A newsletter for the piano pedagogy community. Director of Educational Keyboard Publications Hal Leonard Corporation

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1 Volume 8 Issue A newsletter or the iano edagogy community Inside The Teacher s Corner Page & The Student s Corner Page In Touch Secial Oer Packet Page & Dealer Sotlight Page 6 Secial Oer or In Touch Teachers Page 00 MTNA Conerence Page iano@halleonard.com William Westney s The Perect Wrong Note By Peggy Otwell Director o Educational Keyboard Publications Hal Leonard Cororation William Westney s wonderul new book The Perect Wrong Note was released shortly beore October s World Piano Pedagogy Conerence in Nashville, Tennessee. I had the oortunity to talk with Westney there about his thoughtul, rovocative book, and William Westney enjoyed ollowing u that conversation with him via hone ater the conerence. I you haven t already urchased this book or your music reerence library, run out to your local music retailer and do so now! Bill s dee belie that the study and erormance o music can and more imortantly, should be enjoyable throughout one s lie, lies at the very heart o his book. Its title, The Perect Wrong Note conveys so well the concets that he exlores in deth within its ages: an exloration o seciic ways that he suggests to bring joy and a natural leasure back to our study o music, to our teaching, and to our own ersonal musicmaking. By aroaching all o these acets o the musician s world with an oen mind, an unettered sirit, and a willingness to seek solutions to roblems atiently, earnestly and imaginatively, we can indeed, achieve the erect wrong note. (This is sage advice or both amateurs and roessionals.) Bill has long been acclaimed or his unique and innovative aroach to the traditional master class. Instead o a teacheroriented lesson, his UnMaster Class sessions stress the imortance o mutual discovery, grou work, and utting the student s ideas, ercetions, and innate creativity irst. His sessions have been raised as an ideal model or teachers and students, their message revelatory and transorming. Having talked at length with Bill recently about his assionate and vibrant ideas, I would venture to say that he is motivated by an intense desire to ask imortant questions that will romt us all to rethink our basic assumtions about how to teach, about how musical knowledge is communicated. A ascinating idea that we talked about was the intrinsic value o the learner s innate knowledge, a natural ability that he believes is vital to reserving musical exression. Having a son in a terriic Montessori school here in Milwaukee, I ound mysel drawing arallels to the studentoriented teaching that is a hallmark o Montessori training, and what Bill was saying about how we might guide our students at lessons. It came as no surrise, then, when he mentioned that his irst insiration or musicmaking o this sort came directly rom his very earlychildhood exerience with Dalcroze Eurythmics, and its wholebody, intuitive aroach to learning basic music skills. More recisely, to discovering that latent skill within onesel with gentle guidance and wholebody involvement. This led us to a great conversation about how Bill has students do rhythmic and musical activities away rom the iano in his Un Master Class resentations and studio lessons, and how those kinds o activities are invaluable or all musicians, whether they are ianists, instrumentalists, or singers. In short, although there is a keyboard on the cover o his book, all musicians will ind his rovocative and transorming ideas beneicial or themselves, regardless o what their instrument may be! I ound Bill s comments about racticing most intriguing. His astute advice in his book or this imortant asect o music study struck me as articularly true, erhas because my own teacher had always encouraged me to ractice with the same ositive attitude and sense o atience. In his book, Bill notes that somewhere along the way, many music students, both amateurs and students who become roessional continued on age

