4ofus Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 Below is a link to my son practicing piano. I asked him if I could record it. He's been taking lessons for a year now. I think he's doing great but I have NO benchmark as I am the least musically inclined person on the planet. This is what his teacher assigned him for pedal work. I picked this one to record as I think it sounds pretty ;). Hive piano people, are we on track for a years worth of lessons? I know kids are variable, I just *despise* the thought of spending boocoodles of $$ & not be making at least average progress. His music school is primarily string instruments, very few piano players, & none at his level, so I don't have a gauge. What do you see here that I could help him improve upon? Here's the link if you wouldn't mind watching, it's only 50 seconds long: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cindyz Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 Does his piano teacher have access to any adjudications you can sign up for in your area? My son attended two last year. One was a private adjudication and we got a "report card" from an impartial judge about his playing. They also gave out pins with the report card depending on how many songs were in their program. The other adjudication was a group of children who were all at about the same level (all with different area piano teachers) and it was played recital style in front of all parents from the group. After each child played, the judge would stand up and give praise and critique and a short lesson for each child. This was a great way to see how my son compared to others. This one also gave out rewards such as medals and trophies for the best performances in the group. I'm no judge as to how well your son is doing (how old is he?), but the song was beautiful. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawana Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 I am not a professional, but have two that progressed in piano at a faster than average pace. From what I see and hear, you and ds are doing great. Really. Some very musical sounds coming from that lad. Keep on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IsabelC Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 What a pretty piece of music, and nicely played! It's many years since I taught piano, and I know nothing about your child (how old he is, how much practice he does, how naturally talented he is, how much - if any - music he did prior to starting piano, etc) but I would venture to suggest that he is progressing well if he has only been learning for a year. The pedal sounds absolutely fine from that clip. I don't know whether it's just the recording, but the playing all sounded all pretty much the same volume to me, and if that is the case it would probably sound even better with some dynamics. To really perfect the piece for performance he might like to introduce a little rubato as well. And maybe just check his posture and seat height - it's hard to tell just from the hands, but could he be a little low on the piano? (As I said, my piano knowledge is very rusty, so if you want accurate and detailed feedback, the adjudication might be a good plan.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
librarymama Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 Very nice! You should be proud! :hurray: My son has been taking lessons since the summer. If he is able to do what your son is doing at one year I would be ecstatic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4ofus Posted February 14, 2014 Author Share Posted February 14, 2014 I have not heard of adjudication before, thanks for mentioning that. He's playing in a "Federation Festival" next weekend, is that similar? I know he's prepared 2 pieces & he'll play in front of someone new, without me present. Lessons are very focused, &, honestly, we haven't talked much about what to expect. I guess he'll get a report card sort of evaluation? I noted too that the volume was all the same. He tends to work on dynamics after he's thoroughly practiced other elements. It seems to be consistently(one of) the last thing(s) he adds in. He's 9, and piano is his first instrument exposure. I need to look up rubato. Thanks for the feedback all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cindyz Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 I have not heard of adjudication before, thank's for mentioning that. He's playing in a "Federation Festival" next weekend, is that similar? I know he's prepared 2 pieces & he'll play in front of someone new, without me present. One of the adjudications we went to was called a festival. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildiris Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 This is a beautiful, but easy piece and right on target for a first year student (9 ). Keep going. Your son plays very well with a lyrical musicality. My DD played a festival last weekend. For us, these festivals are an opportunity to play a concert grand in an auditorium at our local junior college. The kids get ribbons for participation. DD also does Certificate of Merit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cindyz Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 I just thought I'd add that you might want to check and see if the festival is an adjudication. The one that we did was very intense for my son. It was our first one and we didn't really know what to expect. It has never been difficult for him to play in front of an audience, but receiving critique and a lesson for improvement in front of an audience had him literally frozen and in tears. When his turn was over, instead of sitting back in his seat, he ran to us in the audience and needed to be held while he cried in relief. It was then that I remembered a girl hugging her dad and crying from the previous group when we were entering. I think they can be quite intense and you might want to request to be present if your son is sensitive. I did not expect my son to react that way, but I guess you never know until they actually feel the pressure of a situation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sara in AZ Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 I'm a professional adjudicator. That is fantastic playing for only one year of lessons! He plays with a really consistent tempo, and his musicality is pretty sophisticated. The balance of melody and accompaniment that he's capable of is impressive. And last but not least, excellent hand shape. I'd say keep up the good work! Definitely not money down the drain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel TX Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 I'm impressed with how musical his playing sounded! I usually work on the dynamics last too. He might be sitting low on the bench. You want his forearms to be level, not reaching up to the keys. You'll receive good information from his Federation judge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rzberrymom Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 He's doing better than my DD was doing after a year, and she practices a ton. Those are definitely not lessons wasted!