Studio of Leah Brammer

Effective and Efficient Lessons

2012-02-26T15:02:00.007-08:00

Dear Parents,
Following are suggestions to optimize learning in the lessons:
1. Set-Up
Please make a habit to set up your child promptly with their bench/footstool and books, and put the assignment sheet on my piano. Even older children need some help to make this step go quickly. This is best to do as soon as the previous student is finished. Next, you can organize you notes and score, and work the video. This will be a non-verbal signal to your child about the importance of the lesson time. Therefore in this time it is best if the adults do not talk too much.
It is better to talk casually after the lesson.
2. Assignment Sheet
Please provide an assignment sheet that is filled out with the main point of the lesson, and the main points on each piece that were covered at the last lesson.
It is also important to have the review pieces listed. This is also a signal to your child about the importance of the assignment and your role in helping them. Also, with a clear assignment sheet I can follow through with the assignment and provide continuity.
3. Distractions
Please turn off all electronic devices so that the children are the total focus of attention. Electronic games can be engaging. When siblings are playing with very interesting toys like this it makes the concentration at the piano a little harder. Texting by the parent can be especially distracting, and can make a child feel that they are actually being neglected by their parent, even though the parent is "present". Many teachers and researchers are coming to this same conclusion. Dr. Karen Hagberg wrote about this in her recent article in Piano Basics. She references Dr. Sherry Turkel, the Director of Technology and Self at MIT, author of the book "Alone Together:Why we Expect More from Technology and Less from each other. Dr. Turkel says that "mobile connectivity allows us to bail out of the physical realm at any time." You can watch her TED talk video which is very interesting:
Sherry Turkle - TED Talk
When the adults are totally focused on the lesson the children will best be able to concentrate.
4. Observe without interference
Please observe the lessons without instructing your child to pay attention, or giving other directions. It is the teachers responsibility during the lesson to nurture the child's attention and behavior. You can observe the process of learning this way. It may be that I allow the child more time to get ready, or learn through doing without giving the answer. I may be allowing the child to learn through experience that if too much time goes by without focused attention there is not enough time for the new piece, or the make-up song, etc. In the long run this will develop concentration and motivation much more than verbal directions about concentrating or hurrying up. So, please observe what is ignored as well as what is affirmed. Please take notes and also use the musical score to refer to. It works well to put some notes such as the spots directly onto the score. Other notes may be better in a notebook. Keep a main point for each lesson. It is good to keep a notebook that you can look back on months later and reflect on the progress, and the points to stay focused on.
The child will feel your concentration and attention, and without the judgement will be able to turn all of their attention to the learning.

5. End of Lesson
At the end of the lesson I will summarize the main points. This is a good time to ask any questions about the assignment. Next, please help your child clean up the environment (stuffed animals back in place, etc.) Often this is also a casual time to talk and that is important too. Most of the time logistical questions can be saved for e-mail. Please be mindful of the next students lesson time and leave quietly.

After the lesson on the way home, please affirm what your child did well, and talk about what you will work on for the next week.
Thanks so much for your part in making the lessons an environment for optimum learning experiences.
Leah Brammer

On the Rhythm Part 2: Feel it - Read it

2012-02-15T11:18:00.001-08:00

In the post "On the Rhythm- Part 1", the beginning steps of listening and feeling rhythm were discussed.

Next, when students begin learning a piece, they usually find the correct notes (pitch) first. The feeling of the rhythm may already be there so that the piece is recognizable by ear, however the exact rhythm needs to be reinforced by the parent and teacher as the next step. It is difficult for students to feel longer notes for example, so there is a tendency that these note values are played shorter when the piece is being learned. The dotted half note in "French Children’s Song" is a good example of this. Another familiar example is the dotted quarter notes, and also the half notes in "Mary Had a Little Lamb".

There are several ways to help the student with feeling and playing the correct rhythm. The student can play with the teacher who is keeping a steady beat. At home the parent can sing the melody in correct rhythm as the child plays. At the lesson, the student can clap the steady beat while the teacher plays. Sometimes it helps to show the child a metronome, which they are very interested in, and then the teacher can play the piece with metronome at various tempos keeping a steady beat. This help the students differentiate rhythm and tempo. At a later stage, the parent can clap the beat (softly) for the child at home practice. This can be done in the lesson first to make sure it is helpful to the child.

Specifically, on a spot such as a dotted half note, the teacher can clap the beat on that note when the child plays so that they feel the pulse on the long note. By clapping the pulse without counting “1, 2, 3” the child will be able to play without too much thinking. Of course understanding counting is important too, and is good to do after the child can feel the beat without the use of numbers.

Recognizing the rhythm of pieces without hearing the melody is another good tool for internalizing the rhythm. The teacher or another student can clap the rhythm of a piece, and then the student(s) can guess what song it is. The students enjoy this activity. Mary Had a Little Lamb and London Bridge have the same rhythm until the last two measures, so students have to listen until the last two measures to know which piece is being played. This internalization of the rhythm helps students perform the pieces better, and is also a step towards reading rhythm.

Introducing the visual picture of the rhythm to students is easy to do on the Book 1 pieces they already know. Twinkle D has only quarter and half notes and is great because every phrase has the same rhythm every 2 measures with the half note at the end. Teachers may want to use the Orff or other syllables to represent the sound in addition to clapping, and/or use a hand gesture to indicate the pulse on the notes longer than one beat. . You can clap the rhythm separately, and also while singing the melody. Counting can be introduced after the rhythms are understood through direct association of the feeling with the visual representation.

This can be done with all of the Book 1 pieces when the students are ready. Older students may still be in Book 1 and doing this activity, while younger students studying in Book 2 will benefit from this relationship between what they have already learned by ear, and the visual representation of the rhythm. There are various useful materials that can be used to teach these concepts. I like using a white board for the rhythm, and 8"X11" paper each with one measure on it for the full score representation.

Dr. Suzuki says: Raise your ability on a piece you can play.”

Therefore, using the sound of the pieces the children have already internalized and learned to play, help students to feel the rhythm. Next present the visual representation of the rhythms they already know. This is integral learning as the students are connecting what they can hear, feel, and do with the mental learning of the reading concepts.

Recital Preparation-Key Points

2012-02-08T22:23:00.000-08:00

1. Listen to the recording as much as possible.
Notice when the volume is right so that you are able to hear the music clearly without it being to loud or soft. This way you can make the best environment for listening to many repetitions. If you have more than one child performing, you can make a playlist with the two- four songs so that it is easy to repeat.

2. Be well rested and early to the recital, with appropriate concert dress.
Balance practice with other activities, free time and rest.

3.In practicing, affirm each step, each part that is done correctly, and especially notice when the tone is really clear and ringing.

Practice the beginning and the ending many times.

Practice hands separate in a slow tempo, and also in performance tempo.

Spot and part/phrase practice focusing on the most important points.

Focus on the tone as much as possible without too many instructions so that the child can internalize what they have learned.

It is good to have a performance practice time (in concert dress) one and/or two days ahead. On the day of the recital, please practice with good concentration for a short period. There is no need to play the piece hands together many times. This can make the piece get worse! If the child makes a mistake with this kind of in tempo hands together playing on the day of the recital it may inadvertently get into their performance too. So, it is a good time for lots of listening, rest, and hands separate spot/part practice. So, it is like putting the repetitions (skill development) into a savings account to "spend" at the recital.

all the best,
Leah Brammer

Re-solutions

2012-01-06T18:50:00.000-08:00

It's interesting in the "New Year" that most people decide to really do what they meant to do before. So, it is not really something "new", but rather a renewed effort to do what one already "knows" is the best thing to do.

Dr. Suzuki often talks about knowledge and action in his writings. He says:
           "Knowledge plus 10,000 times equals ability."

In this way, the action is the resolution:
         "The habit of action - this, I think is the most important thing we must acquire. Life's     success or failure actually depends on this one thing. So what should we do? We should get so that it is second nature to put our thoughts into action."

In Nurtured by Love he states his own resolution from around the end of World War II:
          "I shall acquire the habit of doing the things I have in mind to do."

All the best for the New Year!
Leah Brammer

Sensibility and the Holidays*

2011-11-16T10:26:00.001-08:00

Sensibility is the ability developed through learning by the senses. Dr. Karen Hagberg translated the book Sensibility and Education by Dr. Haruko Kataoka from Japanese to English. She explains the term sensibility this way:

"To Dr. Kataoka "Kansei" (translated as sensibility) is the sum of the five senses, plus the intangible heart and soul, through which children absorb their environment."(1)

When we remember holidays past as adults, it may be the aroma of certain foods or the scent of the Christmas tree that remind us of our feeling/experiences as children. It could be the Christmas lights or the sound of carols, or that certain kind of hug from someone we love. Ultimately it is the "intangible heart and soul" that remembers the "feelings" of the holidays.

Babies and children learn through absorption of the total environment, rather than part by part. In holistic learning, the child has a grasp of a concept without necessarily knowing the details or even being able to produce anything. It is this type of learning that enables a person to perceive what is going on without necessarily being able to actually say in words what is happening. In learning language, babies are holistically absorbing the environment, and understand long before they are able to articulate. Children in general know feelings even when they do not know exactly what is being said.

In a practical situation a holistic learner using their sensibility would be able to cope with problem solving issues, while another student going by the textbook answers may be unable to solve. This is how a person can be in a completely foreign country where they do not speak the language, yet be able to communicate and act appropriately without ever learning the customs or being told the protocol. Contrast this with how a person can grow up to be completely unaware of how other people are thinking, feeling or perceiving, or unable to make good judgments even though they have gone to the best schools and have a lot of "education". We see this in real life and wonder how to educate children to make wise judgments in the complexities of day to day reality.

How can we preserve and nurture sensibility? Essentially, by having awareness of the child's senses and giving credence to them. Dr. Suzuki said:

"Skillfulness in rearing a child comes from knowing and feeling as he (the child) does in his heart."(2)

So this means taking the time and the presence to experience life directly with our children. This includes listening and not thinking of other things when your child is talking and giving the space for the child to enjoy the moment without rushing to the next thing, In this way the child has the time to discover without extra instruction or thinking. Find the place of a calm peaceful happy heart inside yourself and notice how your child responds to you. As Dr. Suzuki said:

"The mother's smile is the child's smile."(3)

In music study, the child who learns holistically can play freely without the burden of too much thinking or worrying in the way. Music then becomes a form of direct communication. There are two important things you can do over the holidays to nurture your child's music study:

1. Continue to play the Suzuki recordings. Providing music in the environment is enabling holistic learning. In this way even if the child practices less, they will not forget their pieces, and will be internally memorizing the new pieces to be learned in the coming months. Additionally this provides a consistent environment and motivates them to go to the piano and play their review pieces.

2. Let your child share their music with friends and family. When children can give their music as a gift to others in family and friend gatherings, they will develop a wonderful feeling and "memory" about sharing their piano playing. Also, you can use the video recordings as gifts to send to relatives and friends far away with a personal holiday message. This kind of sharing is a wonderful example of a holistic learning experience as it integrates feelings, senses, and ability.

Thanksgiving is the beginning of the Holiday season. It's wonderful to begin the season with the feelings of gratefulness and abundance.
Happy Holidays!

Leah Brammer

Bibliography
1. Sensibility and Education, Dr. Haruko Kataoka, p. xii
2. Ability Development from Age Zero, Dr. Suzuki, p. 23
3. Words for the Day, #2-A collection of 31 sayings by Dr. Suzuki written on shikishi. (See right side of the blog for picture)

*Edited and reposted from 12_20_2010

On the Rhythm – Part 1: Feel it

2011-10-28T10:42:00.000-07:00

Children can clap the beat to music when they can feel the pulse. This is an important part of being able to play with good rhythm. Clapping and dancing to the Suzuki music are natural ways for children to connect with the beat in the music they are learning to play. The twinkle variations are a wonderful way to learn to feel beat/rhythm with a good tone on just one note. This is a good example of an integral learning experience where the student can feel the rhythm/beat, hear the tone, and connect this with the tactile sense in the finger.

When we clap the beat to music we are feeling music that is already on the rhythm, already made. This is much easier than creating the correct steady tempo oneself. The ready position is the best way to enable the student to play with good beat. This is because in ready position the body is balanced and still. When a conductor is going to start an orchestra they first raise their hands in gesture to have everyone’s attention and stillness on the ready. Next the conductor gives an indication of the rhythm with just one beat, such as an up feeling for example, and then the first sound is the down. Everyone can play together on the rhythm this way. This is the “go” part of practicing with students. Please observe in the lessons how to say go effectively so that the child can play with good rhythm. The “go” needs to be in tempo of the piece. This one signal teaches the child to play with rhythm.

When children first learn to play the right hand melodies in Book 1, they find the pitch (notes) first. They may be finding the correct notes totally by ear, or with the help of a parent singing the pitch. Part of this learning of the notes is getting the correct fingerings. Next, they can develop the ability to play the notes with the feeling of the rhythm.

Feeling deep and light sounds is important for the natural flow in the music in the same way that inflection is important in speech. The best way to help with this is to sing the pieces with a natural emphasis on the metrical placement (first beat in each measure) as well as the rising and falling of the melodic phrase. A good way to practice is to sing along with the disc using the solfege, humming, or singing “la la la”. So, the singing is not just for learning the pitch/notes, but also will help the child feel the rhythm, and connect with the broader feeling of the meter and phrases in the notes they are learning to play.

The phrases are the equivalent of sentences.

In this regard, words to the songs are ok to sing too, especially for fun while not at the piano. It is best for children to understand the language of music without actual words. So after the notes can be played with some fluency, singing along by humming/solfege/la-la as your child plays will help your child play in a good tempo which is not too fast or too slow, and has natural emphasis on the deep and light sounds, and breadth on the phrases.

When the teacher plays with the student at the lesson it also helps them to play with the steady rhythm. This may be more difficult for them than playing by themselves because they have to keep the tempo on the “hard part”. This process helps the parent and child understand where to focus more time and energy in the home learning. So, in the learning at home, please practice extra on the parts where the beat/rhythm is not felt.

Most importantly continued listening to a piece after the notes are learned is the most important tool for helping the child progress from just the notes to playing and feeling the rhythm. Lastly, it is important that the teacher and parent do not give the child too many instructions that may take away from their natural ability to feel the beat because they are thinking too much as they are playing. This way they can play by heart.

Previous blog on the same subject with more explanation of meter and research on babies and rhythm:

Twinkle Lessons: On the Rhythm

The Talent Education Code- part 4 – Feel to learn it

2011-09-23T20:26:00.000-07:00

This is the forth in a series of blogs which are an in depth analysis of Daniel Coyle’s book The Talent Code as it relates to the "Talent Education method" developed by Dr. Suzuki.

In the section on "Learn to Feel It" as a part of "deep practice", Daniel Coyle tells about how he observed students at the Meadowmount music camp in a class entitled “How to Practice”. They are asked to listen to a violin that is out of tune and connect with how that feels: “If you hear a string out of tune, it should bother you, Skye told them, ‘it should bother you a lot. That’s what you need to feel. What you’re really practicing is concentration. It’s a feeling. “(1)

“Feeling it” is the way children learn naturally. The baby learns to walk by learning to feel its balance. Feeling is a term which includes the input from the senses such as hearing an out of tune violin, taste, tactile, physical feelings and visual input, It is the awareness directly from the environment without explanation. In the book Sensibility and Education Dr. Kataoka says:

“Children live in the world of feelings, and they feel things directly with their intuition…(Let us) try to understand the world of children’s sensibility and make an effort not to destroy it…(2)

Connecting feelings with learning engages the student. This does not mean we spoon feed feelings, but rather that we enable children to connect their feelings with their learning. By focusing the students awareness on the quality of the sound we enable them to “feel” the music through their senses, aural, tactile, and even the aural connection to the visual. By properly sequencing skills with just the right amount of challenge to feel accomplishment and develop skill, the child can associate the learning with a deep concentration and sense of success. Focusing on tone while developing skill will enable the child to produce the highest quality tone as pure communication This will motivate, involve, and inspire the student in deep practice.

When listening to a great pianist, one of the most striking and distinctive elements in their playing is their ability to directly communicate through the sound.

Their learning has involved putting their own sensibility/feeling into the music. There is a physical sense of touch connected with the quality of the sound, an aural understanding of the patterns of the music into patterns, phrases, and sections, and an ability to communicate deeply, individually, and directly through the language of music.

When practicing with your child, keep listening for good tone, and bring awareness of the feeling of the good tone into the practice. Allow this to be the focus and it will take the student into a state of deep practice/concentration that connects the tone with the broader patterns of the sound as well as the physical motions, In this same way they will be able to understand the visual picture of the music: the score; as it relates directly to the sound without any extra explanation. Thus we are enabling optimum learning by keeping the child connected with their sensibility. Dr. Kataoka says:

“People who reach adulthood with their sensibility intact can make correct judgements about everything; this is because their natural sensibility has not been destroyed. It is because they can listen to the voice of God."(3)

1. The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle, p. 90-91

2. Sensibility and Education, Dr. Haruko Kataoka, p. 14

3. Sensibility and Education, Dr. Haruko Kataoka, p. 17

A previous blog from January 2009 which is also about feeling music:

"The Integral Learning Perspective- Learning to Play by Heart"

Other Blogs in this Series:

The Talent Education Code Part 1

The Talent Education Code Part 2

The Talent Education Code -Part 3

Concert Recommendations

2011-09-19T12:35:00.000-07:00

There are so many wonderful concerts in the SF Bay Area to go see this year! Following is a list of recommended solo piano concerts and one SF Symphony recommendation with piano concerto. They are listed by performer in chronological order with links to the sites to buy tickets. Enjoy! Leah Brammer

Yefim Bronfman

Tuesday October 11 8:00 PM

Zellerbach Hall - Berkeley

http://www.calperformances.org

***Marc-Andre Hamelin- Get tickets asap

Wednesday Nov. 2 8:00PM –Herbst Theatre SF

SFperformances.org

SF Symphony-Garrick Olson

Performs Mozart Concerto #9

Performances Thursday Feb. 2-Saturday Feb. 4

http://www.SFSymphony.org

Good for younger students

Leif Ove Andsnes

Thursday February 9 8:00 PM

Herbst Theatre SF

SFperformances.org

Andras Schiff

Wednesday Feb. 28 8:00 PM

Zellerbach Hall – Berkeley

http://www.calperformances.org

Murray Perahia

Sunday March 11 – 3:00PM

Zellerbach Hall - Berkeley

http://www.calperformances.org

Stephen Hough

Monday, March 19 7:30

Oshman Jewish center in Palo Alto

http://www.chambermusicSF.org

***Jonothan Biss –Get tickets asap

Sunday April 1 -3PM

Hertz Hall – Berkeley

http://www.calperformances.org

Olga Kern

Monday, April 16 – 7:30 PM

Oshman Jewish center in Palo Alto

http://www.chambermusicSF.org

*SF Symphony- Jean-Yves Thibaudet

Performs Saint-Saens Piano Concerto #5

Performances Thursday April 19-Sunday April 22

http://www.SFSymphony.org

The four Principles of the Suzuki method

2011-09-10T13:11:00.000-07:00

1. Mother-tongue - The basic philosophy upholds the understanding that music be learned as a language, by listening and communicating by sound first, with the written symbol as representative of the sound, and taught after the child has learned to speak/play. The term "mother-tongue" also emphasizes the parents involvement in providing the language in the environment for the child.
Thus, children who hear the music they are learning to play for many hours a day will progress much much faster than those who only listen to the disc once or twice a day.
2. Talent Education - The name of Dr. Suzuki's school in Matsumoto, and a term which juxtaposes two terms which may at first seem contradictory. Dr. Suzuki chose this name for his method to emphasize his realization that all children develop the "talent" of playing music if educated in the same way children learn to speak their native language. Again, the parents involvement in the education of the child is paramount over any particular "genes" the child may or may not have for music.
3. Ability Development: This term is used to define the process by which talent is developed - through repetition ;

"Knowledge plus 10.000 times equals ability". Dr. Suzuki

This is the "how" of Talent Education.
4. Natural Learning: Natural learning is simply that which is learned directly from the environment without extra explanation, instructions, or mental thinking. Providing the right environment is a core component of the Suzuki method. Children who are listening, have quality instruments and parents to help them find body balance and connect their physical motions with the sound they have internalized through listening will be able to achieve a high ability to play piano as a result of a natural learning from the environment.

The Importance of the Beginning

2011-08-12T21:24:00.000-07:00

The beginning of the school year is a very special time for children. There is a sense of excitement and readiness for learning in the air. So, it is the parents and teachers responsibility to provide the best possible environment that preserves this readiness, nurtures awareness and supports optimum learning.

When we give children our full attention, they feel acknowledged, empowered, important, and nurtured. Attention is totally different from judgment. With total attention we bring awareness to the child. Ultimately this awareness that develops through our attention enables the child to change and grow.
As Dr. Kataoka said:

"We must, with effort and perseverance, patiently nurture the ability to concentrate, listen and differentiate."(1)

In the lesson and at practice the parents main job is to put total attention on the child. For example, if a parent is texting, e-mailing or other forms of non-attention to the lesson, the child has less awareness for learning. Part of the room is focused on something else. When it is the parent or the teacher that is thinking about other things, it becomes especially difficult for the child to remain focused. If another child is playing with a toy during the lessons it is distracting. However, if the adults are focused on the lesson, the child can still concentrate. If another child is reading a book, they are engaging in a similar kind of focus, so it is much easier for the child having the lesson. Ideally, when everyone is watching the student have a lesson, the child can really concentrate well. The child loves this experience and learns to communicate to the other people in the room through the sound of the piano.

The same kind of attention is valuable at home. In the book Journey Down the Kreisler Highway (2) violinist and Suzuki teacher Craig Timmerman writes:

"Your children will always carry the memory of your working with them each day of their childhood. Can you imagine the warm memory that will be theirs to carry around in later years when they leave home? That memory and knowledge will provide a security and appreciation that will be deeply rooted...It seems that there is always a special bond within families who give this kind of gift to their children. Undoubtedly it will take years for your children to fully appreciate the gift you have given them, but when that realization does come, what strength it will have."

This "special bond" is nurtured by the attention and focus of the parents without judgment on both their child's home practice and lesson times. It is important to distinguish between attention that develops awareness, which fosters intrinsic motivation; and attention that accompanies judgment (be it positive or negative) which is a type of extrinsic motivation. In one of my earlier posts, "Affirm, Motivate, and Inspire" (4) I discuss how extrinsic rewards diminish motivation:

"I believe this is partially because the child looses their sense of autonomy and feels controlled rather than nurtured and supported. The question then is not whether to use a "carrot or a stick" to influence a child's behavior, but how can we preserve and nurture intrinsic motivation?

At the beginning of the school year, children are ready and eager to learn. We nurture that motivation by having the highest quality music and music experiences in the daily environment. This includes observing other students lessons, group classes, individual lessons, home listening/watching videos, practice, and attending concerts,

We maintain this desire to make music by listening and noticing as the child is learning. Then, as we give the child an affirmation or acknowledgment of what we are observing it increases their ability to learn and improve without the emotional roller coaster of good and bad. The acknowledgment of what they are doing correctly provides them with the valuable feedback that enables deep concentration and learning. This is Positive Affirmation. We will be discussing how to use language in a way that supports this way of working with your child at the parents meeting.

The intention for the New Year is the development of awareness through optimum learning.
The resolution for the New Year is to provide an environment which preserves and develops intrinsic motivation.

"It is the readiness of the mind that is wisdom."

Shinryu Suzuki (6)

Bibliography/links
1. From Piano Basics Newsletter Volume 2.6 November/December 1997
in the article "Prince Shotoku and Pianists"

2. "Journey Down the Kreisler Highway-Reflections on the teachings of Shinichi Suzuki" by Craig Timmerman published 1987.

