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["Pomp and Circumstance"]

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["Pomp and Circumstance"]

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["Pomp and Circumstance"]

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["Pomp and Circumstance"]

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["Pomp and Circumstance"]

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["Pomp and Circumstance"]

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Happy New Year, 2024, and welcome back

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to another episode of the PianoPod, here, tradition

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meets innovation.

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We bridge the timeless beauty of the piano

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with the dynamic pulse of today's world.

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I am your host, Yukime Song.

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I hope you all had wonderful holidays surrounded

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by your loved ones.

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After a brief break, I'm so happy to be back podcasting

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in the new year and interviewing incredible talents

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of the classical music industry.

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As an inaugural episode of 2024, I am excited to tell you

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that I invited Dr. Michael Kunrod, performing

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classical pianist, recording artist, educator,

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and arranger of music for the left hand

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alone, who has recently retired from the Interlochen Center

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for the Arts after a remarkable 46-year tenure as a piano

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faculty member.

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Usually, I would continue the episode

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by reading the guest's bio right now,

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but today, I wanted to do something different.

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Before our usual introduction and welcome,

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I decided to invite and chat with a special guest, who

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is a dear friend and colleague of mine, whom

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I've known for many years through working

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for this nonprofit organization in New York City

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as a board member and through many fun projects

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I get to collaborate with.

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He has also become a contributor and faithful listener

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of the PianoPod in recent months.

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So please allow me to introduce my friend, classical pianist,

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educator, web designer, and my personal tech advisor, Mr.

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Bo-Ki Wang.

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Yay, thank you.

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Great to be here.

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So today's guest, Dr. Kunrod, you

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introduced me to this amazing pianist and teacher.

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I know that you met him through the Interlochen Arts Academy.

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So tell us, what was it like learning from him?

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So let's start with how you met.

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When I was 15 years old, I moved from Taiwan

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to Michigan.

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And I remember our first day there, all the pianists,

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all the new students, it's like a jury, right?

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You play for all the piano faculties,

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unless you indicate who you want to study with.

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By the time I didn't know anybody.

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So I followed the normal position.

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We play, I think, a piece or two and some skills, basic stuff.

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And then I was told I was going to study with Dr. Kunrod.

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So that's how we met.

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So what was the reason you chose the Interlochen Arts Academy?

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I understand it's one of the prestigious music

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schools in the United States.

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So at the time, we were looking at high schools

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specifically for performing arts.

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And there were three of them.

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There are three different schools, one in California,

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one in Michigan, one in Boston.

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Matter of fact, I was actually going to Paris, originally,

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not in the United States.

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So at the time, I was learning French back home.

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And my mom felt maybe we need to have a backup plane.

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So she flew here, visit schools.

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And then she thought Interlochen was the right choice.

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Wow.

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But it's surprising to me, because after so many years,

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I didn't know that you were planning to go to Paris

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and study French.

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Oh my goodness.

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I had everything ready.

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At the time, I have all the visa ready.

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Everything was set.

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But because I just turned 15 at the time,

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and the life in Paris is really different.

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You have to be on your own.

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So at the time, my family thought,

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maybe that's not a good idea.

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So that's why we were looking at this backup plane.

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I can't imagine you speaking in French.

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It took me a year.

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It's difficult.

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I bet.

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But coming as a high school student from Taiwan,

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and I'm sure you've encountered so many cultural language

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differences, obviously.

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Later on, you came to New York and studied at Manhattan School

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of Music.

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You went through college and master's degree.

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But before then, starting from the Interlochen,

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what was it like?

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I met Kunrod after I learned, OK,

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I'm going to study with him.

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I remember first week, or even the second week of school,

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after my lesson, he said, if I ever feel lonely,

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if I want to feel like being at a home setting,

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he want me to call him, because he said,

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they have extra bedrooms.

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I'm more than welcome to stay with them.

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And that was only the second week I just met him.

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He doesn't know me.

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I don't know him.

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And that made me feel like, wow, you would do that for me.

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We left our family to come here to study,

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and he want to make us feel welcomed, or even feel

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natural to homesick.

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Right.

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And also safe.

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I myself was an international student.

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And then more than anything, because you

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feel so insecure because you had to learn the language,

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that's one thing that really takes a lot of toll on you,

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not knowing the language.

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I don't know how much you were speaking English at that time.

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I was going to mention that.

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So I had very poor English back then.

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I had no idea what was going on.

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I remember my first set of class was September 11.

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September 11 happened.

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I was walking to lunch.

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And going through lunch, we go through a hotel lobby.

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We have a hotel in our campus just for guests to stay in.

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And that's where the cafeteria was, behind a hotel.

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And I was walking through the lobby,

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and then TV was showing what happened during 9-11.

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And my English was so bad at the time,

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I thought it was a movie.

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I didn't know what was happening at the time.

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So of course, the school canceled the day.

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I can't remember detail, but it was a chaos, as you can imagine.

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So it was your first, really, first day of the school

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as a boarding.

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As an international.

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Right.

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So once you have someone talk to you this way, saying, hey,

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if you want, call me.

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We'll pick you up.

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You can stay with us over the weekend.

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That's really something.

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So tell me what it was like to be part of Dr. Kunra's piano

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studio at Interlochen.

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You want to be better.

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That's why we practice every day.

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And it can be stressful.

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Maybe we will have competitions coming up, or any reasons.

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Because Interlochen, just like conservatory,

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they were very, very strict or competitive.

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But with Kunra, we are always, yes, of course, we work hard.

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But he wanted to make sure that we have a balance.

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Where Interlochen is, we're basically

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in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by nature.

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Right.

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Oh, nice.

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So he will take us out.

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I remember there were times we would run around the building.

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I mean, we were 15, 16 years old.

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He will take us around around the building.

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And you can see everybody was working so hard in the studio class.

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And we're the only one running around.

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Just two laps.

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Really, just two laps.

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We run around the building two laps.

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We'll come back in the building.

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He will have everybody lay under the piano

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when other people are playing.

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Or sometimes he will make tea for us in the studio class.

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Our studio class, he wanted to make sure that we are all relaxed,

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not too stressed, and it's all about the balance.

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We can just be in the practice room for a long time.

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But during the studio class, it was really important.

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We did a lot of things that normal studio classes people,

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we teacher wouldn't do.

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And we'll goof around.

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We were kids at the time.

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And that was great.

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He takes time to talk to you.

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He cares about you.

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Being an artist or being a pianist, it's not, yes.

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You practice hard.

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You do all the right things.

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But you've got to love what you do.

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And I think at the time, Dr. Kumrat, he always

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tells us, we know he's really, really busy.

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He still performed.

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He made a lot of recordings.

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And how do you find the time?

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And because he just loves what he does.

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And it doesn't seem like a work to him.

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And so music, again, it can be very competitive.

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Or it can be something that it's about you, what you love.

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Not trying to, I want to be better than you.

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I think that's one of the things I learned.

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Do you have any fun stories, besides all the things

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you mentioned, with Dr. Kumrat, learning from him?

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Or maybe spending some time with him, like memorable moments?

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All the serious things aside, right?

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Because I think that everybody there will practice.

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We will do academics.

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We do all that.

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But the things I remember the most,

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it's those things that other people don't do.

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Again, it was doing studio classes,

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because there was a group of us.

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He took us on the little hike behind the school.

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We found those roots.

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And we came back in the studio.

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He made us tea or something, just from the roots,

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doing our studio classes.

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And I think at the time he was doing the finalist week,

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I don't remember exactly the timing at the time.

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But I know the whole thing that he did that for us,

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because he wanted us to do something else, not just

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practicing.

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I don't know if we're allowed to use fire at the time

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at the piano building.

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But we made tea in the studio class.

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Those moments stay with you, because those

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are abnormal moments.

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And you appreciate that.

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Don't take it too seriously.

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I guess that's why it is.

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How did Mr. Coonrod influence you and change your life?

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He recently retired.

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And his retired concert was livestreamed on the website.

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I was able to watch it.

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And he played his transcription of the Danny Boy

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for Life Hang Only.

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And at the time, I was like, oh, man, this is so beautiful.

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I know he just recorded a CD.

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And because I'm not there, at the end of the concert,

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he goes, when you leave, pick up a copy of the CD.

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He wanted to give it away.

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And all of the time, I was like, man, I really want it,

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because such a good recording.

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So I wrote to Coonrod.

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I said, I watched this.

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I would love to have a copy of your transcription,

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because it's such a beautiful transcription.

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So he sent it to me.

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That's right before I went to Vermont.

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So Vermont, we spent a week there.

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Basically, it's a piano retreat, but whatever.

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So I learned it.

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That was last summer, right?

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That was last summer.

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So we have a half-year reunion concert coming up in January.

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And I'm planning to play that.

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What reunion?

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So Vermont, this program.

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Retreat.

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Retreat.

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We always do a half-year reunion concert in January.

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And I'm planning to play Coonrod's arrangement of Danny Boy

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for the concert.

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And he's really excited about it.

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And as he was telling me that, it's

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really nice to hear someone else playing his arrangement.

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And I'm very honored that I can do it.

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Poki, thank you for being here today

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as the guest of the introductory segment of this episode

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and telling us the memories and personal stories

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you shared with your mentor, which

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adds so much anticipation and excitement to the interview

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with Dr. Coonrod.

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Looking forward to it.

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So before finally inviting Dr. Coonrod,

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let me briefly cite his bio.

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Dr. Michael Coonrod's illustrious career

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as a classical pianist, recording artist, and educator

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spans continents, captivating audiences worldwide.

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His musical footprint resonates globally

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from enthralling performances with orchestras

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playing Beethoven's Concerto No.

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4 to sharing the stage with the Kindow Conservatory of Music

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in China.

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He has graced esteemed gatherings

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like the American Liss Society, the International Violin

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Congress, and more.

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Among his several recordings is the album highlighting Michigan

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composer Albert Fillmore's work, which

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was a passion project supporting aspiring composers

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through his scholarships.

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Dr. Coonrod boasts over 50 years of enriching students'

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lives through teaching piano.

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At the Interlochen Arts Academy, one of the nation's

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prestigious music institutions, he passionately

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nurtured countless talents for 46 years

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until his retirement in 2022.

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Beyond music, Dr. Coonrod finds joy

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in crafting a model railroad, performing chamber music,

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and lending his talents to accompany a church choir.

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His life orchestrates passion, expertise, and a symphony

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of diverse interests.

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So before getting started with this special episode,

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I want to welcome all our first timers to the PianoPod.

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I'm a classical pianist and educator from New York City.

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Whether diving deep into a piano career,

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working professionally in the classical music scene,

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00:15:04,520 --> 00:15:07,840
or simply having a passion for piano tunes,

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this podcast is your backstage pass

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to the fascinating piano world.

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I also want to welcome back and thank you

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to your amazing TPP fans and faithful listeners

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who are tuning in today.

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Please rate and review the show on your favorite podcast

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00:15:20,920 --> 00:15:22,720
platform because every rating review

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00:15:22,720 --> 00:15:24,920
will help people find the show.

