Music is a magic that can change the world
This book has been on my reading list for a while (and I think it got there from its mention in an Adam Neely video), but it was my class on Musical Expectation that pushed me to finally read it, and I'm so glad I did. Leonard B. Meyer writes from his perspectives as a …
Continue reading "Book Review: Emotion and Meaning in Music by Leonard B. Meyer"
As some of you may know, I am about to head off to grad school for the Fall to pursue an MM in Music Theory! It's all really exciting, but I'm not certain what kind of jobs - if any - I'll be able to balance with the program, so I'm trying my hand at …
Continue reading "Store Opening! and What is your favorite spooky piece?"
Claude Debussy's music creates magic wherever it goes. It frequently draws new students to the piano with the desire of playing his most famous pieces like Clair de lune and Arabesque No. 1. This post looks at how Debussy composed this music and what that has to do with being a performer of his music as …
Continue reading "Creating Magic: Debussy’s Arabesque No. 1"
As musicians, we spend a lot of time by ourselves in the practice room trying to acquire skills on our own, albeit with a little guidance from our teachers. It's pretty easy to practice when we first start out on an instrument. As the honeymoon phase comes to an end, however, we frequently find ourselves …
Continue reading "5 Ways to Find Joy While Practicing an Instrument"
In one of my choirs, the graduating seniors were asked to share words of wisdom as we look forward to graduation in the next couple weeks. I'm in a unique position in that I actually graduated back in 2016 with a BA in Piano Performance and English Literature but had the opportunity to return to …
Madeline Bruser, a Juilliard graduate and an authorized instructor of mindfulness meditation brings these two aspects of her life into her book The Art of Practicing: A Guide to Making Music from the Heart. In this work, she not only covers the physical aspects of playing an instrument in avoiding injury and freeing the body, …
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170 years after his death, Chopin still captivates audiences with his music. His set of preludes that cover all 24 major and minor keys are a great starting place to learn how to analyze his work, as it can be dense. The Prelude in E minor, op. 28 no. 4 is one of my favorites …
Continue reading "The Power of Chopin’s Prelude in E Minor, Op. 28 No. 4"
Piano Notes: The World of the Pianist comes from Charles Rosen, a notable concert pianist, music critic, and overall celebrated thinker of music of the common practice period. Perhaps his two most well-known volumes on music are The Classical Style and The Romantic Generation, both which I referenced in some undergraduate essays. When I found …
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It is New Year's Eve, and you may be exhausted of all those year-end summaries that fill social media (who even has nine instagram photos from one year? ...this blog...oh right...). There is a reason why we do that though; it's fun to remember everything that happened in the year. I'll keep this one short; …
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) is known as one of the greatest romantic composers not only for his large body of work but also the intensity inherent in his music. It embodies the ideals of the romantic period by drawing on what's natural and intense emotion. In addition to his fame for these accomplishments, Tchaikovsky also …
Continue reading "Tchaikovsky’s 7 Surefire Ways to Get Your Audience’s Attention"
