I did much better with keeping up with blog posts last week, but I struggled this week so I'll try to catch up.
Last Saturday's Sonata Contest was a great success! We had record breaking numbers, and there were no large crises this year, which is always a plus. My studio represented itself well with one 1st, five 2nds, four 3rds, and five Honorable Mentions. Of course, I'm proud of each and every one of my students and the work they put into the contest whether they received an award or not.
Speaking of Sonata Contest, if you are ever asked to adjudicate at a competition or evaluation-type event, make sure that you follow the instructions given to you by those in charge of the event. We at the PMTA work very hard to be clear in what we expect from out judges. We hold a meeting before the day starts and give each judge a packet with helpful materials and sample bad/good adjudication forms. These forms can be a great source of information for parents and teachers alike as to how their student is progressing on their instrument, but in order for the forms to fulfill this role, there must be written on. This year, most of our judges did a fantastic job, but like every year, a couple decided that they just would not take the time to do as we asked. If you accept a judging position, you can make that same choice, but do not be surprised when you are put on the "do not rehire" list.
Monday night, I performed with my first piano trio. It's been a long time since I did something brand new, and it was a great experience. We performed the first movement of Beethoven's Trio in D, "Ghost", and for a first performance by a new group, it went pretty well. I want to try a slightly different positioning next time because I couldn't see the first violinist's bow as clearly as I would have liked, but we have time before my recital, where we will be performing the complete trio, to work that out.
Tomorrow is our FSMTA District 1 Concerto Competition. This is an event I have really grown to love. Two years ago, I did not have any students entered, but they were in need of volunteer workers, so I went to lend a hand. I never studied any concertos in high school, and I honestly believed that there were better ways to spend my effort on my students than giving them something as insurmountable as a concerto to work on. But when I heard all these young people giving these great performances, I began to realize that I might be underestimating what young people are capable of. Last year I entered my first two in the elementary division playing the first and third movements of Vandall's Concertino in C major. It was definitely a lot of work, but the rewards were so great. Piano students rarely get the opportunity to play with someone else until they get advanced enough to do some accompanying, but concerto work gives them that opportunity. It is also a great sense of accomplishment, greater than any other event I know. Tomorrow I have one student in the elementary playing the third movement of Catherine Rollin's Concerto in C, and I have three students competing at the intermediate level playing Haydn in D, Mozart No. 12 in A, and Alexander Peskanov's Concerto no. 2. I am looking forward to a great day.
I was telling my wife that this time of year feel's like my New Year when it comes to teaching. We've been working on competition pieces for so long, and I finally get to start working on something new with my students. I also have received their comments from their judges which gives me more goals to start working on with them. Fortunately, this week was spring break for one of the counties that I teach in, so I've had a lot of time, when I wasn't practicing, to really think about what I want to do next with my students.
So that's what's going on in my life, excluding a symphony concert last week, next week, and in three weeks. Oh! and our baby will be coming at some point in the next month! Life is a busy thing, but I would rather be busy than bored any day!
Until next time!
Last Saturday's Sonata Contest was a great success! We had record breaking numbers, and there were no large crises this year, which is always a plus. My studio represented itself well with one 1st, five 2nds, four 3rds, and five Honorable Mentions. Of course, I'm proud of each and every one of my students and the work they put into the contest whether they received an award or not.
Speaking of Sonata Contest, if you are ever asked to adjudicate at a competition or evaluation-type event, make sure that you follow the instructions given to you by those in charge of the event. We at the PMTA work very hard to be clear in what we expect from out judges. We hold a meeting before the day starts and give each judge a packet with helpful materials and sample bad/good adjudication forms. These forms can be a great source of information for parents and teachers alike as to how their student is progressing on their instrument, but in order for the forms to fulfill this role, there must be written on. This year, most of our judges did a fantastic job, but like every year, a couple decided that they just would not take the time to do as we asked. If you accept a judging position, you can make that same choice, but do not be surprised when you are put on the "do not rehire" list.
Monday night, I performed with my first piano trio. It's been a long time since I did something brand new, and it was a great experience. We performed the first movement of Beethoven's Trio in D, "Ghost", and for a first performance by a new group, it went pretty well. I want to try a slightly different positioning next time because I couldn't see the first violinist's bow as clearly as I would have liked, but we have time before my recital, where we will be performing the complete trio, to work that out.
Tomorrow is our FSMTA District 1 Concerto Competition. This is an event I have really grown to love. Two years ago, I did not have any students entered, but they were in need of volunteer workers, so I went to lend a hand. I never studied any concertos in high school, and I honestly believed that there were better ways to spend my effort on my students than giving them something as insurmountable as a concerto to work on. But when I heard all these young people giving these great performances, I began to realize that I might be underestimating what young people are capable of. Last year I entered my first two in the elementary division playing the first and third movements of Vandall's Concertino in C major. It was definitely a lot of work, but the rewards were so great. Piano students rarely get the opportunity to play with someone else until they get advanced enough to do some accompanying, but concerto work gives them that opportunity. It is also a great sense of accomplishment, greater than any other event I know. Tomorrow I have one student in the elementary playing the third movement of Catherine Rollin's Concerto in C, and I have three students competing at the intermediate level playing Haydn in D, Mozart No. 12 in A, and Alexander Peskanov's Concerto no. 2. I am looking forward to a great day.
I was telling my wife that this time of year feel's like my New Year when it comes to teaching. We've been working on competition pieces for so long, and I finally get to start working on something new with my students. I also have received their comments from their judges which gives me more goals to start working on with them. Fortunately, this week was spring break for one of the counties that I teach in, so I've had a lot of time, when I wasn't practicing, to really think about what I want to do next with my students.
So that's what's going on in my life, excluding a symphony concert last week, next week, and in three weeks. Oh! and our baby will be coming at some point in the next month! Life is a busy thing, but I would rather be busy than bored any day!
Until next time!