2 musicians, lose that git o sontaneity and enjoyment in their ractice and erormances. He asks the simle question, Why? and then ormulates some convincing and exciting reasons and solutions to that why? Practicing, in Bill s view, is a lively, honest, adventurous and siritually rewarding activity. And it can (and should) meet with daily success, which emowers us to grow even more. Bill s comelling book brings artistic vitality, reedom and conidence within everyone s reach. His ractical and insiring advice is esecially relevant to adults who once had lessons. We talked or some time about how he oten meets adults who, uon inding out that he is a ianist, immediately say, Oh, I used to take iano lessons (or another instrument), but I quit because, or, but I don t lay any more. He told me he was struck by the act that these oten erect strangers soke with a mixture o regret and longing, and then described how thwarted by their early exerience they elt. Many o us have also exerienced the same sort o conversations with riends and strangers who have learned that we are musicians. Bill talked about his thoughts ollowing those chance revelations by strangers, and said he ket wondering what these eole, who had begun their lessons with a really dee love o musicmaking, had lost. His liberating and ractical advice to these ormer students in his book is most intriguing. And so, The Perect Wrong Note is also a erect book to give to a riend or colleague who used to take music lessons. It may well insire that erson to return to a rich, joyul love o musicmaking once more. Finally, as teachers we are actively engaged in assing along to our own students a dee and abiding love o music, heling them to realize all that music study can contribute to a lie welllived. This book, with its wonderul insights into just how joyous and siritual that valuable rocess is, how learning is a dance between student and teacher, how natural, sontaneous, and ree racticing and erorming can be, will enrich our minds and our hearts greatly. This, in turn, will hel us to insire courage and conidence in our students on a daily basis in our own studios. Toward the end o our conversation about his book, I asked Bill, What do you hoe that your book will accomlish what imact do you hoe it will have? He resonded: I hoe that it will oen our thinking in some new ways so that on all ronts we can kee exerimenting and not cling to ideas that are seldeeating. I hoe that it will hel recature sontaneity and joy and vitality, even in the most rigorous orms o music or eole at any level. I hoe that the discussion o my UnMaster Class workshos will hel us oen our minds to how we can work together in our secialized settings in our universities and conservatories in ways that are also encouraging and insiring and emowering. And I hoe that arents with children reading this book will be choosey (about selecting a teacher), and then maybe have a ew questions in mind to ask a otential teacher. That, i they agree with some o the oints in the book, it might give them some questions to ask that would have a lucky eect in whom they choose and what the outcome is on their kids. I hoe that it might also hel those arents rocess their own ast exeriences in musicmaking. The accomanying article on age by Asher Perzigian, a gited young student here in Milwaukee, seaks eloquently o the joy and love that can develo in a student when the teacher guides and encourages selulillment actively as a artner in music. This is the essence o William Westney s excellent book, and an uliting exression o a young musician s sirit or us all to savor. Meet William Westney at MTNA! see age 8 or details. William Westney holds two endowed aculty ositions at Texas Tech University: Paul Whitield Horn Distinguished Proessor and Browning ArtistinResidence. He has been honored with many roessional awards as educator and artist, including the Yale School o Music Alumni Association s restigious Certiicate o Merit. Westney s acclaimed UnMaster Class erormance worksho, which has been eatured in The New York Times, is increasingly in demand in the United States and abroad. An active concert ianist, he won the Geneva International Cometition and holds masters and doctorate degrees in erormance rom Yale University. He lives in Lubbock, Texas. SPECIAL\ OFFER or Teachers! % O Reerence Coy! The Perect Wrong Note: Learning to Trust Your Musical Sel By William Westney In this groundbreaking book, rizewinning ianist and noted educator William Westney hels readers rediscover their own ath to the natural, transcendent ulillment o making music. Teachers, roessionals, and students o any instrument, as well as arents and music lovers o all ages, will beneit rom his unique and insiring hilosohy, exressed with clarity and immediacy. Regular Price % O Price 006 The Perect Wrong Note $. $8. Call 800 Please mention Det. IT0 when ordering. Limit coy er teacher Please add $.0 or Shiing & Handing ALL PRICES ARE IN US FUNDS Oer Exires March, 00 Please add aroriate sales tax or WI Residents (%); Milwaukee Co. Residents (.%); MN Residents (6.%) We regret this oer is not valid outside the United States or Canada.