3. From this blog "Core Suzuki Piano", the article "Affirm, Motivate, and Inspire" published January 2010

4. "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind" by Shunnru Suzuki, page 113

The Talent Education Code - Part 3-

2011-05-05T10:39:00.000-07:00

This is the third in a series of blogs which are an in depth analysis of Daniel Coyle’s book The Talent Code as it relates to the "Talent Education method" developed by Dr. Suzuki.

The Three Rules of Deep Practice:
Chunking, Repetition, and Integral learning

Myelin is what physically increases in the brain when ability is developed, and "deep practice" is how to optimize this process. Part 1 of this blog-series discussed how myelin wraps around the neural circuits in the process of developing accuracy and speed in neural pathways.

In part 2 "deep practice" was discussed as the most efficient and effective way to build the myelin around the neural pathways for developing talent. Deep/deliberate practice involves full concentration on accomplishing a defined goal that is within reach, and getting constant feedback through the process.   In deep practice on the piano using Suzuki principles of learning, the student will practice a small spot(s) that contain the core feeling/technique of a piece many times. There is a clear goal which has been practiced and learned at the lesson, and at practice the student gets feedback in the form of the quality of the sound produced as well as the outside perspective from a coach/parent.
By practicing these small parts, the student is learning to "chunk" together patterns and understand their relationships to each other. This is pattern recognition, a critical component of Ability Development. (1) Daniel Coyle defines this as the first of three rules on deep practice: "Chunk It Up"   (2)

The second rule for deep practice is repetition. Daniel Coyle differenciates deep practice from mere repetition because it involves the learner in the "Sweet spot edge of your capabilities, attentively building and honing circuits." (3) Rote repetition without engagement is not beneficial and potentially harmful. It is repetition done with the engagement of the learner in the process to fine tune each repetition, and to provide self-correction each time so that the thoughts/ movements become increasingly precise.The repetitions need to keep the interest of the students and yet not be too hard to make them tired quickly. Here is where a master teacher comes in to understand the sequencing of learning in relationship to building foundation skills and directs the learning in a way that challenges the student and also enables them to succeed. It is then the parents job to understand the subtleties and priorities of an assignment, and follow through.

Deep practice then means doing targeted specific repetitions that engage the learner in an integral learning experience The important point is to let the student experience what they are trying to learn rather than tell them about it or about how to do it. In music study, this will allow them to hear the sound as it's own language without words in the way. This is possible because the sound has already been internalized through listening. Next, help them be able to make that sound by using their body in the most natural way through demonstrations by the teacher, and key words that are associated with the movement at home. Connect the sound quality with the specific movements you observe and help the child to develop this awareness. This ability to play with a beautiful sound using a natural balanced position will be reinforcing to the child. Dr. Kataoka says:

"If a child starts piano lesson at age 3 or 4, he or she should always learn what a good sound is, along with how to enjoy it. The teacher's primary task is to instruct how to make good sound because music starts with sound, and sound exists in the world of sensibility." (4)

Honor the child's feelings about the number of repetitions, and affirm the process rather than the result. In this way the goal is the practice experience itself. Allow the mental/reading concepts to come at the child's own pace, preferably later.

Deep practice is the center point of integral learning where the mental(aural), physical, emotional, and inspired aspects are in harmony, and the myelin wraps around the circuits to provide a clear path for the message connections between the mind and body, and a good feeling becomes associated with this as well. When we can find this center point of learning, ability develops deeply, and at a much more rapid pace.
These concepts of core education and Integral learning will take us in the next blog to Daniel Coyle's third rule of deep practice: "Learn to Feel It"

1. Blog on pattern recognition written in April 2010:
   Ability Development and pattern recognition
2. The Talent Code by Daniele Coyle, p.79
3. The Talent Code by Daniele Coyle, p. 88
4. Sensibility and Education by Dr. Kataoka, p.54

Blog on Integral Learning written November 2008:
Spot Practice to Enable Integral Learning

Other Blogs in this series:

The Talent Education Code Part 1
The Talent Education Code Part 2
The Talent Education Code Part 4

The Talent Education Code -Deep Practice -Part 2

2011-04-04T14:48:00.000-07:00

This is the second in a series of blogs which are an in depth analysis of Daniel Coyle’s book The Talent Code as it relates to the "Talent Education method" developed by Dr. Suzuki.

Myelin wrapping around the neural circuitry is the "what" of developing skill/talent. Daniel Coyle, author of The Talent Code, uses the analogy of a broadband internet connection versus a dial-up modem to compare heavily myelinated neural connections versus neural connections with little myelin. So, the myelinated connections allow much more information at a much higher rate to be transmitted. Deep/deliberate Practice is the "how" to develop skill and myelinate the neural circuits.

Daniel Coyle traveled around the world to study "hotbeds' or places where many people develop a high ability in the same location.    In an article from the New York Times published in 2007, (The Talent Code was published in 2009), Daniel Coyle talks about his visit to the Spartak Center for tennis in Moscow where a large number of super "talents" have come out of Russia. Coyle says:
"To put Spartak's success in talent-map terms: this club, which has one indoor court, has achieved eight year-end top-20 women's rankings over the last three years. During that same period, the entire United States has achieved seven."(1)

The Suzuki movement was ignited in the United States when Dr. Suzuki* held the American tours and brought his young students to America to perform. A poster from a concert held in downtown Atlanta in 1988 is on the side of this blog. Dr. Suzuki created a "hotbed" for developing talent in the small town of Matsumoto, in Japan.   About environment Dr. Suzuki said:
"What does not exist in the environment will not develop in the child. By no means only words or music, but everything, good or bad, is absorbed by the child." (2)

What Daniel Coyle observed in the environment at the Spartak Center in Moscow and other sports and music talent hotbeds he traveled to is what he defines as "deep practice".

According to K. Anders Ericsson, the author of The Cambridge Handbook of Expertise and Expert Performance, every talent is the result of a single process: deliberate practice. He defines this as individuals engaged in a practice activity with full concentration on some point to improve their skill. Thus, deliberate practice means working on technique using constant critical feedback from observations as well as those of a coach/teacher. K. Anders Eriksson defined this kind of deliberate/deep practice as distinctly different and more effective than simple repetition or spending time doing an activity.
"Deliberate practice differs from the mere experience of doing the task in many different ways. Perhaps the most striking way concerns the mental attitude of the individual. During deliberate practice the individual has the goal of improving some measurable aspect of their performance. For example, a recreational golfer aims their putt toward the hole on the green and either misses or drops the ball in the hole. Every time the golfer putts the ball, it is a different situation and the golfer would not know whether the mistake was caused by their putting technique, the slope of the green, the resistance of the grass, or whatever. During deliberate practice on a practice green, the golfer has the opportunity to make the same putt many times (Ericsson 2001)."*(3)

This idea of practicing the same putt many times is part of what Daniel Coyle defines as the first component of "deep practice" and calls it "chunking it up". Basically this means that the practice is one definable part of the whole process of playing golf and that this allows the golfer to focus and build the myelin around the cirucits in that particular movement. He includes in this idea absorbing the whole concept/piece/"chunk" and then dividing it into it's smallest possible parts. "People in hotbeds deep-practice the same way a good movie director approaches a scene -one instant panning back to show the landscape, the next zooming in to examine a bug crawling on a leaf in slo-mo." (4)

In the Talent Education method, students listen to performances of the music they are studying as well as to performances by the best artists and the highest level compositions, such as Mozart concertos. A unique benefit music has for developing this "sense of the whole" is that the music can be going on continuously and absorbed subconsciously without any effort or time consumption. Coyle cites examples of various successful sports players and teams that watch videos of the best teams and players. K. Anders Ericsson says:
"When you put yourself in the same situation as an outstanding person and attack a task that they took on, it has a big effect on your skill." (5)

As an example of breaking skills into "chunks", Daniel Coyle discusses the students at the Meadowmount School of Music playing sections of their piece in rhythms or with stops on certain notes on the beat, and how this practice distinctively develops the myelination of those notes together as a smaller chunk. This is an important way of practicing scale type passages. It is important for students to practice with stops on the beat, in phrases, in sections, hands separate, etc. This breaking down is the crucial balancing component to absorbing the whole. Suzuki students practice spots that are patterns such as the alberti pattern. ( Left hand: Do-So -Mi-So). Also, the "Twinkles"*** are themselves a whole study in the"chunking" of rhythmic and melodic patterns for the child to absorb.

About the Spartak tennis team Coyle says:
"At Spartak it's called imitatsiya-rallying in slow motion with an imaginary ball. All Spartak's players do it, from the five-year-olds to the pros."(6)
Slowing down enables students to increase precision and develop a perception of the interlocking skill circuits. Dr. Kataoka called this "slow-motion" practice. So, from the beginners to the advanced pros, everyone is practicing and observing others practicing (no private lessons at Spartak) the simple movements very precisely over and over again. In studying Piano Basics with Dr. Kataoka**, teachers would play the Twinkles for their lessons as other teachers observed, and worked on the most basic skills of posture, ready and tone. Teachers in Piano Basics still study in this same way.
In describing chunking Daniel Coyle says:

"The goal is always the same: to break a skill into its component pieces (circuits), memorize those pieces individually, then link them together in progressively larger groupings (new, interconnected circuits)"(7)

Dr. Kataoka when instructing students and parents on how to practice used the term "part by part". It makes sense in terms of building myelin for students to build these parts as overarching waves or "nesting" with the bigger ones encompassing the smaller ones starting from a single tone, down-up feeling, or slur and adding the bigger wave to a measure or pattern, to a phrase, section, whole movement,   to the whole piece. Each part is in turn practiced to build the correct technique to produce the best sound.

In short, technique is established through deep practice, and this is what Dr. Suzuki meant by "Ability Development", what Dr. Kataoka instructed teachers and parents how to do at every lesson, and a critical component of core education.

Daniel Coyle relays his encounter with 77 year old coach Larisa Preobrazhenskaya of the Spartak team:
"Technique is everything," she told me later, smacking a table with Khrushchev-like emphasis, causing me to jump and reconsider my twinkly-grandma impression of her. "If you begin playing without technique, it is big mistake. Big, big mistake!"(8)

References:
1. "How to grow a Super Athlete" by Daniel Coyles, New York Times Magazine, March 4, 2007
2. Nurtured by Love, Dr. Suzuki, 1983; Page 12
3."Discovering deliberate practice activities that overcome plateaus and limits on improvement of performance" - K. Anders Ericsson-from International Symposium on Performance Science 2009- Keynote Paper
4 The Talent Code by Daniel Coyles, 2009; Page 80.
5. The Talent Code by Daniel Coyles, 2009; Page 80
6. The Talent Code by Daniel Coyles, 2009 ; Page 82
7. The Talent Code by Daniel Coyles, 2009; Page 84
8. The Talent Code by Daniel Coyles, 2009; Page 83

*         For information on the Suzuki method Click here
**    For information on Dr. Kataoka and Piano Basics Click here
*** The "Twinkles" are the beginning pieces for all instruments in the Suzuki method. They involve the twinkle melody with rhythms on each note. They are used to teach how to produce tone with good technique on each note/finger.

Interesting Links:
"The Brains Behind Talent" -a short New York Times Video on Doug Fields head neuro-scientist at the The National Institute of Health explaining myelination with an example of himself and his daughters.
"How the Brain Works": Great Video series from UCLA Neurobiology department

"White Matter Helps Brains Learn, Erik Vance- Interesting article in The Scientist on research done on myelin.

Other Blogs in this Series:
The Talent Education Code Part 1
The Talent Education Code Part 3
The Talent Education Code Part 4

The Talent Education Code-Part 1-Myelin

2011-03-27T16:05:00.000-07:00

This is the first in a series of blogs which will be an in depth analysis of Daniel Coyle’s book The Talent Code as it relates to the "Talent Education method" developed by Dr. Suzuki.

When Dr. Suzuki named his school the "Talent Education Institute" in 1946, using the words "talent" and "education" together was basically considered a contradiction of terms. Talent was considered inborn and you either had it or you didn't. Education was for learning - reading, math and other subjects. Even as late as the early 1990's when I was traveling to Japan I read in a guidebook about the Talent Education Institute in Matsumoto as "education for the talented". Dr. Suzuki used the term "ability development" to help with this misunderstanding. When he was asked in an interview with Isako Itano in the book Where Love is Deep about the word talent he says:

"I used the word in the sense that talent is something to be nurtured, but since it's inconvenient if we are misunderstood, in the future I would like to eliminate the word talent and simply call it education, when common sense changes enough to allow me to do so." (1)

Recent research about learning continues to support Dr. Suzuki's belief in "ability development" through the right environment. In particular Daniel Coyle's book The Talent Code: Greatness isn't born. It's grown. Here's how. details how the brain develops, and how to maximize the learning process. The book is based on neurological research about how myelin forms in the brain, and what it's function is to learning. "Revolutionary", Dr. George Bartoklis, professor of neurology at UCLA told Daniel Coyle: "Myelin is 'the key to talking, reading, learn skills, being human."(2)
About that Daniel Coyle says:

"The revolution is built on three simple facts. (1) Every human movement, thought, or feeling is a precisely timed electric signal traveling through a chain of neurons - a circuit of nerve fibers. (2) Myelin is the insulation that wraps these nerve fibers and increases signal strength, speed, and accuracy. (3) The more we fire a particular circuit, the more myelin optimizes that circuit, and the stronger, faster, and more fluent our movements and thoughts become."(3)

Dr. Suzuki says: "Ability equals knowledge plus 10,000 times." (4) Knowledge is the mental aspect of acquiring talent. Talent is the ability to do in the present moment that which one knows. Through "10,000 times", the myelin wraps around the neural circuits and creates ability. Again Daniel Coyle says:

"Skill is myelin insulation that wraps neural circuits and that grows according to certain signals."(5)

When myelin wraps around the neurons with each repetition to develop pathways, or skills is exactly what Dr. Suzuki parallels in his statement: "Ability develops ability"(6) and gives the example of lanquage aquisition in babies. Once the pathway is developed, through intended repetition the skills become easy and fast.

Actions are electrical impulses sent along chains of nerve fibers that are connected together by synapsis. When you intend a movement the brain sends a signal through the chains of nerve fibers to your muscles. Different skills have specific pathways -"sort of like a string of Christmas lights".(7)

The next important concept about skills is that the more we develop a skill circuit, the more "automatic" or without conscious thought it becomes. The more we can process in our subconscious minds automatically the more complex skills we can do.

Myelin or "white matter" is the phospolipid membrane or dense fat that wraps around the nerve fibers preventing the electriacal impulses from leaking out. Since around the year 2000 many studies have come out with research regarding the role of myelin in the brain, and the increases in myelin linked with increases in various skills.

"Myelin quietly transforms narrow alleys into broad lightning-fast super-highways...Tennis players, singers, and painters don't seem to have much in common but they all get better by gradually improving timing and speed and accuracy, by honing neural circuitry, by obeying the rules of the talent code- in short by growing more myelin."(8)

Myelin grows. It can be nurtured and directed to develop talent. This is Dr. Suzuki's "law of ability".
Next, is to figure out how to optimize this process.

1. Where Love is Deep-The writings of Shin'ichi Suzuki, p. 111
2. The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle p.32
3. The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle p. 32
4. Every Child Can produced by the Suzuki Association of the Americas, p. 9
5. The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle p. 33
6. Ability Development from Age Zero by Shinichi Suzuki p.6
7. The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle p. 36
8. The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle p. 41...p.7

Other Blogs in this series:

The Talent Education Code Part 2
The Talent Education Code Part 3
The Talent Education Code Part 4

Masterclass Workshop with Cathy Hargrave

2011-03-04T17:13:00.000-08:00

Date: April 9 and 10
Location: Core Suzuki Studio

I am very pleased to announce that Cathy Hargrave will teach master class lessons for the studio and also for students from around the Bay Area in the Core Suzuki Piano Studio on April 9 and 10.
Parents can sign-up in the studio for their time. Teachers who are interested in observing and/or having students for lessons can contact Leah Brammer.

About Cathy Hargrave:
Cathy Hargrave is one of 24 pianists world-wide who was granted a teaching certificate by Dr. Shinichi and Dr. Haruko Kataoka, the co-founder of the Suzuki Piano Method. She lived in Matsumoto, Japan four years for the purpose of studying the pedagogy of Suzuki Piano first-hand with Dr. Suzuki and Dr. Haruko Kataoka. For over 30 years, Cathy has taught Suzuki Piano to children and teachers. She has been a frequent guest lecturer/clinician/SAA teacher trainer at workshops, national, and international conferences throughout the U.S., as well as in Canada, Japan, and Russia. She is author of the book
Reading Music by Ear. She maintains a private studio in Rowlett, Texas.

Every Child Can

2011-02-08T20:45:00.000-08:00

Suzuki Philosophy is based on this important fact: Virtually all children learn to speak their native language.

It is by being immersed with language that children begin to imitate sounds, repeat sounds, understand sounds, and begin to communicate. Children can learn the language of music the same way that they learn to speak, which is first and foremost through listening.

Dr. Suzuki called this method the “mother-tongue approach”. He named his school “Talent Education” because of his realization that all children with the right environment can learn music and develop “talent”, or ability.

“Every Child can be educated, but children are not born with education. Knowing this fact will become the basis for insights regarding the nature of mankind.” (1)
There are enabling factors that must be considered when researching how every child can be successful in achieving high ability. There is a sensitive period for language acquisition. It is also true that infants are absorbing musical sound from birth, and even before birth. Beginning early is one of the principals Dr. Suzuki purports in all of his writings:

“The earlier talent development is begun, the better” (2)

Therefore creating an environment of listening to music is important from the very beginning of life in the same way that it is important for babies to hear language. After the child has internalized the sounds of the pieces they are ready to begin to speak music. When the young child learns to play their instrument, it becomes a natural integral part of their learning, their life, and their abilities. Dr. Suzuki said:

“If a three year old child starts practicing the violin, his little finger will be as strong and agile as his other fingers. He will be able to do splendid fourth finger trills. Such a small child may only need to train a thousand times while an adult will not be able to achieve such a skill after training even one hundred fifty thousand times. “(3)

Older beginning students greatly benefit from studying through the Suzuki Method as they have the freedom to focus on the aural/physical connection in playing their instrument. However, the visual connection may be at an earlier stage with older students. The Suzuki method is a flexible natural learning method that can be uniquely suited so that every child can be successful.

Children learn naturally from everything in their environment without any specific instruction. Absorption of the pieces the child is learning to play is a daily diet of listening. In the same way that children internalize the accent and tone of their parent’s voice, they will absorb the sound on the recording. The listening environment is the most fundamental concept derived from the mother tongue approach and a critical factor in success for the student.

All of the factors that affect the child’s learning and development physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually are important to consider when providing an optimum environment. Thus the parent’s involvement is integral to enabling the child to be successful.

“The destiny of the child lies in the hands of his parents.”(4)

Dr. Suzuki often talks about the importance of the parent’s role in the child’s emotional development:

“As the saying goes: ’The knack of fostering is the parents skill. ‘ In fact, ‘the parents smile is the child’s smile.’ Education while scolding and clashing is the least skillful way. I would like you to think as a parent about ‘how one can be skillful or clumsy at inspiring the desire to learn.”(5)

It is the responsibility of the teacher to nurture and educate the parents to understand the philosophy of “Every Child Can”, and help them develop the skills to work with their child.

An important aspect of success in language acquisition is repetition. Consider the amount of time a baby hears familiar words like “mama” before speaking, and how many times the child repeats that word after learning it to develop ability. Therefore in the mother-tongue approach, the child continues to play pieces after they are learned, while refining skills.

“Raise your ability on a piece you can play”(6)

Recognition of what is correct guides the repetition/practice to develop ability. This feedback to the student comes first through internalized sound so that the child is seeking to reproduce. Next,the teacher’s affirmations connect the physical aspect of what the child is doing with the aural sound that is produced, as well as with the feeling the sound makes: “When you move your fingers that way the sound is a beautiful legato.” The parent continues nurturing the child in the same way with the repetitions at home. The child is encouraged by the affirmations and the parent is empowered to help with the knowledge that this practice will lead to improvement and the development of ability.

“I hope that you can now understand that great talent and a deep, beautiful feeling in the heart are closely tied together. “ (7)

The Suzuki repertoire is the language spoken by the students in the Suzuki piano studio. Discs, observation, recitals, and groups create motivation to play those pieces. The teacher also creates an individual studio repertoire in addition to the core curriculum that may include Christmas pieces, improvisation ideas, and post book 7 repertoire. Overall, the core curriculum along with the evolving repertoire creates the aural environment, which enables students to learn pieces naturally.

Children who begin lessons early have the language of musical sound as part of their primary language. After children can play songs with fluency the “picture” of that sound is introduced. This is developmentally appropriate reading. The musical score represents a picture of the sound the child has already internalized. Group classes focus on the application of concepts so that the aural, visual, and kinesthetic concepts are directly linked.

Advancing students become aural readers. This ability to read can be developed by linking the sounds with visual symbols in the same way students learn to read words. The visual picture of the sound enables the student to retain detailed information about making changes to what they are playing. Ultimately students memorize the aural sound/visual picture as a whole. This way they can play by heart.

All of the enabling factors for learning the language of music are derived from the mother-tongue philosophy. Every child can benefit from the abilities that are developed through learning the language of music. Learning how to communicate through music with beautiful tone is a wonderful life ability. It is a way that we can feel that which is beyond words. By researching how children learn naturally we can learn now to provide the best environment for optimum learning. We are empowered with the responsibility of enabling every child to be successful.

Bibliography

1. Ability Development from Age Zero, Page 6

2. Ability Development from Age Zero, page 55

3. Ability Development from Age Zero, page 55

4. Nurtured by Love, page 12

5. Where Love is Deep, page. 44

6. Where Love is Deep, page 51

7. Ability Development from Age Zero, page 61

Sensibility and the Holidays

2010-12-20T10:12:00.000-08:00

Sensibility is the ability developed through learning by the senses. In Dr. Karen Hagberg's explanation of the term "Sensibility" as translator of Dr. Kataoka's book "Sensibility and Education" she says:

"To Dr. Kataoka "Kansei" (translated as sensibility) is the sum of the five senses, plus the intangible heart and soul, through which children absorb their environment."(1)

When we remember holidays past as adults, it may be the aroma of certain foods or the scent of the Christmas tree that remind us of our feeling/experiences as children. It could be the Christmas lights or the sound of carols. Ultimately it is the "intangible heart and soul" that remembers the feelings of Christmas/the holidays.

Holistic learning is a process of ingesting the environment/concept all at once in an intuitive/senses way rather than only the intellect. Children learn through touch, sound, intuition. Babies and children learn through absorption of the total environment rather than part by part.In holistic learning, the child has a grasp of a concept without necessarily knowing the details or even being able to produce anything. It is this type of learning that enables a person to perceive what is going on without necessarily being able to actually say in words what is happening. In learning language, babies are absorbing the environment and understand long before they are able to articulate. Children in general understand feelings even when they do not know exactly what is being said.

So, "knowledge" in this way is not really measurable. Students who learn primarily this way may not always do well on a test. However, given a practical situation they may be able to cope with the problem solving issues that another student going by the textbook answers would be unable to solve. This is how a person can be in a completely foreign country where they do not speak the language,yet be able to communicate and act appropriately without ever learning the customs or being told the protocol. Contrast this with how a person can grow up to be completely unaware of how other people are thinking/feeling/perceiving, or unable to make good judgments. We see this in real life all the time and wonder how to educate children to make wise judgments in the complexities of day to day reality.

Core education is the development of life ability-or talent at life. The definition of the word core is: " the central, innermost, or most essential part of anything." It is core learning that develops the ability to learn which is the essential part of education. Developing life ability involves preserving and nurturing the natural way children learn from birth through their senses.

