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The written critique is the single most important responsibility of an MMTA judge. It provides the student with a tangible record of the audition and it may affect and influence the student's development for years to come. A great critique is nurturing A great critique is always respectful and kind. Set a positive tone by including positive ...
In groups as large, active, and diverse as most state and local music teacher organizations, the task of hiring an evaluator is one that circulates among different members. While I'm aware that the terms adjudicator and/or judge are probably used more often than evaluator, they are all one and the same. My personal preference is evaluator, as I bel...
Teachers should always strive to provide positive and successful music experiences for their students. Within the walls of the teaching studio, it is much easier to create these experiences—the environment and people involved are familiar, and the teacher has more control of outcomes. However, this is not the case when students leave the studi...
Preparing for the West Coast Youth Ragtime Competition We were languishing in the summer doldrums when Ryan, my fourteen-year-old piano student, reminded me of the upcoming West Coast Youth Ragtime Piano Competition held in November. My initial response was reserved. "You know, Ryan, I'm not sure how many of my students will travel to the Sacrament...
Eight years ago, someone in Tel Aviv slid a letter under the hotel room door of Dr. Yoheved Kaplinsky. A professor in the piano department at Juilliard, Kaplinsky was in Tel Aviv as a juror for the Rubinstein International Piano Competition. The other jurors received the same letter. When she opened the envelope, she was horrified. The letter attac...
It's a good thing I wasn't planning a leisurely Sunday coffee and croissant. June 9 was the last day of the quadrennial Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, and, as a visiting critic, my afternoon and evening were packed with activity. The last finals round finished around 5:30 p.m. I hotfooted it ten blocks to my hotel room, wrote a blog p...
The Fourteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition ended with the results many observers had predicted, with the gold medal going to a self-assured Vadym Kholodenko, 26, of Ukraine. He delivered a series of impressive performances throughout the seventeen-day contest, several of which had the audience whooping in appreciation, including me....
Piano instruction in France I grew up in France, where the system of piano instruction is totally different from that of the United States. It is virtually free to the student, costing about three hundred dollars a year. To continue lessons, however, students must pass rigid examinations in piano performance; these include twelve progressive levels...
Against considerable odds, serious piano study appears to be thriving worldwide. Talented youngsters from East and West continue to crowd into conservatories and study standard repertoire, despite the temptations of popular culture to pursue alternate paths. Many in the piano world worry, however, that this glut of new artists gathering in the mark...
from the series:The World Around Us: News and Views Helen Smith Tarchalski, Editor Serendipity? Just as I prepared for this issue of Keyboard Companion, one of my high school students received an adjudication report that stopped me in my tracks: "... Although it was an excellent performance I would have liked to hear more focused sound at time...
from the series: Tomorrow Today: Technology George Litterst, Editor Last January, I spent several days in the middle of the month listening to the screening auditions of the 2nd Internal Piano-e-Competition. The auditions were held at Sundin Hall at Hamline University in St. Paul, MN. They were attended by a distinguished jury and mu...
Any question that includes the word "competition" will immediately trigger hot flashes of emotional response among piano teachers. With the additional phrase "early-level students," the heat level rises considerably. The sheer number of competitive events available across the country can be overwhelming for both teachers and students. One teac...