3 Music Through the Eyes o a Student By Asher Perzigian Music is an exression, a eeling, a movement that is truly alive and colorul. From the simlest notes, it carries one to a world o beauty, a lie surrounded by emotion and character. Every song is an eic, and each note has a story; and underneath the ink on the age we ind a comoser s lie. His assion and heart rom this, music has begun. With every touch o my ingers to the iano, I eel blessed and at eace. This Asher Perzigian eeling liberates my soul and lits me beyond any dimension o time. Having the reedom to lay one or ten notes, choosing between styles, comosers, and ressure towards the keys enables me to adot a iece as my own. Music allows me to take what is written and decide my own eelings and emotions that the notes ortray. Being able to recreate the story and eel the love within the music is how a iece touches my lie. I eel rivileged to sit at a iano, and I am honored that lie is blessed by the git o music. Music gives one choice; it is the irst stage o indeendence and the beginning ste towards understanding structured lie. There are rules and boundaries that one must ollow; though once they are learned, lexible manners and aroaches towards a iece are allowed. One s musical journey never ends, just as lie s lessons cannot sto. Listening to a iece o music can be mesmerizing. To a child it brings warmth and color, and it brings an adult s sirit back to that urity o the child. For this beauty revolves around one s indeendent choice: one s touch, eel and sense o music. When I was six years old, my brother began iano lessons. However, once my arents inormed him that he must ractice on a regular basis, he quickly changed his mind about laying. I immediately jumed at the chance to lay and thus started my love or music. As time traveled on, I began lessons rom a wellknown local teacher, Gerry Elliott. During my younger years, I always had an imaginative mind. Whether it was laying retend with riends to my idealistic dreams with the iano, my mind always had something to act uon. Even when I was racticing iano I would imagine that the comoser was sitting right there listening to his music (my irst occasion was with Pachelbel s Canon In D). Sometimes I would even question the comoser and add in my own variations. I, however, do not suggest this my teacher was not leased, and it created a bad habit. Relicating music that has been written is one asect in the beauty o laying an instrument, while having a sense to create music has a comletely dierent ersonal eeling. When I was thirteen years old I sat down at the iano and drove my heart and soul into the Since the day I touched my irst note on the iano to my very last breath that I might take, music is engraved in my soul; it is art o me. environment music had brought me to. I layed without hesitation or regret. My ingers started to move, then low, and beore I realized what was haening, my ingers were dancing u and down the keyboard. I elt a assion and love that I had never exerienced beore, just as a mother s unconditional love or a child. That day I created my irst song, my irst comosition. I now had my own story to tell. Lie hits hard being a teenager. Now sixteen years o age, I ind roadblocks a normal art o lie. Even i things are running smoothly, a curve ball can rush in one s direction and create a disturbance. I ind music acts similarly. Amidst the orming story, new variations aear and change raidly. I these variations are handled with care and atience, the resolution can be as beautiul as an angel watching a sunset. Comosing music brings eace within me; I can exress my own values and rinciles through several simle notes at a time, to an outrageously aggressive orchestra. Over the our years that I have comosed music, I have won the advanced Wisconsin Yamaha Clavinova cometition three consecutive years, the Brass Bell Young Comosers cometition two consecutive years, and suerior ratings in other local and state events. Proessionally erorming music is on a comletely dierent level than a child s erormance venue. Along with the drive and assion must come an athlete someone who ractices as much as they slee, and someone whose lie is indebted to music. My current teacher, Curtis Stotlar, has this agility and strength. He was educated by the best o Eastman and Juilliard, erormed worldwide and has taught rom the Conservatory o Paris to the restigious Juilliard School. As many younger erormers dream, I too desire to ollow in his ootstes. Though music is music, and I know it will be coordinated into my lie, or now I simly wait, ractice and comose, looking or my next ste on my journey my story. Music taught me structure, and structure brought my lie to harmony. Since the day I touched my irst note on the iano to my very last breath that I might take, music is engraved in my soul; it is art o me. Music is something that can never be taken away, or the git has been lanted within me, no matter what the uture shall bring. Asher Perzigian is a junior at Marquette University High School in Milwaukee, WI and studies iano with Curtis Stotlar at the Wisconsin Conservatory o Music. He is an active erormer with Skylight Oera Theater, Florentine Oera Comany, First Stage Theater, and a variety o other community theaters around Milwaukee. In his sare time, he enjoys laying the guitar, biking, running, laying hockey, skiing and sending time with his riends and amily.