How can we preserve and nurture sensibility? Essentially, by having awareness of the child's senses and giving credence to them. Dr. Suzuki said:

"Skillfulness in rearing a child comes from knowing and feeling as he (the child) does in his heart."(2)

So this means taking the time and the presence to experience life directly with our children. This includes not thinking of other things when the children are talking and giving the space for the child to enjoy the moment without rushing to the next thing, In this way the child has the time to discover without extra instruction or thinking. We also preserve sensibility by recognizing that the holidays are full of stimulating activities and therefore balancing these activities with quiet feelings and enough sleep.

Find the place of a calm peaceful happy heart inside yourself and notice how your child responds to you. As Dr. Suzuki said:

"The mother's smile is the child's smile."(3)

In music study, the child who learns holistically can play freely without the burden of too much thinking or worrying in the way. Music then becomes a form of direct communication. There are two important things you can do over the holidays:

1. Continue to play the Suzuki recordings. In this way even if the child practices less, they will not forget their pieces, and will be internally memorizing the new pieces to be learned in the coming months. Additionally this provides a consistent environment and motivates them to go to the piano and play their review pieces.

2. Let your child share their music with friends and family. When children can give their music as a gift to others they can learn the joy of giving. You can do this informally, or organize a concert. Also, you can use the video recordings and send to relatives and friends far away with a personal holiday message.

Have a wonderful holiday!
Leah Brammer

Bibliography
1. Sensibility and Education, Dr. Haruko Kataoka, p. xii
2. Ability Development from Age Zero, Dr. Suzuki, p. 23
3. Words for the Day, #2-A collection of 31 sayings by Dr. Suzuki written on shikishi. (See right side of the blog for picture)

The 16th Fryderyk Chopin Competition

2010-10-22T09:49:00.000-07:00

The 16th Fryderyk Chopin Competition in Warsaw finished this week. Many of the most famous pianist in the world including Martha Argerich, Garrick Olson, Maurizio Pollini, Yundi Li,and Krystian Zimmerman have won this competition at the beginning of their career. The admissions committee began it's process in February and the live preliminary auditions were in April. The first stage auditions began on October 3, with the finals finishing on October 20. There were 78 performers to enter the first stage, forty participants went on to stage two, 20 participants were chosen for stage three and 10 performers were selected for the finals. Each stage had specific requirements. The final stage included the concerto with orchestra,

There were so many wonderful pianists from all over the world, and many incredible performances. I feel it is inspirational for piano students to be able to watch these young performers as they begin their careers.
Therefore I would like to share with you excerpt performances of the finalists.
The links to watch their complete performances at the Chopin Competition on the competition website are at the bottom of the post. The audio quality is better on those links, but it is more difficult to get to specific pieces as you cannot fast forward, and there is no embed code for a blog/website. So, I have taken the best clips I could find off You-tube. When you are watching the excepts below, you can click on the full screen button in the far right corner of the video to enlarge the video, and then press the escape key to get back to this blog.

Evgeny Bozhanov, age 26 from Bulgaria is my personal favorite of all the performers. He finished in 4th place. Below are two excepts from his performances:

Next Daniel Trifonov age 20 from Russia came in third place. Interestingly he misses the repeated notes in the very beginning, but goes on to play a wonderful performance.

Next is Lukas Geniusas(spelled wrong on the You-tube link) from Russia/Lituania who at 19 years old tied for second place:

The other second place was Ingolf Wunder, age 26 from Austria:

Next is the first place winner Yulianna Avdeeva age 25 from Russia performing the famous Polanaise op. 53 from the second round of the competition, and then the third movement of the Concerto in e minor in the final round of the competition:

First Place -Juliana Andeeva -Link to third stage performance:
http://konkurs.chopin.pl/en/edition/xvi/video/3_Yulianna_Avdeeva/stage/3

Second Place -Lukas Geniusas -Link to third stage performance:
http://konkurs.chopin.pl/en/edition/xvi/video/14_Lukas_Geniusas/stage/3

Third Place -Danill Trifonov -Link to the third stage performance:
http://konkurs.chopin.pl/en/edition/xvi/video/72_Daniil_Trifonov/stage/3

Fourth Place -Evgeny Bozhaov -Link to third stage performance:
http://konkurs.chopin.pl/en/edition/xvi/video/5_Evgeni_Bozhanov/stage/3

Enjoy!
Leah Brammer

Learning Technologies

2010-09-24T14:30:00.000-07:00

Dr. Suzuki was a big proponent of using technology to provide the best environment for students. He formally began his Talent Education School after World War II in the small farming community of Matsumoto. Students listened to recordings of great artists. As early as the graduation concert in 1953, Dr. Suzuki was listening to tapes of students playing as a part of their graduation process. There are many accounts of how he would awake at 4:00 AM and listen to all of the tapes submitted to him from around Japan. Just from listening to the tapes he would be able to tell specifically how the student was playing, such as holding the bow, bowing, posture, etc. He would give specific advice on how to improve their tone through technique, as well as encouragement, a graduation certificate, and the opportunity to perform in the Graduation concert.
Dr. Kataoka was very interested in the Blu-Ray technology with it's superior sound and video capabilities. She had a collection of famous pianists that had recorded on Blu-Ray. Additionally, all of the 10 Piano Concerts in Matsumoto are professionally recorded, as well as many of the concerts. So, there is a history of openness in the Suzuki Method for using technology as a tool for learning.
Let's research how to use technology to help us create an optimum environment for learning:

1. Recordings: Please use a collection of recordings and make play-lists. These play-lists can be put in various places from the car to the MP3 player, as well as on the iPhone, or burned onto a CD.
It is good to make sure that your child hears pieces they are working on now as well as next month, next year, and even years from now. For example students in Book 1 can listen to pieces in Books 2 and 3, or the graduation level pieces including piano concertos. These pieces can be mixed in to their working pieces, or listened to at special times. Often times in the lesson I will make a specific listening assignment for that week.

2. Video blog: The studio video blog on this website has postings of Suzuki students playing the repertoire beginning as far back as 1996. I am regularly adding to this library. This is a wonderful place for your child to spend time watching and listening to piano students perform:

http://coresuzukipianovideos.blogspot.com

3. You Tube: On my You-tube homepage I have a section devoted to Suzuki repertoire. Some of them are professional pianists, and others are students. I also have piano music sorted by performer, and am beginning to save according to individual pieces. When I am writing blogs, I am researching You Tube and playing it at the same time. This is inspirational to me.

http://www.youtube.com/user/LeahBrammer

4. Recorded lessons: Having a record of the lesson is a very useful tool. The camera is in the best position to be able to see the body balance of the student. When you view the video you can really see the posture, how we are working on it, and how it affects the sound and the playing.
This is more valuable than written notes. For students whose lessons are getting longer it is a good idea to "track" the different sections of the lesson. This way there will be different sections on the video recording that you can view separately. To do this turn the camera to pause and then back to record. For example, the scale, reading, each piece, or a special practice section. This will make it much easier to get directly to the section that is the most useful.

5. Books and Blogs: There are many good books on ability development that have come out in the last couple years. I will be writing some blogs on the book "The Talent Code" by Daniel Coyle. You may be able to get it at your local library.

all the best,
Leah Brammer

Create Ready

2010-09-14T19:39:00.000-07:00

All of us are working on the process of lessons, such as how to arrive with calmness. When I say all of us, I mean myself, the parents that are new to the studio, and the returning parents as well. So, we are really always working on the most important points. To help your child in this endeavor, please make as much quiet listening space as possible for your child before the lesson.

We're focusing attention on the ready - the place of non-action - the place of stillness. Students continue to need this time, and practicing the ready every day creates a habit of becoming still before beginning to play the piano. Ultimately after many years of practice, it develops the ability to become still/focused inside as a conscious choice. Please continue.

When the process of learning is rooted in stillness/calmness, children feel nurtured in the doing rather than rushed, or pushed. This can be difficult to achieve in the middle of a busy schedule! It takes a strong intention to make the time and the place for a child to become still and focused.

This focus is the ready and is the potential for a high level of learning. Teaching this kind of focused attention is teaching how to learn.

At the beginning of this school year -Create Ready

*Please play the recording many hours every day. Internalized sound is a key component of "ready" to speak music.

The New Year

2010-08-20T11:25:00.000-07:00

In August, I usually ask parents to prepare for the new school year by getting organized: ordering books, playing discs, setting routines in place, and establishing good habits. These processes are both important and necessary to provide a good environment for the child. However, with all of these extra things to do, along with taking care of other children, a job to attend to, and various responsibilities, it is easy to be thinking about everything except the child in front of us. Teenagers are often finally able to verbalize this feeling when they exclaim: "You don't listen to me!"

Attention develops Awareness

When we give children our full attention, they feel acknowledged, empowered, important, and nurtured. Attention is totally different from judgment. With total attention we bring awareness to the child. Ultimately it is this awareness that develops through our attention that enables the child to change and grow.
As Dr. Kataoka said:

We must, with effort and perseverance, patiently nurture the ability to concentrate, listen and differentiate.(1)

So, if a parent is texting, e-mailing or other forms of non-attention to the lesson, the child has less awareness for learning. Part of the room is focused on something else. When it is the parent or the teacher that is thinking about other things, it becomes especially difficult for the child to remain focused. If another child is playing with a toy during the lessons it is distracting, however if the adults are focused on the lesson, the child can still concentrate. If another child is reading a book, they are engaging in a similar kind of focus, so it is much easier for the child having the lesson. However, when everyone is watching the student have a lesson, the child can really concentrate well. The child loves this experience and learns to communicate to the other people in the room through the sound of the piano.

The same is true at home. In the book Journey Down the Kreisler Highway (2) violinist and Suzuki teacher Craig Timmerman writes:

Your children will always carry the memory of your working with them each day of their childhood. Can you imagine the warm memory that will be theirs to carry around in later years when they leave home? That memory and knowledge will provide a security and appreciation that will be deeply rooted...It seems that there is always a special bond within families who give this kind of gift to their children. Undoubtedly it will take years for your children to fully appreciate the gift you have given them, but when that realization does come, what strength it will have.

Keiko Ogiwara, former student of Dr. Kataoka and Suzuki teacher says:

"The memories and abilities that the children gain through their music study will be their treasure when they are older, more valuable than anything you can buy."(3)

This "special bond" is nurtured by the attention and focus of the parents without judgment on both their child's home practice and lesson times. With this attention, children can develop a better awareness of their own sound and enter into a "flow" state.

This is a positive psychology concept developed by Mihály Csíkszentmihályi. From Wikipedia: (5)

Flow is the mental state of operation in which a person in an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and success in the process of the activity. According to Csíkszentmihályi, flow is completely focused motivation.

Csíkszentmihályi describes some specific parts of the flow experience. These include the following:
1. Clear reasonably reachable goals.
2. A high level of focus or concentration in a limited area.
3. A disappearance of self-consciousness. That is, a person’s ‘awareness’ joins with the action and that common experience of having a separate sense of observing the self disappears.
4. The subjective sense of time is distorted.
5. Immediate feedback is available to adjust behavior as needed.
6. There is an optimal balance between a person’s ability level and challenge (the activity is neither too easy nor too difficult). So, a person is not overly frustrated nor bored.
7. A sense of personal control over the situation or activity.
8. The activity is intrinsically rewarding. The activity is worth doing for its own sake.

This 'flow' state leads to the best performances when the child can fully express their self and communicate with their audience.

It is important to distinguish between attention that develops awareness, which fosters intrinsic motivation; and attention that accompanies judgment (be it positive or negative) which is a type of extrinsic motivation. In one of my earlier posts, "Affirm, Motivate, and Inspire" (4) I discuss how extrinsic rewards diminish motivation:

"I believe this is partially because the child looses their sense of autonomy and feels controlled rather than nurtured and supported. The question then is not whether to use a "carrot or a stick" to influence a child's behavior, but how can we preserve and nurture intrinsic motivation? Think about a baby learning to walk. It's great when parents are happy that the child is trying to walk, but it is also obvious that the child is trying to walk because they are driven to do so. I have never known a parent to give candy to a child if they took an extra step!"

Although it may seem contrary in terms, I would define this process of a baby learning to walk as a "flow" experience. Likewise, it is important that students are motivated intrinsically to develop their awareness and ability to communicate through music.

Providing the best environment means holding the space for concentration by looking and listening and noticing and acknowledging. This awareness enables you to give the child an affirmation or acknowledgment of what you are observing. This increases their their ability to learn and improve without the emotional roller coaster of good and bad. The intrinsic motivation to play the piano is strengthened through this experience. This is Positive Affirmation.

We can develop children's music ability by fostering their inner awareness. In doing so, we will surely help them develop their Life Ability.
The resolution for the New Year is concentration.
The intention is the development of awareness.
"It is the readiness of the mind that is wisdom." Shinryu Suzuki (6)

Bibliography/links
1. From Piano Basics Newsletter Volume 2.6 November/December 1997
in the article "Prince Shotoku and Pianists"
2. "Journey Down the Kreisler Highway-Reflections on the teachings of Shinichi Suzuki" by Craig Timmerman published 1987.
3. From a speech given at the Sacramento Suzuki Piano Friendship Concert-August 15, 2010
4. From this blog "Core Suzuki Piano", the article "Affirm, Motivate, and Inspire" published January 2010
5. Flow Theory:
Wikipedia
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi: Creativity, fulfillment and flow from Ted Talks on You-Tube
6. "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind" by Shunnru Suzuki, page 113

*Thanks to my daughter Bria Long for editing this post.

28_Twinkle Lessons: Learn by Heart, Play by heart

2010-05-20T18:51:00.002-07:00

At this time it is important to review, absorb, and finish. It is the end of the school year physically, mentally, and emotionally. The goal to the end is to be doing the most important learning in the present moment.

In the last blog I discussed the importance of Transfer in Learning. The students are in the process of transferring the ability they have developed in their Twinkles to the Right Hand pieces. Additionally, they are acquiring the left hand skills with very little instruction because they are transferring the learning from the Right Hand.

Also important in the development of ability is the contextual variety or differences in the pieces. For example, Clair de Lune and Long Ago both start with the first note repeated and then go up from the Do to the Re. Another example which is coming up for the students is Little Playmates and Allegretto II which begin with the same notes and same basic rhythm.
This challenges the student to differentiate between the two songs. Through repeated listening and practice they will be able to do this easily without confusion. This is the natural outcome of pattern recognition development that is discussed in the blog Ability Development and Pattern Recognition. This is done first aurally, then physically, and they also may be using some mental discriminators such as Clair de Lune has 3 repeated notes and Long Long ago has 2 repeated notes. By memorizing the aural patterns and connecting them physically and mentally they are internalizing patterns in a very different way from students who learn to read symbols and depend on the visual cue to "know" which notes to play. So, in addition to developing the ability to recognize patterns, we are developing the ability to understand the relationships between those patterns much like putting together words and sentences. They are able to "speak" and thus have a fluency and security in their playing. This is a much deeper knowledge/ability than having a piece "memorized."

Through playing the disc many hours each day we provide the most important part of the process for the child to be able to learn all of these skills.
It's amazing really how complex it is what they have to learn, contrasted with how simple it is to provide the right environment for natural learning.

After the student can play the correct notes with accuracy and tone it is important to help them keep the steady beat. The easiest way to do this is to continue to sing the solfege - not to help them find the notes or fingering -but to help them keep from slowing down or speeding up. At lessons I do this by playing with the student. Also we are working on deep and light sounds. This is the same as natural inflection in speech. It is good to mark the places where I am demonstrating deep and light sounds in your score and then you can sing in that same way at the home practice. This will help them to feel the beat and rhythm, and thus will help their music have "feeling". This is discussed in more detail in the blog "On the rhythm"

At the beginning of year I wrote "Fertilizing the roots" which refers to the idea of reinforcing the most basic concepts upon which the framework of learning is developed.
The roots have been fertilized well. The students have good posture, and good ready position.The students can produce a good tone and move their fingers. They understand how to listen to singing/playing and copying the sound. They can play many pieces, and are learning the left hand. They have their unique preferences and abilities too. This is also natural and part of individual sensibility that teachers and parents must always be aware of. Dr. Kataoka's book Sensibility and Education is a wonderful book to have and to read.

Now is a good time to affirm everything that they can do when they play piano. The concept of affirmation is presented in the blog "Affirm, Motivate, and Inspire" and is one of the Seven Principles of Core Education. This affirmation will help them understand on the emotional level (without the need for external rewards) how much they have really learned this year. As they practice, point out all of the skills they can do. It is not necessary to say that they are "good" or even "did a good job", but only to affirm what they can do. Also, please affirm the process such as "you are able to do that spot 10x now" . That is the most important point to bring to their awareness now. Intrinsically, they will grow from this understanding. Emotional growth is part of Integral Learning which is written about in this blog: Twinkle Lessons: Integral Learning.

In January 2009 I wrote an article on integral learning to the teachers in Philadelphia before traveling there to teach. Here is an excerpt from that blog which is relevant to the point we are at now:

Dr. Suzuki's famous quote "Character then ability" points to the recognition of developing the emotional and spiritual quadrants. In fact, the whole true way of "Talent Education" is to enable the student to develop physically, emotionally and spiritually as well as mentally.

"Playing by heart" is not just memorization. It is not just physically being able to play the notes without looking at the music. It has to do with what is going on inside when a person is playing. This is mysterious isn't it? For example, if we teach physical with mostly verbal/mental directions, students are probably thinking "move your fingers, drop your shoulder, don't drop your head, etc. etc." If we teach how to "interpret" the musical score with directions instead of teaching through sound, students are possibly thinking "Get louder here, slow down here, ...etc"
If we do not help the students achieve enough ability before a performance, we can feel/hear them get nervous when the hard part comes.

When you see a great performer, do you think they are thinking/feeling this way? Can we teach "playing by heart" through teaching students many things to think?
Dr. Suzuki called this way "playing with heart tone", which is in essence the place where the sound and the awareness are one without interfering thought.

With our best intentions and effort the children can play by heart at every practice, every lesson, and every performance. This is optimum learning.
Piano Ability is Life Ability

*Please enjoy the performances on the right side of this blog. The two performances are an excellent example of ability development, the concept of transfer, and playing by heart. Katie performed the Beethoven Moonlight Sonata 3rd movement for her level 9 Graduation performance, and the Beethoven Concerto #3, 1st mvt. for her level 10 Graduation performance.
**All the best to the Atlanta teachers and students on the upcoming Graduation Concerts. A Special Congratulations to Marjorie Saviano and her wonderful teacher Robin Blankenship. Marjorie will be performing the Beethoven Concerto #3 for her level 10 graduation. performance.

27_Twinkle Lessons: Ability Development and the Concept of Transfer

2010-05-04T15:15:00.000-07:00

Recitals and concerts are very important points in the learning process. They solidify and accelerate the learning because their importance makes them memorable, and the connection between the preparation and the performance becomes internalized.

What is important after a recital is to utilize the learning from the recital by transferring the ability into the new pieces. In the Book Intelligent Music Teaching Robert Duke explains the concept of transfer:

"The Application of acquired knowledge and skills in situations other than those in which the knowledge and skills were originally learned is called transfer of learning."

He discusses the importance of educators always asking themselves the question "Why is it important for students to learn this now?" By teaching and emphasizing only the most important point at a given point in time in the learning process, students are able to learn the fundamental skill that will transfer into the new pieces. This of course involves repetition of the specific skill.

Just now the students can play Twinkles with good ready, good posture, good technique, and good tone. As you can see from the lessons this week I will continue to ask them to improve their Twinkle technique. It is also time to transfer their ability to the pieces in Book 1. The repertoire is uniquely suited to developing ability because the pieces contain multiple opportunities to transfer the knowledge and gain fluency through this process. You may notice when your child is learning a new piece that their sound is now legato even when they are just learning the notes, and that their hand position is naturally above the keyboard. We can facilitate this transfer by helping them discover similarities and pointing out times when you observe them using skills from a previous piece on the newer pieces.

The transfer of ability into the next piece, the next book, the next level of complexity, is through the process of fostering, nurturing, natural learning, and critical to ability development.

This last week I worked on keeping the "thumb up" with some of the students. This is only one small point but allows the whole hand to stay over the keys and the fingers to be able to move. The new pieces coming up -Clair de Lune, Long Ago and Little Playmates all start on the thumb so this is the appropriate time to solidify this ability and spot the beginnings of the pieces.

How the students are learning the left hand is another good example of the use of transfer. They "know" how they are supposed to hold the arm and move their fingers, but the physical skill has to be developed. So, in this case the contextual similarity of the right hand and left hand will enable them to acquire the ability much more quickly than when they learned the right hand. That said, since the students are right handed the left hand may require more development to become fluid. Repetition is the important key here.
Dr. Duke says about repetition:

"Through consistent, productive repetition over time, the physical and intellectual habits of musicianship become learned to the point that they are somewhat automatic and require less and less conscious though on the part of the learner. All competent musicians have skills in their repertoire that have been rehearsed to a level of automaticity that requires little effort or thought. For example, when it's time to play, the body and the instrument "go to playing position" without a great deal of thought on the part of the performer."

Contextural variety or differences are important too. Pieces that have the same rhythmic feeling at the beginning such as Go Tell Aunt Rody and French Children's Song, but have different pitches develop learning off similarities and differences. Long Long Ago and Clair de Lune together teach this same concept of similarities and differences because they both start on the same note and both go up at the beginning of the melody, but have different rhythms.
The optimum environment for human beings to learn and to transfer that learning into ability arises out these abilities which have become internalized. Eckart Tolle,author of A new Earth and The Power of Now says:

"Do you think that when Rembrandt was painting, he stood there with a brush in his hand thinking, "Okay, I wonder what my next brushstroke is going to be. If I put it there then it may clash with that. I'm not quite sure, but maybe two more centimeters to the right, let's measure it. It might look better over . . ." Creativity arises out of the state of thoughtless presence in which you are much more awake than when you are engrossed in thinking."

This kind of awareness/ability is taught through helping students transfer knowledge/ability from one situation or piece to the next. Again Dr. Duke says:

"If the goal of education is that students learn to use knowlege and skills effectively in the future, even in unfamiliar circumstances, then transfer must be defined as the goal of instruction."

As we continue to learn piece by piece we are focusing on core ability development that is transferable immediately in the new piece. accessible as a habit/ability that we use spontaneously.

Links:
Google Scholar search on Transfer in Learning Transfer in Learning The first article listed from International Encyclopedia of Education is a good general description.

Intelligent Music Teaching by Dr. Robert Duke, director of the Center for Music Learning at The University of Texas at Austin:

Other articles I have written on Ability Development:

Ability Development and Pattern Recognition
Ability Development and the Growth Mindset

Link to the final Twinkle Lessons Blog in this 2009-2010 Series

26 - Ability Development and pattern recognition

2010-04-09T14:17:00.000-07:00

There are many resources to validate that music lessons of varying types increase intelligence. If you Google "music and cognitive development", there are no less than 4,000,000 articles.
Websites I found ranged from sites which want you to buy a listening CD, to research papers at various Universities including the MIT research site where I found 1,830 articles on music and cognitive development.

The question then is: How can we optimize music learning so that core ability is developed?
What is the link between learning music and cognition? After thinking upon this for a long time I have come to the conclusion that the most basic link between music and cognition as well as the link to physical and emotional learning is pattern recognition.
A very good explanation of pattern recognition is from the Intelligencetest website:

"Out of all mental abilities this type of intelligence is said to have the highest correlation with the general intelligence factor, g. This is primarily because pattern recognition is the ability to see order in a chaotic environment; the primary condition for life. Patterns can be found in ideas, words, symbols and images and pattern recognition is a key determinant of your potential in logical, verbal, numerical and spatial abilities. It is essential for reasoning because your capacity to think logically is based on your perception of the logic around you. Your pattern recognition skills are expressed verbally through your long term exposure to language and your mathematical and spatial abilities are based on your perception of numerical data and 3D objects."