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bree Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 He sounds really good. We have just finished a year of lessons too with my 9 year old and I would say they are pretty close in ability. Love his outfit too ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4ofus Posted February 14, 2014 Author Share Posted February 14, 2014 Thank you all for your feedback. He's not playing this for the Federation Festival, as I think it's too short? Maybe? But I do have a question about that...one of the songs he's playing, he loves (loved?). He had no trouble getting it sounding beautiful really quick as he loved it & spent tons of time on it. Now, a week before the event, the song is sort of falling apart. What could be going on there? Any ideas? Lost focus? Ready to be "done" with it? Bored? What do you think & how do I help him combat it? How do you go from successfully playing a piece for a few weeks consistently to...making brand new errors? The second song he didn't really like & it was evident as the song took quite a while to come together. Now, a week before the performance, it is suddenly sounding magical & he's so pleased. Help me understand this if you can! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avilma Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 My daughter has been playing for 1.5 years and doesn't sound anywhere near as good as your son. But she is 6 so probably it is not a fair comparison. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polgara Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 He sounds great to me! My son is 7, has been taking piano twice as long and sounds about the same. I agree with CindyZ about the adjudications. My son had one last night at a piano festival and it was really valuable to hear instant feedback from someone other than his teacher about his playing. It's also fun for the kids to get a ribbon or trophy depending on his or her performance. My son got a blue ribbon and is already talking about earning the trophy when his time comes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel TX Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 Thank you all for your feedback. He's not playing this for the Federation Festival, as I think it's too short? Maybe? But I do have a question about that...one of the songs he's playing, he loves (loved?). He had no trouble getting it sounding beautiful really quick as he loved it & spent tons of time on it. Now, a week before the event, the song is sort of falling apart. What could be going on there? Any ideas? Lost focus? Ready to be "done" with it? Bored? What do you think & how do I help him combat it? How do you go from successfully playing a piece for a few weeks consistently to...making brand new errors? The second song he didn't really like & it was evident as the song took quite a while to come together. Now, a week before the performance, it is suddenly sounding magical & he's so pleased. Help me understand this if you can! Sometimes you just have an off day for no reason. Give it another day or two without pressure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sara in AZ Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 Thank you all for your feedback. He's not playing this for the Federation Festival, as I think it's too short? Maybe? But I do have a question about that...one of the songs he's playing, he loves (loved?). He had no trouble getting it sounding beautiful really quick as he loved it & spent tons of time on it. Now, a week before the event, the song is sort of falling apart. What could be going on there? Any ideas? Lost focus? Ready to be "done" with it? Bored? What do you think & how do I help him combat it? How do you go from successfully playing a piece for a few weeks consistently to...making brand new errors? The second song he didn't really like & it was evident as the song took quite a while to come together. Now, a week before the performance, it is suddenly sounding magical & he's so pleased. Help me understand this if you can! This is really common in my experience. Once you are really comfortable with a piece, and you've memorized it and play it all the time without looking at the score, it really does just fall apart a little. You miss a note here or there and just sort of get used to it the wrong way, or it's so easy to play now that it's learned that it gets fast and sloppy, etc. It can be tricky planning performances to hit when a piece is in it's prime. It would probably help your son to just play it less and refresh himself on the details. I tell my students who are in maintenance mode on a piece to play it one time each day super slow and looking at the score to make sure all the details are right, and then play it one time from memory up to tempo. And NO MORE than that. That's the hard part! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4ofus Posted February 15, 2014 Author Share Posted February 15, 2014 This is really common in my experience. Once you are really comfortable with a piece, and you've memorized it and play it all the time without looking at the score, it really does just fall apart a little. You miss a note here or there and just sort of get used to it the wrong way, or it's so easy to play now that it's learned that it gets fast and sloppy, etc. It can be tricky planning performances to hit when a piece is in it's prime. It would probably help your son to just play it less and refresh himself on the details. I tell my students who are in maintenance mode on a piece to play it one time each day super slow and looking at the score to make sure all the details are right, and then play it one time from memory up to tempo. And NO MORE than that. That's the hard part! Thank you for this excellent advise!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stacywatkins34 Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 He's doing wonderful. I took piano lessons for two years as a child, and after two years I probably couldn't have played this well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaWill Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 Very impressive for only a year of playing. He has a real talent for the piano, keep him playing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4ofus Posted March 12, 2014 Author Share Posted March 12, 2014 Hi guys, I just wanted to update y'all. It took 2 weeks, but we finally got the remarks back from the Federation Festival. Remember, he didn't play this, he played something else. Anyway, the remarks were good & he was pleased. There was one comment that we couldn't quite understand. If you understand, could you explain? The song was "Hurry Up" from a Jazz book (I think). It said "Nice use of dynamics/always consider the sound decay as you play notes like m.4, last note; a wee bit of unsteadiness, but generally a lovely interpretation. The question is the sound decay thing. Can someone tell me more about what this means? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twigs Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 Just now reading (and listening to) this thread. Amazing for only 1 year of lessons. Great job! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serenade Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 I think he sounds great for only one year of piano. My mom was a piano teacher, and I heard many, many kids at their lessons, and I don't think there were many who played that well after 1 year. And my mom was a highly-sought after teacher. What I noticed was decent hand position for a year, a nice touch, and nice dynamics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
................... Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 I'm impressed. My dd did very well with her piano lessons and she was not at that level in one year. Especially if he is not stressed out, I would say to continue on. Remember, you don't want to push too hard and then end up being tempted to quit either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.