We are about 3 weeks into the summer vacation and the fun may be wearing off for some children.  I know it seems weird, but we all flourish with some steady routines. 

PIANO lessons and practice present a wonderful framework to hold the days together.  Over the years, I have discovered that students can make terrific progress with their piano skills.  Since they don’t have school homework, there is plenty of time for practice. 

MORNING is a great time for practice because the brain is fresh and alert.  Afternoons are good because we should stay out of the heat.  Or, if the day is too full, how about a little evening concert while the last light of day disappears?

YOU may not catch that big fish, or get to see the Himalayas, or win the big prize, but if you practice this summer you will be assured of one good thing:  you will be a better piano player.

Will Collins sent an e-mail from Las Vegas.  I thought everyone who reads this blog would be interested so I pasted it in as a post.  Does anyone here remember him from RC school days?  Have you seen him perform in Vegas?mlt

Greetings from the great desert southwest!

Will Collins

Hair raising idea

 

 

 

My student Christina arrived for her piano lesson as the character Pippa Longstocking.  The hairdo seems to express May mayhem.

This week I received several calls from frantic parents cancelling piano lessons because of dance rehearsals.  “Not to worry,” I laughed. ” I always assume that children will miss lessons just before dance recitals.”

Juggling the schedule of regular lessons, sports events and school activities is tough enough.  When you add the pressure of PERFORMANCE, the camel’s back is broken!  That’s why I have a long-held policy of  lais-sez-faire when May hits.

In a few weeks we’ll add the graduations, confirmations, showers and open houses.  I just ask that you keep practicing on a regular basis.  A good suggestion is to practice the piano on any day that you eat.

My dilemma is how to attend all the events.  This Saturday I would like to see the Candyland dance recital (but I missed last week’s Cindella - whoops).  There is also a chamber music presentation for the Symphony League that sounds like so much fun. Then again, I’ll probably be lying in a heap after a day of gardening.

In a few weeks all this will be a memory and we’ll be setting up the summer schedule.  Just keep breathing.

THANK YOU for all the comments and suggestions.  The latest stats show that this blog in Number 19 in the lineup (I guess there are about 40-50 regular bloggers with the staff and volunteers like me).  Anyway, they like us.  Be sure to send your ideas, questions and comments by using the comment box below.  OR, you can contact me at marietesch@rap.midco.net.

Thanks for stopping by. mlt

Marie at Jessica's recital

Recently I had the opportunity to attend a music recital at Black Hills State University.  Junior Jessica Finch was playing and I nearly “busted my buttons” with pride since she had been my student from start to finish in Rapid City.   I like to think that she got a good basic “grounding” with me and Dr. Janeen Larson has put on the finishing touches. Jess has become a powerful, confident player and grown into a lovely young woman.

Her family sent the photo above and I thought I’d share it with you.  This is what a REAL piano teacher looks like after a day of volunteering at a rummage sale, teaching a few lessons, walking the dogs and then jumping into the car to motor up to Spearfish for a concert (I was late, or course).

It’s a plain picture and I am just a plain piano teacher.   I think you can tell that I am happiest when sitting at a keyboard with a few folks to entertain….lots of chatter, a bit of playing.  Many of you only see me at recitals and concerts when I fling on a posh frock and spend some time at the vanity table.  Well, here is the real thing: my dressy jeans, sensible shoes and a jacket sewn by my sister Loey.  Any makeup I put on at 6 a.m. is long gone, but I am wearing a pair of simple earrings.

The following weekend I had occasion to volunteer some time at the ivories and by Sunday evening (when I attended the Pierce Emata recital) several people greeted me with the salutation, “Hello, Piano Lady”.  Boy, that made me feel good.

I have decided to change the name of this blog to PIANO LADY.  It fits.  Besides, the editor teased me about the excessive alliteration in the title, Piano Polish.  AND, my niece thought I was writing about people from Poland.  Whoops!

PLEASE NOTE:  Piano PALS will meet this Saturday, May 2, at 3:30 p.m. at the Black Hills Piano Gallery.  Bring your music and a cheerful attitude of “let’s try it once”.

Thanks for stopping by.  Your comments make the folks at the RCJ happy to keep me rolling.  So let me know what you’d like to read about. mlt

Folks have been asking about photographs taken at the Red Piano Recitals in February.  Here they are:

 Cleone Mayclin, left, and Karen Waltman are my die-hard buddies for Piano PALS.