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00:15:24,920 --> 00:15:27,400
So dear TPP fans and listeners, I

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can't wait to interview Dr. Michael Coonrod

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00:15:30,040 --> 00:15:33,840
to hear about this remarkable career as a concert pianist,

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00:15:33,840 --> 00:15:36,160
recording artist, and educator.

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So stick with me till the end of our conversation

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as it will lead to a more reflective discussion on how

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we train classical musicians, should keep classical music

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relevant, and thriving in today's rapidly changing world.

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So here we go, dear friends.

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Please enjoy the show.

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["Piano Pod"]

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You are listening to the PianoPod,

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where we talk to the brightest minds in the industry

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00:16:03,360 --> 00:16:09,080
about how they are bringing the piano into the 21st century.

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We are here with Dr. Michael Coonrod,

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performing classical pianist, recording artist, educator,

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00:16:15,440 --> 00:16:18,200
arranger of music for the left hand alone.

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00:16:18,200 --> 00:16:20,680
So welcome, Dr. Coonrod, to the PianoPod.

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Thank you for being here today.

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I'm honored that you would ask me.

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Thank you.

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00:16:24,360 --> 00:16:25,560
I'm looking forward to it.

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00:16:25,560 --> 00:16:26,280
Same here.

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00:16:26,280 --> 00:16:30,080
Now, Pocky Huang, fellow pianist and educator

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00:16:30,080 --> 00:16:32,960
and my colleague at Non-Profit Organization,

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00:16:32,960 --> 00:16:36,440
the Piano Teachers Congress of New York, connected me to you.

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00:16:36,440 --> 00:16:38,440
I understand you were Pocky's teacher

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00:16:38,440 --> 00:16:41,840
while he was studying at the Interlochen Arts Academy,

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and you are a mentor to him.

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And he says you changed his life and made him

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who he is today as an artist and educator.

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00:16:50,000 --> 00:16:53,200
So nice to hear, because so often students might not

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00:16:53,200 --> 00:16:56,880
contact you for years, sometimes decades, sometimes maybe

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00:16:56,880 --> 00:16:58,160
weeks.

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00:16:58,160 --> 00:17:01,400
But to know that I was an influence on his life

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00:17:01,400 --> 00:17:05,520
after so many years, well, maybe what, 12, 15 years

350
00:17:05,520 --> 00:17:07,600
when I was teaching him for three years,

351
00:17:07,600 --> 00:17:09,400
it was really gratifying to know.

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00:17:09,400 --> 00:17:12,440
It's just, for me, it's the best job I could ever have.

353
00:17:12,440 --> 00:17:14,080
Oh, that's wonderful.

354
00:17:14,080 --> 00:17:18,320
I know you've taught at the very prestigious Interlochen

355
00:17:18,320 --> 00:17:23,560
Center for the Arts, which is located in Michigan for 46

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00:17:23,560 --> 00:17:25,080
years, I believe.

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46 years.

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I've taught at the Arts Academy, yes.

359
00:17:27,800 --> 00:17:28,480
Oh my goodness.

360
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And they recently retired from being a full-time faculty

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00:17:31,600 --> 00:17:32,280
member there.

362
00:17:32,280 --> 00:17:34,880
And of course, Interlochen is one

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of the prestigious music schools in the nation.

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And internationally renowned as well,

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where young students' creativity has

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flourished since its founding in 1928, I believe.

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And then the school boasts a distinguished alumni

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00:17:49,680 --> 00:17:52,960
network of musicians, as well as dancers and actors.

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In the last three and a half years of podcasting,

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00:17:55,160 --> 00:17:57,960
I have interviewed several Interlochen graduate,

371
00:17:57,960 --> 00:17:59,280
actually, for the piano pot.

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00:17:59,280 --> 00:18:03,240
So I want to know what drew you to the institution,

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and what makes it stand out in the realm of arts education?

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00:18:07,400 --> 00:18:10,800
Can you share how you first became involved

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00:18:10,800 --> 00:18:14,000
with the Interlochen Center for the Arts?

376
00:18:14,000 --> 00:18:16,320
Well, I did grow up in Missoula, Montana.

377
00:18:16,320 --> 00:18:18,800
I had been playing piano since age four.

378
00:18:18,800 --> 00:18:21,600
And this was the early teen years, which

379
00:18:21,600 --> 00:18:25,120
is the time most people have this burning craving

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to play music.

381
00:18:27,120 --> 00:18:28,520
That's just fascinating to me.

382
00:18:28,520 --> 00:18:31,600
What causes that at those early teen years?

383
00:18:31,600 --> 00:18:34,480
My father, who was dean of liberal arts and sciences

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00:18:34,480 --> 00:18:36,840
at the University of Montana, had

385
00:18:36,840 --> 00:18:40,160
a dear friend who was dean at Illinois State University.

386
00:18:40,160 --> 00:18:43,040
And this dean recommended Interlochen,

387
00:18:43,040 --> 00:18:45,240
that I would study with George Luxemburg.

388
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This was 1967, a few years ago.

389
00:18:49,680 --> 00:18:53,720
So I saw a picture of Interlochen National Music Camp

390
00:18:53,720 --> 00:18:54,560
at that time.

391
00:18:54,560 --> 00:18:56,600
It was called, now it's Interlochen Arts Camp,

392
00:18:56,600 --> 00:19:00,720
because it has all the arts media, not just music.

393
00:19:00,720 --> 00:19:03,000
And so it was recommended I go there.

394
00:19:03,000 --> 00:19:06,360
So I spent 1967 summer studying with him.

395
00:19:06,360 --> 00:19:09,720
I remember I took theory, composition.

396
00:19:09,720 --> 00:19:12,560
I was in the festival choir, which

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any adults or students could sing in.

398
00:19:15,040 --> 00:19:16,680
We did the Verdi Requiem.

399
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Wow.

400
00:19:17,200 --> 00:19:17,920
It was wonderful.

401
00:19:17,920 --> 00:19:19,960
And I practiced six or seven hours.

402
00:19:19,960 --> 00:19:21,080
And that's what I went to do.

403
00:19:21,080 --> 00:19:22,960
And I went and heard concerts.

404
00:19:22,960 --> 00:19:25,440
And the unique thing is that it's a camp,

405
00:19:25,440 --> 00:19:26,760
and it's right there.

406
00:19:26,760 --> 00:19:30,400
You just have to walk as far as half a football field

407
00:19:30,400 --> 00:19:31,240
to go to concerts.

408
00:19:31,240 --> 00:19:32,680
And they're all outdoors.

409
00:19:32,680 --> 00:19:34,560
And it's also a social experience.

410
00:19:34,560 --> 00:19:39,440
And also, they ask you to have sports activities.

411
00:19:39,440 --> 00:19:41,440
At that time, they called it Forced Fun,

412
00:19:41,440 --> 00:19:44,360
which was a very good name, because it's something

413
00:19:44,360 --> 00:19:45,480
I really enjoyed doing.

414
00:19:45,480 --> 00:19:46,800
I took tennis lessons.

415
00:19:46,800 --> 00:19:50,920
And I never knew that that would be my only job in life.

416
00:19:50,920 --> 00:19:53,840
If I had known that, I would have thought more of it

417
00:19:53,840 --> 00:19:57,080
other than just smelling a little iron in the water.

418
00:19:57,080 --> 00:19:59,920
I would have thought, oh, if I had a premonition,

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this was going to be my job teaching.

420
00:20:01,880 --> 00:20:03,240
Of course, at that time, I didn't

421
00:20:03,240 --> 00:20:04,600
think I was going to be a teacher.

422
00:20:04,600 --> 00:20:07,360
I was just trying to play the piano as best as I could.

423
00:20:07,360 --> 00:20:09,760
Well, I was a grad student at Peabody Conservatory

424
00:20:09,760 --> 00:20:10,800
in Baltimore.

425
00:20:10,800 --> 00:20:13,560
And the director of placement, Sydney Forrest,

426
00:20:13,560 --> 00:20:15,720
famous clarinetist who was teaching there,

427
00:20:15,720 --> 00:20:17,880
contacted me and four other students

428
00:20:17,880 --> 00:20:19,840
knowing that we were looking for jobs.

429
00:20:19,840 --> 00:20:22,520
And I guess I was unknowingly smart,

430
00:20:22,520 --> 00:20:28,080
because this was in August, and Academy began in September.

431
00:20:28,080 --> 00:20:31,000
So I said everything, not just a cover letter.

432
00:20:31,000 --> 00:20:35,840
Cover letter, transcripts, recordings, grades, courses,

433
00:20:35,840 --> 00:20:36,320
everything.

434
00:20:36,320 --> 00:20:39,680
And that turned out to be good, because the administration

435
00:20:39,680 --> 00:20:43,040
had their hands full on vacation.

436
00:20:43,040 --> 00:20:45,240
And so they had me come in and play a concert

437
00:20:45,240 --> 00:20:47,120
in three weekdays notice.

438
00:20:47,120 --> 00:20:51,200
I played Elliott Carter Piano Sonata, a couple etudes,

439
00:20:51,200 --> 00:20:52,480
and some Schubert.

440
00:20:52,480 --> 00:20:54,240
And it's good that I did some etudes,

441
00:20:54,240 --> 00:20:57,280
like Muszkowski and Chopin, because interlocking really

442
00:20:57,280 --> 00:21:00,200
promotes the study of technique.

443
00:21:00,200 --> 00:21:04,360
So that's how I became a faculty member, a piano faculty member.

444
00:21:04,360 --> 00:21:07,280
Years after that, one of the piano faculty members

445
00:21:07,280 --> 00:21:09,760
said, because I asked them, how did you hire me?

446
00:21:09,760 --> 00:21:10,600
Why did you hire me?

447
00:21:10,600 --> 00:21:11,920
Because I never taught anybody.

448
00:21:11,920 --> 00:21:13,800
It was between camp and Academy.

449
00:21:13,800 --> 00:21:17,280
They said, well, you smiled and you forgot your suitcase.

450
00:21:17,280 --> 00:21:18,760
So you must be a good musician.

451
00:21:21,480 --> 00:21:24,720
Introduce us to the Interlochen Center for the Arts.

452
00:21:24,720 --> 00:21:26,760
Brief overview, maybe programs.

453
00:21:26,760 --> 00:21:29,680
And I know Interlochen summer camp is very famous too.

454
00:21:29,680 --> 00:21:32,640
And some of my students are trying to go there.

455
00:21:32,640 --> 00:21:36,480
And so also maybe the key milestones,

456
00:21:36,480 --> 00:21:40,200
if you know, to shape its legacy and so forth.

457
00:21:40,200 --> 00:21:43,360
Interlochen is quite a substantial part

458
00:21:43,360 --> 00:21:45,720
of the music culture in the world.

459
00:21:45,720 --> 00:21:48,040
Started in 1928, as you mentioned.

460
00:21:48,040 --> 00:21:50,320
I did some research on some statistics,

461
00:21:50,320 --> 00:21:52,520
because they're a little different every year.

462
00:21:52,520 --> 00:21:55,280
Turns out that there's six orchestras.

463
00:21:55,280 --> 00:21:58,000
There's two bands and three choirs.

