average 120 times a year, you accumulate quite a few experiences - one concert in particular stands out in my memory.
"Piano playing is actually not so difficult. You just have to touch the right key at the right time."
- Johann Sebastian Bach
If at all, these words bear witness to the sense of humour of Johann Sebastian Bach. What he says, sounds sensible, albeit there is a catch.
It's not to be taken seriously.
Plus a bonus lesson from Britney Spears. An encounter at Utrecht Early Music Festival.
I'm attending the last morning session of the masterclass at Utrecht Early Music Festival. For the last three days, harpsichordist Pierre Hantai has enveloped students and visitors alike in his own particular sound world. As we enter the last half hour of the class, the whole room listens in sweet rapture.
Suddenly, the door opens up, and in sweeps a tall blond man in a cream suit, with waving long hair, a white plastic bag in his hand. The room takes notice of the interruption. He looks self-consciously around the space, then spots a seat at the back of the room and sits down.
"You have to do different things with both hands at the same time!"
I was 10 years old at my first piano lesson, and only because my brother had insisted on receiving piano lessons, like his best friend, for months. My mum thought, if anything, then let's have both children go. But I didn't want to.
Your student can't concentrate his way out of a paper bag? Or you're in an afternoon slump? Or you want to try something different with your students, get a second wind?
In that case, I recommend free improvisation.
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