Both women studied piano as children and have returned to lessons as a way of improving their all-ready-considerable skills.   For them I am willing to relinquish one morning each week.   Frankly, we are all learning together - that’s the joy of playing duets and ensemble works.

Next is a photo of our first meeting a year ago at Batchelder’s Plummer Piano.  We want to be sure and thank Matt Batchelder for letting us play his pianos.

We got a few nibbles at our anniversary party, but it is difficult for many players to commit to a practice session every month.  Nonetheless, we had great fun with the new folks who came to our anniversary party.

 Tony Thomas, owner of Black Hills Piano Gallery, flipped open the top and explained the insides of a piano.  (We are looking forward to more learning sessions like this in the coming year.)

Meanwhile, folks starting filing in for another recital featuring my younger students - the ones who fill my afternoons with delight.  Lander Solon, a sophomore at Central High School, tried out a shiny grand on the sales floor.  I thought this was a rather handsome photo with the reflection of his proud mom.

This final photo is probably going to look a little wacky on a blog, but..

 I just wanted you to see how many people can turn out for a recital on a winter Sunday with just a week’s notice.   It was so much fun.  Thank you to everyone who made our Red Piano Recitals a terrific success.  Extra thanks for Pat Dobbs, the photographer who climbed a ladder to get that last shot.

We have had some more inquiries about Piano PALS and are working on another get-together soon.

Thanks for stopping by.  Don’t forget to leave a comment. MLT

The Rachmaninoff Prelude in C# Minor is part of my soul now.  I was in not-so-sunny California for a month and managed to get my practicing up to about 3 hours daily. 

Most serious pianists spend about 7-8 hours a day practicing.  Many of my students try for a daily 30-minute session.  When I am really working seriously on something, I like to practice finger exercises for about an hour and then work on a couple of compositions for several hours.  It was a true luxury to be able to concentrate on this work without distractions.

The generosity of Pat McNutt, Music Director of the Community United Methodist Church in Half Moon Bay, made this possible.  The local piano tuner recommended that I contact her and she did not hesitate to provide a key when she heard what I was working on.  Thanks to her, I could stop in at the church any time for a practice session.

After delivering children to school each morning, I simply drove a few blocks to the church and commenced.  In the afternoon I delivered those same children to tennis, swimming or other activities and usually had a few more hours to practice.  Since I wasn’t responsible for my usual teaching activities, I had the great luxury of this wonderful routine.

Before I left Rapid City, my piano teacher Deanna Ziarko had selected some specific finger exercises by Schmitt to help strengthen my hands.  I also practiced my trusty Czerny School of Velocity favorites and some Bach inventions.  Sure enough, my fingers DID get stronger. 

Much of the credit goes to Eleanor.  Who’s that? Well, the piano of course.  She’s a lovely  7-foot Kohler & Campbell grand - with a HEAVY action.  It took a lot of strength to push her keys.  She also had a squeaky sostenuto pedal, but I learned to love it.  You can see her in this picture with the morning sun streaming in.  A lovely place — but chilly.

Suffering for your art helps.  Of course, the church heat wasn’t on at 8:30 a.m.  -  I wore extra clothing and brought a blanket to wrap myself in.  After a few hours of work, I usually peeled off a few layers.  (Reminded me of the days in boarding school when I practiced in a barely-heated rehearsal hall.)

Frankly, I didn’t believe I’d ever play the  final portion of the Rach (where the music is written on double staffs).  The day that happened, I whipped out my trusty cell phone and called my teacher to let her know that “I DID IT!”.

Back in South Dakota now,  I am waiting for the second blizzard to pass so that I can play this for my teacher.  As soon as I got off the plane last Friday I went directly to her home and showed her the video on my digital camera.  (By the way, I finally had time to read the instruction book and get my pictures and movies in better shape for use in my blogs. Time, time - it just takes time.)

Enough! I am back. Let me know how your piano projects are going. I’ll try to get some pictures of the Red Piano Recitals up on this site soon.

Thanks for stopping by. mlt

If you are a piano player in western South Dakota you certainly must know about Elton John’s Red Piano being in residence at the Black Hills Piano Gallery in Rapid City.  How red is it?  It is so red that even the BENCH is red.  It looks like a great big tube of lipstick that melted into the shape of a grand piano.  Daw-ling….it’s mawh -ve-lous!