Learning piano through the Suzuki method uniquely develops pattern recognition. This is done first aurally, then physically, and then through making the visual connections to the sound and the tactile sense. Additionally through repeated listening, "understanding" develops of the smallest pattern which is repeated in many variations as well as the a sense of the larger patterns such as whole pieces, movements and larger works. When Suzuki students memorize the aural patterns and connect them physically and mentally they are internalizing patterns in a very different way from students who learn to read symbols and depend on the visual cue to "know" which notes to play. So, in addition to developing the ability to recognize patterns, music study develops the ability to understand the relationships between those patterns, and to be able to create from this level of understanding.

As students are learning the melodies of the pieces in Suzuki Book 1 they are learning the pattern sequences of the notes - going up/going down/repeating the same sound. They are learning the similarities and differences of these patterns for the phrases in a piece, and also the form of the whole piece. They can play many different pieces. As they internalize the patterns, they are working on the quality of the sound and how to use the body to get the best sound. This way, the knowledge from the repetitions becomes ability and the *implicit learning about the patterns becomes actualized. This is important to note, because it is the self-discovery and experience of playing the patterns that develops the ability.

Through this process the framework is developed for the more advanced pieces. It is much better to take time to develop the solid basics and then the children can progress naturally with ease and ability. This is truly what Dr. Suzuki meant when he said these two important phrases:

"Knowledge plus 10,000 times equals ability"
"Raise your ability on a piece you can play."

In Daniel Pink's book "A Whole New Mind", he proposes what he considers to be the necessary qualities to be successful as society changes from "the information age" to "the conceptual age":

"Symphony, as I call this aptitude, is the ability to put together the pieces. It is the capacity to synthesize rather than to analyze; to see relationships between seemingly unrelated fields; to detect broad patterns rather than to deliver specific answers; and to invent something new by combining elements nobody else thought to pair.

Psychologist Daniel Goleman in his book "Working with Emotional Intelligence" writes about a study of executives at fifteen large companies:

"Just one cognitive ability distinguished star performers from average: pattern recognition, the 'big picture' thinking that allows leaders to pick out meaningful trends from a welter of information around them and and to think strategically far into the future."

I firmly believe that all students who begin piano at a young age and with the right environment can learn to perform a full piano concerto by memory in collaboration with an orchestra and at the same time have an individual expression before they finish high school. I already have seen many students do this. By setting these aspirations for the children and giving them the steps to achieve these goals over each week, each month, year, and ultimately their childhood, we are creating patterns of work, dedication, enjoyment, and success that will enable them to be adults who envision and create their life.

Piano Ability is Life Ability!
Children are so wonderful,
Leah Brammer

Implicit Learning: This kind of learning has been called various names including ‘learning by osmosis’, ‘thinking without thinking’, ‘the adaptive unconscious’, and also 'natural learning'.

Links to Music Learning and Cognitive Ability information
Here is a short one from Science Direct:
The Effect of Early Music Training on Child Cognitive Development
This article mentions the studies being done on students at a Suzuki School in Canada:
Effects of Music on the Brain
Here is another one:
"Higher Intelligence through Music"
The idea of listening to music to increase spatial reasoning was popularized as the Mozart Effect:
Wikipedia on Mozart Effect

Click Here for a Link to the next Twinkle Lessons Blog

25_Twinkle Lessons and Core Education

2010-03-26T15:43:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,
The students can play many pieces now. We are balancing learning new repertoire with developing skills and habits. Please keep the focus on the most important points to continue to progress and develop ability:

1. Life Ability-Spend as much time on the ready position as possible in every practice. This will develop awareness and intention.
2. Natural Learning-Listen to the disc as much as possible in every 24 hour period.
3. Whole Learning-Continue to encourage free time at the piano while differentiating the practice time with more discipline.
4. Integral Learning- Focus on the inspirational quadrant by listening to performances from the Core Studio video blog, and disc for books 2 and 3.
5. Ability Development-Help your child connect moving their fingers with the sound they are making. This is possible when the ready position is good so that the hand is relaxed and the mind is focused. Do repetitions on the assigned spots and ask for moving fingers.
6. Core Focus-The most important point to come back to at this time is "ready".
7. Positive Affirmation-Everyone is making progress. Progress is not necessarily in a "straight line". We are learning balance and depth at the same time we are moving forward.

These are the seven principles of core education.
all the best,
Leah Brammer

Click Here for a link to the next Twinkle Lessons Blog

24_Twinkle Lessons: On the Rhythm

2010-03-19T10:48:00.001-07:00

As the children enjoy finding the notes to the songs, they will sometimes speed up on the sections that they know well. and slow down or skip over other parts of the piece. It is important to help them learn how to keep a steady rhythm after they are fluent in the notes.

Rhythm is a natural part of life, and life ability. The word rhythm comes from the Greek word 'rhythmos" and means "flow". Our heartbeat is a natural pulse. We breathe in a rhythm. The earth has daily, monthly, yearly (etc) rhythms. Our lives evolve around daily rhythms. It is quite natural for children to play music with good rhythm. We do not have to "teach" it.

My good friend and colleague Robin Blankenship sent me an article about research being done on babies concerning rhythm. The article They Got Rhythm: Study of babies finds" supports previous research showing that infants respond to rhythm and keep a beat or pulse with their body. This article has a video of the testing being done on infants which is interesting.

Another article, "Newborn Infants detect the beat in Music" published in the National Academy of Sciences in 2008 goes into more detail with measuring electrical brain responses that even show infants responding to downbeats and omission of downbeats.

Our job then is to preserve this natural ability to feel rhythm and apply it while playing piano. So, we need to be aware that as soon as the mind becomes too busy thinking about what to do, the natural feeling diminishes.

Rhythm has different parts. There is the steady beat which creates the underlying pulse. The meter represented by the time signature at the beginning of the piece makes groups of deep and light sounds out of the steady beat. So, if the meter is 3 beats per measure, beat one is the deep sound and beat 3 is the lighter sound. These groupings are the basic component of meter and provide the base upon which the individual rhythm of the piece is set. For example, Twinkle has 4 beats in each group or measure, and Cuckoo has 3 beats (like a waltz). It is not important for the children to "know" this, but as adults it is good to be aware of it at this point as you are listening. See if you can tell when you are listening if you hear/feel duple (2 or 4 beats) or triple (3 beats) groupings. We will be working on this in the near future. The term "rhythm" then refers to the individual short and long sounds in a piece, but also generally means the beat, the meter and the individual rhythm as one whole.

In group class the children were easily able to clap the beat, and then lightly clap the rhythm of several Book 1 pieces. Please do this at home as well. It is not necessary to make it part of the regular practice, but on occasion as you are listening to the disc. We will continue doing this in the group class.

The best way to develop the child's ability to be able to stay on the rhythm while playing the piano is for the teacher to play with the student in the lessons. Sometimes it may seem that there is not much "teaching" going on during these times. This is the next step for the child after they have learned the notes. It is not really beneficial for the child to play with the disc. The disc cannot adapt to the natural tempo the child is ready to play on. Also there is no "ready-go" so the child cannot come in accurately on the the rhythm. Therefore, the time at the lesson to play together with the teacher is vitally important.

Please continue to have your child get ready before playing when you are practicing with them. Of course they can also have time at the piano which is "free time".
By getting ready on each note of the twinkles, on each spot, phrase and piece, they are developing the ability to start on the rhythm. By getting ready each time, they are developing the habit of finding good body balance and concentration before playing. This is the first essential step to having good rhythm It is much easier to keep a rhythm once it is started. Actually it is impossible to have good rhythm if it is not started at the beginning. The beginning of the piece is crucial for setting the rhythm so please observe the way that you say "go". Practice how you say "go" so that the word "go" sounds like the way a conductor of an orchestra looks when they start the orchestra. If you imagine this it will help.

When you sing solfege as the child plays you are also helping them to keep a natural rhythm. You can say: "let's stay together as you play and I sing". Next you can lightly tap the steady beat. If they have trouble then it is probably a part of the piece they need to spot practice (separate from playing the whole piece), because they are unsure or unable to play the correct notes in rhythm on that part.

It is important to introduce the concept of keeping the steady beat after the child can play the notes well. This includes playing with good body balance, and good tone. The concept of sequencing skills to present the most important point at the appropriate time is the "core focus principle of nurturing", and is one of the seven principles of Core Education

So, please do not try to have them keep the steady beat on the pieces they are just learning. Dr. Suzuki said :

"Raise your ability on a piece you can play."

Helping the children keep a steady beat on the pieces they can already play is a good example of what he meant in that statement.

For Further Reading:
*"How To Teach Beginners" by Dr. Katoaka: Part 4 General Considerations in Book 1

Click Here for a Link to the Next Twinkle Lessons Blog

23_Twinkle Lessons: Visual Sensibility-Eyes to hear

2010-03-03T22:12:00.000-08:00

When a musician looks at a score they hear the music internally. The musician doesn't think "That is a G, the next note goes up, hold that note for 2 beats" etc. Printed music is a picture of the sound in the best way we know how to represent it.

In the book Reading by Ear by Cathy Hargrave discusses her conversations with Dr. Suzuki about reading when she was studying in Matsumoto:

"One morning, I was in the main lobby of the Talent Education Institute when Dr. Suzuki arrived. He led me by the arm to a nearby sofa and firmly declared, "Of course, Suzuki students learn to read." He began explaining his Mother Tongue Approach, its application to musical instruction, and the natural progression into reading musical notation. The following paragraphs are a brief account of parts of the conversation: Before reading begins, introduce it into the environment. Thus far, the student has learned all pieces by a combination of ear and repetition, so only the parent has used the music book. Begin leaving Volume One and other familiar volumes of the Suzuki repertoires in plain sight of the child so s/he may browse through them. Make casual comments about the book whenever appropriate during lessons and practice sessions."

So here we have in the closest possible terms what Dr. Suzuki told us about how to introduce reading in the Suzuki method. Cathy Hargrave's book goes on to explain the next steps Dr. Suzuki discusses in beginning reading.

When the Suzuki book is used as a reference in lessons and at home, the children will develop a natural curiosity about it. This is exactly the same in regard to children's readiness to read English. They first observe reading in the environment. They have books read to them. This develops motivation.

There is so much that the child can learn about reading a musical score through observing others reading, and by having the books in the environment for reference. This is part of the whole learning environment and happens naturally without actually "teaching" anything. By using the book in lessons and practice, the child will experience that their Suzuki Book 1 has every piece represented with a visual copy of the sound and how to play it with the correct fingerings. They gradually gain awareness that each dot on the score represents one sound. They will glean that the music is read from left to right, top to bottom. The sounds are placed on lines - the staff, and they go up and down -pitch by placement as higher/lower on the staff. By having the sound internalized and looking at the score, the rhythm will begin to look like it sounds with longer notes taking up more horizontal space.
In this way, they understand the score holistically first. They will be able to look at the score and hear the music inside their mind. This is possible because they are not thinking about how long does that dot last, or the name of the note. The symbols translate directly into sound.

The Suzuki book is the best place to keep your notes. It becomes a kind of memory book. You can write down dates that you started or performed a piece for example. Please use the book to mark spots and main points, solfege and how to practice. You can use the score to write notes on and look at during the lesson, and use at practice.
It is good to have another copy on the piano that is your child's copy. I will refer to it during the lesson, opening it to circle a spot, show a whole note, or to point out a fingering to you and play the correct fingering. You can then mark the same spot in your score. Then, we can close the book and play. This gives an important message to the child that the book has importance and is a visual reference.

Because of this developing readiness it may be unclear at exactly what point the child is "reading" - that is to say looking at the score and internally hearing the sound. (as different from reading and playing at the same time) We will begin using a separate book for reading around the beginning of Suzuki Book 2. This will give the child experience playing and reading at the same time. We will learn all the names for the notes rhythms and symbols. This will be easy for them because they already know the sound.

An important point to insure that a child will be able to read a musical score and play at the same time is to develop their playing independent of the visual sense. This means they can physically create the sound they have internalized without looking at their hand all of the time. The kinesthetic/aural connection must be fully developed first, then reading while playing at the same time will be successful. When the ability to play with a good sound and basic skills is established, the child then is free to devote the visual sense to the printed symbols.

Because of this early period of creating reading readiness while the child is developing the physical/aural skills in playing piano, the reading process will unfold naturally. Most importantly, the visual sensibility of the child will directly put the symbols into sound without having to translate into the mental realm such as "Every Good Boy Does Fine-that's an F" etc. The ability to have direct translation from symbol to sound is what makes a fluent reader.

References and further research:
Reading by Ear - Cathy Hargrave - This is a link to my Recommended Books page where you can link to purchase this book from Young Musicians.
Principles for Implicit Learning - a good article on learning, and the development of knowledge frameworks.
The promotion of explicit and implicit learning strategies in English instruction: a necessary aim? I found this while writing this blog. This is my reading for the week. It is an in depth look at language acquisition and includes implicit learning as well as flow theory.

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22_Twinkle Lessons: Freedom, Individuality and Structure

2010-02-25T17:59:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents,
The recital was really wonderful in so many ways. The children were all happy to be a part of the recital. They listened intently to the performances. The picture session at the end of the recital made all of the students feel important and nurtured. The performances are uploaded to the Core Studio Video Blog. The photos are posted on the Core Studio Photo Gallery. I hope you and the children enjoy looking at them.

I noticed this week the students were eager to play new pieces. I tried to let them play without giving them too many instructions. This can be difficult for adults to do. It's good to remember how important this is to preserving the intrinsic drive/motivation.

This preservation of the freedom of the child is a large part of the Montessori method:

"If it were necessary to compress the description of the principles of the Montessori method into a single phrase, perhaps the most comprehensive would be that it was a method based on Liberty in a prepared Environment."
from Dr. Montessori's writings

Similarly, in Suzuki lessons, the child is motivated by the "prepared environment"- (listening to the disc many hours a day, attending recitals, observing other students lessons, singing solfege, group classes, having an in tune quality instrument to play on.) The child can then freely learn to play the songs they hear. When the student is intrinsically motivated to create the sounds they hear, they will try as many times as needed to acquire the right sound, as long as there is no outside interference or instruction.

The Book 1 pieces are also an integral part of this "prepared environment". In "A Montessori Handbook" EC Orem discusses the development of the child through a multi-sensory approach with carefully structured materials in her method:

"The didactic (teaching) material, in fact, does not offer to the child the 'content' of the mind, but the Order for the "content". It causes him to distinguish identities from differences, extreme differences from fine gradations, and to classify, under conceptions of quality and of quantity...The mind has formed itself by a special exercise of attention, observing, comparing, and classifying."

This exactly describes the material in the Twinkles and Book 1 pieces. They are the raw material from which the children learn tonal patterns, harmonic patterns, phrases, rhythms, the rudimentary elements or framework in the language of music.

Individual children will use these beginning materials differently. Some students will learn the pieces in the exact order of the book, phrase by phrase with the help of their parent singing the solfege. Other children will pick out songs solely by ear near the end of the book, then come back to other pieces in a seemingly random order. It is important to allow this process to unfold naturally. It is the child's individual sensibility and motivation that we preserve this way.

The ability is then developed with the assistance of a mentor who gives the right instruction at the right time to aid in the growth of the child. The teacher is coming "behind" the student working on body balance, working on tone, making sure the basics are taken care of. It may be important for the teacher to hear the "new" piece in order that the child feels listened to, and it is a good way for the teacher to evaluate what skills are becoming part of the child's ability to play. The majority of the teachers time is spent developing ability on what the child already can do.

In terms of giving instructions to the child R.C. Orem says about Dr. Montessori's approach:
"Montessori says the teacher should "count her words," that is utilize carefully chosen words purposefully."
In her book Sensibility and Education, Dr. Kataoka says:
"The senses cannot be taught anything with verbal explanations."

The natural body balance and tactile sense is related to the sound so that the child learns through the senses. The instructions are by example, with only a few words, and are the most fundamental point at that moment to allow for maximum learning. This is very much like using composted organic soil amendments for plant health rather than trying to force growth with high nitrogen fertilizers.

It is important to make sure our instructions are really focused on THE most critical point that will enable quality, ease of learning, and skill development. Understanding and utilizing the most fundamental point in instructing students is both subtle and critically important to maximizing learning and avoiding over teaching. This Basics principle of skill development is one of the seven Core Education principles.

So, the way of knowing how to help the child is to always to start with the most basic point. Dr. Kataoka used to use the analogy of building a house to explain this to teachers -You do not want to put the walls on before the foundation of the house is strong.

Skills develop in a spiral so that we are always coming back to the most basic point-internalized sound/intention/ready. So, even at an advanced level of playing such as when a student is playing a concerto with orchestra, we are working on the bow, the ready position, the tone. Of course the balance between the orchestra and the piano, the phrasing, the concept of the whole are all necessary as well, but not possible without continuing to reinforce the most basic points. There is then this basics level of ability that must always be increasing in depth to enable the horizontal progression of advancing levels of difficulty.

Each week I will listen to your child play and will seek to find the most basic point that will produce the best result. Sometimes I will try different words to see what effect they have. I may try different ideas before I determine what is best. If you can understand how the instruction is uniquely suited to the child at that moment, you can really enable your child with the help you give them, and avoid the trap of too many instructions which make the child feel controlled.
Please use the Core Practice Assignment Sheet Books 1-2 (also under the right sidebar Practice Sheets) to help create structure in the weekly assignment. Beside each piece you can list a single focus point. As the lesson evolves you will notice there is one main focus point for the week. Please notate these few things on the assignment sheet to help you in practice. Remember it is not necessary to fix everything you see/hear that could be better. Please use the focus points from the lesson to help you from over instructing. You can mark the boxes to show how much each piece is played during the week. Naturally the child will be drawn to certain pieces at certain times. It is good to honor this, and also to make sure they are playing the pieces they already know well in order to develop their physical ability to produce good tone.
It's always a balance between freedom and structure.

all the best,
Leah Brammer

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21_Recital Preparation

2010-02-17T14:50:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents,
The most important point to know about preparing for a performance is that it is exactly the same as every day practice! Day by day the student is building general skill as well as deepening their understanding/knowledge of the particular piece they are playing.

Before a performance the practice should have become easy. Do all of the spots many times. Practice slowly, hands separate. Practice with metronome if assigned. Memorize tempo by playing the beginning phrase/part many times. Practice the ending. Go through the same process that has been assigned in previous weeks.

At the lesson before the performance there are no "new" points. This way the piece will be internalized and feel easy without lots of things to remember.

In the few days before the recital teachers and parents can help focus attention on the sound.
For example, "Listen for the the deep and light sounds." It is good to make the instruction on listening one holistic point rather than several different points of listening to remember. When the child is able to go directly to the sound awareness they will be able to concentrate in the performance environment.

It is not useful to play the piece through at the performance tempo hands together many times. This can actually create anxiety about performing when the student makes a mistake, or the quality goes down.

It is useful to practice the performance aspects of the recital ahead: Bow, get ready, play the beginning, play the ending, bow, walk off stage. This gives the child a sense of the whole performance.

It is also good to let the child focus on their performance piece 2 or 3 days ahead of the recital, without working on the other parts of the practice (technique, new pieces, review, reading.) This will also enable them to spend more time on the piece.

This is a critical time for repeat listening of the performance piece only on low volume. This will make playing the piece very familiar and natural for the child. It gives the student freedom to create the piece as they want it to sound.

On the day before and day of the recital it is good to take care of the basics carefully-enough sleep, good food, good feelings, practice, space to relax, and enough time to get ready and drive without rushing. It takes a whole day to do the best preparation. This is an important ability to foster in the child: preparation- the process of making ready.

20_Ability Development and the Growth mindset

2010-02-10T09:14:00.000-08:00

Here is a quote from Alfred Binet, the inventor of the IQ test in the early 20th century:

"A few modern philosophers...assert that an individual's intelligence is a fixed quantity, a quantity which cannot be increased. We must protest and react against this brutal pessimism...With practice, training, and above all, method, we manage to increase our attention, our memory, our judgment and literally to become more intelligent than we were before."

It is interesting that the Binet-Simon scale was adopted in the US and has come to represent a number which defines a persons "fixed" intelligence.

Dr. Carol Dweck, a psychologist at Stanford, has written the book mindset: The new psychology of success. She defines two types of mindsets about learning-Fixed mindset and Growth mindset. A fixed mindset is one in which you believe your intelligence or the "way I am" is "fixed" or not changeable, and a growth mindset is one is which you believe that you can develop talent/ability/habits with practice.

Her documented research over many years shows just how much a persons mindset affects their ultimate ability to learn. When students believe that intelligence is fixed they are set up to need to prove their intelligence, do not want understand the value of working hard, and become fearful of mistakes which would make them look dumb. Their thinking is "If you have to work at something, you must not be good at it" and "things come easily to people who are true geniuses."

One of the interesting parts of this book is the research on how much praising children about their intelligence negatively effects their performance. She says: "If success means they're smart, then failure means they're dumb...If parents want to give their children a gift, the best thing they can do is to teach their children to love challenges, be intrigued by mistakes, enjoy effort, and keep on learning. That way their children don't have to be slaves of praise. They will have a lifelong way to build and repair their own confidence. "

How do we "teach" effort and determination? As I said in the last blog, infants and toddlers already have an intense amount of determination and drive. Our job is to preserve it by not praising results which focuses the child on getting praise for being smart or fast, and instead appreciate the process of repetition and effort. Dr. Dweck says:

"When we say to children, "Wow, you did that so quickly!" or "Look, you didn't make any mistakes!" what message are we sending? We are telling them that what we prize are speed and perfection. Speed and perfection are the enemy of difficult learning."

Dr. Suzuki says: "Knowledge plus 10,000 times equals ability." Malcom Gladwells book "Outliers: The story of success" second chapter is entitled "The 10,000 hour rule."
He discusses several breakthrough thinkers/performers/achievers from Mozart to Bill Gates. In each case he approximates it took them 10, 000 hours to acquire "true expertise". In Mozart's example he cites the point that his "masterworks" were composed at age 21 and later, after he had been composing full pieces for over ten years. He also points to the variable of opportunity (environment) and shows how each great achiever had the right opportunity at the right time.

Last week I attended the Piano Basics Workshop in Phoenix Arizona where I had a lesson. It must seem so odd to think after thirty years of studying and teaching Suzuki piano, I am taking a lesson on Twinkles. Yet each time there is something new to learn and improve, and I come back motivated to continue practicing and working to improve my tone.

There were several students in the workshop who are now graduated from high school and still coming to the workshops to study and perform. I believe one of them is majoring in piano, the others are not. To me this shows how wonderful the Suzuki method is! The students after all this time are still studying piano because they did not grow up only practicing for the next competition, but instead for their own learning, to participate in non-competitive graduations which are based on skill acquisition, to play together with others in a 10 piano concert, or for a Friendship concert. They have a lifelong love for music and sound they hasn't ended when they graduated from high school and listed their competitions on their college application.

A growth mindset enables a person to continue to improve even after they are already one of the "best" in their field. It sustains intrinsic motivation by keeping alive the drive to learn for self-
improvement and for a sense of contribution and purpose. This is Life Ability - the ability to live life optimally.

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19_Twinkle Lessons: Affirm, Motivate, Inspire

2010-01-27T10:30:00.000-08:00

It has been rainy cloudy weather for many days now here in California. However, for the last 3 years California has been in a drought. I could say "I have not been able to go outside for many days", or I could say "The rain is very good for the plants and it is becoming very green on the hills." Both would be "true." I also could say "The sky is clear" ignoring the rain and hoping that the weather would change. This might serve to make me feel better. When I focus on the green healthy plants I am accepting the situation as it is and I also feel grateful that we are not in a drought.

When working with children, affirming the positive aspects of the situation does much more than make the child feel better. It also serves as a positive feedback loop. By telling the child; "when you moved your finger that time the sound was much better", you are helping the child to connect their actions with the result in a way that enables them to learn faster. This ability to learn and improve is the primary motivating factor for the child. By giving the child an affirmation of what they are doing correctly, we are increasing their ability to learn and improve. Positive affirmation is one of the seven principles of core education

This is very different concept than the "carrot and stick" approach of "positive/negative reinforcement." A simple example of "positive reinforcement" would be: "If you practice with good concentration for 15 minutes you can watch TV".