464
00:21:58,000 --> 00:22:03,360
There's 3,230 campers representing 40 countries.

465
00:22:03,360 --> 00:22:06,280
And 60% are international students.

466
00:22:06,280 --> 00:22:10,560
At the Academy, there's 567 students as of this year,

467
00:22:10,560 --> 00:22:13,680
representing 45 states, 27 countries,

468
00:22:13,680 --> 00:22:16,720
and 85 international students.

469
00:22:16,720 --> 00:22:17,880
Oh my goodness.

470
00:22:17,880 --> 00:22:20,800
I mean, it's incredible what they have.

471
00:22:20,800 --> 00:22:25,800
But it's divided up into junior students, age 8 to 11.

472
00:22:25,800 --> 00:22:28,600
And they're separated between male, female,

473
00:22:28,600 --> 00:22:29,880
in different parts of campus.

474
00:22:29,880 --> 00:22:31,840
Interlochen means between the lakes.

475
00:22:31,840 --> 00:22:35,000
So the one side is for one gender,

476
00:22:35,000 --> 00:22:36,960
and the other side for another gender.

477
00:22:36,960 --> 00:22:39,800
It's called Pine Side.

478
00:22:39,800 --> 00:22:43,280
And then age 11 to 14, intermediate level.

479
00:22:43,280 --> 00:22:45,160
And there's different programs for each of them.

480
00:22:45,160 --> 00:22:46,560
Finally, there's high school.

481
00:22:46,560 --> 00:22:48,880
When I first started teaching there,

482
00:22:48,880 --> 00:22:51,320
we taught every level, including college.

483
00:22:51,320 --> 00:22:54,680
It was the summer camp for the University of Michigan.

484
00:22:54,680 --> 00:22:57,480
So it's quite a substantial place.

485
00:22:57,480 --> 00:23:01,040
There's four different branches to Interlochen.

486
00:23:01,040 --> 00:23:05,920
Number one is Interlochen Arts Camp during the summer,

487
00:23:05,920 --> 00:23:08,360
which includes an intensive six weeks.

488
00:23:08,360 --> 00:23:10,680
And that's a separate group of students

489
00:23:10,680 --> 00:23:12,920
who are generally more advanced and over there

490
00:23:12,920 --> 00:23:15,120
to have master classes all day and go

491
00:23:15,120 --> 00:23:16,440
to concerts in the evening.

492
00:23:16,440 --> 00:23:20,120
Not so many kind of social camp experiences.

493
00:23:20,120 --> 00:23:20,840
You can't help it.

494
00:23:20,840 --> 00:23:23,400
There's socializing too.

495
00:23:23,400 --> 00:23:26,720
It's been very successful, maybe 20 years old now.

496
00:23:26,720 --> 00:23:30,840
It's been a piano intensive session for maybe 12 years.

497
00:23:30,840 --> 00:23:32,640
And so that's the camp.

498
00:23:32,640 --> 00:23:36,160
The Academy is like an arts academy,

499
00:23:36,160 --> 00:23:38,480
which is high school 9 through 12.

500
00:23:38,480 --> 00:23:40,760
We see students for a longer period of time

501
00:23:40,760 --> 00:23:42,320
so we can see more development.

502
00:23:42,320 --> 00:23:46,960
The camp, you give them four to eight lessons.

503
00:23:46,960 --> 00:23:49,680
But during the year, it's just nine months of lessons.

504
00:23:49,680 --> 00:23:51,960
And you get to know them because it's much smaller.

505
00:23:51,960 --> 00:23:55,800
I mean, 3,200 is different than 500.

506
00:23:55,800 --> 00:23:59,240
And then we also have Mallory Towsley Center

507
00:23:59,240 --> 00:24:00,640
for Arts Leadership.

508
00:24:00,640 --> 00:24:03,600
That invites adults to come in for the weekend or four

509
00:24:03,600 --> 00:24:07,880
or five days to talk about arts activities, different arts

510
00:24:07,880 --> 00:24:11,080
areas, maybe talking about crafts.

511
00:24:11,080 --> 00:24:12,440
And they could be anything.

512
00:24:12,440 --> 00:24:13,920
They have their own building and they

513
00:24:13,920 --> 00:24:17,760
have their own director that's separate from the school,

514
00:24:17,760 --> 00:24:19,480
from the high school.

515
00:24:19,480 --> 00:24:23,320
Let's see, we also have Interlochen Public Media.

516
00:24:23,320 --> 00:24:27,640
And that provides classical music and a news station

517
00:24:27,640 --> 00:24:31,120
throughout the general northern Michigan area.

518
00:24:31,120 --> 00:24:32,760
And let's get them all.

519
00:24:32,760 --> 00:24:35,160
Yes, one, two, three, four.

520
00:24:35,160 --> 00:24:37,600
That is all under the umbrella of Interlochen Center

521
00:24:37,600 --> 00:24:39,200
for the Arts.

522
00:24:39,200 --> 00:24:43,720
It's a big institution and one of the most influential art

523
00:24:43,720 --> 00:24:45,560
schools in nation.

524
00:24:45,560 --> 00:24:47,360
Now, you mentioned that there are

525
00:24:47,360 --> 00:24:50,120
substantial numbers of international students.

526
00:24:50,120 --> 00:24:53,360
So does the school offer a boarding school?

527
00:24:53,360 --> 00:24:55,600
It's 90% boarding school.

528
00:24:55,600 --> 00:24:57,880
So they can get out of bed and walk across the street

529
00:24:57,880 --> 00:25:00,160
and have their lesson or their classes.

530
00:25:00,160 --> 00:25:01,800
We have 1,200 acres.

531
00:25:01,800 --> 00:25:04,840
But during the winter, it's only on one side

532
00:25:04,840 --> 00:25:06,440
and it's just very close.

533
00:25:06,440 --> 00:25:09,600
During the summer, students have to walk from the other lake

534
00:25:09,600 --> 00:25:13,920
over to have breakfast, to have the meals on the main campus.

535
00:25:13,920 --> 00:25:16,560
I mean, life is harsh, right?

536
00:25:16,560 --> 00:25:18,960
They don't have to drive two hours for a lesson.

537
00:25:18,960 --> 00:25:19,440
I see.

538
00:25:19,440 --> 00:25:20,560
Now I understand that.

539
00:25:20,560 --> 00:25:21,080
Wow.

540
00:25:21,080 --> 00:25:21,760
That's such a good point.

541
00:25:21,760 --> 00:25:22,800
There are day students.

542
00:25:22,800 --> 00:25:24,600
People can come here from China.

543
00:25:24,600 --> 00:25:27,320
Sometimes parents come over here and live.

544
00:25:27,320 --> 00:25:30,240
And they can have their children be day students.

545
00:25:30,240 --> 00:25:32,040
So it's a little bit less expensive.

546
00:25:32,040 --> 00:25:35,560
There's an extraordinary amount of scholarship available.

547
00:25:35,560 --> 00:25:38,400
So the tuition is quite high, like all boarding schools.

548
00:25:38,400 --> 00:25:42,080
But there's an endowment for a lot of scholarship.

549
00:25:42,080 --> 00:25:43,160
I don't remember the number.

550
00:25:43,160 --> 00:25:47,600
There's 5 million or 10, 15 million.

551
00:25:47,600 --> 00:25:50,560
They don't give somebody free passes to come here.

552
00:25:50,560 --> 00:25:52,600
It's good to be able to have something

553
00:25:52,600 --> 00:25:53,920
that parents can offer.

554
00:25:53,920 --> 00:25:56,080
So people don't need to be dissuaded

555
00:25:56,080 --> 00:25:58,240
by steep tuition prices.

556
00:25:58,240 --> 00:26:01,960
I think the goal for the future is to have free tuition.

557
00:26:01,960 --> 00:26:03,560
That would be amazing.

558
00:26:03,560 --> 00:26:07,360
Just attract the true, genuine talents.

559
00:26:07,360 --> 00:26:09,360
Sometimes in the past, we've missed

560
00:26:09,360 --> 00:26:13,040
having Eastern European students who are really exceptional.

561
00:26:13,040 --> 00:26:14,600
But they can't afford anything.

562
00:26:14,600 --> 00:26:16,200
Well, we were bringing them, but then

563
00:26:16,200 --> 00:26:18,320
still couldn't afford that.

564
00:26:18,320 --> 00:26:20,120
So we're hoping to reinstate that.

565
00:26:20,120 --> 00:26:23,160
Oh, that sounds really a dream come true

566
00:26:23,160 --> 00:26:26,160
for all the young artists.

567
00:26:26,160 --> 00:26:29,480
We have an incredible president we love, Trey Devey.

568
00:26:29,480 --> 00:26:30,720
And he gets to know everybody.

569
00:26:30,720 --> 00:26:31,800
He knows people's names.

570
00:26:31,800 --> 00:26:34,400
And he's out there promoting Interlochen and raising money.

571
00:26:34,400 --> 00:26:37,880
And he's a fantastic president for us.

572
00:26:37,880 --> 00:26:40,920
So what sets apart from other institutions?

573
00:26:40,920 --> 00:26:42,360
What sets Interlochen?

574
00:26:42,360 --> 00:26:45,040
Maybe you already mentioned all the unique way

575
00:26:45,040 --> 00:26:49,440
to provide musical experience to young students.

576
00:26:49,440 --> 00:26:50,640
But what else?

577
00:26:50,640 --> 00:26:54,000
Well, there are many really fine art schools out there.

578
00:26:54,000 --> 00:26:57,560
I just mentioned the things that we offer quite extensive.

579
00:26:57,560 --> 00:27:02,040
And we've had a history of decades of successful students.

580
00:27:02,040 --> 00:27:04,000
I mean, I asked the school, can you

581
00:27:04,000 --> 00:27:07,000
give me some of the famous people who have come through

582
00:27:07,000 --> 00:27:09,000
here, either in the camp or the academy?

583
00:27:09,000 --> 00:27:11,680
And it's just incredible.

584
00:27:11,680 --> 00:27:13,560
I mean, two or three pages.

585
00:27:13,560 --> 00:27:15,800
Anthony McGill, he's the principal clarinetist

586
00:27:15,800 --> 00:27:17,840
in the New York Philharmonic.

587
00:27:17,840 --> 00:27:19,800
Aaron Dworkin, founder of Sphinx.

588
00:27:19,800 --> 00:27:22,640
David Schifrin, the clarinetist, famous clarinetist.

589
00:27:22,640 --> 00:27:26,480
Elaine Duas, who's principal oboe in the Metropolitan Opera.

590
00:27:26,480 --> 00:27:29,880
Lauren Maisel, former New York Philharmonic conductor.

591
00:27:29,880 --> 00:27:33,080
He was here as a 10-year-old.

592
00:27:33,080 --> 00:27:34,080
Oh, my goodness.

593
00:27:34,080 --> 00:27:36,960
And we have 50 presidential scholars.

594
00:27:36,960 --> 00:27:40,640
Evidently, there's 13% of the orchestra musicians

595
00:27:40,640 --> 00:27:42,480
are graduates of Interlochen.

