Monday, March 28, 2011

Rosemary Olson Workshop Synopsis

St George Chapter – UMTA/MTNA
Thursday, March 24, 2011

Rosemary Olsen, NCTM, www.olsenpiano.com  “I Played It Better At Home”

Rosemary Olsen came down from Salt Lake City to present “Performing strategies that address Performance Anxiety”. 

She listed the physical awareness that must be accounted for when performing:  Sense of key weight and depth (the problem of playing on an ‘unfamiliar’ piano); Bench height; responsiveness of the key action; Awareness of Physical Surroundings; Lighting and sound; Aliveness of the room; and Wardrobe malfunctions.

The Five Pillars of Learning:
            Visual – written, keyboard, hands
            Aural – sound of music, sound of internal voice
            Kinesthetic – muscle memory, movement of arms and hands
            Theoretical – understanding the form and harmony of the piece
            Emotional – response to difficulties

“Don’t practice in the Panic; it will come on its own.”

Benjamin Zander in The Art of Possibility said to exclaim whenever a student makes a mistake “How Fascinating!”  Do not develop negative emotions.  By depriving your internal thoughts of their emotional intensity you detoxify their effect on you.

Various relaxation techniques and tools were described.  The Alexander Technique was one such process.

Books suggested:  “With Your Own Two Hands” – Seymour Bernstein
“The Art of Practicing: A Guide to Making Music from the Heart” – Madeline Bruser
“Passionate Practice: The Musician’s Guide to Learning, Memorizing and Performing” – Margret Elson
“Performing in the Zone: Unleash Your True Performing Potential” – Jon Gorrie
“The Art of Piano Playing: A Scientific Approach” – George Kochevitsky
“The Art of Possibility” – Benjamin Zander

Conclusion: “Our need to give is as strong as our need to receive. We are given life and music, and the richer we feel with these gifts, the more we want to share them with others.  Performing, a form of sharing, multiplies our gifts by transforming us and enriching our audience at the same time.  This is our work and our celebration.”    Madeline Bruser

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UMTA MEMBER BENEFITS (or Why You Should Join)

  • IMPROVES YOUR TEACHING SKILLS!!
  • UMTA members are listed on the state directory. People looking for a teacher in this area are automatically funneled to UMTA members
  • Promotes professionalism in your teaching
  • Helps you help OTHERS improve THEIR teaching skills
  • Monthly lectures/presentations are FREE
  • Annual UMTA Conference is $30 cheaper!!
  • Camaraderie with other teachers/musicians
  • Community Involvement Opportunities
  • IT'S TAX DEDUCTIBLE ~ ~ IT'S TAX DEDUCTIBLE!!
  • Access to National Information, Help, etc
  • Subscription to American Music Teacher is included
  • 15% discount on all music at MUSIC WORKS the day of our association meetings
  • 20% discount at Barnes & Noble w/ membership card

2009 UMTA Fall Performance Evaluations

The UMTA Performance Evaluations were held last weekend (October 9th & 10th) and went extremely well. Dr. Hilary Demske, from UVU was the adjudicator, and did an excellent job of evaluating 120+ students!! (Her poor arm!)

Several teachers took advantage of this great opportunity and we would like to encourage everyone who is actively teaching to consider entering their students next year. This is a wonderful chance to have excellent one-on-one instruction, written and verbal, for each student. It does take preparation by teacher and student, but it is well worth the effort.

Teachers learn LOTS, too, by seeing what other teachers are doing with their students, repertoire being used, overall presentation, etc.

One of the things I observed about my students in comparison with other teachers' students, is that my students need to have more depth to their dynamics, whether louder louds or softer softs.

Sooooo, during their scale practice for the next two months, I am having my students use LOTS of exaggerated dynamics. If they are playing a set of three scales they do it three times: 1. LOUD AND SLOWLY 2. FAST AND SOFT 3. LOUD AND SLOWLY. If they need a little variety I will have them crescendo on the way up for two octaves, and decrescendo on the way down.

This is just ONE of the things I learned and will make me a better teacher because of the evaluations! PLEASE take advantage of this opportunity next year, if you don't already!