There is a fascinating new book (December 2009)by Daniel H. Pink entitled Drive - The surprising Truth About What Motivates Us
Publishers weekly writes this review:
"According to Pink (A Whole New Mind), everything we think we know about what motivates us is wrong. He pits the latest scientific discoveries about the mind against the outmoded wisdom that claims people can only be motivated by the hope of gain and the fear of loss. Pink cites a dizzying number of studies revealing that the "carrot and stick approach" can actually significantly reduce the ability of workers to produce creative solutions to problems. What motivates us once our basic survival needs are met is the ability to grow and develop, to realize our fullest potential. Case studies of Google's "20 percent time" (in which employees work on projects of their choosing one full day each week) and Best Buy's "Results Only Work Environment" (in which employees can work whenever and however they choose—as long as they meet specific goals) demonstrate growing endorsement for this approach. A series of appendixes include further reading and tips on applying this method to businesses, fitness and child-rearing. Drawing on research in psychology, economics and sociology, Pink's analysis—and new model—of motivation offers tremendous insight into our deepest nature".

Daniel Pink cites an important book; "The hidden costs of rewards" by psychologists Mark Lepper and David Greene written in 1978. They did an experiment on motivation with preschool children. They watched a classroom and identified children who chose to draw in their free play time. Next they divided those children into 3 groups: the "expected reward group" was told they would receive a blue ribbon for drawing, the "unexpected reward group" who received a certificate after they chose to draw, and the third group who received "no reward." Two weeks after the first session where the rewards were given the "expected reward group" had little interest in drawing. The "unexpected reward group" and the "no reward" group were both still engaged in drawing during their free time. These researchers went on to prove their thesis in many more experiments. Daniel Pink goes on to site many more studies and examples of how extrinsic rewards diminish motivation.

I believe this is partially because the child looses their sense of autonomy and feels controlled rather than nurtured and supported. The question then is not whether to use a "carrot or a stick" to influence a child's behavior, but how can we preserve and nurture intrinsic motivation? Think about a baby learning to walk. It's great when parents are happy that the child is trying to walk, but it is also obvious that the child is trying to walk because they are driven to do so. I have never known a parent to give candy to a child if they took an extra step! It is great to recognize progress with natural authentic enthusiasm, and fine to have an occasional treat when something is really accomplished. This would fall under the "unexpected reward" category.

When we give children appropriate feedback about what they are doing that is improving their ability, we are helping them learn while preserving their motivation. It is rarely necessary to point out what is wrong because the child has the sound internalized. It is ok to bring awareness to something that needs attention such as the finger numbers by singing them, or asking the child to check to see what fingers are playing. This keeps the learning objective and helps reduce negative emotions related to the necessary concentration and work required in learning. It is important to empower the child in their own learning. This preserves their own internal drive to learn. This week-end I was teaching students at a workshop in Philadelphia that I had never met before. I was truly amazed at their desire to learn. After listening to them play, I would help them by affirming what was really good in their playing such as "The first part of the piece sounded very nice", or "You have learned all of the notes to the piece" and then give them a point to practice. Next, I would ask "Do you want to keep working on this?" Invariably the answer was "Yes."
What happens if the child says "no?" Most often this happens because the child feels for some reason that it is too hard/takes too long. Make the assignment easier/smaller until the child feels it is doable. It doesn't matter if you think the assignment is hard or not. It is the child's drive (intrinsic motivation) to do it that is important.
Success then is the ability to do the assignment well without extrinsic reward or punishment. In the long run, success and improvement is what will motivate the child and develop the ability to practice.

Inspiration is inherent in motivation. Listening to the disc is an important part of providing inspiration because it provides the model. This involves listening to music that is well beyond the pieces that the child is currently learning as well as the current pieces they are learning. Having opportunities to perform and share with others is also very important. Hearing a live concert is probably the most inspiring experience because it most directly raises our concept of what is possible, our ideal.

Lastly, we inspire children when we give credence, and a voice to their aspirations. At the Philadelphia workshop after a student played a Bach minuet I asked her if she had heard other pieces by Bach and recommended some Bach pieces (Italian Concerto) for her to listen to . I told her that I could imagine her playing many pieces by Bach because she had a good feeling for the style of Bach. She said "When you say that I feel so inspired". It is the teacher/parents unerring belief in the child's capacity that develops and sustains aspirations-the desire to learn the next piece, finish the book, the vision of playing a concerto for Level 10 graduation, etc. Inspiration and aspirations go together just like inhale and exhale. We need them both. Inspiration and Aspiration are the basis of intrinsic motivation.

On the assignment:
Finger numbers and note names: Please continue the repetition on these skills. They may be good to do after a period of concentration.
Ready Practice -on each note of the A phrase of Twinkle: This practice of the ready without any playing is for the purpose of making the shifting from one finger to the next easy without having to reposition the hand/elbow/body. Once this is easy, the ready time on each note of the Twinkles will be shorter and the assignment will now go faster. It is good to do one time at the beginning of practice.
Twinkle A: It is good to do the whole Twinkle now instead of just the first phrase. This will help them to memorize the sequence.
Twinkle B and C: Continue to experiment with the way you say "go" in order to help the child have good rhythm. Be aware of the physical changes your child makes when you say "ready" and only add other words when necessary.
Twinkle D: Sing sometimes,and other times say "Please move your fingers, please move your fingers, soft hand" in a quiet voice. Sometimes have your child do a performance where they bow, get ready, say go for them, play Twinkle D (by themselves), and then bow. Perhaps you can make a video, have other people watch, set up the stuffed animals for a performance, or other idea to make this "performance" or "recital" different from the regular practice.
Right hand melodies: Some children will prefer to try to find the notes without much help. Others will prefer that you sing the solfege. You can ask. Try it both ways. Switch back and forth. Also it is fine to sing finger numbers sometimes. We want them to be able to respond by playing the finger we sing. So, try different ways and always ask what your child thinks is helping. This helps them be objective about their learning and separate their emotions from their mental/physical learning.
Time: Be mindful of your child's natural concentration period. Each day is different. It is good to give choices ("Twinkle B or Twinkle C?") and set priorities on any given day ("Let's do Twinkle D one more time to get your fingers really moving and then we can work on Lightly Row tomorrow-is that ok?"). Choose review to develop skill, choose the new pieces to motivate as long as they are not too difficult. Let the child decide which is better for that day.
Day by Day,
Affirm, Motivate, Inspire
Leah Brammer

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18_Twinkle Lessons-Tone Lessons

2010-01-14T16:57:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents,
We are at the important stage of learning legato and focusing on creating "ringing tone". Therefore, I am going to "remix" some of my previous writings on tone with new thoughts for this blog.

Developing ability continues in a spiral so that we are always always coming back to the most basic points as we advance. Students in books 2 and up will come back to the Twinkle rhythm to practice tone production with a relaxed hand on sections of their pieces. Great pianists will repeat the sound of one note over and over to achieve the best sound.

Understanding develops in a spiral as well. It is not necessarily the things we study and take a test on that have deep meaning to us, rather it is what we internalize and use that has meaning and depth. As we continue to understand and research how children learn, our own ability to apply that knowledge becomes greater.

Listening is Step 1
By listening, the students are internalizing the sequence of the notes, the rhythm and the tempo of the songs, and the tone as well.
It is interesting that the students know which is the good tone immediately when I ask them. They can already hear when the tone has tension in it, just as babies hear and respond to tension in a persons voice. Everything is absorbed by the child, even our own attention and feelings. Dr. Suzuki says:

"Tone has living soul. Without form it breathes."

Ready is step 2.
Think about what you do when you seek to hear something -you become still. This is a kind of "focusing" with the aural sense. When students become "ready" they become still and thus become able to really hear the subtleties in the sound they are producing.

When the student practices with the "ready-go" method they are able to put their whole concentration into the physical-aural connection of making tone on one note. They do not have to think about the reading or even the sequence of the notes. Because they are playing only one note, they can learn to balance the body without tension and listen for the tone rather than thinking about which note to play next.

Teaching tone is step 3.
Teaching tone is bringing awareness to the natural state of learning the children already possess. The sound/tone is already internalized through the period of listening. Now we can ask "Were all the sounds ringing tone?" This is teaching awareness. You can notice the difference in how the note is sustained when it is played with a "hit tone", or with a relaxed moving finger. The hit tone is very loud at first and then dies off quickly. The "heart tone" has more of a bell shape to the sound.
Dr Suzuki says:

"Music is the language of the heart without words."
and also:
"Beautiful Tone, Beautiful Heart"

Twinkle A: Listen for short clear sounds. Listen that the rhythm is natural and not too slow.
Twinkle B. Listen for the long sound. The practice of playing one sound and listening until it stops is very useful. This is a good review practice even though they are already playing Twinkle B.
Twinkle C: make sure the rhythm is accurate. Sometimes the children still confuse Twinkle A and Twinkle C.
Twinkle D - Legato-smooth connected singing tone
Teaching legato is perhaps the most difficult and most important task to teach beginning piano students. When students play staccato it is much easier to relax the hand. When students first play legato there is a strong tendency to keep "pushing" to hold the note down.
Dr. Kataoka relates playing legato to walking:

"For legato, all we need is to do with the fingers on the keyboard what we do with our legs when we walk normally. Human beings are not naturally stiff and do not find it hard to move. Normal people shift their body weight from one leg to the other with true dexterity, and walk lightly while smoothly balancing the body. It is the same with the fingers."

This is a useful analogy and it is good to walk around noticing how your legs move smoothly without stopping as the weight shifts. Also notice how important your feet movement is and compare this to the first joint of your finger or fingerpad.

When the student is able to play legato well on a single note the next task is to stretch out the hand and connect the Do with the So. Then they can successively move the weight from one finger to the next in the same way as walking.

Another important aspect of legato is the movement of the thumb. Dr. Kataoka used to say "Don't play piano like a monkey!" to students (and teachers) because they didn't move their thumb. She was fascinated at how students used their thumbs when texting on their cell phones.(it was popular in Japan before it was in the US) To play legato the thumb also has to connect the sounds by moving and not pushing with the joints locked in a stiff position. The movement is sideways the way that the hand naturally grasps or picks up something. If you try this you can observe how the thumb moves differently from the other fingers. When playing the piano this movement becomes unnatural because the sideways movement also must make the key go down in order to produce sound.

The connection of the physical feeling of the finger moving with the continuation of the sound enables direct playing so that the piano effectively becomes the voice. The sound and the movement become the same thing. The child makes this connection of how the movement of the fingers and body directly affects the sound in a similar way to how a baby learns to move it's mouth and tongue to produce different sounds.

Once the student can play a beautiful legato on Twinkle with a natural body, it is relatively easy to learn the notes of the melodies in Book 1. Singing the solfege with the disc will also make this go much much faster. You may want to select the Twinkles plus the first few pieces on the disc and put them on repeat for a couple weeks while the students are first learning these beginning songs.
The most important point is that the students can play with a beautiful tone and a happy heart:
Dr. Kataoka says:

"Being able to play the piano using a heartfelt, true, natural and musical tone becomes a great joy throughout your entire life.

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17_Happy Continuum

2010-01-06T11:25:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents,
Happy 2010!

In my New Years Blog 2009 I wrote about the book Remix by Lawrence Lessig which I was reading at that time. He wrote about the evolving RW (read/write) culture made possible by new technologies which enable people to creatively contribute/comment/create/edit/quote/analyze/synthesize/ and thus "remix" information of all types including words/sounds/photo/visual-video into multiple mediums. The book also discusses copyright issues with the use and remixing of different media. After reading that book I made my website part of the "Creative Commons License" which is basically a share and share alike license.

This was the beginning of my using the web to research in a new way by gathering all kinds of resources from videos and websites, and also uploading my own content. I am really amazed at the quality of information that is available now and the quantity of information that one must sort through in order to find the quality. It has been a wonderful year of research!

Also in my New Years blog last year I wrote about Dr. Kataoka's article on the essence of Tibetan Buddhism. In her article, "One day is a lifetime," she draws the connection between each moment and each sound being important for human beings. Dr. Kataoka says in that article:

Whether we are talking about each and every day or each and every note, the fact that every single unit is precious and important is the same. When you live each day and every day with your heart and soul in the best natural way, there is a continuum which results in a wonderful lifetime.

In continuing with the research and writing that began last New Year, I have been watching the online videos of the 2009 Peace Summit in Vancouver with the Dalai Lama, other Nobel laureates and leaders.
Please watch this incredible video from the 2009 Vancouver Peace Summit. Much of the Summit focused on education as a key to peace. Education of the heart.

The whole clip is a session on Creativity with various speakers. One of the speakers, Eckart Tolle, talks about how to tap into the creative source, and the necessity of developing ability in order to use creativity. He begins talking about the penalty shootout in a soccer event , and relates it to concentration and the process of going within to tap into a creative source..

Please watch this as it is right on point with the use of "ready" and the development of ability.
After the video begins (there is a 15 second commercial) fast forward to 29:30 (drag the red circle to the right with your mouse) to get to Eckart Tolle's talk which is about 7 minutes.

2009 Vancouver Peace Summit-Creativity Session

On the assignment:
Twinkles: Eckart Tolle's concept of "going within" from the video is the "Ready" or becoming still physically and mentally. "Ready" also includes physically still in a natural balanced position which enables the student to efficiently produce the best sound and performance.

Continue with "ready go" for Twinkles A, B, and C. On Twinkle D "theme", please spot 5 times or so the beginning "Do-Do-So" while listening for legato. After this please have your child play the whole Twinkle D while you sing the solgege, and also have him play without any singing (or any instruction) It is good to have your child experience the concept of the whole piece and play freely even if it is not all the way legato. By doing the spot every day, the ability to play legato will transfer into the whole piece.
Finger numbers: Please go over Left hand numbers every day as well as the right, switching back and forth between the hands. We will be starting Left hand twinkles shortly.
Note names: Please have the child find notes from one end of the piano to the other in the same way we did in the group class. Have them say the name as they play the note.
You can switch back and forth between letter names and solfege. It is good to do this standing up with the bench out of the way.
On the Video recordings:
The video camera has become an important part of the studio and the learning process. The video recordings are an invaluable aid for parents to review the lesson points, observe the posture and sound, and follow through with the assignment. Since lessons are only once a week, this is an ideal way for you to get extra help without leaving your home. This Twinkle class is the first time I have recorded lessons and then posted them online for parents. In the process of doing this I have spent a lot of time reviewing the lessons myself. I have really learned so much from this.

The lessons are becoming longer now and so I want to make them more usable by having them in smaller parts. The easiest way to do this is to add tracks to the video recording. You can do this by pressing pause and then record again. This way each section such as Twinkle A, Twinkle B will have a separate place on the recording, will be easier to upload, and easier to view small sections. I will show you how to do this at the next lesson.

Looking forward to a great year,
Day by Day,
Leah Brammer

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Happy Holidays! -Jingle Bells performed by Minnie and Cindy

2009-12-18T08:53:00.000-08:00

16_Twinkle Lessons -Whole and Sequential Learning

2009-12-11T14:20:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents,
Thank-you so much for the Christmas gifts. It was wonderful to see the children so happy to be giving the cards and gifts they brought.

By researching how children learn naturally and optimally we can provide the best environment and instruction to develop and expand children's ability to learn.
Dr. Suzuki named his school "Talent Education Institute" because of his realization and belief that all children with the right environment can learn music and develop "talent", or ability. In his book Where Love is Deep Dr. Suzuki says about the word "talent":
"I used the word in the sense that talent is something to be nurtured...I just used the word 'talent education' in my own way, and maybe I should say ability. But 'ability education' wouldn't make sense to anyone. If there is a better word, please tell me."

Ability education is the development of life ability-or talent at life. I use the phrase core education to refer to the same thing. The definition of the word core is:
" the central, innermost, or most essential part of anything." It is learning that enables the ability to learn which is the essential part of education. This is why I use the term "core education"
Developing talent involves preserving and nurturing the natural way children learn from birth. It is through their sensibilities that children learn. In her book Sensibility and Education, Dr. Kataoka says:
"A child can be a genius at ten, brillant at age 15, but an ordinary citizen after age twenty." (Japanese proverb) Why? The key to the answer lies in the fundamental difference between the nature of children and adults. Once we become adults, we start to accumulate knowledge which becomes the basis for our thought process and the source of our judgment. While sensibility, which is given to us by God when we are born, never fails us, knowledge, which is the wisdom of human beings, sometimes interferes with correct judgment made by sensibility. Knowledge is quite a powerful tool for us, but we should not always depend on it.. Our education must take better care of the sensibility of children so that they will not become "ordinary" adults who depend on knowledge to the extent that they ignore correct judgments made by their sensibility."
Whole learning is a process of ingesting the environment/concept all at once in an intuitive way.
It is the same principle that Dr. Kataoka refers to in learning through the senses rather than only the intellect. Children learn through touch, sound, intuition. We remember smells from our childhood that bring back vivid memories.
Babies and children learn through absorption of the total environment rather than part by part. This is also sometimes called ”right-brain learning” Whole learning is a better way to describe this absorption as it involves the right brain (learning through the senses/intuition and left brain (analytical) types of learning working together.
Whole learning is a concept which means that the child has a grasp of a concept without necessarily knowing the details or even being able to produce anything. It is this type of learning that enables a person to perceive what is going on without necessarily being able to actually say in words what is happening. In learning language, babies are absorbing the environment and understand long before they are able to articulate. Children in general understand feelings even when they do not know exactly what is being said.

So, "knowledge" in this way is not really measurable. Students who learn primarily this way may not always do well on a test. However, given a practical situation they may be able to cope with the problem solving issues that another student going by the textbook answers would be unable to solve. This is how a person can be in a completely foreign country where they do not speak the language,yet be able to communicate and act appropriately without ever learning the customs or being told the protocol.
Contrast this with how a person can grow up to be completely unaware of how other people are thinking/feeling/perceiving, or unable to make good judgments. We see this in real life all the time and wonder how to educate children to make wise judgments in the complexities of day to day reality.

In music study, it is being able to understand and speak the language of music without necessarily knowing what a dotted quarter note is or the actual definition of all those Italian terms. Of course this knowledge is important. However, the child who learns holistically can play freely without the burden of too much thinking in the way.
The principle of skill development or sequence learning is the aspect of learning that develops ability. It is the principle that the most fundamental aspect in a child’s learning must always be addressed rather than focusing on the content of what is being learned. This is the balancing concept of whole learning and involves understanding of learning in relationship to sequencing and the development of ability through the acquisition of foundation skills. It is step by step that one can execute an ability whether it is playing piano, tennis, math or any endeavor that involves skill development. Without this we become a society of people that have knowledge, but fail to actualize that knowledge into ability.
Dr. Suzuki says:
"We may be able to say in an adult life, in many cases, is a life in which one cannot practice what one knows to be good."

When you hear a great pianist such as Marc-Andre Hamelin perform (last Tuesday evening) it is so inspiring because he puts everyone in the audience in this state of direct experience with the music. Obviously he has done a lot of study because in addition to playing completely freely he has an unbelievable skill level that has taken hard work, diligence and time. On the side of this blog I have posted a video of him performing a piece that he played on Tuesday evening.

So, we are always balancing whole learning where the person has an overall sense of the situation and learns freely/naturally with sequential learning where the ability to do something is developed with day to day practice and diligence.

In relation to the children's learning at this point in time:
Whole Learning: Continue to have listening on all day even as the holiday is busy and there may be less actual focus time at the piano. Sing solfege in the car with the disc. This absorption or internalization of the pieces is the "ready" for playing the melodies which we will begin after the holidays.
In practice to help students learn holistically allow them to experiment with finding the notes to the new pieces without any assistance. Allow the child to make mistakes without any judgment, but as a natural part of the learning process the way we know a baby will take a step and then fall down. Be careful not to give too many verbal instructions.

Sequential Learning/Skill Development When we are assigning spot practice we are using sequential steps to build ability. This is the Twinkles with "ready-go" part of the practice right now and occupies most of the practice at this point. To help students in sequential learning continue to write down the specific points from the lesson and mark off the assignment sheet with the sticker to show that the assignment is completed as assigned. Also give specific affirmations such as "When you moved your finger the sound/tone was really good."
*Please be sure in the ready position on thumb that the fingers are relaxed and not closed in a tight position. When the fingers are tight and the thumb plays there is a strong tendency to then put the thumb over top of the fingers when going to the next finger-finger #4. (Try it)
The thumb should never be over top of the fingers or else the fingers are unable to move when it is their time to play.

As parents and teachers we have the response ability to provide the environment for whole learning and the structure to enable sequential learning and develop life ability.

The holidays are a wonderful whole learning experience for children.
Happy Holidays!

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15_Twinkle Lessons-Applying the Integral Learning Concept

2009-12-09T11:31:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents,
Last week I pointed out that December is a good month for the children to be able to absorb and integrate the skills that we have been working on since the beginning of the school year. It would also be good for you to review what has been in the previous blogs and relate it to your child's lessons.

On the Assignment:

Mental: You can follow through the group lesson activity of making alphabet/solfege snakes by starting on the lowest note of the piano "A" and saying the names of every white note. Then you can go back and do it again saying the solfege starting with "la". Also, please continue finger numbers daily even though I did not do them with every student in the lessons.

Physical: The most important point I see for all the children right now is that there is enough time in the ready where the body becomes still. Actually this point will probably be true all the way through learning Book 1. So much learning is going on in the "ready" when it seems that nothing is happening. Because, "nothing" is the point of ready. You could also think of it as "everything" because they are two sides of the same thing. In"ready" the body finds balance in the position, the mind settles down from outside thoughts, and there is a feeling/awareness of the moment. The sound is internalized as intention. Then on "go" the student is on the natural rhythm.
When there is good body balance in the ready position the student can achieve the best sound. So, you will notice that I am always working to find the best position. I am deciding this by any tension I see, how the fingers are moving, and also by the sound the student is making. As you work with your child on the body balance in the ready position you will come to know when the position will produce the best sound.

So, the most important point to teach is tone/sound. The sound has vibration that rings and affects the human being on many levels. It is produced with a balanced body, a clear mind, a soft heart, and hearing awareness.

Spiritual/Inspiration:
Play beautiful music in your home. The Nutcracker recording I recommended last week performed on 2 pianos with Martha Argerich is a wonderful recording that you will use for many years. On the side of this blog are You-tube links to that recording so that you can listen to it. I highly recommend buying the recording, so am putting the links on the side of this blog to inspire you to order it.

I was very happy this week when I played my arrangement of the Pachelbel Canon/ First Noel for the children that a couple students recognized the Pachelbel Canon .

Emotional: The children love working out the new songs. I think the solfege singing has facilitated their ability to do this. Please continue singing solfege and naming the songs on the recording as you hear them.
Also, it is wonderful if the students can share their own music with others. Each holiday I ask parents to make recording of their children playing piano to give to friends and family, post on Facebook, etc. It is fun to make a compilation of videos over several years as a Christmas present so even if the beginners aren't playing songs yet it will be good to have the beginning steps recorded. Twinkle Twinkle is a fine Holiday song!
Please read this article written and revised over the years:
The Gift of Giving

Environment:
Outside noise does effect the ability to concentrate. Ideally one can focus totally and not be distracted. However when there is quiet it is much easier to open up to the sound of the piano in the room. The children have become much more adjusted to being quiet in the studio. This week there was definitely more energy in the air with the Christmas decorations up. As the Christmas season becomes more busy, let's work to make the studio quiet during lessons. Then in between the lessons as we are changing students it is fine to talk. The bow at the beginning is the signal for the room to become quiet, and the bow at the end is the signal that it is ok to move around and talk.