596
00:27:42,480 --> 00:27:46,360
There are 32 Tony Awards, 26 Emmy Awards, three Oscars,

597
00:27:46,360 --> 00:27:48,680
and four Pulitzer Prizes.

598
00:27:48,680 --> 00:27:49,680
Wow.

599
00:27:49,680 --> 00:27:51,560
But you know what really impresses me

600
00:27:51,560 --> 00:27:56,040
is not so much the famous people who have been so successful,

601
00:27:56,040 --> 00:27:59,080
but what about the people who have moderate talent, who

602
00:27:59,080 --> 00:28:01,880
weren't that advanced here, but then later on,

603
00:28:01,880 --> 00:28:05,160
after college and grad school, if they go that route,

604
00:28:05,160 --> 00:28:06,880
they're very successful.

605
00:28:06,880 --> 00:28:08,160
Like Jewel.

606
00:28:08,160 --> 00:28:09,200
Say Nora Jones.

607
00:28:09,200 --> 00:28:10,480
I mean, they've been here.

608
00:28:10,480 --> 00:28:12,440
But they've been a great name for themselves.

609
00:28:12,440 --> 00:28:15,520
And I've had students who are very talented, but not

610
00:28:15,520 --> 00:28:16,320
really advanced.

611
00:28:16,320 --> 00:28:18,560
And you really work with them.

612
00:28:18,560 --> 00:28:21,400
It's a little harder to develop them, their technique,

613
00:28:21,400 --> 00:28:24,000
things they really need, some rudimentary skills.

614
00:28:24,000 --> 00:28:25,080
It's extremely talented.

615
00:28:25,080 --> 00:28:27,600
Students are fairly easy to teach,

616
00:28:27,600 --> 00:28:29,280
unless they have a chip on their shoulders

617
00:28:29,280 --> 00:28:31,080
and they don't accept what you have to say.

618
00:28:31,080 --> 00:28:32,920
But that doesn't happen very often.

619
00:28:32,920 --> 00:28:36,120
But what's rewarding for me is to see a moderately

620
00:28:36,120 --> 00:28:38,000
talented student work really hard

621
00:28:38,000 --> 00:28:39,840
and have a mission to succeed.

622
00:28:39,840 --> 00:28:42,960
And to see them excel and be happy and satisfied

623
00:28:42,960 --> 00:28:46,200
and they've fulfilled their dreams, whatever it may be,

624
00:28:46,200 --> 00:28:47,400
is very gratifying.

625
00:28:47,400 --> 00:28:51,880
Can you share some of the most favorite or memorable or

626
00:28:51,880 --> 00:28:55,280
rewarding moments as an educator there

627
00:28:55,280 --> 00:28:57,520
you've experienced while teaching?

628
00:28:57,520 --> 00:28:58,760
I'd be happy to.

629
00:28:58,760 --> 00:29:00,720
I've been thinking about this.

630
00:29:00,720 --> 00:29:05,800
First, I think, is letters and messages from former students

631
00:29:05,800 --> 00:29:07,200
throughout several years after they

632
00:29:07,200 --> 00:29:10,120
graduate, sometimes decades after they graduate.

633
00:29:10,120 --> 00:29:12,480
And you develop this really close relationship

634
00:29:12,480 --> 00:29:14,920
and you realize what you have done for them.

635
00:29:14,920 --> 00:29:19,160
That's very, very important for me, rewarding experiences.

636
00:29:19,160 --> 00:29:21,400
Also, there was a year in which we

637
00:29:21,400 --> 00:29:24,960
had enough really advanced students to play all the 32

638
00:29:24,960 --> 00:29:26,480
Beethoven sonatas.

639
00:29:26,480 --> 00:29:30,440
And the last three were played by Richard Good, who came.

640
00:29:30,440 --> 00:29:33,480
Ironically, he happened to be on the schedule,

641
00:29:33,480 --> 00:29:35,600
unbeknownst to us.

642
00:29:35,600 --> 00:29:37,800
Let's see, my colleague did the hammered clavier.

643
00:29:37,800 --> 00:29:39,240
I did Opus 101.

644
00:29:39,240 --> 00:29:42,520
And the students filled in the rest.

645
00:29:42,520 --> 00:29:44,560
Not that the others are easier.

646
00:29:44,560 --> 00:29:47,400
And we didn't do them on one concert or seven concerts.

647
00:29:47,400 --> 00:29:50,440
When a student was ready to perform one of the sonatas,

648
00:29:50,440 --> 00:29:51,960
they're on a student recital.

649
00:29:51,960 --> 00:29:55,280
And then I had a big old chart and I just marked it down.

650
00:29:55,280 --> 00:29:58,760
So by the end of the year, we got all these 32 sonatas.

651
00:29:58,760 --> 00:30:00,960
Not only that, but we had some bagatelles.

652
00:30:00,960 --> 00:30:04,400
We had Rage Over the Lost Penny, the difficult walk through.

653
00:30:04,400 --> 00:30:05,600
Yes, yes.

654
00:30:05,600 --> 00:30:09,240
And that's quite a milestone to be able to achieve that.

655
00:30:09,240 --> 00:30:11,520
We could probably do that in other years.

656
00:30:11,520 --> 00:30:13,520
But we only did it the one year.

657
00:30:13,520 --> 00:30:17,720
What meant a lot to me was my retirement honoring.

658
00:30:17,720 --> 00:30:23,680
I spent 46 years and they had me play

659
00:30:23,680 --> 00:30:26,960
a piece for the assembly, which is very tearful.

660
00:30:26,960 --> 00:30:28,600
It was Danny Boy, actually, a piece

661
00:30:28,600 --> 00:30:32,800
that I arranged for the left hand alone after my injury.

662
00:30:32,800 --> 00:30:36,800
Also, I had a piano festival that I organized for 12 years,

663
00:30:36,800 --> 00:30:40,120
in which I brought teachers from all of Michigan and Ohio

664
00:30:40,120 --> 00:30:42,200
and Illinois to listen to guest artists.

665
00:30:42,200 --> 00:30:44,320
And we had basically two or three artists.

666
00:30:44,320 --> 00:30:46,360
One was for advanced students, the other

667
00:30:46,360 --> 00:30:50,240
was for beginners or elementary, like Amanda Vick Lethgo,

668
00:30:50,240 --> 00:30:53,000
very famous composer of method books.

669
00:30:53,000 --> 00:30:56,800
She came, had people talk about accompanying for dance.

670
00:30:56,800 --> 00:30:58,440
I mean, it was a very successful festival.

671
00:30:58,440 --> 00:31:02,200
But after 12 years, the school, well,

672
00:31:02,200 --> 00:31:03,560
actually, I built a lot of money for it.

673
00:31:03,560 --> 00:31:04,920
But we couldn't quite pay for everything.

674
00:31:04,920 --> 00:31:07,120
So I think the school couldn't do the rest for that.

675
00:31:07,120 --> 00:31:09,080
But that was very successful.

676
00:31:09,080 --> 00:31:12,040
One thing I was really happy about

677
00:31:12,040 --> 00:31:15,840
is that one of my dear students built thousands and thousands

678
00:31:15,840 --> 00:31:17,880
of dollars for a guest artist budget.

679
00:31:17,880 --> 00:31:21,280
This happened upon my retirement as an honor.

680
00:31:21,280 --> 00:31:23,200
This person chose to be anonymous.

681
00:31:23,200 --> 00:31:24,760
I can't say the name.

682
00:31:24,760 --> 00:31:26,600
I guess I'd say her name.

683
00:31:26,600 --> 00:31:28,320
That was really wonderful.

684
00:31:28,320 --> 00:31:30,600
And I told my colleagues, it's nice to know

685
00:31:30,600 --> 00:31:34,160
that my retirement helped the school.

686
00:31:34,160 --> 00:31:36,440
And I don't think because they're glad to get rhythm-y,

687
00:31:36,440 --> 00:31:39,760
because this wouldn't have happened had I not retired.

688
00:31:39,760 --> 00:31:42,040
So I was really grateful for that.

689
00:31:42,040 --> 00:31:47,080
And this person was here in the early years, graduated in 1977.

690
00:31:47,080 --> 00:31:49,960
And so you never know what impact you make on people,

691
00:31:49,960 --> 00:31:52,240
because I had never heard from her for decades.

692
00:31:52,240 --> 00:31:55,800
And all of a sudden, we're close, and we talk, and we visit.

693
00:31:55,800 --> 00:31:59,240
It's a wonderful, honorable thing that she had done that.

694
00:31:59,240 --> 00:32:03,120
Remember when she graduated, she was here only one year.

695
00:32:03,120 --> 00:32:07,000
She's from an Asian country, and she had a rough life,

696
00:32:07,000 --> 00:32:11,640
because Shanghai Czech wouldn't let intelligentsia do anything.

697
00:32:11,640 --> 00:32:14,320
They were actually interned and killed.

698
00:32:14,320 --> 00:32:16,800
And her father actually made it through.

699
00:32:16,800 --> 00:32:19,240
And then when she heard that I played

700
00:32:19,240 --> 00:32:23,000
Danny Boy as an encore for that left-hand concerto,

701
00:32:23,000 --> 00:32:26,400
she was in tears because her father, age 80,

702
00:32:26,400 --> 00:32:30,400
after surviving that ordeal, sang Danny Boy.

703
00:32:30,400 --> 00:32:34,280
Because every time somebody would leave the internment

704
00:32:34,280 --> 00:32:38,160
and never be seen again, the survivor would sing songs.

705
00:32:38,160 --> 00:32:41,200
And one was Danny Boy, very much what she had gone through.

706
00:32:41,200 --> 00:32:47,920
And the last thing I want to say is very important to me,

707
00:32:47,920 --> 00:32:51,760
is that my dear student, Carrie Huber, replaced me.

708
00:32:51,760 --> 00:32:54,920
And I was not on the team to hire her.

709
00:32:54,920 --> 00:32:58,160
But everybody agreed that she's one of the best people

710
00:32:58,160 --> 00:32:59,360
to invite.

711
00:32:59,360 --> 00:33:01,000
And so she is here.

712
00:33:01,000 --> 00:33:04,080
She has been vocal about carrying on my lineage.

713
00:33:04,080 --> 00:33:07,280
And wonderful person, first-rate pianist,

714
00:33:07,280 --> 00:33:08,600
and wonderful teacher.

715
00:33:08,600 --> 00:33:10,560
She's going to have a long lineage here.

716
00:33:10,560 --> 00:33:15,200
So I was honored by having a former student fill my position.

717
00:33:15,200 --> 00:33:17,440
So she was your student before.

718
00:33:17,440 --> 00:33:19,400
Yeah, from 2005 and 6.

719
00:33:19,400 --> 00:33:21,760
She plays all music really beautifully well.

720
00:33:21,760 --> 00:33:25,600
Her passion right now is to promote women composers,

721
00:33:25,600 --> 00:33:27,400
particularly in the 21st century,

722
00:33:27,400 --> 00:33:29,880
but also 20th and 19th centuries.

723
00:33:29,880 --> 00:33:32,240
One of these days, I would like to reach out to her.

724
00:33:32,240 --> 00:33:35,560
Maybe I can interview her on my show.

