I recently asked a bunch of my higher level students (who was transfered to me since a colleague of mine took pregnancy leave)...what goes through their mind when they are playing...say, a Sonata in E minor by Hadyn...

They shook their heads and couldn't give me an answer...but because their music playing was bland, and was lack of emotions, I tried different methods to teach them how to feel the music and portray it through their playing...

I taught them to do imagination...for example; the Golliwog's Cake-Walk by Debussy...could be an image of a musical play about a naughty doll that comes to life at nights...

It didn't work...

I tried letting them hear 'orchestrations'...like in Sonata in F Major by Beethoven...call and responses...could be imagined as the flute and clarinet exchanging phrases, while the bassoon bellows in the background...

Didn't work...

Any suggestions then, as to help students see that playing music is more than just playing out the dynamics and notes...and most of all...playing music is more than imitating what and how the teacher is playing!!...

I'm starting to have this scary thought that I might be cloning many Lessajinomoto piano players...then I am teaching my students to find their own identity in music...

I have no idea what the final outcome of my experiment will be, but I have a student interested in learning Fuer Elise. I've told her, "because there are so many different interpretations out there, I'm going to try not to play it for you much.... First we're going to learn it as written, and then you'll be free to do what you want with it."

So far, the most I've done is demonstrate the hand-switching on the E's--twice, no more. I also managed to find a version that has almost no musical markings, so the song really is a blank slate for her.

Rather than coming up with moods or emotions from the overall sound of a piece, I get very specific. Let's say a particular section in the LH might be imitating a snare drum - that calls for precision and clarity. Or the need for legato in the RH can be thought of as a violin or cello - melding those notes and increasing in musical tension. Often the highs and lows of a piece can be found through a simple chord annalysis - after playing a sustained tonic in the bass for 8 measures, it suddenly changes to the dominant! How should we make that note come alive? - and so on. Once students make small sections come to musical life, then they are ready to consider the whole piece as one work and attatch a story or emotion to what they play.

Katie is right in saying that you need to be specific. Sometimes your student might know what mood or character they want to create but not exactly what they need to do in order for this to happen. Take that Golliwog's Cakewalk for example: So you want it to sound like puppets. That could mean funny, cheeky, mischievous, perhaps a bit awkward etc. So how exactly do you achieve that? Debussy is very specific with his markings and performance directions. Make it agile and articulate. Dry staccato and strong accents will help bring out the syncopations. Contrast the dynamics. Make sure you pay attention to rhythms and rests in particular. A great teacher I had at college showed me that musicality is mostly a series of tricks. You have to analyse and look for clues in the music. The more experience you get the more you will become aware of style and figure out what needs to be done. Remember that many students don't yet have that experience.

Well, most kids today don't listen to symphonies and have no clue what other instrudments sound like. Before I took a class on symphonic literature, I had no idea what brass instruments sound like vs. the woodwinds. I couldn't tell the difference between the bassoon and the oboe. And I certainly couldn't orchestrate piano music in my head. I doubt any of my piano student could do that, either.

The two piano professors I had while in college both used this method to get us to play different sounds. I also observed a master class with Daniel Barenboim teaching the Appasionata Sonata through orchestration. I think this idea works for higher level, college students who are familiar with different instruments and/or are sensitive to the different touches of the piano. But I highly doubt this technique will work for any ordinary piano students.

I've never actually known what a Golliwogg was until your discussion today got me chasing it down.

Here you go!




The actual art that inspired Debussy.

Nice work John!

Showing this picture to her students should help.

Never new this either! I take it the Golliwog is in the rocking chair?

As far as being descriptive to capture the feeling of music. I think you are on the right path.

What I do is, sure, I break it down, but yet it is and should be one big picture.

I tell my students that music is a story and you need to tell it.

It starts with a phrase (sentence) which is in a section (paragraph) There is dialougue with characters perhaps, or descriptions of scenes, there are chapters to the story, etc... within all of this there are the specifics as mentioned by other posters.

But then there is the technique involved to tell the story. Sometimes I just focus on that along with saying it needs to be brilliant sounding or tip-toe sounding,etc...

I was the type of student that couldn't wait to get to the point of interpreting a piece. My teacher was very imaginitive and so was I. Of course, I was raised watching Fantasia and my parents took me to many recitals and symphonies, and some dramatic life experiences, which also can help.

In another lifetime, was a music ed major, which meant, among other things, I did part of semester as a jr high and HS band director.

When I was trying to accomplish the same thing with the band, I told them to imagine they were playing the background music for a movie scene...

stuff like, "a scene from Top Gun where the fighter planes are dogfighting" or "a scene from ___ where the hot guy and gorgeous girl are kissing for the first time" or "when ____ dies"

...stuff like that. I emphasized it wasn't just about playing the way the scene/music made them feel (since they weren't soloing, this could have devolved to chaos with an ensemble like HS Band), it was about playing the way they wanted to make the audience feel about the scene.

It helped. But sometimes I think it's harder for a soloist to get "caught up in the music" than for a person in a band or orchestra...with an ensemble the sound of the group can carry you away, with a soloist it's just you...

When I taught little beginners, I told them to think back to a moment when they felt whatever emotion the music is supposed to project, to remember how it felt, and then to play the piece. Instant improvement.

I use that technique myself when I play - thinking of a situation or an image that makes me feel the emotion I want the music to project.