Readers of this blog know that we are having a Piano PALS Party this Sunday, February 22.  Be sure to let me know if you are coming - I’m still trying to figure out how many cookies to bake.  Right after that party, some of my students are coming in for a special recital and LOTS of pictures.  When we get done, the students of teacher Jodie Ketel will be playing. 

This Saturday, Feb 21, students of Diane Ketel will be at the keyboard in the morning.  During the afternoon hours Deanna Ziarko is hosting an Open House for students/parents/friends to play at the big, red beauty. We have all been taking advantage of the hospitality of owners Connie and Tony Thomas.  They built Tuscany Hall inside their store especially to provide a good concert atmosphere for local piano players.  I’m just trying to get the word out to my fellow piano teachers - YES, it is free!!!

The big concert is still to come on the last Saturday of this month - - -February 28 - - - when they roll the big, red, Yamaha Grand to the Elks’ Theatre in downtown Rapid City.  Local piano star, Brandon Sterling, will be rockin’ the keys along with his band in a tribute to Elton John.  Proceeds for the concert will benefit the American Red Cross.  It will be the kick-off for a special silent auction involving many local businesses and individuals.

If you have a special piano event planned, please drop me a line using the comment space on this blog.  OR, you can send me a note at marietesch@rap.midco.net.  I’d be happy to let others know about your event.

Thank you Rapid City Journal for providing this blog space for piano teachers, students and their families.

Thanks for stopping by.  mlt

 

Piano PALS, our duet piano group, will celebrate it’s first anniversary on February 22, 2009.  Members and guests will be part of the Elton John Red Piano extravaganza going on at the Black Hills Piano Gallery.

Several of my adult students have been polishing their skills at the keyboard so they can entertain that day.  We have a number of people baking goodies. Tony and Connie Thomas, owners of the piano store,  are providing coffee, the space to spread out our banquet AND a few more grand pianos for our playing.   (The punch recipe is still being discussed.)  We’ve got some fun and games planned as well.

Besides celebrating our first anniversary, we want to welcome new members and find out what kind of activities to include.  There is a core group that gets together once a month to practice for a couple of hours. Others prefer to pick up some music and practice privately first.  If you are a piano player - beginner, struggler, wishful or wonderful - please join us.

Prizes? Yes, we will have prizes.  Surprises? Of course.  Please bring a pal and join Piano PALS ……

Sunday, February 22, 2009

1:30 until 3:30 p.m.

Black Hills Piano Gallery (in Tuscany Square)

333 Omaha Street, Rapid City, SD

If you would like a ready-made invitation, I have a PDF ready to go with all the information.  Just drop me a line at this blog, or e-mail at marietesch@rap.midco.net

I’ll send you a copy that will be easy to forward to your pals.

Thanks for stopping by.  mlt

 

Looking for something different that won’t take a bite out of your pocketbook?  The Black Hills Area Music Teachers Association will present their usual winter treat this weekend: a Duet Extravaganza.

The Rushmore Mall Food Court is the place to be this Saturday, February 7.  About 40 piano students and their teachers, directed by Cora Fried, will begin practicing at 9 a.m.  Eight different groups will perform three numbers each on the instruments provided by Batchelder’s Piano and Organ.  The final performance is scheduled for 1 p.m.

The public is invited to the free concert.  If you plan on shopping at the Rushmore Mall this weekend, make sure you make a trip down to the food court for an entertaining break.

Piano PALS are planning a party for February 22.  Check here for details in the coming days.

Thanks for stopping by.  mlt

 

Many of the promises made for the New Year have already been broken.  I didn’t actually make a New Year’s resolution, but I did start a new project this month.

Although I have been playing the piano for over 50 years and teaching piano for about 30 years, I still need a teacher to keep me going.  Some time ago my piano mentor, Deanna Ziarko, suggested that I start working on Rachmaninoff’s Prelude in C# Minor.   First, I just stared at her.  Then I laughed, but eventually she convinced me that I could — and should – try it.

Since we are both busy teaching 6 days of the week, we only have Sunday for my lesson, but the time that we spend on this work stays with me all week.  It is going well and I have such a feeling of accomplishment.  Demanding the practice time of myself also makes me appreciate what my students struggle with.

How is your resolve?  Drop me a line and I’ll put it into this blog.

Thanks for stopping by.  mlt