4 On A Magic Caret R.H. C D E F G A B Words and Music by Carol Klose Tenderly (q = 00) SPECIAL\ OFFER PACKETS On a mag ic car et what see! Fly ing high a sight I d m Sectacular in the sky, R.H. With accomaniment, student starts here: Tenderly (q = 00) Showcase Solos or Sring Recitals We are leased to resent exciting new sheets in the Showcase Solos series! These original ieces, written by avorite HLSPL comosers, oer a variety o moods and levels. With edal Coyright 00 by HAL LEONARD CORPORATION PreSta (Early Level ) Visit your local music dealer to urchase the IN TOUCH SPECIAL OFFER PACKET shown here. I ve Gotta Toccata SPRING RECITAL PACKET $6. With drive (In two ) (h = 8) By Bill Boyd (a retail value o $.00) Late Elementary (Level ) Item# HL006 R.H. (PreSta/Early Level ) by Carol Klose In My Dreams On A Magic Caret m 6 (Early Elementary/Level ) by Jennier Linn Granda s Pocket Watch (Late Elementary/Level ) by Deborah Brady I ve Gotta Toccata (Late Elementary/Level ) by Bill Boyd Navajo Dreams (Late Elementary/Level ) by Deborah Brady Coyright 00 by HAL LEONARD CORPORATION Way Cool! (Late Elementary/Level ) by Philli Keveren Tarantella Tarantella (Early Intermediate/Level ) by Jennier Linn over By Jennier Linn Vivace (q. = 6) Friday Night Caé (Intermediate/Level ) by Mike Sringer Seaside Morning (Late Intermediate/Level +) by Rosemary Barrett Byers How to urchase this acket: The IN TOUCH SPECIAL OFFER PACKET is only available through music retailers. Please visit your local music store to urchase this acket today (rovide the store with the Hal Leonard item number in case they have to order the acket or you). To locate a music retailer near you, visit or a list o IN TOUCH DEALER NETWORK members. Coyright 00 by HAL LEONARD CORPORATION Early Intermediate (Level )

5 In My Dreams R.H. M I D D L E G A B C D E F G A Close to my nev er a art, thoughts on in side are dream s work over o the art. Nev er let your go, heart will show Accomaniment (Student lays one octave higher than written.) m With edal Late Elementary (Level ) 0 Peaceully (q = 6) By Deborah Brady Early Elementary (Level ) heart, Words and Music by Jennier Linn Peaceully (q = 6) Granda s Pocket Watch Brightly (q = 0) Coyright 00 by HAL LEONARD CORPORATION Coyright 00 by HAL LEONARD CORPORATION Navajo Dreams Gently lowing (q = ) Late Elementary (Level ) a temo m Coyright 00 by HAL LEONARD CORPORATION 0 Seaside Morning By Rosemary Barrett Byers Flowing smoothly (q = c. 66) By Mike Sringer m oco rit. Friday Night Caé K Lively (q = 0) (iq = q e ) Coyright 00 by HAL LEONARD CORPORATION m Late Elementary (Level ) 8va 6 By Philli Keveren Hi jazzrock (q = ) 6 Way Cool! By Deborah Brady Intermediate (Level ) Late Intermediate (Level +) With edal () oco rit. Coyright 00 by HAL LEONARD CORPORATION exressively 0 6 Coyright 00 by HAL LEONARD CORPORATION

6 dealer sotlight Family Music Centers Your Neighborhood Music Stores Family Music oers something musical or every member o the amily. Each o its two locations in the Las Vegas area oer a ull line o band and orchestra instruments, drum kits, a huge selection o method books, sheet music, microhones, and a ull line o ianos, organs, and digital keyboards. Jim Mason and Scott Groseclose oened the store eight years ago. They, along with their dedicated sta o 8 emloyees, Bob Riley strive to make Family Music Centers a neighborhood music store that meets the needs o every musician. I Jim and I were asked to sum u Family Music Centers into one word, that word would be convenient. We re oen seven days a week. We carry the best music instruments rom Euroe, the US and Asia all under one roo. We oer a huge inventory allowing customers to eel and lay and choose beore buying, and we have assembled an incredible team o seasoned roessionals in each deartment who are dedicated to heling consumers advance their love o music by choosing the roer instrument. Our goal is to be the irst and best resource or all things musical in our market, and I believe we have reached that goal. Scott Groseclose, President Family Music Centers oers the largest rivate lesson rogram in Nevada. With over 0 rivate studios and more than 0 qualiied teachers, Family Music Centers are dedicated to heling children succeed in music. Lessons are oered on almost every instrument to students o all ages and abilities. The owners realize the need or quality music instruction and lan to continue to allow the teaching studios to exand to meet the growing musical needs o the community. Recently, Family Music exanded its services or teachers to include a ulltime school music secialist. This secialist brings the same suerior service and resources Family Music is known or directly to choral and instrumental teachers around the area. Our secialist is versed in the needs o instrumental and choral teachers and we understand their limited amount o time. We assist teachers by bringing our services to them and rovide them with a huge selection o rint music and accessories, exert reair services and high quality instruments, says Bob Riley, Family Music reresentative. The west side store located in Las Vegas eatures a