OCTOBER 2003
NEWSLETTER: Preparation
I suppose there may be some
courses in school where it isn’t necessary to remember anything about the
content after each quiz has finished. I
can assure you that music study does NOT fit
into this category.
In general, our marathon concerts go rather well (they are each the
equivalent of one of five exams for the year).
But it is very defeating from this side of this fence when little
importance is attached to performing in these concerts (without exception, the
students who play the most progress the farthest) and when the preparation for
these concerts is approached too casually.
Invariably when I have a student whose piece is “ready”
a week before the concert, the student comes in for his or her lesson the week
of the concert not having touched the piece since
it was “ready” at the last lesson.
Over and over again I have said:
“I am not a miracle worker. I
cannot wiggle my nose and make up for a piece being neglected.”
Being well prepared means that the performance will be a stepping-stone
to a new level of piece. Simple as
that! Poor preparation means the
next level will be shaky a step up.
Missed
notes and faulty memory are results of this kind of haphazard preparation but,
more importantly, nervousness before the performance will be even worse.
Of course we are all nervous before we play—definitely me included.
But for the performance, in order to be a meaningful experience, will
need to be carefully prepared so that the predictable nerves don’t get in the
way of our enjoying the “miracle” of a live performance.
And yes, live performances can be a time of miracles—it should be a
time of miracles-and you don’t have to be a world-renowned performer to make
it happen.
I strongly encourage parents to know what your child
is preparing for a concert and to hear it often, starting at least two weeks
before the event. As in everything
else, it is the journey, not the destination where all growth occurs.
The
best,
Phillip
Dieckow