Happy Holidays!
Leah Brammer

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14_Twinkle Lessons - Integral Learning

2009-12-04T11:34:00.000-08:00

The month of December is a good month for integration and absorption of skills.
The skills already learned can become easy and natural through the depth of learning that comes with time. Dr. Suzuki says: "Never hurry, don't be lazy" This is a good time to balance the busy holidays with practice sessions that do not hurry to the next skill.
Dr. Suzuki also said:"Knowledge plus 10,000 times equals ability."

Core Education is direct experience that integrates the mental realm with the physical and develops ability. Connecting the sound with the physical action is an integration of the physical with the mental and leads to an integration with the emotional and inspirational.
When the ability to play is developed so that the thinking and physical movements are not occupying the persons total concentration, but are integrated into the experience the student can "play by heart".

At this time it is important for the skills acquired be repeated enough times that they become a framework for other learning which will be built on top of it. The "framework" can also be compared to the software on a computer, or a map. Children's brains are forming the neural pathways that are like highways for later traffic. It is much harder for adults to acquire new frameworks -like learning a new language for example or using technical devices.
This is why childhood is so important.

The framework for playing piano is being developed through playing the Twinkles.
It is so wonderful that the Twinkles develop both pattern memory (the sequence of the notes in Twinkle) and pattern differentiation (the rhythms in the variations).
This absorption of the learning will enable the child to apply the framework of producing sounds to the new pieces.

Teaching legato is perhaps the most difficult and most important task to teach beginning piano students. When students play staccato it is much easier to relax the hand. When students first play legato there is a strong tendency to keep "pushing" to hold the note down.
Dr. Kataoka relates playing legato to walking:
"For legato, all we need is to do with the fingers on the keyboard what we do with our legs when we walk normally. Human beings are not naturally stiff and do not find it hard to move. Normal people shift their body weight from one leg to the other with true dexterity, and walk lightly while smoothly balancing the body. It is the same with the fingers."
This is a useful analogy and it is good to walk around noticing how your legs move smoothly without stopping as the weight shifts. Also notice how important your feet movement is and compare this to the first joint of your finger or fingerpad.

Another important aspect of legato is the movement of the thumb. Dr. Kataoka used to say "Don't play piano like a monkey!" to students (and teachers) because they didn't move their thumb. She was fascinated at how students used their thumbs when texting on their cell phones.(it was popular in Japan before it was in the US) To play legato the thumb also has to connect the sounds by moving and not pushing. The movement is sideways the way that the hand naturally grasps or picks up something. If you try this you can observe how the thumb moves differently from the other fingers. When playing the piano this movement becomes unnatural because the sideways movement also must make the key go down in order to produce sound.

The connection of the physical feeling of the finger moving with the continuation of the sound enables direct playing so that the piano effectively becomes the voice. The sound and the movement become the same thing. The child makes this connection of how the movement of the fingers and body directly affects the sound in a similar way to how a baby learns to move it's mouth and tongue to produce different sounds.
The first step is the internalized sound. Please listen to the disc on low volume all the time.
Then by directing attention to the sound as much as possible in practice and in lessons, the child learns naturally how to move the body to get the sound that they want.

Here is a recent NPR article "Musicians Hear Better" which cites current research being done on the development of auditory discernment through studying music
Dr. Mark Jude Tramo, a professor of neurology at Harvard and director of the Institute for Music & Brain Science says in the article : A musician "is going to be able to do better on any task that involves auditory concentration."

For holiday listening I would like to recommend a wonderful disc with pianist Martha Argerich performing Tchaikovsky"s Nutcracker suite with Nicolas Economou in the two piano version as well as Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto #1 with the Berlin Philharmonic orchestra. It is the first disc on the Listening Recommendations page of this website.

I hope you are enjoying the journey of this research. Thank-you for you attention to it.
Leah Brammer

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13_Twinkle Lessons - November 17, 2009 - Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-16T17:08:00.001-08:00

Dr. Suzuki said "Only practice on the days that you eat".
From looking at the practice sheets I can see that see that the children are practicing daily. So, about now the daily habit should be getting easier-just in time for the holidays...music becomes a part of every day.

As my children were growing up holidays were special concert days instead of the regular practice. All the family would gather for the performance. It turned out that this became an event that evolved into making up a program to give out, getting out the video etc. So getting ready for the performance was important too.

Whether your child is doing make-up songs, Twinkles, or the Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody this is a wonderful way to acknowledge your child's efforts in a relatively pressure free situation. Grandparents usually can enjoy each little step and children enjoy playing for them because of this. If you are away at friends or family there may not be an adjustable bench and footstool, or even only a keyboard is available. Not to worry. Flexibility is good.

It is good to keep these occasions very relaxed and in the spirit of the holiday. The most important point is to really enjoy this time as it is and then your child will enjoy the attention, feel good about sharing their music, and want to do it again in the future.

If you are traveling away from home be sure to take the disc/listening. Long trips are perfect for extra listening, and a good chance to listen to the "Suzuki favorites" disc, or the Mozart Concerto.

This holiday I am very grateful for my wonderful students and parents!
Happy Thanksgiving.
Leah Brammer

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12_Twinkle Lessons - Fertilizing the roots

2009-11-13T08:11:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents,

Dr. Kataoka said "The beginning is most important" (1) The sound/tone is being absorbed, physical movements are being imprinted, and the emotional habits are taking form. The mental construct forms the relationship between the physical condition, the emotional feeling and the aural sensibility.
In his book "Where Love is Deep" (2) Dr. Suzuki answers questions in an interview:

Hatano:So your aim is to bring the violin into children's lives and to foster their ability while letting them enjoy their lives.
Suzuki:Yes. And we always keep our eyes on the growing ability. Take sound for example. We watch the development of the child's sound: how his sound changes to finer sound, how refined his motion can be, how musical he can be.
Suppose we grow plants, we plant a seedling and watch it's root rather than it's leaves and branches. We watch the invisible expansion of it's root, water and fertilize the root. To foster what we can't see-- that is our aim. If we do that, a fine root can grow, though with few leaves, on a single teaching material and eventually it will become a larger tree. So, although we may use limited teaching materials, we aim at sturdy growth. If instead the basic stage is handled roughly, the growth may be smooth to a certain point, but then it will curve and stop after that, since the root is small.

Dr. Suzuki's development of the Twinkle Variations for the beginning steps is a crucial part of the Suzuki method. By using an international folk song upon which he developed the variations containing the basics of tone production, Dr. Suzuki set out both a method and a philosophy of learning in the same piece.

Dr. Suzuki discusses the importance of the "preparation" habit (3). This preparation or "ready" allows the student to find the natural physical position, and to become ready inside by quieting the mind. Little by little this preparation time becomes shorter, and then immediate or instinctive. Ultimately when the student plays without stops, the concentration and body balance are learned from this practice of preparing for each note, and the fluency of playing becomes natural and without tension.

When the student practices with the "ready-go" method they are able to put their whole concentration into the physical-aural connection of making tone on one note. They do not have to think about the reading or even the sequence of the notes. Because they are playing only one note, they can learn to balance the body without tension and listen for the tone rather than thinking about which note to play next.

If the student is engaged to listen for subtle differences in the sound and how their body works to produce the sound, they will be absorbed in the process. This is an an observation of what is happening rather than a judgment about whether they are right or wrong, In this way the child is naturally concentrating and a lot can be accomplished in a relatively short amount of time.

On the assignment:
finger numbers: Please continue even if it seems easy. Please do both hands. It needs to be repeated until it is 100% memorized without thought. This is the prerequisite to playing notes in a sequence as it develops the awareness of each fingers individual capacity.

Ready Position: This is getting easier now as the physical position is memorized and the mind can become still. It is a very good beginning to the practice.
Please continue.

Twinkle A -Sing the rhythm for your child to set a tempo if they are playing too fast and not hearing each note. Too slow is just as difficult as too fast, so experiment with this. Basically slightly slower than the recording at this point is probably good. You can also use the tempo from the video recording of the lesson.

Twinkle B: It is good to keep the long note practice. This is a listening practice. Notice when your child begins to have a relaxed hand after playing the note rather than continuing to push the key down with extra pressure. The sound will be better. Bring their awareness to this.

Twinkle C: This rhythm is slight more difficult than Twinkle A and is good for discrimination. Last week one of the students was mixing up the two rhythms when I began teaching Twinkle C.
So, please put the Twinkle recording on repeat. Clap the rhythms and name them "Twinkle A, Twinkle B, Twinkle C, Twinkle D or Twinkle Twinkle.

Following is a recording of Walter Giseking performing a set of Twinkle Variations written by Mozart that I have been listening to while writing this blog.

This recording is available through Amazon on the Recommended Recordings page of my website. It is in a box set and includes pieces from Book 7 including another set of variations written by Mozart in the Sonata K331.

Bibliography-
(1) Sensibility and Education - page 25
(2) Where Love is Deep-page 122 (out of print)
(3) The Suzuki Concept -page 44 (oriented more for violin study)

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Marc-Andre Hamelin -Herbst Theatre- December 15!

2009-11-05T21:31:00.000-08:00

Marc-Andre Hamelin's concert is definitely not to be missed. The City Box Office promo says of Hamelin:"A Startlingly original blend of virtuosity and power has earned this Canadian artist legendary status. Long known for his matchless exploration of unfamiliar piano terrain, Hamelin is now universally recognized for the depth and originality of his interpretations of Classical and Romantic repertoire."

Here is the program:
Haydn: Variations in F minor, hob. XVII:6
Mozart: Sonata in A minor, K310
Liszt: Venezia e Napoli, from Annees de Pelerinage
Faure: Nocturne No.6, Op. 63
Alkan: Symphonie for Solo Piano

Here is hamelin performing Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody #2

Tickets are almost sold out. See you there!

City Box Office tickets for Marc-Andre Hamelin on December 15

11_Twinkle Lessons -Discrimination

2009-11-04T17:28:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents,
The boys really enjoyed the class this week. They have gotten much better with the rhythms, singing the solfege and are recognizing the pieces. Being able to recognize and name the pieces is very good for sound discrimination.

On Practice time:
Some students are now able to figure out the notes of the songs on the piano. Please continue to let them do this as it develops their ability to hear sound patterns and find them on the piano. It also drives their motivation to play. So, this independence is important for their overall progress even as it reinforces some physical habits we are trying to evolve. Three points are important to make this activity beneficial:
1. They need to hear the disc many hours a day so that the tone on the recording is the internalized sound they are trying to produce on the piano.
2. They are doing it on their own without instruction. In this way they will not go too far beyond what they can naturally do.
3. Separate this free time to figure out songs from the structured practice time. You can do this simply by taking a bow before and after the actual "practice".

Learning Suzuki method enables a child to play in the "Flow" without words in the way of the experience. This happens if we do not give them too many instructions.
So, anytime you can use a physical que this helps. Please use a soft hand to help them find the correct posture. Then, you can speak softly with a few key reminder phrases that you get from the lessons. This way your voice does not interfere with the sound of the piano.

On the Bow: Please continue to improve the bow by asking for one point such as "please look down when you bow", or "eyes at the end please".

On the Twinkles: Please have them listen for different kinds of sounds.
Twinkle A is all short sounds. When the finger releases the sound the hand relaxes. Teaching short sounds first imprints the physical movement so that the hand does not hold stiffness after the sound is played. Playing the short sound with a good tone is like throwing the dart into the very middle of the dart board. Playing becomes focused and accurate from this practice.

Please ask your child to listen for every sound to be short. When they finish that one pattern ask them if all of the sounds were short. If they say no, please affirm that they have very good hearing! This listening and knowing what has been played develops concentration and discrimination.

Twinkle B the first step is to listen for the long sounds, and practice long sounds. Through this practice they will begin to relax on the long note and not hold the note down with tension. Notice when the sound is really good.
After they are playing the rhythm with the long sound you can direct their attention to the short sounds. Was the first note really short? "I thought so too."

If you practice Twinkles this way they will not become boring. They are of course work. But they will remain interesting. The key is that the practice is affirming what the sound was, how the finger moved etc. in a neutral way with non-judgment about the child. By involving the child in the process of this knowing we are enabling them.

Dr. Kataoka says:

Tone is the basic element of music. If we do not completely learn how to produce tone in our childhood, we become people who are uninterested in tone, and then we can allow ourselves to play piano with a terrible and noisy sound. People who play like this gradually begin to dislike playing the piano. But if we play carefully with soft fingers, making a resonant sound and avoiding a crashing noise, we can give our whole minds to the tone we are playing.

Here is a link to a great article written about the Twinkles by Dr. Kataoka:
Dr. Kataokas article on Twinkles

I posted a video of Marc-Andre Hamelin performing the Hungarian Rhapsody #2 by Liszt with his own original cadenza. Please watch it if you have not already.
Below is the same piece performed at the 2007 10 Piano Concert in Sacramento. You may recognize parts of it as the "Bugs bunny/Tom and Jerry song.

Andrew Loo who you have seen in previous posts is performing as well as my daughter Bria. The 10 Piano Concerts are a very special part of studying Suzuki Piano. This is a very fun piece and is a wonderful opportunity for the children to "play with one heart"

Part 1

Part 2

Again, thanks so much for taking the time to read these posts, to watch the videos and to work with your children daily. This is a big job, perhaps more than you previously imagined. The benefits will be seen many years from now, but also please enjoy the process too. As a mother of two grown children I have felt how long a practice time can be and how short a time it is from childhood to adulthood. They are both true. You are all doing a wonderful job.
Leah Brammer

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Exploring the Senses - touch/feel

2009-11-01T17:49:00.000-08:00

When we think about the relative importance of touch in learning compared to the other senses we usually associate this difference as emotional. Touch is crucial. Blind people see in other ways. People that are deaf, adapt other forms of communication.

What about people that cannot feel? It's very destructive to the sense of self in relating to the outside world.
Is that bad? Well, no, not if you have a kinesthetic memory pattern that allows you to understand that reality without the actual physical experience. However in terms of initial physical imprinting for babies and young children it is probably the most important and the most directly related to intuition. This may seem in contrast to the idea that intuition happens outside of the physical dimension, but the embed formula has to be there through experience at some point.

In other words, babies feel. Children feel.
When does this become less important than what the mind thinks?
At about the point that a person has to cope with a difficulty that requires thinking.

In learning piano if a child can get direct learning through the awareness of touch in playing the piano to get different kinds of sounds they become very sensitive capable people. The sense of touch is the direct experience educator.

People can benefit greatly by developing the sense of touch and it's correlation to the hands as the communicator in addition to speaking. This develops direct ability at all kinds of computer/communication skills in addition to being in touch with the artistic value of making music.
Piano ability is life ability.

Exploring the Senses -Smell/Taste

2009-11-01T17:47:00.000-08:00

Consider what you remember by smell, what it brings back in feeling and response to you.
How much did you learn about the world by the sense of smell?
Is it important to you now?
How important is it for learning?
Do we teach it?
Should we consider it a factor in education?
Is it part of a core education?

Graduation Concert

2009-10-23T11:22:00.000-07:00

Congratulations!
The following students will be performing at the Suzuki Music Association of
California's Bay Area Piano Graduation concert on November 15: Sydney -Level 1 Graduation, Helen -Level 2 Graduation, Minnie -Level 6 Graduation. This event will be at Holy Names College in Oakland.
It is free and open to the public.
Mark your calendars.
See you there!

10-Twinkle Lessons -Sensibility

2009-10-23T11:15:00.001-07:00

Dear Parents,
The children are all learning. Of course, that said some children showed their progress more than others. This is not really important. Dr. Kataoka's book Sensibility and Education adds depth to the concept of "Every child can learn" as set out by Dr. Suzuki by adding to it: "Every human being is created differently". As educators we must understand how to teach the basic concepts and abilities to individual children that have their own unique sensibility, their own way of understanding.

Some children will observe for a long time and it seems that no learning is going on. One of my former students is an interesting case. She began coming to lessons at age 4. After several weeks observing, she refused to take a bow. Her mother was unbelievably patient and brought her a long distance for a lesson week after week. She ended up observing for one whole year without even a bow! The mother continued to play the disc for many hours every day. After a while the mother decided to learn piano while her daughter was observing. She learned all the way through book 2 while her daughter was still on the couch! One day the mother came to me and said "My daughter is playing the Twinkles at home. I made a video. Will you watch it and tell me how to help her." Of course I really wanted to see the video as I could not imagine this at all. However, I said "She will bow and have a lesson next week." I really didn't know if she would or not, but I just said it. When the next week came, she bowed, went to the piano, and played all of the Twinkles quite well!
So, all that time she was only observing. Her mother hardly helped her at all.
Then when she was ready, she learned Book 1 very fast. She played a concerto with orchestra her senior year of high school.

There are endless variations and stories of how children learn. But the important point is that the children are learning all the time. We actually can't stop that even if we want to sometimes! So, please play the disc as much as possible. Your children will continue to absorb more and more from hearing the same music. This is the same way that children absorb the accent that their parents have, the expressions, etc. Please also play the Mozart Concerto disc we discussed in blog post #4.
When my children were young I worried about every milestone they were supposed to accomplish according to the timetable in the baby books. Now, isn't it really unimportant how many months old your child was when they crawled, or when they said their first word? Because some children listen for a long time before they speak, or are content to watch and not crawl as early as other babies.
In the same way, it is really not important if your child progresses slowly or quickly through the books. It is not the level of advancement, but the depth of their playing that is important. It is that they can play with a beautiful tone and a happy heart:
Dr. Kataoka says:

"Being able to play the piano using a heartfelt, true, natural and musical tone becomes a great joy throughout your entire life."

It is all part of providing the optimum environment and allowing the child the space to progress in the way that they naturally do without force or delay. As Dr. Suzuki says:

"Never hurry, don't be lazy."

We make sure the baby hears people speaking in calm loving voices, we encourage them with smiles, and we keep faith.
What is being taught in the lessons is awareness. Awareness in the present moment of the life force. Everything is absorbed by the child, even our own attention and feelings. That is why teaching tone is so important. Because when we listen and play with a heart tone, the child absorbs that sound and that feeling without other thought. Dr. Suzuki says:

"Tone has living soul. Without form it breathes."

I enjoyed playing "The Wild Rider" for the students this week. Here is a 10 Piano recording of The Wild Rider performed in Matsumoto Japan in 1994 with my daughter Bria playing. The 10 Piano Concerts are a very special part of studying Suzuki Piano. This is a wonderful opportunity for the children together to "play with one heart"

On the Lessons:
Please make sure the children are hearing the disc many hours a day. Sing with the disc. Make copies of the disc so that you have it in the car, the bedroom, the main living area, the computer, etc. This is the most important thing you can do.
Continue to work on ready position. Listen for short and long sounds. Make physical adjustments without too many words. Review finger numbers each day. Appreciate that repetition adds depth to the experience of learning.

Thank-you for your continued time, attention, and flexibility.
Leah Brammer

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9_Twinkle Lessons -focus with the ears

2009-10-23T10:08:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,
The bow is much better! The body balance is improving. The ready positions are becoming more still. We will continue to work on these -for about the next 10 years!

Developing ability continues in a spiral so that we always come back to the most basic points as we advance.
At the same time that this is true, we are now able to focus more attention on tone.
Think about what you do when you seek to hear something -you become still. This is a kind of "focusing" with the aural sense. So, this is the place we are now.

Dr. Kataoka says this to students in her writings about tone:

"Students, when you begin to study piano, you take a lesson in tone from your teacher each week. (Don't worry if you hear the same things repeated over and over!) Please become a person who can, after ten years, make the kind of musical tone to which you can give your whole mind and soul. If you acquire this ability, you can play pieces freely and enjoyably, and the people who hear you will be happy."

It is interesting that the students know which is the good tone immediately when I ask them. So, they can already hear when the tone has tension in it, just as babies hear and respond to tension in a persons voice. How do we "teach" tone?
Again from Dr. Kataoka's writings:

"let us consider the matter of tone on the piano. With strings and wind instruments, and with respect to the human voice, sound may not continue unless we continue to breathe or to move the bow. Those musicians can actually maintain an interest in tone throughout their bodies because of this. How about piano tone? First we produce the sound (resulting in the initial "attack" if you will), and then we must do nothing but stay on the key in order to hold the sound. We really do not do anything. But in fact, just as with other instruments, we must listen intently to our sound as it is being sung, and breathe into it with our heart of hearts. However, it seems that it is not easy to find a teacher who teaches this from the very beginning. Consequently, most pianists think only of the initial attack as the tone of the instrument. This is a mistake. From the point of the attack, musical tone rings for a long time, gradually decreases, and dies out at the end. It is a most beautiful process when tone decreases and dies out. It is the essence of the beauty of piano tone. Please, pianists, enjoy beautiful tone."

We have been listening for short sounds in Twinkle A. We are beginning to listen now for long sounds as we learn Twinkle B. The practice of playing one sound and listening until it stops is very useful. Once they put their whole attention in it they probably will hear the piano sound longer than you do.

You will begin to notice the difference in how the note is sustained when it is played with a "hit tone", or with a relaxed moving finger. The hit tone is very loud at first and then dies off quickly. The "heart tone" has more of a bell shape to the sound.

Dr Suzuki says:

"Music is the language of the heart without words."
and also:
"Beautiful Tone, Beautiful Heart"

Parents often want piano lessons for their child because it will make them "smarter".
Of course this is true, but it is not just the brain that becomes smarter.
It is the heart.

Last week I posted a video of Andrew Loo from 2006 performing Bach Italian Concerto for his Level 8 graduation concert. I wrote at the top of that post that I remember his lesson with Dr. Kataoka on Dr. Suzuki's Allegro at the end of Book 1 before his level 1 graduation concert. As promised to Dr. Kataoka, he practiced his down-up spot 200X every day for about 2 weeks before the concert. When he played his tone was so beautiful that the sound filled the entire hall. This week I found this recording of his performance in my old 8mm tapes:

June 1998-Andrew Loo, performing Allegro by Dr. Suzuki for his Level 1 Graduation

On the assignment:
Please continue. Please help your child to have balance in the posture and in the hand without tension. Next, focus on the sound. Affirm when the sound is good without tension. Speak softly so that the sound of the piano becomes the focus and not your voice.
Thanks so much for this opportunity to teach your children!
Leah Brammer

*Three articles written by Dr. Kataoka about tone can be found in these online issues of Piano Basics:
Suzuki Piano Basics Foundation News -March/April 1998
Suzuki Piano Basics Foundation News - May-June 1998
Suzuki Piano Basics Foundation -July-August 1998

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8_Twinkle Lessons -The week of the Storm

2009-10-15T15:38:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,
It was a challenging environment for the students this week with the new schedule to understand and the storm as well. Thank-you to everyone for for being on time. The smaller groups will work well for the lessons once the routine is established. Please bring one book for them to read, or something to write/draw on by themselves that does not attract too much attention from the other students. I will always take time to look at the drawing or work that the students do while they are observing.

In group time we will continue rhythm study, and singing solfege. Please clap the rhythms at home and say the name "Twinkle A" etc.

The most important point for this week is to make sure there is no tension in the ready position. If we try to teach to much with words the result will be unnatural. The children need to feel balance over the keys with the correct finger touching the correct key. This is simple yet involves physical and mental stamina, as well as motivation and connection to something more interesting yet to come.

So, they need encouragement that this process will yield a result. Please let them know that their work is going to enable them to play the piano. Play the disc and videos and reinforce the concept that the practice they are doing is going to help them play well. This may seem obvious, but they need to hear encouragement often to keep working on holding a position at the piano without playing...

The ready position is both a beginning and a huge accomplishment. It takes time and care. It is the most difficult part of the process of playing, and a life lesson as well.