725
00:33:35,560 --> 00:33:36,400
I hope you do.

726
00:33:36,400 --> 00:33:37,640
Yes.

727
00:33:37,640 --> 00:33:41,000
You have 40-plus years of teaching piano.

728
00:33:41,000 --> 00:33:44,640
So we need to pick your brain when it comes to teaching.

729
00:33:44,640 --> 00:33:47,480
So we would like to know your philosophy

730
00:33:47,480 --> 00:33:49,160
and methods of teaching.

731
00:33:49,160 --> 00:33:52,480
What teaching techniques do you find most effective in helping

732
00:33:52,480 --> 00:33:54,120
students develop technical skills?

733
00:33:54,120 --> 00:33:56,120
So you mentioned about techniques.

734
00:33:56,120 --> 00:33:57,000
OK, yeah.

735
00:33:57,000 --> 00:33:58,680
I'm thinking, I counted up.

736
00:33:58,680 --> 00:34:02,720
I have been teaching for 54 years, 46 here.

737
00:34:02,720 --> 00:34:04,960
And so I taught beginners.

738
00:34:04,960 --> 00:34:06,800
I taught elementary.

739
00:34:06,800 --> 00:34:09,640
I taught class piano.

740
00:34:09,640 --> 00:34:12,440
The last 20 years, I was teaching majors

741
00:34:12,440 --> 00:34:14,440
and advanced students.

742
00:34:14,440 --> 00:34:16,760
And so my philosophy is everybody

743
00:34:16,760 --> 00:34:18,400
deserves good teaching, whether it's

744
00:34:18,400 --> 00:34:21,280
a beginner or extremely advanced.

745
00:34:21,280 --> 00:34:24,160
It's not like I teach the talent so much.

746
00:34:24,160 --> 00:34:27,560
I teach the person and the talent together.

747
00:34:27,560 --> 00:34:31,680
I always say the person is just as important as the talent.

748
00:34:31,680 --> 00:34:35,480
I'll teach anybody who wants to work hard as a mission.

749
00:34:35,480 --> 00:34:38,680
And a person needs to realize that failures

750
00:34:38,680 --> 00:34:42,200
can be very helpful unless you quit.

751
00:34:42,200 --> 00:34:44,080
You have to put yourself up and keep going,

752
00:34:44,080 --> 00:34:45,720
and you'll be successful.

753
00:34:45,720 --> 00:34:49,000
Discouragement is always followed by some kind

754
00:34:49,000 --> 00:34:50,200
of encouragement.

755
00:34:50,200 --> 00:34:51,800
That happens in my life.

756
00:34:51,800 --> 00:34:56,280
If something bothers me or discouraging,

757
00:34:56,280 --> 00:35:00,520
I just know that the next day or so something really helpful

758
00:35:00,520 --> 00:35:02,360
is going to happen to me.

759
00:35:02,360 --> 00:35:05,160
I don't know what it is, but it's really uncanny

760
00:35:05,160 --> 00:35:06,520
how that happens.

761
00:35:06,520 --> 00:35:08,160
You can call answers to prayer.

762
00:35:08,160 --> 00:35:10,200
You could have it yin and yang.

763
00:35:10,200 --> 00:35:12,760
Whatever you want, it happens.

764
00:35:12,760 --> 00:35:16,760
So you asked me about philosophy, Spass, about teaching.

765
00:35:16,760 --> 00:35:19,000
The most important thing is have a good attitude

766
00:35:19,000 --> 00:35:22,160
and positive attitude to help students not

767
00:35:22,160 --> 00:35:25,480
be so self-critical, because they come to Interlochen

768
00:35:25,480 --> 00:35:27,600
and they see more advanced students

769
00:35:27,600 --> 00:35:29,200
and they think they're no good.

770
00:35:29,200 --> 00:35:31,120
Or they go to competition and they don't win.

771
00:35:31,120 --> 00:35:32,280
They think they're no good.

772
00:35:32,280 --> 00:35:35,800
It needs to be, I have to channel their focus

773
00:35:35,800 --> 00:35:39,080
into something positive that they have something to say.

774
00:35:39,080 --> 00:35:42,560
And I was encouraged trying to play special moments.

775
00:35:42,560 --> 00:35:44,600
My teachers always said, if you can

776
00:35:44,600 --> 00:35:47,800
have a few special moments, I mean really transcending

777
00:35:47,800 --> 00:35:50,560
moments in a performance, you should feel lucky.

778
00:35:50,560 --> 00:35:53,560
It's almost too much to ask every single turn of the phrase

779
00:35:53,560 --> 00:35:56,000
to just put chills up your spine.

780
00:35:56,000 --> 00:35:57,360
It would be nice.

781
00:35:57,360 --> 00:36:00,400
Well, it's a little bit like if you try to play something

782
00:36:00,400 --> 00:36:03,320
really special every single time,

783
00:36:03,320 --> 00:36:06,680
it's maybe like nothing special.

784
00:36:06,680 --> 00:36:08,160
If everything tries to be special.

785
00:36:08,160 --> 00:36:10,360
I mean, you try to play beautifully, of course.

786
00:36:10,360 --> 00:36:13,760
But there's certain places that are really special,

787
00:36:13,760 --> 00:36:17,000
harmonically or motivically or architecturally.

788
00:36:17,000 --> 00:36:20,000
And if you try to do those big high points everywhere,

789
00:36:20,000 --> 00:36:21,880
then nothing is important.

790
00:36:21,880 --> 00:36:23,520
Rachmaninoff was quoted as saying,

791
00:36:23,520 --> 00:36:24,600
where's the high point?

792
00:36:24,600 --> 00:36:25,440
Where's the point?

793
00:36:25,440 --> 00:36:26,960
What are you going towards?

794
00:36:26,960 --> 00:36:28,480
So if everything is a high point,

795
00:36:28,480 --> 00:36:30,760
then nothing's a high point.

796
00:36:30,760 --> 00:36:35,080
Regarding the teaching of, I believe strongly

797
00:36:35,080 --> 00:36:38,080
in technique, study of technique.

798
00:36:38,080 --> 00:36:42,040
Not so separate from music, but exercises.

799
00:36:42,040 --> 00:36:44,240
I call it applied technique.

800
00:36:44,240 --> 00:36:46,880
Actually, that's my teacher's term, applied technique.

801
00:36:46,880 --> 00:36:49,200
So if you're going to do an exercise,

802
00:36:49,200 --> 00:36:51,560
there must be a purpose for it.

803
00:36:51,560 --> 00:36:54,920
For example, if you're doing some rotation exercises,

804
00:36:54,920 --> 00:36:56,280
then you're going to do this.

805
00:36:56,280 --> 00:36:57,280
It's going to be.

806
00:36:57,280 --> 00:37:05,600
You study this in order to get the technique involved.

807
00:37:05,600 --> 00:37:09,600
Hannon, I think, is the best book ever for studying technique.

808
00:37:09,600 --> 00:37:12,360
It's not the only one, but I like it very much

809
00:37:12,360 --> 00:37:17,240
because it fuses the fingers with the wrists.

810
00:37:17,240 --> 00:37:23,480
So I'm not a believer in playing Hannon like usually you hear.

811
00:37:23,480 --> 00:37:24,400
Kind of mechanical.

812
00:37:24,400 --> 00:37:27,800
And it might help to strengthen individual fingers,

813
00:37:27,800 --> 00:37:29,520
but it's not musical.

814
00:37:29,520 --> 00:37:32,200
In music, we find things in groups.

815
00:37:32,200 --> 00:37:34,960
We're in groups of three, six, fours, or eight.

816
00:37:34,960 --> 00:37:40,480
And I have students practicing scales in fours,

817
00:37:40,480 --> 00:37:45,840
and also, so there's this kind of pulsation.

818
00:37:45,840 --> 00:37:50,800
I think people practice scales like machine.

819
00:37:50,800 --> 00:37:53,920
And to me, that's not the end result.

820
00:37:53,920 --> 00:37:58,800
So I like to infuse musical insights into the exercises.

821
00:37:58,800 --> 00:37:59,440
Let's see.

822
00:37:59,440 --> 00:38:07,840
Can you see that?

823
00:38:07,840 --> 00:38:10,480
If you just do the.

824
00:38:10,480 --> 00:38:12,200
It's just tight sounding.

825
00:38:12,200 --> 00:38:13,320
It's not good.

826
00:38:13,320 --> 00:38:17,720
I took students to Ann Arbor to hear Murray Pariah do a recital.

827
00:38:17,720 --> 00:38:21,520
And afterwards, we went backstage to say we loved his playing.

828
00:38:21,520 --> 00:38:24,600
And you know what we saw on the piano was the Hannon book.

829
00:38:24,600 --> 00:38:25,880
No way.

830
00:38:25,880 --> 00:38:31,600
And I thought, if he still does that, why shouldn't we?

831
00:38:31,600 --> 00:38:32,280
Really?

832
00:38:32,280 --> 00:38:34,000
Good old Hannon.

833
00:38:34,000 --> 00:38:35,240
That's surprising to hear.

834
00:38:35,240 --> 00:38:36,000
Sorry, yes.

835
00:38:36,000 --> 00:38:37,680
And I do it hands alone.

836
00:38:37,680 --> 00:38:40,520
Because if you're going to be doing this, and up and over,

837
00:38:40,520 --> 00:38:43,320
up and over, dilly, dilly, dilly, dilly, dilly, dilly, dilly.

838
00:38:43,320 --> 00:38:45,400
So it's groups of eight going down.

839
00:38:45,400 --> 00:38:51,680
It's down, up, down, up, oval motions, oval, not up and down.

840
00:38:51,680 --> 00:38:55,320
It's wonderful to do it hands alone because, well, number one,

841
00:38:55,320 --> 00:38:57,920
you can focus on one hand instead of both.

842
00:38:57,920 --> 00:39:01,160
You're going to be a little sloppy to do things both hands together.

843
00:39:01,160 --> 00:39:06,080
So I really believe in Hannon as it applies to musical ideas.

844
00:39:06,080 --> 00:39:06,960
Stroke.

845
00:39:06,960 --> 00:39:10,400
You know, I really believe in this stroking, the downward motion.

846
00:39:10,400 --> 00:39:15,560
Because the different attacks make different sounds.

847
00:39:15,560 --> 00:39:17,600
For example, the Schubert impromptu.

848
00:39:17,600 --> 00:39:45,600
Right?

849
00:39:45,600 --> 00:39:48,080
You know, every finger has to have some kind of pressure,

850
00:39:48,080 --> 00:39:49,160
different pressure.

851
00:39:49,160 --> 00:39:51,840
Because voicing is everything, practically, in piano.

852
00:39:51,840 --> 00:39:53,360
And so let's see this.

853
00:39:53,360 --> 00:40:00,760
The Brahms ballade.

854
00:40:00,760 --> 00:40:02,560
I was really impressed with Michelangelo,

855
00:40:02,560 --> 00:40:04,280
one of my favorite pianists.

856
00:40:04,280 --> 00:40:05,440
He kind of goes.

