When is the last time you have played Bach at the piano for the neighbourhood kids? Or for kids in the local school? Or for the hospitalized? Or for your own children? Or for your friends? Or moved your Steinway grand out into the road in front of your house and played there?

When is the last time you have deliberately spread The Message: Piano-playing is great? [/b]

Don't tell me nobody enjoys watching you play! Everybody likes to see someone do something they are good at - something as amazing at piano playing!

Come on, spread the message! Don't ask what piano playing can do for you. Do something for piano playing instead. Spread the bad habit!

I sometimes play for classmates at school (and for family or guests), but that's it. Is that enough?
I don't know any of the neighbour children here, I don't think they have a piano in the local school, neither do they have one in the hospital. I don't have children yet and I don't have a Steinway grand and if I had one I wouldn't put that into the road in front of my house to play, because it's too expensive.

I understand what you mean. I try to play for friends as often as possible, but most people don't even want to listen to piano music... If I would play longer than 30 minutes they will fall asleep.
I don't know what else I can do for piano. I don't think there is a job like hospital pianist or something.There aren't many free time jobs concerning piano.
Without being a concert pianist I feel that my piano playing is useless, since I cannot do any of the things you mentioned...

I've played at an old peoples home a few times - it's a lovely experience.

I give free weekly lessons to kids at school who couldn't otherwise afford them.

I play for friends, relatives, sometimes little kids and I recently joined a troupe of performers who travel and play for nursing homes and etc. I'm trying to find out if I can play for children in the hospital or something like that.

Yesterday, I played for friends and family at my cousin's wedding. I love playing for people so I try to get as much out of it as possible. I received a gift and am working on it. It's my gift back to share it with other people.

Sometimes before I accompany the Jr. Choir, (which consists of kids from second to 4th grade think)I play some pieces for them while we wait for all of the other kids to get there.

Thanks to all of you.
Alkan, could you tell more... ? Sounds fantastic what you are doing, real 'worthy of imitation'.

I give and organise occasional recitals at a local residential community for young adults with special needs. They are a wonderfully appreciative audience, but I have witnessed instances of bad behaviour when boredom has set in with some less committed performers.


John


Edit: what I'm trying to say is: if you're planning doing something for a similar audience, don't think you can get away with sub-standard performances.

I nearly got kicked off a cardiac ward for playing show tunes, once. (It was a request!) Caroling for the seniors, low-priced lessons for beginners just to get them started, singing songs for kids with a guitarist I met at a garage sale, practicing in public places, inserting classical pieces into the usual Sunday-morning line-up, raving incoherently about the psychological triumphs of LVB when I've had a bit too much wine - these are all some of the things I've done in the last year to promote music in my little world.

I like the idea of a neighborhood concert. I'll have to think on that one.

Well, I mostly only play the piano to get chicks, so anytime they are around, you can be sure I'll be playing.

Problem is, nobody wants to hear me play. They don't ask, and I figure it's kind of presumptuous for me to play when nobody is asking me to. But I'm just a no-talent wannabe so that's probably why.

When I'm done with this piece I'm working on I might post a clip here for feedback. I'm sure a lot of people will tear apart my playing though hahaha but it might be funny to see.

Well, there was a boy in the choir at my school who saw me playing during lunch one day. He came up to me afterwards, told me he'd always wanted to play the piano and asked me if I could help him. I of course said yes. We meet once a week during lunch at school. I sarted him on scales and gave him my old beginner technique books, etc.

There are some other kids who come to me to ask questions occasionally. Anything from teaching them how to play the first few bars of "Seasons of Love" from Rent to giving them phrasing and technique advice on Fur Elise.

They're nice kids who show the initiative to practice and set up lessons with me. I enjoy teaching, especially when they enjoy learning...

Sarah M, can't be!! Impossible!! My theory is that children (and I am talking children, pre-puperty children) are naturally fascinated by watching somebody do a something with their hands that they don't master themselves. Read for example C V Alkan's posts.

My son has regularly played for other kids since he was 6, and it has always fascinated me watching the light turning on in the other kids' eyes - even in the 'toughest' boys: I could see them thinking: "wow, that's cool, better than juggling in circus, and I[/b] think I am tough...!?!"

Your audience is out there, eagerly waiting for you, Sarah. Shall I tell them to start applauding?

Sarah M, someone in this group has a tag line that goes something like: 'If you think you sound good, you will sound good'.
While at first reading you're tempted to say "Yeah, right", it's actually a very true statement. Artistry is not about worrying about what others think, it's about bringing out what's best in you. There are very few people who will put you down for that, and they don't count.
But it's a difficult thing to turn off the ego and just play music for it's own sake, without thinking about how you sound or how you will sound when you play it for others. That's something I'm struggling with as well.

Yeah I guess you guys are right. I always think why would someone wanna hear me when they can pop in a CD and hear someone 100 times better, but then again, there is something really cool about watching live music being made before your eyes.

no, i don't do my pianistical duty. Mostly because I never thought of it. But then again, I don't see many violinists, cellists, singers, etc. doing anything like that either.

I periodically drag out my Italian virginal to nursing homes and to local schools to give people, who have never been exposed to a real harpsichord, the opportunity to see and hear one. Most people think of a switch on a digital instrument, and do not know what a virginal, harpsichord or spinet looks like.

After giving a little history on the instrument, I play some of the English and Italian keyboard music that would have been written at the time the real instrument was built.

At the end of the little talk and performance, I let the audience come up and view the rose on the soundboard, and to observe how the jacks and tongues work.

So far the little gig has been successful. My recent, not so great performance was at the local Episcopal Church. The choir asked me to play my virginal a few weeks ago.

Anyway I like demonstrating the unique instrument to people who would otherwise not be able to see something like this.

John

Does playing all day every day for everybody count...??

Now I'm curious. Please explain, Auntie Lynn!

The neighbors in my building believe for some reason that I have already overdone with my pianistical duties. Moving my Steinway grand (unfortunately, not really a Steinway and not really a grand) into the road in front of my building and playing there will probably end my pianistical duties altogether :rolleyes: