Studio News

May, 2006 -- 

AMEB Exams    The Senses and Music    Practice Suggestions    Brahms

Welcome to May’s issue of Studio News.  Welcome to new studio family members, it’s good to have you. 

For some, this last month has been very demanding.  There have been high school exams and AMEB theory exams.  I have been proud of how everyone has managed himself or herself during this time.  Well done!

In this issue we are continuing to look at theories behind practicing piano, with suggestions fitting the theories. Also receiving mention this issue is our student of the month, Riannah, the Practice Pages on the studio website, AMEB exams and the passionate composer Brahms – popularly known for his Lullaby.

Business Matters

Last issue introduced the studio website, launched just over a month ago.  It is designed as a resource for students of all levels – providing contact, support and information for students and families during the week between lessons.  I am keen to receive your input about how to make this site more useful for you and any information, pictures, etc that you might like to contribute would be very much appreciated. 

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AMEB Exam Reminder

       AMEB is one of the major Australian fine arts and music examination boards, with an international recognition and standard.  AMEB exams are available to students at Individual Dynamics.  The closing entry date for exams this year is quickly approaching.  If students and parents are interested, please discuss your interest with me in the next two weeks.  I need to receive payment and confirmation of entry by 30^th May.

      Exams are held in theory, musicianship and classical or leisure performance.  Costs increase with progressive grades:

Classical Performance  28^th Oct-11^th Nov, 2006  Preliminary to Diploma  $56 to $174  

Exam Content: scales, aural tests, sight-reading, six prepared pieces (most grades)

Leisure Performance  28^th Oct-11^th Nov, 2006  Preliminary to Completion  $52 to $119

Exam Content: some scales, aural or sight-reading tests, four prepared pieces

Theory of Music  23^rd August, 2006  Grade 1 to Grade 7  $55 to $89

Exam Content: graded skills in notation, composition and written memory

Musicianship  22^nd to 24^th August, 2006  Grade 1 to Diploma  $55 to $96 

Exam Content: graded skills in music history, aural tests, and harmony in addition to skills required for the Theory of Music (skills are very grade dependent)

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Practice - The Senses   

      Playing and listening to music are activities that involve all the senses and therefore the nervous system.  Many people find that, when they hear a beautiful piece of music, they will close their eyes, breathe deeply and soak up the ‘feeling’ of the music.  This allows us to focus our sense of hearing, but it also makes our other senses more acute.  Similarly, when playing a piece of music, we seek to ‘feel’ the music within us – and this enables us to play more than notes, to communicate something of significance to the people listening to us.

      The feelings that we have when we hear music are very special combinations of all our senses.  To create this feeling in our music, we must use and persuade others to use more than hearing.  When playing well, all our senses are heightened – our brain coordinates these senses to produce special movements through our hands and other parts of the body involved in playing the piano. 

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Practice Suggestions

      The learning of technique is a combination of the ‘know how’, the experience that develops the nervous system connections (learning the movements) and the control and heightened awareness of the senses.  The ‘know how’ is part of the instruction in piano, starting from the very first lesson and never ending.  The experience comes over time playing in these expressive ways.  The development of the nervous system can be encouraged through practice activities. 

      New learning is mostly done subconsciously and the nervous system goes through most of its repair, growth and development while we are sleeping.  We can make use of this by timing our practice sessions.  If we practice new skills carefully (but briefly) before going to bed and then again after waking, the skills are more easily learnt.  It is often helpful to briefly practice piano at these times – going through pieces or difficult sections of pieces carefully one time only.  (Practice that requires analysis and much concentration is best done mid-afternoon, or when we feel most alert.)

Focusing on one sense at a time can heighten the senses.  Here are some suggestions:

 Have fun finding all the different ways you can use your senses!

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Brahms

     Brahms learnt to play piano early and was a talented performer and beginning composer by the time he was 9 years old.  At 20 years of age, he was playing solo piano performances and composing the music we still know.

      From his mid-thirties onwards, Brahms was a very well know and popular piano player and composer – usually performing his own compositions in concerts.  The people of Vienna during the late 1800s did not mind that he was fairly untidy in his looks because he was such a gifted musician. 

Brahms wrote music that showed the Romantic Period – very emotional, melodic music – mostly for piano, piano duet and chamber music (piano playing with a string instrument group).  He was one of the greatest writers of the Lieder – a German art song.  Among many very difficult pieces for piano (including concertos, rhapsodies, intermezzos, fantasias and waltzes), Brahms wrote some smaller, sentimental pieces.  He is also well known for these – one especially known piece is Wiegenlied (Brahms’ Lullaby).

      Brahms died in 1897, after a successful life as a composer and musician.  He did not marry and have a family, but he was known for his sense of humour – even though he was stern in manner.

I trust that you have found the information helpful and that it will go on to support your development as musicians. 

Annah-Valerie Hyrst (teacher)

Individual dynamics

Rouse Hill, NSW

Last modified: April 05, 2008