857
00:40:05,440 --> 00:40:13,960
He kind of drops the whole arm on.

858
00:40:13,960 --> 00:40:16,440
I know a lot of people might not want to do that because you

859
00:40:16,440 --> 00:40:17,680
can do it by staying on the key.

860
00:40:17,680 --> 00:40:28,920
If you phrase it, it doesn't come out.

861
00:40:28,920 --> 00:40:29,720
Did you hear that?

862
00:40:29,720 --> 00:40:30,240
Mm-hmm.

863
00:40:30,240 --> 00:40:30,720
Mm-hmm.

864
00:40:30,720 --> 00:40:31,760
It comes out beautifully.

865
00:40:31,760 --> 00:40:32,320
Right.

866
00:40:32,320 --> 00:40:34,120
With a good tone.

867
00:40:34,120 --> 00:40:36,160
A student might practice just going.

868
00:40:36,160 --> 00:40:39,840
And of course, this is balanced by the other part

869
00:40:39,840 --> 00:40:40,840
of the hand going.

870
00:40:47,840 --> 00:40:50,840
It makes it more like a singer with an accompaniment.

871
00:40:50,840 --> 00:40:52,440
I mean, there's so many different ways.

872
00:40:52,440 --> 00:40:53,760
We don't have time for me to tell you

873
00:40:53,760 --> 00:40:55,680
everything I do with technique.

874
00:40:55,680 --> 00:41:00,240
I also require them to know their cadences.

875
00:41:00,240 --> 00:41:03,640
I mean, sometimes people come from a very different background.

876
00:41:03,640 --> 00:41:12,800
I mean, sometimes people come from abroad and they play

877
00:41:12,800 --> 00:41:17,160
that cadence, which is 2, 6, 5 tonics of chord.

878
00:41:17,160 --> 00:41:19,800
I want them to know that because it's in music everywhere.

879
00:41:19,800 --> 00:41:21,520
And usually, it doesn't mean anything.

880
00:41:21,520 --> 00:41:23,120
They just do it because they do it.

881
00:41:23,120 --> 00:41:25,720
I have them do that in all the keys.

882
00:41:30,080 --> 00:41:31,360
They need to know in all the keys.

883
00:41:31,360 --> 00:41:35,200
And also in minor.

884
00:41:35,200 --> 00:41:36,080
Four kind of cadences.

885
00:41:36,080 --> 00:41:38,440
I asked for the subdominant cadence.

886
00:41:38,440 --> 00:41:41,560
I mean, it's always tonic 6-4 dominant and tonic.

887
00:41:41,560 --> 00:41:46,840
But whether you play this or you play Neapolitan.

888
00:41:46,840 --> 00:41:47,320
Mm-hmm.

889
00:41:47,320 --> 00:41:50,200
Or 6-6.

890
00:41:50,200 --> 00:41:51,920
I want them to know all those cadences

891
00:41:51,920 --> 00:41:54,080
in major and minor keys.

892
00:41:54,080 --> 00:41:55,880
And then, of course, point them out in the music

893
00:41:55,880 --> 00:41:56,760
where they're there.

894
00:41:56,760 --> 00:42:00,080
Because even though we hear Neapolitan all the time,

895
00:42:00,080 --> 00:42:03,120
even in Bach, it just still sends me.

896
00:42:03,120 --> 00:42:05,400
I just think it's so wonderful.

897
00:42:05,400 --> 00:42:08,320
So substitution chord for this, of course.

898
00:42:08,320 --> 00:42:14,200
There are some things that are extremely musical on their own.

899
00:42:14,200 --> 00:42:16,520
And these colorful chords are one thing.

900
00:42:16,520 --> 00:42:19,800
Also, the leading tone is musically leads up.

901
00:42:19,800 --> 00:42:22,040
The fourth degree of scale musically goes down.

902
00:42:22,040 --> 00:42:23,480
You can't just stop there.

903
00:42:23,480 --> 00:42:25,600
I mean, students need to know that.

904
00:42:25,600 --> 00:42:27,960
Of course, the Mozart story gets up in the morning

905
00:42:27,960 --> 00:42:35,200
because this Leopold says, Mozart runs down the steps.

906
00:42:35,200 --> 00:42:37,520
He has to finish it.

907
00:42:37,520 --> 00:42:41,000
It has that compelling tension.

908
00:42:41,000 --> 00:42:43,920
How do you balance the emphasis on technical proficiency

909
00:42:43,920 --> 00:42:47,680
with the development of musical expression and interpretation?

910
00:42:47,680 --> 00:42:50,480
So meaning, is playing fast everything?

911
00:42:50,480 --> 00:42:53,040
Well, I think probably every teacher

912
00:42:53,040 --> 00:42:54,920
advocates practicing slowly.

913
00:42:54,920 --> 00:42:56,240
And I practiced slowly.

914
00:42:56,240 --> 00:43:00,560
But I didn't practice slowly.

915
00:43:00,560 --> 00:43:01,800
I mean, really slowly.

916
00:43:01,800 --> 00:43:05,280
So you can focus on memories.

917
00:43:05,280 --> 00:43:08,200
If you do it from memory, do it from memory, slow practice.

918
00:43:08,200 --> 00:43:10,640
It helps musically where you're going.

919
00:43:10,640 --> 00:43:13,560
It helps technically, too, to know what the hand is doing.

920
00:43:13,560 --> 00:43:15,840
You can't do that so much for playing a string instrument.

921
00:43:15,840 --> 00:43:18,120
You're dictated by the speed of the bow.

922
00:43:18,120 --> 00:43:19,960
But piano, we can do that.

923
00:43:19,960 --> 00:43:23,800
Particularly because you play a note and it starts to decay.

924
00:43:23,800 --> 00:43:29,720
But I always think of thinking it's between the notes.

925
00:43:29,720 --> 00:43:34,160
The music is in between the notes instead of.

926
00:43:34,160 --> 00:43:34,880
Absolutely.

927
00:43:34,880 --> 00:43:38,120
So I have a technique, which I like.

928
00:43:38,120 --> 00:43:41,040
It's to get subdivisions in your fingers.

929
00:43:41,040 --> 00:43:43,720
For example, the C minor Prelude Chopin.

930
00:43:43,720 --> 00:44:02,680
So I did that.

931
00:44:02,680 --> 00:44:05,400
And you've got to think of that when you play without repeating

932
00:44:05,400 --> 00:44:05,920
those.

933
00:44:05,920 --> 00:44:13,000
You go down, down, down, down, down, down, down, down, down.

934
00:44:13,000 --> 00:44:16,360
So you can feel the tension between the notes.

935
00:44:16,360 --> 00:44:19,560
I told you on the phone about the Schmerg animal.

936
00:44:19,560 --> 00:44:20,120
Yes.

937
00:44:20,120 --> 00:44:22,320
It's my invention.

938
00:44:22,320 --> 00:44:24,720
I always remember that because it's

939
00:44:24,720 --> 00:44:27,400
the first letter of different aspects of music,

940
00:44:27,400 --> 00:44:28,560
different parameters.

941
00:44:28,560 --> 00:44:31,440
And I think it's helpful to separate them.

942
00:44:31,440 --> 00:44:34,000
So it stands for Schmerg.

943
00:44:34,000 --> 00:44:35,400
Sound.

944
00:44:35,400 --> 00:44:38,160
Practice the quality of sound.

945
00:44:38,160 --> 00:44:42,520
So many high school students, not just boys, girls,

946
00:44:42,520 --> 00:44:43,120
can bang.

947
00:44:43,120 --> 00:44:43,600
They come in.

948
00:44:43,600 --> 00:44:46,600
They're so excited about playing the background.

949
00:44:46,600 --> 00:44:48,160
It's so ugly.

950
00:44:48,160 --> 00:44:51,960
Even with Bartok and Prokofiev, good to have a rich sound.

951
00:44:51,960 --> 00:44:56,480
My colleague from the embassy in Budapest

952
00:44:56,480 --> 00:44:59,240
said, we play with rich sound Bartok.

953
00:44:59,240 --> 00:45:01,480
We don't bang it so much.

954
00:45:01,480 --> 00:45:03,280
I suppose sometimes in Beethoven,

955
00:45:03,280 --> 00:45:06,240
he wants something to be really forceful.

956
00:45:06,240 --> 00:45:07,840
But generally speaking, we've got

957
00:45:07,840 --> 00:45:10,120
to try to get the banging out of the students.

958
00:45:10,120 --> 00:45:12,440
It takes a little while.

959
00:45:12,440 --> 00:45:14,560
My colleague and I achieve that.

960
00:45:14,560 --> 00:45:16,000
OK, and then Schmerg.

961
00:45:16,000 --> 00:45:17,000
H.

962
00:45:17,000 --> 00:45:18,800
What do you think that stands for?

963
00:45:18,800 --> 00:45:19,920
Harmony.

964
00:45:19,920 --> 00:45:21,520
Yeah, I think it's important for students

965
00:45:21,520 --> 00:45:23,000
to understand the harmony.

966
00:45:23,000 --> 00:45:24,960
From the composer's point of view,

967
00:45:24,960 --> 00:45:28,840
as a composer, I like to think, I mean, for traditional music,

968
00:45:28,840 --> 00:45:31,320
thinks of this harmonic progression going

969
00:45:31,320 --> 00:45:32,280
to wherever you're going.

970
00:45:32,280 --> 00:45:34,280
There's a modulation that goes to here.

971
00:45:34,280 --> 00:45:38,680
And then you put the clothes, the flesh and blood on it.

972
00:45:38,680 --> 00:45:41,720
And usually, students do the other way around.

973
00:45:41,720 --> 00:45:43,840
Learn things note by note, and it

974
00:45:43,840 --> 00:45:47,640
doesn't make sense of the overall feel,

975
00:45:47,640 --> 00:45:49,320
overall direction.

976
00:45:49,320 --> 00:45:51,240
R stands for rhythm.

977
00:45:51,240 --> 00:45:55,680
To make sure you get the actual rhythm, use the metronome.

978
00:45:55,680 --> 00:45:58,840
I think I have decent rhythm, but I can't trust myself.

979
00:45:58,840 --> 00:46:01,320
I have to check it out with metronome, which

980
00:46:01,320 --> 00:46:04,080
includes subdivision of the beats, too.

981
00:46:04,080 --> 00:46:06,800
If it's a quarter note, you do an eighth notes, sometimes

982
00:46:06,800 --> 00:46:09,800
sixteenth notes, because my rhythm isn't

983
00:46:09,800 --> 00:46:10,920
perfect by any means.

984
00:46:10,920 --> 00:46:14,560
And if I record myself, I'll say, Michael,

985
00:46:14,560 --> 00:46:17,440
you're not playing in time.

986
00:46:17,440 --> 00:46:19,760
Not that you're staced in time.

987
00:46:19,760 --> 00:46:22,600
Good composers want you to have rubato and bend things,

988
00:46:22,600 --> 00:46:25,480
but you always have to come back to that tempo.