large recital hall. Seminars and workshos are oered rom ublishers, instrument manuacturers and to music educators rom around the country or area music teachers here. The store also hosts round table discussions or area iano teachers. This aords teachers the oortunity to exchange ideas and solve roblems they are encountering in their own studios with their colleagues. Other oular sessions have included a session resented by a certiied ublic accountant on running your own business, technology sessions and many others. Each summer Family Music hosts a Summer Technology Cam or teachers. This day cam, held in the Las Vegas store location, is a convenient way or teachers to stay abreast o udates in technology that will enhance their teaching studio. Bob Riley, the Summer Technology Cam organizer states, The inormation and ideas shared by our exert clinicians aids teachers in increasing student retention because this cam rovides them with the necessary tools to build and maintain a successul teaching studio. This very successul cam began in 00 and has continually increased in oularity with teachers each year. Many o the toics and sessions resented at the cam are sessions similar in nature to those you would ind at a national or state convention. Fred Kern, 00 Summer Technology Cam clinician and Hal Leonard Student Piano Library coauthor states, At the Technology Cam, I was imressed by the wide range o teachers rom diverse backgrounds and age grous who were able to beneit rom an intensive interactive exerience. Although there was no singing o Kum Ba Yah around a camire, there was a eeling o community, both social and roessional, among camers and counselors that allowed everyone to extend revious exeriences, develo ersonal rojects, read ensembles and exlore new otions or themselves and their students. In Las Vegas there are ew sure bets on chances taken, but the Technology Cam was a guaranteed winner. The 00 Summer Technology Cam is being held July. Presenters or 00 include Donna Smith, rivate iano teacher and exert on imlementing technology in the studio; Carol Klose, Hal Leonard Student Piano Library comoser and arranger, and Bruce Munson, o Sibelius, who will discuss imlementing music sotware into any teaching curriculum. Although Las Vegas is ull o glitz and glitter, Family Music Centers lives u to their motto o your neighborhood music store by roviding ersonalized service with a smile to every customer. Maribeth Barrons, Senior District Sales Manager at Hal Leonard Cororation states, Family Music recognizes the varied needs o their customers and brings the latest resources and ideas to the oreront with good oldashioned customer service and care. I you are a teacher interesed in attending the 00 Summer Technology Cam, lease contact Bob Riley at Family Music bobrileyinmn@aol.com 6

7 Poetic Moments 8 Character Pieces or Piano Solo By Christos Tsitsaros to In Touch Teachers! This intermediatelevel book contains eight engaging, lyrical ieces in Romantic Style. The titles come to lie through exressive, ianistic writing, ranging rom a tender lullaby to a rollicking train ride. Westbound Train Christos Tsitsaros Very ast, with relentless drive (q = 68) senza edale u.c. 0 tre corda Coyright 00 by HAL LEONARD CORPORATION 8 Westbound Train, age 8 Poetic Moments Lullaby, age 8 Poetic Moments Secial Oer to 0% o Teachers! Reerence Coy! Item No. Title Regular Price 0% O Price 0060 Poetic Moments $. $.8 Call 800 Please mention Det. IT0 when ordering. Limit coy er teacher Shiing & Handing Included ALL PRICES ARE IN US FUNDS Oer Exires March, 00 Please order additional coies rom your avorite music dealer. Please add aroriate sales tax or WI Residents (%); Milwaukee Co. Residents (.%); MN Residents (6.%) We regret this oer is not valid outside the United States or Canada.

8 Prsrt Std Rate U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. Winona, MN Join us at the 00 MTNA Convention! March, Kansas City, MO BARBARA KREADER Teachers Can Be Comosers, Too Tuesday, March 0, :a.m. :.m. SEYMOUR BERNSTEIN Intermediate Piano Master Class Sunday, March 8, :a.m. 0:a.m. Book Signing Sunday, March 8, :00a.m. :00.m. Hal Leonard Booth #6 FRANK MANTOOTH Jazz Piano 0: An Introduction to Basic Jazz Piano Concets Monday, March, :a.m. :.m. Book Signing Monday, March, :00.m. :00.m. Hal Leonard Booth #6 WILLIAM WESTNEY Do Your Students Ever Get Discouraged? 0 CommonSense Ways To Restore Their Natural Zest And Conidence Monday, March, :a.m. 0:a.m. Tuesday, March 0, :0.m. :0.m. Book Signing Monday, March, 0:0a.m. :0.m. Hal Leonard Booth #6 Take a Break rom the Convention and Join Us or Comlimentary Cookies and Rereshments! Visit the Hal Leonard Booth #6 in the Exhibit Hall or rereshments, secial rize drawings, a ree git and to meet your avorite Hal Leonard comosers! Sunday, March 8, :a.m. :.m. Tuesday, March 0, :.m. :.m. Join us or our exciting showcase! Today s Classics by Contemorary Comosers Monday, March, 00 :00.m. :0.m. Kansas City Marriott Downtown Room 0AB Clinicians Guest Aearance Jennier Linn Peggy Otwell Eugenie Rocherolle Visit or call 8888 or more inormation on the MTNA Convention.