Teacher/Student/Parent
Barbara Kreader, Editor
I first met Toshie Okada and her two daughters, Emi, and Tamami on the rocky mountain path between Ptarmigan and Owl cabins at Rocky Ridge Music Center in Estes Park, Colorado. Toshie and I had exchanged excited E-mails about the prospect of her two daughters coming to the United States from Japan to attend the first Junior Seminar Session at the Center. Toshie greeted me in perfect English and we chatted about the amazing beauty of our surroundings, the directions to the dining hall, and the schedule for the remainder of the first day.
In time, everyone at camp experienced Emi's and Tamami's elegant, musical playing of repertoire perfectly fitted to their personalities and age a rare treat in this age of "push-all-talented-children-to-play-advanced-repertoire-as-soon-as-possible." Emi had the honor of playing a Haydn concerto with the camp orchestra at the final concert and she gave us the gift of a sparkling, rhythmically bouyant performance filled with perfect classical grace. I was so knocked out by the girls playing and by Toshie's vigilant yet respectful attitude toward her daughters' practice and performances that I became curious about Emi and Tamimi's piano study and particularly their view of competitions. In this issue, Toshie opens the window to these to topics and gives us a clear-eyed view.
from Toshie Okada's article
A mother's view of teaching her own child
I was my daughter Emi's first teacher. Before she was born, I taught 15-20 students a week at home. After I took a few months off for labor, I started giving lessons again with three-month old Emi on my lap. (In Japan, baby sitters are not common; I really didn't have much choice.) Tamami was born when Emi was 18 months old. Emi was so jealous and she loved to occupy me. She started saying she wanted to take lessons from me when she was around three years old. (I wanted her to take violin lessons, but piano would be useful anyway, I thought.) We started on and off then.
When Emi was five years old, I sent her to another teacher because I couldn't set a routine for her. For example, we would work on a certain piece, and if I thought she had played it well enough, we would move on to a new piece in only a couple of days. If she were not in a good mood or I was too tired or something, we would put off the lesson and sometimes wouldn't work together for weeks. After a while, I thought she needed to see someone regularly once a week, whether she had practiced or not. I believe that discipline is important, especially for beginners. Emi needed a set routine and to have a musical experience and relationship outside the home, and I couldn't provide it.
I also decided to begin formal piano lessons for Emi because she liked to sing (she still does). She was able to remember some phrases, tunes, and songs that she heard from my teaching, from CDs, television, and from kindergarten. She could already find the keys on the piano, and she wanted to do more using both hands. In addition, she liked to dance and danced on the beat. . .
Toshie Okada received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Kunitachi College of Music in Japan and her Masters of Music degree from the New England Conservatory in the United States. She teaches piano and lives with her husband and two daughters in Tsukuba, Japan.
from Emi Okada's article
My views of piano study, practicing, and performing
I don't remember my first piano lesson. All I remember is that the phrases that sounded simple and easy were difficult to play and that interested me. My mother was always playing the piano, so I wanted to touch it, too, and somehow I started to strike the keys. Soon I was playing simple melodies that I knew (which I couldn't do on the violin), and the melodies became more and more difficult and complex. I was fascinated by this and couldn't stop.
I hate to practice, though. I practice around 60 minutes a day. On school days, I try to start at 5:00 P.M. I attend a public school which is only a five-minute walk from home. I leave for school around 8:00 A.M. and return around 4:00 or 4:30. Sometimes I can't begin at 5:00 because my mother is teaching, and I get carried away doing something else and don't practice. On holidays, I try to finish my practice in the morning.
To work on the technical aspects of a piece, I practice hands alone, and I often practice with different rhythms. I use the metronome, starting very slowly then gradually accelerating, digit by digit. I am supposed to practice scales and arpeggios and Hanon as well as one or two pieces in Czerny Op. 40 every day. When a performance is coming up, though, I skip them and concentrate on the recital pieces. Musically, I try to relate to the mood of the music. If it's a sad piece, I recall all the sad things that have happened in my life and try to stuff the feelings in each note. . .
Emi Okada is 12 year old. She lives with her parents and sister Tamami in Tsukuba, Japan where she attends Teshirogi-Minami Elementary School. She studies piano with Mrs. Emiko Kamata.
For the other Samplers from this issue