989
00:46:25,480 --> 00:46:28,160
It's a very good idea to check yourselves,

990
00:46:28,160 --> 00:46:30,560
check your tempo in the beginning of the piece,

991
00:46:30,560 --> 00:46:33,680
the development, the coda, difficult passes

992
00:46:33,680 --> 00:46:35,720
to see if it's the same as the beginning,

993
00:46:35,720 --> 00:46:38,240
because often it's erratic.

994
00:46:38,240 --> 00:46:40,760
And then M stands for melody, of course.

995
00:46:40,760 --> 00:46:42,560
Play the melody by itself.

996
00:46:42,560 --> 00:46:45,640
It's amazing how few students can play the melody by itself,

997
00:46:45,640 --> 00:46:49,120
because they're so used to doing everything with it.

998
00:46:49,120 --> 00:46:50,960
And then G stands for growth.

999
00:46:50,960 --> 00:46:53,520
It's another name for architecture

1000
00:46:53,520 --> 00:46:56,200
or musical structure, not just sonata form,

1001
00:46:56,200 --> 00:46:58,080
but the length of the phrases.

1002
00:46:58,080 --> 00:47:03,040
Tubert often will have phrases of five, four, five.

1003
00:47:03,040 --> 00:47:06,400
Brahms, in the variations on an original theme,

1004
00:47:06,400 --> 00:47:09,040
is five plus five is 10.

1005
00:47:09,040 --> 00:47:11,080
The whole period is 10 measures long.

1006
00:47:11,080 --> 00:47:13,320
So that's the schmurg?

1007
00:47:13,320 --> 00:47:15,040
Schmurg, is that how you call it?

1008
00:47:15,040 --> 00:47:17,400
Yeah, I just schmurg, schmurg.

1009
00:47:17,400 --> 00:47:21,800
So S-H-M-R-G, that's the order?

1010
00:47:21,800 --> 00:47:23,160
Right, yes, right.

1011
00:47:23,160 --> 00:47:24,480
Sound is the most important.

1012
00:47:24,480 --> 00:47:26,680
If you have an ugly sound, who wants to listen to anything

1013
00:47:26,680 --> 00:47:27,240
else?

1014
00:47:27,240 --> 00:47:28,240
Absolutely.

1015
00:47:28,240 --> 00:47:29,760
Another question would be, how do you

1016
00:47:29,760 --> 00:47:32,600
approach performance anxiety and help students develop

1017
00:47:32,600 --> 00:47:34,160
confidence on stage?

1018
00:47:34,160 --> 00:47:38,040
That's part of like, it's a big portion of being a musician,

1019
00:47:38,040 --> 00:47:39,320
right, dealing with that.

1020
00:47:39,320 --> 00:47:43,320
Yeah, I think it's very important to perform a lot.

1021
00:47:43,320 --> 00:47:45,200
Because you perform once in front of class,

1022
00:47:45,200 --> 00:47:46,720
and it's a disaster.

1023
00:47:46,720 --> 00:47:47,960
It's not the end of the world.

1024
00:47:47,960 --> 00:47:49,960
Just come back, pick yourself up,

1025
00:47:49,960 --> 00:47:51,840
and keep doing it until you're successful.

1026
00:47:51,840 --> 00:47:54,000
It's just a matter of perseverance.

1027
00:47:54,000 --> 00:47:57,720
Or a colleague of mine said, stick to itiveness.

1028
00:47:57,720 --> 00:47:58,360
Keep at it.

1029
00:47:58,360 --> 00:48:01,960
You can't expect to play soup soup well just right away.

1030
00:48:01,960 --> 00:48:05,320
It's a process, just like life is a process.

1031
00:48:05,320 --> 00:48:06,600
Record yourself.

1032
00:48:06,600 --> 00:48:09,640
When I was making one of these five recordings,

1033
00:48:09,640 --> 00:48:12,960
I recorded the music at least 12 times.

1034
00:48:12,960 --> 00:48:15,520
Because I didn't want to waste a recording engineer's time

1035
00:48:15,520 --> 00:48:18,640
by me saying, oh, I didn't play fast enough or slow enough.

1036
00:48:18,640 --> 00:48:21,680
So I resolved those issues through recordings.

1037
00:48:21,680 --> 00:48:24,640
And then when I go into the recording session,

1038
00:48:24,640 --> 00:48:27,880
I go through it a few times, and I take the best.

1039
00:48:27,880 --> 00:48:30,320
Sometimes once is enough.

1040
00:48:30,320 --> 00:48:31,480
Play for your colleagues.

1041
00:48:31,480 --> 00:48:32,480
Play for students.

1042
00:48:32,480 --> 00:48:33,440
Play for the dog.

1043
00:48:33,440 --> 00:48:34,360
Play for the cat.

1044
00:48:34,360 --> 00:48:35,560
Play for your parents.

1045
00:48:35,560 --> 00:48:38,560
Anything that might make you a little uneasy or nervous.

1046
00:48:38,560 --> 00:48:40,080
So you kind of get used to it.

1047
00:48:40,080 --> 00:48:43,960
Good musicians almost always get nervous to some degree.

1048
00:48:43,960 --> 00:48:46,760
Horowitz was a basket case.

1049
00:48:46,760 --> 00:48:48,880
They had to push him out on stage.

1050
00:48:48,880 --> 00:48:51,360
Of course, he didn't look nervous.

1051
00:48:51,360 --> 00:48:52,440
Know your music.

1052
00:48:52,440 --> 00:48:54,640
I mean, really well, know your music.

1053
00:48:54,640 --> 00:48:56,560
I think that's probably the best.

1054
00:48:56,560 --> 00:48:58,840
Avoid too much anxiety.

1055
00:48:58,840 --> 00:49:00,560
To know your music well enough, let's

1056
00:49:00,560 --> 00:49:02,000
see if I can do something for you.

1057
00:49:02,000 --> 00:49:06,200
Um, do you know what that piece is?

1058
00:49:06,200 --> 00:49:07,840
Ha ha ha.

1059
00:49:07,840 --> 00:49:10,280
["The Last Supper"]

1060
00:49:13,080 --> 00:49:14,280
His cell was 109.

1061
00:49:14,280 --> 00:49:17,120
109, mm-hmm.

1062
00:49:17,120 --> 00:49:18,720
Or the last note.

1063
00:49:23,680 --> 00:49:24,520
I'm pushing.

1064
00:49:24,520 --> 00:49:26,800
Some people call it ghosting.

1065
00:49:26,800 --> 00:49:30,040
I feel the notes.

1066
00:49:30,040 --> 00:49:33,040
I feel it, but I don't play it in order,

1067
00:49:33,040 --> 00:49:35,520
in the pads of the fingers.

1068
00:49:35,520 --> 00:49:38,680
And another way of doing it is you don't even feel the pads.

1069
00:49:38,680 --> 00:49:40,680
You just sense which finger you're going to play,

1070
00:49:40,680 --> 00:49:43,400
but don't really put any pressure at all.

1071
00:49:43,400 --> 00:49:45,040
And it does three things.

1072
00:49:45,040 --> 00:49:47,520
Number one, it secures your memory.

1073
00:49:47,520 --> 00:49:49,640
Number two, it develops sensitivity.

1074
00:49:49,640 --> 00:49:51,120
Because it's much easier to go.

1075
00:49:51,120 --> 00:49:54,400
["The Last Supper"]

1076
00:49:54,400 --> 00:49:56,120
You know, it's really hard to play.

1077
00:49:56,120 --> 00:50:00,120
["The Last Supper"]

1078
00:50:06,000 --> 00:50:09,000
And it develops your sense of where you're going.

1079
00:50:09,000 --> 00:50:10,320
And also, did I say memory?

1080
00:50:10,320 --> 00:50:13,480
Yeah, the memory, where you're going, and the tone.

1081
00:50:13,480 --> 00:50:14,720
So I'm listening for.

1082
00:50:14,720 --> 00:50:17,520
["The Last Supper"]

1083
00:50:17,520 --> 00:50:20,200
I'm hearing every one of those notes, G sharp, B, E,

1084
00:50:20,200 --> 00:50:23,400
changing to A major.

1085
00:50:23,400 --> 00:50:24,480
But the E stays the same.

1086
00:50:24,480 --> 00:50:27,480
["The Last Supper"]

1087
00:50:34,040 --> 00:50:34,880
Can you hear that?

1088
00:50:34,880 --> 00:50:35,720
Mm-hmm.

1089
00:50:35,720 --> 00:50:39,280
Okay, and I'm also changing the pedal very slowly.

1090
00:50:39,280 --> 00:50:41,560
So it's an overlapping pedal.

1091
00:50:41,560 --> 00:50:43,440
And there's so many ways of listening.

1092
00:50:43,440 --> 00:50:45,000
Extremely slowly.

1093
00:50:45,000 --> 00:50:46,120
Even.

1094
00:50:46,120 --> 00:50:49,120
["The Last Supper"]

1095
00:50:49,120 --> 00:50:51,320
It's really slowly with a good tone.

1096
00:50:51,320 --> 00:50:54,680
That's a piece of Brahms sonata to bang.

1097
00:50:54,680 --> 00:50:58,480
Yes, it's really fun to do that first movement, yes.

1098
00:50:58,480 --> 00:51:03,480
But yes, now I am more convinced to tell my students

1099
00:51:03,480 --> 00:51:06,520
to practice slow, because you said so, too.

1100
00:51:06,520 --> 00:51:08,640
You know, because my students don't believe me.

1101
00:51:08,640 --> 00:51:12,720
They think that the practicing fast will get them somewhere.

1102
00:51:12,720 --> 00:51:15,160
But I tell them to do the opposite.

1103
00:51:15,160 --> 00:51:16,760
But it's not like that.

1104
00:51:16,760 --> 00:51:20,600
I tell them to do the opposite, but it's very hard to convince.

1105
00:51:20,600 --> 00:51:21,880
And then, you know, I'm guilty.

1106
00:51:21,880 --> 00:51:24,120
I was like that when I was a teenager, too.

1107
00:51:24,120 --> 00:51:24,960
So.

1108
00:51:24,960 --> 00:51:27,480
Yeah, probably me, too.

1109
00:51:27,480 --> 00:51:28,720
My favorite piece is a child.

1110
00:51:28,720 --> 00:51:31,720
["The Last Supper"]

1111
00:51:31,720 --> 00:51:32,920
I love it.

1112
00:51:32,920 --> 00:51:34,400
Well, that kid is going to go.

1113
00:51:34,400 --> 00:51:36,680
["The Last Supper"]

1114
00:51:36,680 --> 00:51:37,720
Nobody.

1115
00:51:37,720 --> 00:51:38,720
They're kids.

1116
00:51:38,720 --> 00:51:39,560
They're going fast.

1117
00:51:39,560 --> 00:51:40,480
Mm-hmm, yeah.

1118
00:51:40,480 --> 00:51:43,240
But, you know, it's worth trying to convince them.

1119
00:51:43,240 --> 00:51:45,200
In order to keep a kid's attention,

1120
00:51:45,200 --> 00:51:47,560
like when I taught in a camp in Kentucky,

1121
00:51:47,560 --> 00:51:50,960
Maple Mount Music Festival, I had this room

1122
00:51:50,960 --> 00:51:52,640
that had a nine-foot Steinway.

