Rilievo Musicale

Teaching little kids to play expressively! 😉🤣 ft. Shania Zhang (8 years old) @shania_zhang1 Piece: Girl with the Flaxen Hair by Debussy #girlwiththeflaxenhair #debussy #debussypreludes #prelude #impressionism #impressionistart #impressionistmusic #pianostudent #pianoteacher #classicalmusic #pianocover #instapianist #instaclassicalmusic

"I tell them that if the young person loves music -- absolutely cannot live without being a musician -- then it's okay for them to study seriously," she says. "But if the child or their parents are looking for money or fame, they should not. Fame is nothing, and money disappears (Slenczynska's father took hers).

REMEMBERING HER PIANO LESSONS CHICAGO -- The Chicago Tribune called her "the marvel of the generation." She was "more amazing than Yehudi Menuhin when he first appeared in New York as a boy of 8," wrote the New York Herald Tribune, while another critic summed up the phenomenon with three extraordinary words: "Not since Mozart."....

"You must have a plan before you play, and rhetorics of performance must be a centerpiece of that plan: how to use your body to create the most compelling and truthful presentation of a work. It's not just about playing the notes 'properly' and relying solely on instinct: you have to find the balance between pathos and logos, an optimal physical setup, one achieved by exploring breathing and movement. How you're navigating your body to promote minimal tension, and making a differentiation between tension and effort. Effort sets itself apart from tension, in that there's some kind of release following effort; that balance I think is inherent in music-making..."

— Nancy Zhou, violin faculty

📸 Matthew Washburn

"You must have a plan before you play, and rhetorics of performance must be a centerpiece of that plan: how to use your body to create the most compelling and truthful presentation of a work. It's not just about playing the notes 'properly' and relying solely on instinct: you have to find the balance between pathos and logos, an optimal physical setup, one achieved by exploring breathing and movement. How you're navigating your body to promote minimal tension, and making a differentiation between tension and effort. Effort sets itself apart from tension, in that there's some kind of release following effort; that balance I think is inherent in music-making.

For me, studying works by J.S. Bach has allowed me to think more deeply about rhetorics, because his music is so governed by the concepts of transitions and arrival points. Since music is life writ large, I started thinking, 'Well, in everyday life you also have arrival points and acts of journeying to get to that certain point in time.' And over the last few years, I started listening more to opera, which prompted me to think about how we enunciate, talk, or sing— actions that necessitate designed breathing. One of the many lifelong questions for a musician is, 'What are some of the natural ways to breathe while trying to sculpt a phrase with the voice, and how may that apply to instrumental playing?'

With any effort that we draw out from the body—because we have to use the body to play the instrument—we have to intake energy, or inhale, but then we have to release that energy, or exhale, when we arrive at a certain point in any music we explore. Because of this, I do think that choreography, in addition to breathing, is an important element that ought to motivate us as performers. Sound is a function of movement. So, to ultimately attain freedom of expression and empathetic communication with other musicians, you strive for specificity in the way you navigate your body, hands, and fingers: how you're going about producing a certain color of the sound palette in order to get as close as possible to realizing your intentions, coalesced with those of the composer."

— Nancy Zhou, violin faculty

📸 Matthew Washburn

One day music changed my life ✨🤍 Write in the comments what is your profession and why you chose it? 🫶🏻 #music #video #motivation #reelsinstagram #trend #trendingreels #day1 #oneday #piano #pianist

Throwback Thursday to 2020 and this note from my classroom in KS: "This is a reminder I put up on the wall by my teacher desk about 5 years ago when I was facing a really tough year with super difficult classes. I think it applies this year too. Remember that these times are not normal. We’re teaching though a pandemic. Our curriculum and pacing guides need to be secondary to connecting with students in meaningful ways. The student is more important than the standard!"

Find the original post here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CESWRpPh15n/

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It’s a gift that lasts a lifetime.

Rilievo's Virtual Piano Recital - 4th Quarter 2023

Quality of a Pianist
1)/ Patience
You must be patient because learning takes time and maturity.

Knowledge of the keyboard, learning notes, knowledge of the bass clef and the treble clef, learning and integrating rhythm, hand positioning, coordination of both hands, deciphering pieces etc.

So don't panic! All this can be learned with a teacher but it just takes time. Students who do not have patience risk skipping steps and instead of saving time they waste time...If you cannot play the scores that interest you right away, be patient with yourself and don't put the bar too high from the start otherwise you will put yourselfpressure. We just have to tell you that even if today it is a little difficult, you will be able to get there in a few months. (This of course depends on the difficulty of the piece!).

2/ Discipline
Does this word seem old-fashioned today? Yet discipline is essential to musicians. How could a musician achieve his goal without discipline? It is the same with athletes. Learning, listening, repetition, these cannot be improvised.

First of all, a musician needs to be disciplined and consistent. For some, learning notes may seem boring, but it is essential for reading sheet music! Also, it requires some effort to repeat a passage several times or for a certain period of time. However, if we manage to impose it on ourselves we will be satisfied with the result when the result is there :)

3 / Concentration
Forget your occupations! Be 100% in the music when you work out. Turn off your cell phone so you don't have to refocus on each new message received. Concentration will allow you to optimize your work and achieve your goal much faster. You will be able to increase your progress and your memory tenfold, but that rhymes with concentration! The advantage is that if you achieve this concentration on the piano, you will be able to concentrate much more easily in many other areas.

4/ The spirit of challenge
Does your piece have difficulties? Do not be discouraged ! On the contrary, overcome these difficulties with the help of your teacher, this will help you progress. You will only be satisfied with mastering the difficulties which at the beginning seemed insurmountable to you. If you always choose pieces that are too easy and avoid the slightest difficulty as much as possible, this will take away the spice of the challenge. A piece should not be too easy or too difficult.

5 / Love the attention to detail
Once you are comfortable with the text and your piece is well coordinated, it's like you are the tip of the iceberg. Finally you enter the depths of interpretation. Each note, each intention, each gesture is calculated to give an emotional dimension to your piece. It’s after editing your piece that the “real” work begins and it’s the most exciting part! When you master your piece in detail you develop a real pleasure in playing and interpreting. You are comfortable immersed in music in depth