Literacy at the Piano

Is it possible to become literate at the piano? To become truly literate is to be able to play Brahms as one would read Shakespeare, with an assumption of accessibility and understanding that is personally relevant. One would not feel insecure about reading Shakespeare after seeing a professional actor render the written word. Why is it that we feel so inadequate in approaching musical writing. Being literate at the keyboard – being able to pick up a piece of unknown music and read it as one would read a book – is an incredibly gratifying experience that few people achieve in their lifetime.

If the definition of teaching includes the directive to help the student become able to teach himself, why is it that students feel so dependent on teachers in the performing arts? Why is it that they typically feel ill-prepared to approach a new work? Is it possible to achieve a qualitative and quantitative outcome? I think so.

Most teaching focuses on the perfection of works for performance, rather than the ability to read expressively and in character; total outcomes are forced in the early stages rather than fostering the gradual incorporation of nuance, phrasing, and speed. As a pianist, studying with internationally acclaimed artists from a very young age, and as an educator with over thirty years of experience with students in classroom and private settings, I have come to some non-traditional conclusions and practices in the art of teaching the piano. The path that I have taken with students is more holistically centered on the developmental process, allowing students to gradually take charge of their learning with understanding and individual artistic voice.

My personal path toward this approach developed when I began to teach myself, applying the principles I was learning in guiding my first child through early stages of life, and making correlations to pianistic growth. This blog will cover topics that have been addressed as my teaching has adapted to the individuals I have taught, including moments where adult students have captured an idea and told me to write about the concept because it would be of value to others.

My students work and “read” through volumes of music in comparison to the small number of polished and perfected pieces that are usually achieved through traditional approaches. The adult students I have encountered tend to have an aversion to performance and appreciate the common sense teaching approach that I have come to adopt. Parents are relieved by the lack of pressure and creative personalized outcomes for their children.

As we seek more home centered activities, evaluating the outcomes of excessive technological encounters, with questions arising about sustainable activities, perhaps many are ready to consider a fresh approach to the tradition of classical music in the home, to discovering the voice of great masters on their own terms in logical ways and giving their children this unique and deeply gratifying mode of expression and communication.