Please re-read this section from "How to Teach Beginners" by Dr. Kataoka:

Part 11: When the Lessons Begin

For some motivation here is a video I just posted of a former student Andrew Loo who is now a freshman at Georgia Tech performing Bach's Italian Concerto in his 2006 Graduation Level 8 Concert:

Andrew Loo performing Italian Concerto by J.S. Bach

Children keep us in the moment, whatever that may be
thankfully,
Leah Brammer

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7_Twinkle Lessons #6

2009-10-08T17:40:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,
I continue to be amazed at how much learning is going on. So much more than meets the eye of an adult. Watching the video is very informative.

The bows were so much better this week. I noticed that just doing the good bow made the students more serious about learning.

I put the new photos we took of each student on the Twinkle video blog section of the site, and also in the Current Studio Photos. We will do this again as their ready positions get better and better. Next class I will take a group photo.

I hope the boys enjoyed the little pumpkins and that they will remember the lesson this way.
It is very good to teach the children to give small gifts. It teaches respect and caring, and the gift of giving.

"What does not exist in the environment will not develop in the child. By no means only words or music, but everything, good or bad, is absorbed by the child." Dr. Suzuki

On the schedule/Creating awareness and importance in the environment:

They are all doing great. Because of this the lessons are getting longer and it is just too long to be in the environment now that the time is extended. Therefore, from this week forward the individual lessons will be divided into 2 groups. One group will go before the class time, and the other group will go after the class time. This will allow us to have the solfege singing, rhythm and other activities all together, but have a smaller group for the individual lessons.

With this new schedule it is really important that the students know exactly what to expect.
We need to continue to provide the structure in the environment for the students. This includes keeping the same format of coming in quietly, taking off shoes and placing them neatly on the shoe stand, washing their hands. sitting quietly, etc. This care creates awareness and importance. The knowledge of what is happening and what to do creates confidence and calmness. With this structure in the environment, the students can concentrate and learn fully.

On the Class Time: Please sing solfege at home with the recording so that the children are becoming more and more familiar with the notes. You can do this casually as the recording is playing. It is fine if you only know some of the solfege. Little by little it will become easy. If you sing this way with the recording it encourages the children to try to sing even if they don't know all of the solfege. It is fine if they do not sing. They will join in when they are ready.

On the Lesson:
Do finger numbers at the beginning of the practice. Begin with knowing finger # 1 and finger #5. Next Add finger # 2. When this is clear, focus in on finger #4. This is necessary to play Twinkle as it is the next finger they have to get ready on after the thumb.

Please have them get ready on each note of the twinkle before they play. Please have them wait for "go" . Especially give attention to finding ready on the note "So" with finger #4. Once the ready position on finger #4 is good, the other fingers are easy. Have them listen for short sounds.

The main point this week: Please work with your child at home in basically the same way you observe me working with them in the lesson. It is good for you to observe what is particularly successful in working with your child and also what is not. Every child responds according to their own sensibility. Being able to watch your child in the learning situation as the observer is such a critical part of being able to help them.

Thanks so much for your dedication to your child's progress and your attention to the lessons.
Leah Brammer

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Practice Sheets

2009-10-07T08:05:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,
I have uploaded the practice sheets so that you can print them at home as you need them. They are on this post, and I will also put the links on the sidebar for easier access in the future.

If the students and parents establish the habit and response ability to complete what is on the practice sheet each week, mark it on the sheet, and return it to the lesson, the practice time will become much easier and the progress will be much faster and more secure.

Please write out the assignment on the assignment sheet after the lesson. It is good if you can do this together with your child using the notes and video from the lesson. The main purpose of the lesson is to establish what and how to practice. So, as the teacher I first establish the core learning to be essential for the most effective learning, (the what) and next try several different ways of accomplishing that goal. (the how)
When the student can do well what is being asked in the lesson, then ability is being developed. This is assignment: to practice what they can do well. It is good to use the exact words that are effective at the lesson as ques at home. For specific spots, please also mark the spot in the score that you are using, and I will usually also have the student mark the spot in their score.

Of course practicing what they can do well also means learning new pieces. When the assignments on the pieces they are working on are accomplished the student is able to learn the new piece without struggle even if it involves challenge and focus.

There is also a main point to each lesson. This could be "follow and mark the assignment sheet". It could be "move your thumb", or "prepare for the recital" . Having one point to come back to is very useful, especially if you begin to feel overwhelmed!

I hope this helps.
Leah Brammer

Core Twinkle Practice Sheet

Core Book 1 Practice Sheet

Core Books 2 and up with daily boxes

Core Books 2 and up with daily boxes and more lines

Core Books 2 and up no daily boxes

Core Books 2 and up no boxes, wider format

6_Twinkle Lessons #5

2009-10-02T15:25:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,
I loved showing the children the bird nest from my yard and playing the two different Cuckoos for them. They will probably recognize when Cuckoo comes on the recording this week.
Here is a recording from 1994 when Kelsey, a 6 year old student of mine at the time who is now in college, traveled with me to Japan to study, homestay with a Japanese family, and perform Cuckoo and Chant Arabe from Book 1 in the 10 Piano Concert:

Here is a Youtube link to a recording of former student Lauren Schommer who now studies with Cathy Hargrave in Dallas Texas and is a senior in high school performing The Cuckoo from Book 6 for a graduation recording in my studio circa 2004:

Lauren Schommer performing The Cuckoo by Daquin

Here is another link to a recording of The Cuckoo performed by famous pianist/composer Sergei Rachmaninoff recorded in 1920:

Rachmaninoff performs The Cuckoo by Daquin

The recording is obviously very old, but the playing is so great it is worth it.

On the lessons:
The Listening: Identify which Twinkle is playing (A, B, C, D-Theme) on the disc as you are listening.

The Bow: Please work on balance at the end of the bow. They may be bowing too fast or going too low. It takes daily attention.

The Ready: All of the students ready positions were so much better this week! They can really do ready position well now especially with a little help. By practicing it many times they will be able to have good body balance and concentration immediately upon sitting at the piano without any tension, and without any help.

Twinkle: The Twinkle A rhythm on thumb is coming along. It is good to do only a few of these each day.

Finger Numbers: Please practice finger numbers in different ways. It is good to practice knowing the finger numbers by touch and not only by looking at the finger. So, have them close their eyes and say the finger number that you touch. When they can feel the specific finger on the note they are getting ready on they will not have to try to look down or hold the other fingers in a stiff way to see which finger is on the key.

Keyboard recognition: Have them find all the do's and the so's. It is good to do this standing up. If they like to play the notes while singing Do a deer this would also be good.

Main point: Practice and affirm what they can do.

This is nurturing with love.

Click to link for next Twinkle Lessons Blog

5_Twinkle Group Class #4

2009-09-23T12:33:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,
Thank-you for taking the time to come to the parent meeting. I hope that the discussion of the terms "mother tongue method", "Natural learning" , and "Ability Development" in regards to your questions was useful so that you can refer often to these in your thinking about education and environment for your children. The discussions about the class environment were useful too and I hope that you are feeling comfortable in the class and also in how to work with your child.

I am very happy that the boys are so eager to come to the piano and all are doing their very best.
They really just need time to really absorb the physical/mental/emotional/spiritual skill of "ready". Physically this means arms above the keyboard with thumb on the note "do" and the other fingers relaxed but not touching the keys. I think all of the students can be more above the keyboard and you can observe my helping them with this on the lesson video. Once they can do this playing the piano will be infinitely easier with a much better tone/sound. So, if you can have them get ready 5 or so times during practice (each time counting to 5 or another number) that would be great. When you look at the video you will notice how each time I had them get ready the position improved. Then with some of the lessons there is the point where the ready was not as good. That is because I asked too much. So, it is good to know that "too much is the same as not enough". This is the kind of research we have to do as parents and teachers.

The seeds are planted. We can cultivate with care. Remember the old adage of the farmer who was so eager to assist his crops that he went out at night and tugged on the new shoots.
Sometimes the most difficult thing to do is the same thing with faith that ability is accumulating.

The following video from my Youtube channel would be great for the students to watch as they can really see hands over the keys, and a beautiful sound. Zak studied Suzuki Piano Basics in my studio for many years.
Zak Beard performing Mozart Concerto #20, 1st mvt. part 1
Zak Beard performing Mozart Concerto #20, 1st mvt. part 2 -(it will also come up as an option on the screen at the end of part 1)

At the parent meeting we discussed playing a Mozart Concerto for your children as recommended by Dr. Suzuki to develop an aural understanding of the language of music:
Here is a link to Amazon for the Mozart Concertos #20 and #21 You can buy the disc or the MP3 download. I recommend the disc however as you can always upload it to your computer and then still have the disc and the information insert. It is only $7.98!!

you all are doing a great job,
all the best,
Leah Brammer

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Fall Performance Recommendations

2009-09-21T14:11:00.000-07:00

Click on the links below for more information and tickets:

#1 Recommendation not to missed concert!
October 11 -Sunday 7:00PM -Davies Symphony Hall
Murray Perahia in solo piano concert

Other Great Concerts:

October 7-9 -Davies Symphony Hall
Yefim Bronfman plays Brahms Concerto #2 with the SF Symphony

December 5-Saturday 8:PM -Stanford
"From the Top" a live radio recording featuring young musicians-very fun

December 15 -Tuesday 8:00 PM -Herbst Theatre in San Francisco
Marc Hamelin in Solo Piano Concert

See you there!

Recital Announcement

2009-09-20T09:29:00.000-07:00

Invitation to all Atlanta Friends!
You are Invited!

What: Solo Piano Recital by Peter Carter

Why: Senior Recital to share his music with family and friends

When: Saturday October 3 at 4:00 PM

Where: Southern Keyboards

Program

Prelude in D (WTC II) JS BACH

Sonata no. 8 (Pathetique) BEETHOVEN

Suite Bergamasque DEBUSSY

Ballade no. 1 CHOPIN

Everyone is welcome! Refreshments following program

Hope you can come.

Robin Blankenship

4_Twinkle Group class #3

2009-09-17T08:13:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,
In the moments of the class this week I felt very busy with taking care of the students and making good decisions about the environment. After viewing the videos I am so impressed with how the students are responding. Thinking through this carefully and remembering raising my own children I realize that often this is the feeling a parent has. It is in the looking back we are able to realize how much the child was learning. This is because children learn in a very different way from adults. They are able to take the whole environment in at a time. So while they are busy moving around and looking everywhere they are learning at a very high rate.

I traveled with my daughter to Japan regularly from the time she was 7 years old. From the very first trip she was able to communicate with our home stay family. The children and her immediately began running around and playing together while the adults tried to talk to each other without much success. When our Japanese host family would speak English with a very strong accent I could not understand them at all. My daughter however was immediately able to understand "Japanese English" So, I would say something in English and she would "translate" it into Japanese English-that is should would say it in English but with the Japanese accent. Suddenly they understood! How could she do this so easily and I was completely in the dark? Next she picked up a few Japanese words/phrases and began saying them over and over. One of them was "cheese-e-wa doku deska" which is part English, part Japanese and means something like "Where is the cheese?". (Obviously I still don't know Japanese) Anyway they kept buying more and more cheese for her! Mostly I was just concerned that we were offending them and didn't realize how incredible it was that my daughter had figured out how to get what she wanted while I couldn't understand the first thing...

And so it goes. Now she is fluent in Japanese and I still can only say "Thank-you" and 'I'm sorry" in Japanese. This story is not unique. Children in a foreign country will always will pick up language and accent faster than their parents. This is the natural learning process we want to preserve and nurture.
Children are so amazing. Please know they are learning even when it seems they are not "paying attention".

Next, we balance this with building skill step by step and affirming that which they are doing well. The general assignment this week:
Bow
Ready position- 2 0r 3 times
Twinkle A on thumb-3 or4 times if it was presented in class for your child
Please make sure the thumb is moving sideways, the sounds are short and the tone is clear. Soft is fine, Too loud means tension
finger numbers - begin mixing up which ones you ask, or have them point to your fingers and you answer
make-up sounds/song -black keys are great for this
Bow
mark the assignment sheet
Total time-definitely under 10 minutes, probably around 5 minutes with the make-up song

The following link is to the book "How to teach Beginners" by Dr. Kataoka. It was intended for teachers and is also great for parents to refer to as they are going through the process. Please keep the following link for reference and read the first part:

http://core.ecu.edu/hist/wilburnk/SuzukiPianoBasics/KataokaSensei/HTB.htm

From this point forward the lessons will be individualized according to the child's readiness on lesson day. So the exact assignment will vary from child to child. This is natural. As Dr. Kataoka says in "How to teach Beginners": " The difference is inconsequential."
We will discuss this and more at the parent meeting next Monday night at 6:30.
see you then,
Leah Brammer

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3_Twinkle Group class #2

2009-09-09T09:48:00.001-07:00

Dear Parents,
Great second class! Here is a review:
Listening: The students are becoming familiar with the songs on the recording. Please keep up the listening and find more places/times to have the recording on. You can make extra copies of the recording from your computer so that you can have a copy in every room as well as the car and can put it on an MP3/Ipod type player as well. It is good to begin casually saying the names of the pieces as you hear them.

Also, please listen to the "Do a deer" links from the last blog entry if you have not already done so. This children will really enjoy this. They can begin to memorize the words to the song. We will continue to sing it every week. We will use this song to learn the names of the notes. Also you can sing the solfege for Twinkle when it comes on the disc. We will begin adding more songs to our solfege singing next week.

The Bow: Please read the Please and Thank-you article listed in the last blog entry if you have not already done so. Please bow at home together with your child in the same way that I bow with them during their individual lesson. This will be at the beginning and at the end of your practice time each day. So this week the children can bow (with you), find the ready position and hold, then bow again (with you) at the end.

Rhythm clapping and finger numbers: We are doing these as part of the class activities.
It is best to keep the actual practice to the bow and ready position for this week. We will add to the assignment gradually.

The Assignment Sheet: Please have the child put a mark, drawing, sticker, or color of some kind on the sheet for each day after the practice. This way they are being empowered by the accomplishment. The mark is a recognition and not a reward. This is an important distinction.

About the Ready Position: Ready is focus and intention. It is the point of integration of body/mind/emotion/spirit. This is the most important point for beginning. The body is still in balance with the hand above the keys without tension. The mind is in a place of no thought (words) which is present moment awareness. The practice of counting in the ready position is a way of centering the mind. This will enable the child to become still/ready.
Later, this is not necessary and the word "ready" will suffice to mean focus/intention-body posture/mind still.

The lesson videos are up on the Twinkle blog site. This last week was focused on helping you know how to adjust the bench and footstool for you child, and the beginning of finding the ready position.
You are all doing a fantastic job of supporting your child's progress. It takes real dedication to be a Suzuki parent! Your children will thank you for it - I promise.
Leah Brammer

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2_Twinkle Group class #1

2009-09-03T11:02:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,
Congratulations on a great first class. The videos of the lesson are on the video blog. I am sending you an invitation for that blog. They will be put each week after the lessons.
This week is up now so that you can view it. If you have problems viewing it please send me an e-mail.

The notebooks which were given out at the lesson for each student contain the calendar, assignment sheets, the first pieces in Book One with the solfege written above the notes, staff paper for writing notes on, and a disc of selected pieces in the Suzuki repertoire which you can use in addition to listening to the Book One disc most hours of the day/night.

The listening is the most important part of providing the optimum environment for learning. There is no such thing as listening too much! It is important to keep the volume down low so that it is in the background. Pretty soon you will find yourself humming the pieces when you are in the grocery store. This is a good sign.
When the children do this that means they are internalizing the sound of the pieces. This is the readiness for actually playing those sounds on the piano. This is natural learning.

The assignment sheet can be used this week to mark off each day they practice the bow. You can also mark the listening box. Please bring the assignment sheet back to the lesson so that they can show it to me.
It is good if they want to go to the piano to make sounds after the bow, and then bow again at the end of the piano time. Just a bow is good too. Each week as practice evolves you will bow at the beginning and the end of the practice in the same manner that the child bows with me at the lesson.

Please read the post in this blog entitled "Please and Thank-you". You can just click the link, or search it on the top by name or find it under Past Posts on the right side of this blog. Go to 2008, then down to October, and then you will see the title "Please and Thank-You".

You can begin writing the solfege notes in your score. You can use the photocopies as reference. However if you can sing the solfege without the names written above the note you do not need to do this. Also please sing "Do a deer" so that the children can learn the words as we will continue to sing it for the next few weeks.

Following is a great link for "Do a Deer":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UE3CNu_rtY&feature=channel_page

Enjoy!

Link to next Twinkle Blog

1_Twinkle Group -before the first class

2009-08-28T14:00:00.000-07:00

Twinkle Group Parents:

Welcome to Twinkle class, and to this blog. I will be updating you on this blog, and also making the video of the individual lesson part of the class available for you on a private blog which will be available through an invitation which will be sent to you via e-mail. Suzuki Piano Teachers who join the East-West Teachers Forum on this site will also have access to this blog for research.

I hope all of you have been able to order the materials from the list sent to you by e-mail. The time before the first class is very important for listening to the disc. It's also nice to begin naming the pieces as you hear them.

The class will consist of 5 parts. We will keep basically the same order and activities for several weeks. We will build ability through this repetition.

First we will become familiar with and memorize each others names.
Next, I will play a couple pieces from the Suzuki repertoire.

In the third part of class, we will be singing the Book 1 pieces using solfege (Do, Re Mi) The children will catch on to this quickly. The parents can write the names of the solfege in the score. The children will sit with their parent and you can use your book 1 score. Please bring your Suzuki Book 1 score to class every week.

The next part of the class is individual lessons at the piano. For the first week we will just be going to the piano and I will be instructing the parents on using the video camera for future lessons.

The last part of the class will be floor activities with the students such as finger numbers and clapping rhythms. Parents will stay seated, but please help with the singing and clapping.
We will end with the group bow.

Please bring a notebook to write down the activities done in the class. This also sends a nonverbal message to the children that the activities are important. I will review the assignment at the end. The first assignment will be as short as "practice the bow".

I will give the students a notebook with practice sheets. Please check off on the practice record each day after you have practiced the bow. Please bring the assignment back to the next class.
Then gradually we will add to the assignment as the habit is established.

It is good to have a tote bag to carry materials back and forth to class. So, please bring a tote bag with the Book 1 score, another book to read during lessons, a notebook to take notes on, and I will give you the assignment notebook at the end of class to take home.

The beginning is very important. The main goals are to establish the relationships and the structure, help the students feel comfortable and supported in the environment, and create motivation to play the piano.

Looking forward to a great class!
Leah Brammer

*Please bring your Book 1 score to class as we will be using it.

Link to next Twinkle Blog

International 10 Piano Concert!

2009-08-05T16:05:00.000-07:00

Suzuki Piano Basics
International 10 Piano Concert
Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts
Saturday, August 15, 2009 -2:30 PM
For tickets call the box office at 530-754-2787

Intermountain Suzuki Piano Institute

2009-03-17T19:36:00.000-07:00

Let's go to Utah this summer for the Suzuki Institute! I will be teaching there as part of the advanced piano camp along with Robin Blankenship. Hope you can join us!
Here is the link:
http://www.intermountainsuzukiinstitute.org/

Nurturing with Attention

2009-02-03T15:56:00.000-08:00

When the parent is focused on the lesson, the student can become fully engaged. Taking notes and making a video recording of the lesson also helps to create the environment of importance and awareness.
This quiet attention connects the parent with the teacher and the child.

Parents who are completely involved are less likely to be distracted by the other children. So it is ideal not to give any attention to the other siblings. This will help younger students want to have their turn. It is good to bring books for them to look at or read. Toys are a distraction to the child having a lesson. It is also important that the parent not help the other siblings with homework. This is a time for them to study/read/observe independently.
So, with this as our goal we can create a quiet focused environment for optimum learning. In between lessons is a good time to talk, stretch, and enjoy each others company.

During the lesson, the assignment sheet is on the teachers piano. Please take notes in a small notebook. Also, in addition to your child's book which is on the piano during the lesson, please have another copy of the musical score to look at and take notes directly onto (if you do not have one already) This is a good place to mark things like spots, notes/fingering to fix, and tempo markings.

It is good to watch the video at the beginning of the practice week. The video is useful for remembering things like how to say "ready-go", the posture, and generally good reinforcement. Children really enjoy and benefit from watching themselves too.

After discussing the lesson with your child and reviewing the video and notes, please edit the last weeks assignment sheet to reflect changes, goals, and main points.
The assignment is the basic outline and should be easy to quickly update. The details can be left on the music score.

This organization of the assignment at the beginning of the week connects the lesson given by the teacher with the home practice and helps the child be able to follow through with the assignment. Children will be much more motivated to do the assignment if it represents what was taught at the lesson, and much more able to do it well if the exact cues and words are used at home that were used in the lesson.

The continuity of completing the actual assignment is what makes the child feel successful. During the lesson I will listen first, focus on the core skill that will make the most significant developmental improvement and prescribe a point to focus on. I will give that point and reinforce it over the rest of the lesson. Each piece will have spots that reinforce that skill. At home, focus mostly on that point for the assignment during the week and you will feel less overwhelmed. Your child will feel that the assignment is much easier and doable this way as well. By applying this main point to the pieces and the spots the child is playing you are following Dr. Suzuki's philosophy to "Raise your ability on a piece you can play."

Children will concentrate much better when they practice everyday. This is primarily because the habit of practice has been established and the emotional content involved in the decision about whether or when to practice is out of the way.

The habit of practicing everyday with balanced body/mind/emotions/inspiration is the most important thing to establish in the beginning years. Our intention is on creating the right environment for optimum learning at home as well.

I am grateful to all of you for your commitment to your children. Your child will also internalize the intention and nurturing you give them.

Congratulations!

2009-01-11T15:45:00.001-08:00

Congratulations to Rebecca Willet for winning the Richmond Symphony Concerto competition! Rebecca is 14 years old. She began Suzuki piano lessons when she was very young. She studied with Melody Diehl for many years. She also traveled to Louisville to study with Dr. Kataoka and participate in the Institutes. She also performed in the 10 Piano Concerts in Sacramento and in Japan. I first met Rebecca in Louisville and enjoyed teaching her in masterclass lessons.
She is performing the Mendelssohn Concerto in g minor.
There are two videos- I think the first one was the preliminary and the second one is the finals.
Rebecca if you read this please feel free to comment.
All the best to Rebecca when she plays with the Richmond symphony on April 1.

The Integral Learning Perspecive-To play by heart

2009-01-05T10:12:00.000-08:00

This year as I travel to help teachers, I will focus on nurturing through the awareness and application of integral learning. Dr. Suzuki didn't use that framework to discuss his philosophy, but he often discussed the development of "Ki" which is translated with various words including energy and intuition. An interesting link on Ki is: http://www.oregonki.org/ki/what_is_ki.html

His famous quote "Character then ability" also points to recognition of developing the emotional and spiritual quadrants. In fact, the whole true way of "Talent Education" is to enable the student to develop physically, emotionally and spiritually as well as mentally.

"Playing by heart" is not just memorization. It is not physically being able to play the notes without looking at the music. It has to do with what is going on inside when a person is playing. This is mysterious isn't it? For example, if we teach physical with mostly verbal/mental directions, students are probably thinking "move your fingers, drop your shoulder, don't drop your head, etc. etc." If we teach how to "interpret" the musical score with directions instead of teaching through sound, students are possibly thinking "Get louder here, slow down here, ...etc"
If we do not help the students achieve enough ability before a performance, we can feel/hear them get nervous when the hard part comes.

When you see a great performer, do you think they are thinking/feeling this way? Can we teach "playing by heart" through teaching students many things to think?
Dr. Suzuki called this way "playing with heart tone", which is in essence the place where the sound and the awareness are one without interfering thought.

So, "nurturing" is not just teaching. The word nurture is derived from the latin verb "nutrit" or nourish and also cherish.

How then do we nurture our students? Let's research together how to teach by heart.

