Supporting Your Piano Pathway
Reflection by Andrew Eales
When considering a pupil’s stated musical interests, an expectation can easily take hold that they are unlikely to be interested in playing classical music. But as the great composer and educator Zoltan Kodály wisely cautioned:
“Let us take our children seriously!
Only the best is good enough for a child.”
A commitment that “only the best is good enough” should ensure that music which is second-rate or pedagogically weak stays on the shelf.
Meanwhile, the core classics, while not exclusively “the best”, surely (and by definition) have continuing educational importance. And if piano teachers don’t enthusiastically communicate the many glories of our repertoire, who on earth will?
Our work as piano teachers fundamentally involves expanding the horizons of each student’s musical knowledge and experience, taking them to territory they are unlikely to explore without a competent guide.
Only the Best…
We need to inspire players to explore music of genuine quality. But how do we evaluate quality? What elevates one piece of music above another?
Most of us will hopefully experience the transformative power that the best music exerts on performers and listeners alike. But how do we move beyond our subjective responses to evaluate the quality of any piece of music more objectively?
Here are some of the characteristics I consider when reviewing music, old or new, for inclusion in my studio and in the Pianodao Music Library:
- Integrity: clever writing, composing technique and form
- Imagination: a spark of originality and creative inspiration
- Innovation: progressive, pioneering, of consequence
- Impact: exercising a tangible effect on listeners
- Idiomatic: suiting the instrument, function, and occasion
- Immortal: having enduring value
The core classics still matter because they literally tick all the boxes.
Nor should we doubt the continuing ability of the classics of the piano literature to captivate the hearts, minds, and enthrall the imaginations of another generation of players. Rather, we should explore this music with renewed vigour and enthusiasm to determine what lies behind its enduring value and continuing popularity.
I have consistently found that most young pianists respond positively to core classics when they are brought to life with genuine enthusiasm. Not only so, but understanding the best music of the past vividly awakens us to the best music of our own time, supported by an awareness of its background, influences, and cultural context.
Piano playing is a living, evolving tradition. Today’s music is but the latest chapter in a brilliant, ongoing story, the narrative of which we surely all have a continuing responsibility to communicate with both care and joy. A so-called education which fails to do that, fails indeed.
I compiled my series The Joy of Graded Piano to shine a bright light on this astonishing legacy. It is my vision that these anthologies will inspire players of all ages to explore a wide selection of the “greatest hits” of the Baroque, Classical and Romantic piano literature alongside, in equal measure, some truly first-class contemporary pieces composed by women and men from all around the world.
You can find out more about this landmark series by clicking here:
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