The Transformative Power of Performing

A recent New York Times article featured an interview with Mark Vaccacio, who has terminal cancer.  He began performing in “Beatlemania” on Broadway, and is now a member of Strawberry Fields, the tribute band. Mark has this to say about the place performing has in his life today: “When I put my teeth in and [...]

Marlboro

The Marlboro Music School and Festival is seeing a huge change in that its founders have died. I have attended many summer concerts at Marlboro, which is a convenient drive from Amherst.  This post is written from the perspective of an audience member. Attending a Marlboro concert is a profound experience.  Passive listening is never [...]

Synesthesia

  While writing an earlier post about some of the differences between perfect and absolute pitch, I began thinking about synesthesia. Many thanks to Frederica Mathewes-Green for granting permission to use her essay here.  Thanks also to Suzanne Lichtenstein for suggesting Frederica’s work. —– [Unpublished, Feb 2, 2007] You know the sequence in “Fantasia,” that [...]

Teaching Children to Appreciate Classical Music: Tips & Strategies

Our guest blogger is Maria Rainier, who is a freelance writer and self-described blog junkie.   She is currently a resident blogger at First in Education where she writes about education, online degrees, and what it takes to succeed as a student taking online programs remotely from home.  In her spare time, she enjoys square-foot gardening, [...]

After your audition

What do you take away from auditions? Do you replay them in your head? Do you second-guess what the outcome will be? Do you feel angry at yourself about details that could have been better? Do you feel like a failure? Do you compare your audition to those before and after? Is it useful to [...]

What is a Vocal Coach?

What is a vocal coach? This poor guy thinks voice teachers and vocal coaches do the same job!  The truth is, teachers and coaches focus on different aspects of singing. We will assume here that most readers are familiar with what is addressed during a voice lesson.  But perhaps you have yet to work with [...]

SLOW! CONSTRUCTION ZONE

A taxi driver in New York told me that on Amsterdam Avenue, all the traffic lights are synchronized. Every cab driver in New York knows exactly what speed to drive uptown in order to hit only green lights. You are probably asking, “What does this have to do with playing the piano?”  Based on a [...]

Recalling a wonderful performance

While including a link in a previous post, I was thrilled to see that Fortunato (“Freddy”) Arico was one of two cellists on the recording involved. Arico’s name led me to recall the first time I heard him play.  He riveted my attention immediately, starting with the very first note. Scene:  top balcony of The [...]

Philipp

Elena Yasinski, a gifted violin student of Philipp Naegele, graciously shared her college essay with me.  She knew Philipp for several years, as you will see when you read her wonderful contribution. ★ ☆.•*´¨`*•.¸¸.• ヅ★★ ☆.•*´¨`*•.¸¸.• ヅ★★ ☆.•*´¨`*•.¸¸.• ヅ★ As the floor begins rushing upwards beneath my feet, I pull off my hood, which is [...]

A Tribute to Emanuel Vardi and Philipp Naegele

The world has lost two of its greatest musicians.  Both string players, they were completely different. Emanuel Vardi played a solo viola recital when I was a student at the Aspen Music Festival.​  I was stunned by his virtuosity. Later on, I had the privilege of collaborating with one of his students from the Manhattan [...]