One moment, one day, one year, one life

2009-01-01T18:26:00.000-08:00

Greetings on the first day of 2009!
I am reading the book Remix by Lawrence Lessig who is a professor at Stanford. He writes about the evolving RW (read/write) culture made possible by new technologies which enable people to contribute/comment/create/edit/quote/analyize/sythesize/ and thus "remix" information of all types including words/sounds/photo/visual-video into multiple mediums.
It is an exciting time for people who research learning.

Also as I was sorting through my mail I found my letter asking for a contribution to the International campaign for Tibet which each year comes from Richard Gere.

These two things led me to a short article that Dr. Kataoka wrote:

"One Day is a Lifetime!
Sometime ago while out of town, I turned on the television in my hotel room. The actor Richard Gere was on a talk show. He seemed like a very affable and natural sort of person.

He is a follower of Tibetan Buddhism. He explained in a simple, very understandable way that people in this religion are reborn every day. In other words, they believe that one is born each morning and dies every night. If this is so, he explained, then each and every day is very precious. He said that, to a procrastinator like himself, there can be no such thing as thinking, "I will do it tomorrow." Moreover each day being an entire cycle of birth and death, it happens as the blink of an eye or a single breadth. Richard Gere is also fond of Zen Buddhism from Japan and meditates faithfully for 30 minutes daily.

While we in the East, have been sitting idly by, it seems that Westerners from distant lands have been learning about Eastern Culture to the point of deep understanding. I was astonished. As I mentioned in the previous article, having taught children how to play piano for many years, I am truly aware that no matter how you look at it, each day is a unit when it comes to the human body. To think that one is born in the morning and dies at night is a wonderful perception. It makes one contemplate seriously how to face each and every day and decide how you will spend the next 24 hours.

When performing a piece on the piano, each and every note is very important. If the performer does not play every single sound in a heartfelt way with his or her soul, it is not possible to create a truly musical tone. Whether we are talking about each and every day or each and every note, the fact that every single unit is precious and important is the same. When you live each day and every day with your heart and soul in the best natural way, there is a continuum which results in a wonderful lifetime.

So therefore, is it not also true that when each and every note is felt from the heart, originates from the soul, and is played with a musical sound, that a continuum is created which results in a wonderful performance?"

Well, I can't write a better New Years message than that.
Blessings, and
Happy Continuum!

The Gift of Giving

2008-11-24T15:42:00.000-08:00

Giving and receiving are the two parts of the same basic principle which is love. When we teach our children to give with happiness and excitement, we enable them to receive with gratitude. Children feel empowered when they give something which they have worked on and created. This holiday help your child to give something that they have worked hard for and are very proud of- their music. This is how we can nurture with love.

There are many ways you can do this. One idea is to make a video/DVD of past recitals and performances. Another idea is to make a Christmas video/DVD. Have your child dress up in a Christmas outfit and record their regular pieces as well as their Christmas Songs. You could send it in the Christmas cards, or even by e-mail. Grandparents especially love these gifts. Make sure to save a copy as it will make a great gift for your child someday.

Children who have learned through the Suzuki method internalize the sound of their pieces through listening. So, they enjoy performing in public as they always have their “music” with them –inside their self. There are many opportunities for your child to share their music during the season. From nursing homes to parties, to church, to malls it is always welcome to hear a child playing music. You can prepare and talk about these opportunities ahead of time with your child and in this way make the practice time become an important part of the gift.

Start a Holiday tradition of playing and singing music together with friends and/or family sometime during the holiday. My family does this on Christmas Eve. Everyone has a turn to sing, dance, or play an instrument. Each year you can play the old songs, and add new ones. Years from now when your child hears the pieces they have played it will bring back these memories.

When your child experiences this joy that they can give to others through their music, their own love for playing piano will become very strong.
As Dr. Suzuki said “Where love is deep much can be accomplished.”
Happy Holidays!

Spot Practice to enable Integral learning

2008-11-20T09:23:00.000-08:00

Core awareness is the point where thought, feeling, action, and inspiration all become one and the same. Integral learning is the process of developing the ability to be at the center of these four quadrants. Therefore the thought and the doing become one. This is present moment awareness, and the state of total concentration. When we teach children solely through the cognitive process, we imprison them in their own thought, and disable them from experiencing the four quadrants of human existence as a unified whole.

How actually does one get to this place? In developing ability as set forth by Dr. Suzuki, he says:
"Knowledge alone is not ability. Knowledge plus 10,000 times equals ability.
Therefore it is through developing the ability to do one spot many times that one can surpass the thought and get to a higher level of awareness. The "thought" then is the hearing of the sound produced and not the extra words that are giving directions to the body to do this or that.
The tone is the feeling and the inspiration as well. This connection is a powerful type of learning, and develops the ability to actualize intention.

Children do this naturally until adults give them too many instructions. Adult learners need many more repetitions to get past the point of thinking.

The most important point to teach is tone/sound. That means that the sound has vibration that rings and affects the human being on many levels. It is produced with a balanced body, a clear mind, a soft heart, and hearing awareness. By practicing a small spot which has in it the seed of the ability being developed children can experience this connection of their mind/body/emotion/inspiration (in spirit).
Here are some recommendations on developing core ability through the practice of a small spot:
1. The spot should be very small -2 or 3 beats.
2. The spot should be easy for the student to do well.
3. The physical movement should be tied directly to the sound produced. The use of the natural movements of a balanced body are critical to success. Teachers must study how to help students find body balance.
4. The number of repetitions can be related to an amount of time so that no actual counting is necessary. Find the number of repetitions the student can do easily with success and good feeling, and begin there.
5. Do the spot every week in the lesson. Keep the same spot or same type of spot over a long period of time.

This type of spot practice must be in relation to a total environment of natural learning which includes hours every day of listening, observation of other students and pianists performing and having lessons, group activities with other students, playing through pieces with freedom, etc.
There are many implications in this type of learning to foster concentration and the ability to connect the mind with the physical ability.

Dr. Suzuki says this about adults:
"We may be able to say than an adult life, in many cases, is a life in which one cannot practice what one knows to be good. To possess understanding but lack ability to perform may be modern people's weakness. When we take note, we realize that those who accomplished worthy tasks are, without exception, those who demonstrated ability to act. Imagine the future results of today's school education. While a big fuss about exams and study is made throughout Japan, what kind of human beings will be fostered? I am sad to think that this will only produce a multitude of people who have the ability to understand, but lack real ability, a race of people who are only strong in taking exams." 1

The repetition of a small spot can be correlated to repeating a mantra, saying, affirmation or prayer. The mind can become calm and focused without internal chatter. After such a practice it is easier to take in and process cognitive information because the mind has rested and made room.

This education preserves the sensibility that we are born with. Dr. Kataoka says:
"If a child starts piano lesson at age 3 or 4, he or she should always learn what a good sound is, along with how to enjoy it. The teacher's primary task is to instruct how to make good sound because music starts with sound, and sound exists in the world of sensibility."2

When the student has internalized the spot and can play with good body balance and tone, they will be able to use it effortlessly in many applications. The easiest example is the "alberti" pattern (do-so-mi-so) which is used Suzuki Book One, and then in many many pieces in classical music. The repetition of this pattern develops the ability to play the four notes as one pattern (not four notes) and to apply the coordination of this to different notes and different pieces. It is very important pedagogically speaking to make sure that the pattern is learned with good body balance/tone so that all of the pieces which follow will have good quality. It is a foundation skill in Book One.

So, spot practice develops concentration and the integration of the four quadrants. It is the process of learning how to learn, the cornerstone of Core Education.

1. Man and Talent-Search into the Unknown-Dr. Shinichi Suzuki-page 67
2. Sensibility and Education-Haruko Kataoka-page 54

November 9, 2008 performance with Brian Parks in Atlanta Ga for the Cultural Arts Perfomance Series at the Ahavath Achim Synagogue

2008-11-12T11:27:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to Brian on an awesome performance, and for encouraging me to perform with him.
Thanks so much to the students, parents, teachers, family and friends who attended the concert and made it a very special event.

e-mail test

2008-11-06T09:58:00.000-08:00

To the parents in the studio:
I have put you on an e-mail list so that you will be notified when I put up a new post.
Please let me know if you get it and read this message. You could reply with a comment to this blog, or through e-mail.

I am off to Atlanta to play with Brian in the concert, and will be teaching a lot as well. I wish all of you could meet the students in Atlanta!

Also, I am going to Orange County for a workshop with the Japanese teachers in February. There will be a Friendship concert and lessons for students. If anyone is interested in going for a lesson, or to be in the concert please let me know. The deadline for video submission is the beginning of December.

Speaking of videos, I want everyone to bring their discs for recording lessons each week as I can really tell a difference in the students progress when people use them. If you have your own video camera, you can use it instead and put it on my tri-pod if that is easier for you.
thanks,
Leah Brammer

Nurture Your Child's Musical Taste

2008-11-03T10:48:00.000-08:00

Reprinted from the February 2003 Atlanta Suzuki Piano Association "Nurture" Journal
This article seems relevant now as we go into the Thanksgiving holiday. The association of family and friends with the autumn season foods is reinforced over many years for children. We associate music with feelings in much the same way.

When my children were young I remember encouraging them to try new foods. I knew that they would probably like fried foods and candy without any help, but also knew that getting them to appreciate high quality whole foods was going to take persistence. The same principle is true with music. Children need parents to take care of their musical environment in order for their taste to mature.

Our memories from childhood often come from our senses- our grandmother’s perfume, the feeling of sand between our fingers at the beach, the glimmer of Christmas tree lights, or the taste of a particular food being associated with a holiday. When children are growing up, having music on in the house creates a feeling that they will remember even when they are older.

Recently, I picked up my teen-age daughter from school. When she got in the car she said, “Oh, it is so nice to hear classical music.” I asked her, “ Why? Were you listening to pop songs while you were running track?” “No” she replied, “It’s just been a difficult day.” So, music is not just a luxury. Good music is important for our emotional well-being in the same way good food is necessary for our physical well-being.

Young students need many repetitions of the highest quality music. It is not necessary to own many discs, just the best ones. Researching and buying new music is fun for older children as well as for parents who are developing their musical taste. Researching discs by specific artists is a great way to buy discs. Another way to collect discs is to buy a specific disc to prepare for live performances. This makes the live performance much more enjoyable and valuable. A student’s parent recently told me that she had taken her three boys to see the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra perform Holts’ “The Planets.” The mother bought the disc and played it in the car several weeks ahead. During the performance, her son Max would turn to his head and whisper "Mars!" "Mercury!"...

I am always so happy when a student comes to the lesson and announces a piece they have heard and want to learn. Sometimes they find another pianist on a piece they are learning. They develop the ability to hear subtle details and make decisions about good interpretations. Then, the music becomes truly their own.

Last, when listening to new music, remember that through time and familiarity one acquires the the understanding/awareness that gives the experience meaning. Repetition of high quality music is an important factor in acquiring good musical taste. To taste and enjoy wonderful music is a gift!

Oh, to hear Bach in the morning!

2008-10-23T15:00:00.000-07:00

Reprinted from the “Nurture” Journal published by the Atlanta Suzuki Piano Association

This article was written a few months after the 9/11/2001 attacks on the US. It was an attempt at that time to help families and teachers get back into the habit of listening to classical music in the house not only for their piano lessons, but also for their family wellness. The article has relevance now because the recent events although minor by comparison are still captivating.

On the morning of September 11, my husband called me from his cell phone: “You’ve got to turn on the TV!” I watched as the second plane flew into the World Trade Center. In that moment, I became a captive to the television. In the following three months, my morning routine was to check the news for the latest updates.

Recently, I turned on the disc player to listen to a piece I was teaching. In the same suddenness in which I had become captive to the TV, a feeling of deep calm and peacefulness came over me. I realized how easily and thoughtlessly that I had replaced a good habit with a bad one. In lessons that week, I asked parents: “Have you been listening?” The reply from many parents: “Not as much as usual.”

In one sense, everyone has been captive to recent events. It was interesting to me however, that as I listened to recordings less, I forgot to remind parents about listening as well. Because I was uninspired, there were no stories to tell about listening, certain pianist, or new discs to listen to.

As a child, while my parents played and respected music as an important part of life, the TV was king of the house. This was the habit learned from my childhood. As an adult, I have rebelled against this way of life to such an extent that I miss even really good programs. Still, what we learn as children is so strong that these habits can take over without us even knowing it!

Dr. Suzuki and Dr. Kataoka teach us that each day is like a life. The morning is a new beginning and a very important time to have music on in the house. This creates the habit of listening for that day. With music in the morning, the whole day can evolve from that center of calmness.

As adults, it is so difficult to get rid of bad habits! For the sake of humanity, let’s work hard to help children acquire good habits!

Congratulations

2008-10-21T13:59:00.000-07:00

Congratulations on a great recital last Saturday. The students are really improving!
I was especially happy with the clear beautiful tone the students were making. Their concentration was very good. Keep bowing everyday before and after practice so that their bow becomes natural.

Access to Great Pianists through the Web

2008-10-17T11:49:00.000-07:00

Reprinted from Suzuki Piano Basics Newsletter March/April 2008
Now with active links

Imagine being able to watch, listen and learn about the very best pianists including those from the beginning of the 20th century to the current day, performing music by the greatest composers of all time.

It is now possible! Imagine how happy Dr. Suzuki would be to know that children can watch and listen to the best musicians with such relatively little effort! There is so much “out there” on the web it’s hard to know where to begin. Also, the technology and options are changing even as I write this. So, this article is about how to begin your research.

Dr. Kataoka always made it clear that there was a huge difference between the “good” pianist and the “best” pianists. After you listen and watch the best pianist it is much easier to tell when the quality is not as good. This is how we educate children to have high ability-with the very best as their model.

You can listen and watch many different pianists on the web, especially on Youtube! You can also find information about composers, artists, music history, etc. Next, you can research available recordings by listening for free, buying a new or used (collector items) CD, or downloading a MP4 file directly onto your iPod or computer. With this kind of access, all of us can contribute to the ongoing job of finding and providing the best resources and environment for the students.

Following is a list of reliable websites/access points for your research:
For Information:
www.google.com
You can search by the name of the pianist. A quick search of Martha Argerich for example brings up 448,000 entries which can be rather overwhelming. The good news is that often the first few links have lots of great information. On the Martha Argerich search Wikipedia comes up as the first link (it often does) which has a biography and links to other good sites. The next link was www.argerich.org which has a catalog of recordings, upcoming broadcast and concerts. There were also links to sites with interviews, articles, YouTube video links, and even an add for Martha Argerich ring tones (now we know what to get Karen Hagberg for Christmas)

You can also search by the name of the piece. A quick search for “Chopin Ballade” brought 80,700 links.The first links were for YouTube (to watch videos) including Horowitz and Zimmerman. Next, there were Amazon.com links to buy CD’s including recordings by Rubenstein. There were also sheet music sites.

For Online Videos
www.you-tube.com
There are more incredible videos by the day on this site. Search by pianists name, filter by the composer/piece. There will be a lot of videos that come up on your search. It takes time as there is no filter that really helps pull the best videos. Still, it is an adventure.

You can start your own page with favorites, playlists, and can subscribe to others peoples’ YouTube page. For example, I have been organizing my page to include playlists of various pianists as well as collecting student performances. You can search my name on Youtube and find my Youtube channel page!

You can listen to many different pianists on the web, especially on YouTube! Following is a list of five pianists considered by most to be in the “best” category that have videos posted on YouTube:

• Glen Gould - There are many videos on YouTube of his recording in the studio with the engineers. Very interesting, not necessarily appropriate for children
• Arthur Rubenstein - There are wonderful performances of various Chopin pieces. These videos are great for students as his posture is perfect!
• Alicia de Larrocha - There are videos of her performing Mozart as well as Spanish music including Emanuel De Falla’s Ritual Fire Dance.
• Martha Argerich- considered by many to be the greatest living pianist. There is a wonderful video of a Scarlatti Sonata recorded years ago as well as several others.
• Marc Andre Hamelin - His Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody #2 is incredible

For Cd’s
www.Amazon.com -classical music
This is an easy site to use the advanced search for classical music. You can search by pianist and then choose disc which have the composer you are looking for. You can also search by specific piece. You can buy MP4 (AAC) to download into your iTunes on some selections as well as ordering a CD.

Often recordings go on and off the market. Recording companies will repackage CD’s with recordings off several different CD’s put together with a new title. So, collectors (like me) might have to buy a whole new CD to get one new piece for example. As long as you are getting the pianist and the piece/composer you are looking for, the name of the CD doesn’t really matter. If you want only a single piece, try using iTunes and download directly to your computer/iPod.

Also in your search to buy disc/videos, some will be live performances of several composers and others will be a collection such as the Chopin Nocturnes. Sometimes a pianist will have several different recordings of a piece over a period of time which gets confusing. Anyway all kinds of listening experiences are useful. The live performances have great energy. The collections make it easier to understand a particular style or sound.

www.arkivmusic.com
This is a great site for hard to find discs and music lovers.
iTunes – you can buy single pieces or albums to download directly to your iPod/computer.

You can use iTunes as your music library/disc player. All of your discs can be downloaded into your computer and saved there. If students are listening on their computers, it is a good idea for them to get good speakers for the computer. You can keep your CD’s for backup and listening other places. They will be stored in the iTunes library. You then access the pieces by genre, artist, and album, When you upload a CD it will automatically enter these categories. You can change the information in these categories to suit your own filing system ( right click and “Get info”.)

Next, you can make playlist of specific pieces so that you can easily play just that playlist. There is a repeat button (bottom left corner of the iTunes screen) so that you can repeat a single piece or repeat a playlist. Next, you can burn Cd’s to use in other disc players in your house and car, and can share with students. Also, You can download the music onto your iPod or iPhone.

There will be new options in the near future that will enable access with even higher fidelity. So, I personally recommend to buy mostly CD’s and then load them onto your computer for iTunes access. Then you can use the CD in another location or keep it in storage as back-up.

In conclusion:
Go to any of the listed websites. Enter the pianist as the search. Check for the composers/compositions that they have recorded. Maybe look up information on the pianist and check their concert schedule or new release. Compare buying a MP4 version to used discs, to new discs, to different collections that may be on another site. Listen to a sample, watch videos, read, enjoy, learn, support, buy, and save your bookmarks/ favorites for the next time.

If you find a great video/disc, send me the link!

Please and Thank-you

2008-10-16T09:00:00.000-07:00

Reprinted from the studio notes of Leah Brammer

Parents ,

Please bow every day at home before and after piano practice. This is very important.

The bow has the same meaning at home as in the lesson. To bow at the beginning is to agree to work together. It is a matter of respect. Make sure that you have eye contact at the beginning and end of the bow. This connection with the other person helps establish good feelings.

To bow at the end is to say thank-you for your time and energy, and we are done.

In Japan bowing is a matter of every-day life. Children grow up with it the same way we grow up with phrases such as : “Hello, how are you?”, “Thank-you for having me” , “ please” and “ thank-you” . In every culture, it is part of education to learn to appreciate and communicate with other people.

In recitals, the bow shows appreciation and communication with the audience. To bow at the beginning the performer is saying “please listen and enjoy my playing.” When the audience claps they are saying “ok”.
At the end of the performance the bow means “Thank-you for listening to me”’ and the corresponding clapping means “Thank-you for playing.”
Performers all over the world recognize the significance and importance of the bow.

It is very simple, but also very important for pianist to learn that the bow is an integral part of the performance. Without a good bow, the performance cannot be good. With daily practice the bow will feel natural and the child will gain self-confidence from this repetition.

Please bow every day as part of practice and see how this communication between you and your child can bring good feeling to your time together.
Just like please and Thank-you.

Core Education

2008-10-14T09:20:00.000-07:00

Following is a short outline of the principles I am developing and will be writing on through this blog and integrating into my book. I am using this format because I am very interested in having comments on these ideas.

Core Education is the development of the framework or “intelligence” upon which all learning occurs. Core Education promotes the growth of this organizational capacity upon which learning takes place and understanding and awareness are built.

Core Education is learning how to learn. It is the development of life ability. Life ability forms the macrocosm of how we live, interact, create, adapt, and grow. It is based on Dr. Suzuki and Dr. Kataoka’s principles of Talent Education and learning through the senses. It is evolving from my own research, introspection, and perceptions from living, breathing, and teaching Suzuki piano over many years as well as my life experience raising two children. I have not invented anything new, but am seeking to identify that which already is.

Principles:

1. Life Ability
Core Education develops life ability which is the ability to live life optimally.

2. Natural Learning
Core Education utilizes and preserves natural learning, which is direct learning from the environment.

3. Pattern recognition
Pattern recognition and the forming of relationships between these patterns can be developed through repetition for optimum learning. This is the basis for the traditional idea of “intelligence”.

4. Integral Learning
Core learning involves recognition and support for the physical, emotional, and spiritual aspects of development in combination with mental/cognitive learning to form life abilities.

5. Whole Learning
Children learn through absorption of the total environment rather than part by part. This is sometimes called ”right-brain learning” Whole learning is a better way to describe this absorption as it involves both the right brain (learning through the senses/intuition and left brain (analytical) types of learning working together.

6. The Basics Principle of Skill development
This principle is that the most fundamental aspect in a child’s learning must always be addressed rather than focusing on the content of what is being learned. This is the balancing concept of whole learning and involves the understanding of learning in relationship to sequencing and the development of ability through the acquisition of foundation skills.

7. Positive affirmation
Core education involves affirmation as a critical component of feedback for the child. Using verbal acknowledgement of that which is correct will accelerate learning. It is not a judgment such as good or bad, but is a positive statement of fact to the child about how they are learning.

Through understanding and applying these principles teachers and parents can recreate the concept of education from the learning of facts to the development of ability.

“I want - if I can - to get education changed from mere instruction to education in the real sense of the word - education that inculcates, brings out, develops the human potential, based on the growing life of the child. That is why I am devoting my efforts to furthering Talent Education: what a child becomes depends entirely on how he is educated. My prayer is that all children on this globe may become fine human beings, happy people of superior ability, and I am devoting all my energies to making this come about, for I am convinced that all children are born with this potential.”
Dr. Suzuki

Andras Schiff concert review

2008-10-13T14:14:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my blog!

Andras Schiff creates his legacy and brings Beethoven to life.

Last year Andras Schiff embarked on the project of performing all of Beethovens 32 Piano Sonatas in a series of 8 concerts over a 2 year period. So far I have seen all 5 of the concerts he has done, with 3 remaining.

The most striking feature of the concerts is their clarity of expression. No doubt Schiff's expertise in playing Bach comes into play as every note has a horiontal line as well as vertical placement. Because of this transparency in the texture, the true Beethoven jumps out.

Last nights performance included the Sonatas 16 in G major, Op. 31#1, Sonata no. 17 in dminor, Op. 31#2, Sonata no. 18 in E-b flat major, op. 31#3, and after the intermission the Sonata no. 21 in C major, Op. 53 (Waldstein), and an encore performing Bach's Italian Concerto.

The Sonata #16 with it's major key and lightness was the perfect opener. The Tempest followed with all three movements blending together in one kind of sound/tone which was still clear, but decidely more distant and introspective. The third movement of the Tempest is one of my favorite pieces, and one I have been practicing lately. Naturally therefore I have stronger ideas about interpretation. The opening motive begins on the upbeat and ends on the first beat.He played the first beat with an up motion and sound which made the piece sound weak and lacked the rhythmic continuity that is crucial for this piece. He seemed most comfortable in the Sonata #18, and the audience went to intermission very up.

After intermission, I felt him become tired on the Waldstein-an incredibly difficult piece to sustain. It was apparent in the amount of sound he was making as he still managed the clarity. The Italian Concerto seemed a piece of cake for him. So much so that he blew through the second movement even improvising some of the RH as if he had spaced out. Not to matter though the third movement was the best I have ever heard by anyone - even Glen.

It is such a great lifetime opportunity to hear a pianist performing on this level.
The sound stays inside you a long time. I practiced as soon as I got home!
Leah Brammer