1123
00:51:52,640 --> 00:51:55,480
It wasn't that great, but it was the Steinway Grand.

1124
00:51:55,480 --> 00:51:57,040
And it was in the Madonna Room.

1125
00:51:57,040 --> 00:52:00,600
It was on a Catholic, Ursuline order area.

1126
00:52:00,600 --> 00:52:03,200
And so pictures of Madonna everywhere.

1127
00:52:03,200 --> 00:52:06,320
And so I said, everybody get underneath the piano.

1128
00:52:06,320 --> 00:52:08,840
Have you ever listened to music underneath the piano?

1129
00:52:08,840 --> 00:52:11,720
It's like being in a speaker in the box.

1130
00:52:11,720 --> 00:52:14,480
It just develops your sound.

1131
00:52:14,480 --> 00:52:16,720
It's an incredible experience.

1132
00:52:16,720 --> 00:52:18,600
My daughter did that when she was a kid,

1133
00:52:18,600 --> 00:52:19,720
and I would be practicing.

1134
00:52:19,720 --> 00:52:20,440
Really?

1135
00:52:20,440 --> 00:52:21,440
Oh.

1136
00:52:21,440 --> 00:52:23,360
Softly, otherwise you break their ears.

1137
00:52:23,360 --> 00:52:25,160
Mm, I need to do that with my students.

1138
00:52:25,160 --> 00:52:26,560
That's a good idea.

1139
00:52:26,560 --> 00:52:28,520
Hey there, TPP family.

1140
00:52:28,520 --> 00:52:31,720
The piano part is now into our fourth season,

1141
00:52:31,720 --> 00:52:33,960
and it's all thanks to you.

1142
00:52:33,960 --> 00:52:37,760
Since 2020, you've been with my journey with the TPP,

1143
00:52:37,760 --> 00:52:40,040
exploring this burning question.

1144
00:52:40,040 --> 00:52:42,400
How do we make classical music resonate

1145
00:52:42,400 --> 00:52:46,160
with today's audience in fresh and captivating ways?

1146
00:52:46,160 --> 00:52:48,080
Four years in, and the journey has

1147
00:52:48,080 --> 00:52:50,080
been nothing short of magical.

1148
00:52:50,080 --> 00:52:52,320
The PianoPod isn't just a podcast.

1149
00:52:52,320 --> 00:52:56,120
It's a movement, a space where pianists, composers,

1150
00:52:56,120 --> 00:52:58,720
and educators brainstorm, debate,

1151
00:52:58,720 --> 00:53:03,120
and reimagine classical music's place in our fast-paced world.

1152
00:53:03,120 --> 00:53:07,120
We're together on a mission to ensure classical music doesn't

1153
00:53:07,120 --> 00:53:10,120
just survive, but thrives in our modern age.

1154
00:53:10,120 --> 00:53:11,440
But here's the thing.

1155
00:53:11,440 --> 00:53:15,400
To keep bringing you these insightful biweekly episodes,

1156
00:53:15,400 --> 00:53:16,560
I need your help.

1157
00:53:16,560 --> 00:53:20,120
Every bit of support goes into the podcast essentials,

1158
00:53:20,120 --> 00:53:23,360
from hosting to high-quality recording tech,

1159
00:53:23,360 --> 00:53:26,320
and the countless hours behind the scenes.

1160
00:53:26,320 --> 00:53:28,480
So do you want to be part of this journey?

1161
00:53:28,480 --> 00:53:30,760
Click the PayPal link in the show notes,

1162
00:53:30,760 --> 00:53:33,640
or head to thepianopod.com to donate.

1163
00:53:33,640 --> 00:53:37,480
And as a token of appreciation, I will personally

1164
00:53:37,480 --> 00:53:41,680
mail you the PianoPod's snazzy logo sticker.

1165
00:53:41,680 --> 00:53:45,040
So hit the Subscribe button, spread the word,

1166
00:53:45,040 --> 00:53:47,280
and let's continue our mission and journey

1167
00:53:47,280 --> 00:53:49,320
as classical musicians.

1168
00:53:49,320 --> 00:53:51,960
Now let's continue with the show.

1169
00:53:51,960 --> 00:53:55,240
You have such love and passion for teaching.

1170
00:53:55,240 --> 00:53:58,400
I can really sense that passion through this screen.

1171
00:53:58,400 --> 00:54:01,640
When did you know that teaching would be your life's work?

1172
00:54:01,640 --> 00:54:03,600
Like, that's difficult to say.

1173
00:54:03,600 --> 00:54:06,680
I was teaching in college for money.

1174
00:54:06,680 --> 00:54:08,840
I mean, it's a good source of income.

1175
00:54:08,840 --> 00:54:11,560
And then I went to Baltimore.

1176
00:54:11,560 --> 00:54:13,360
No, I'm sorry, University of Montana.

1177
00:54:13,360 --> 00:54:15,240
And I taught there for four years.

1178
00:54:15,240 --> 00:54:17,640
And at Peabody, I was hired to teach in the preparatory

1179
00:54:17,640 --> 00:54:18,560
department.

1180
00:54:18,560 --> 00:54:20,440
And I suppose that's when I really

1181
00:54:20,440 --> 00:54:23,800
enjoyed getting to know the students and helping them.

1182
00:54:23,800 --> 00:54:26,560
I remember this one older woman had a lesson.

1183
00:54:26,560 --> 00:54:27,560
And she showed up.

1184
00:54:27,560 --> 00:54:30,960
But there was a huge rain downpour.

1185
00:54:30,960 --> 00:54:32,440
Baltimore was kind of on a hill.

1186
00:54:32,440 --> 00:54:34,640
And there was water 10 inches deep.

1187
00:54:34,640 --> 00:54:37,880
And I was going to the lesson, and I slipped.

1188
00:54:37,880 --> 00:54:39,880
And I lost music and went down the drain.

1189
00:54:39,880 --> 00:54:40,440
No, I got there.

1190
00:54:40,440 --> 00:54:41,440
I caught it beforehand.

1191
00:54:41,440 --> 00:54:45,280
But I showed up for a lesson like a drowned rat.

1192
00:54:45,280 --> 00:54:47,600
And she was so nice.

1193
00:54:47,600 --> 00:54:48,920
She said, well, that's OK.

1194
00:54:48,920 --> 00:54:50,880
We'll do it another time.

1195
00:54:50,880 --> 00:54:52,640
I loved her for that.

1196
00:54:52,640 --> 00:54:54,120
By the time I got to Interlochen,

1197
00:54:54,120 --> 00:54:56,360
I was really dedicated to helping students.

1198
00:54:56,360 --> 00:54:58,440
As I said, I found out that you have

1199
00:54:58,440 --> 00:55:00,680
to get to know the students to help them musically.

1200
00:55:00,680 --> 00:55:02,480
If there's something bothering them,

1201
00:55:02,480 --> 00:55:03,960
they're really upset, they're crying,

1202
00:55:03,960 --> 00:55:05,720
they just can't start saying, do your hand.

1203
00:55:05,720 --> 00:55:08,920
And you have to talk to them and be willing to do that.

1204
00:55:08,920 --> 00:55:10,440
I was lucky to teach in high school,

1205
00:55:10,440 --> 00:55:11,760
because it's not like college.

1206
00:55:11,760 --> 00:55:13,320
Teacher comes in, you teach a lesson,

1207
00:55:13,320 --> 00:55:15,000
you don't see them till the next week.

1208
00:55:15,000 --> 00:55:17,240
That doesn't happen all the time, but frequently it

1209
00:55:17,240 --> 00:55:18,280
does at the college.

1210
00:55:18,280 --> 00:55:20,360
In high school, we were mentors.

1211
00:55:20,360 --> 00:55:22,000
We're surrogate parents.

1212
00:55:22,000 --> 00:55:23,680
The piano building is one building area.

1213
00:55:23,680 --> 00:55:25,160
And the students practice there.

1214
00:55:25,160 --> 00:55:26,520
We're walking down the hallway.

1215
00:55:26,520 --> 00:55:28,480
We hear somebody play a wrong rhythm or note.

1216
00:55:28,480 --> 00:55:31,320
We just pop in and fix it immediately.

1217
00:55:31,320 --> 00:55:34,080
I took them swimming for a couple of years

1218
00:55:34,080 --> 00:55:35,680
on Wednesday evenings.

1219
00:55:35,680 --> 00:55:38,600
Take them skiing, haul them over for dinner.

1220
00:55:38,600 --> 00:55:41,720
A couple of times a semester, we'd have Christmas parties.

1221
00:55:41,720 --> 00:55:43,960
We'd have graduation parties.

1222
00:55:43,960 --> 00:55:46,560
As a matter of fact, that's how I lost my finger,

1223
00:55:46,560 --> 00:55:48,480
was I took them on a hike.

1224
00:55:48,480 --> 00:55:50,840
And I went over a barbed wire fence

1225
00:55:50,840 --> 00:55:55,360
and didn't realize it was a lot further on the other side down.

1226
00:55:55,360 --> 00:55:57,280
So they helped me back to the house.

1227
00:55:57,280 --> 00:56:01,920
I mangled and the nerves were severed.

1228
00:56:01,920 --> 00:56:04,960
And so a very memorable outing.

1229
00:56:04,960 --> 00:56:07,840
Well, I know we're going to discuss much deeper

1230
00:56:07,840 --> 00:56:10,000
into that topic later.

1231
00:56:10,000 --> 00:56:13,720
I know it happened a couple of years ago, right?

1232
00:56:13,720 --> 00:56:14,960
2015.

1233
00:56:14,960 --> 00:56:16,760
2015, OK, yes.

1234
00:56:16,760 --> 00:56:21,160
So obviously, that is a life changing moment for you.

1235
00:56:21,160 --> 00:56:24,840
But we'll discuss that a little bit later.

1236
00:56:24,840 --> 00:56:38,360
What are the most important lessons you've taught your students?

1237
00:56:38,360 --> 00:56:41,840
Well, my watchword for everybody, for faculty, colleagues,

1238
00:56:41,840 --> 00:56:44,480
students, is balance.

1239
00:56:44,480 --> 00:56:47,360
It's important to have a balance in your life.

1240
00:56:47,360 --> 00:56:52,000
It's so easy to be narcissistic and just be totally involved

1241
00:56:52,000 --> 00:56:54,000
with what you're doing, practice six hours a day

1242
00:56:54,000 --> 00:56:56,000
and thinking about the next practice.

1243
00:56:56,000 --> 00:56:57,840
Even if a teacher, if you're teaching

1244
00:56:57,840 --> 00:57:00,360
and you're just thinking about when your next practice

1245
00:57:00,360 --> 00:57:02,960
session is going to be, your focus isn't on the student.

1246
00:57:02,960 --> 00:57:05,040
And that's no good.

1247
00:57:05,040 --> 00:57:08,720
I teach my students to be supportive of one another

1248
00:57:08,720 --> 00:57:10,960
instead of just always me, me, me.

1249
00:57:10,960 --> 00:57:13,880
And it's just natural for you to be concerned

1250
00:57:13,880 --> 00:57:17,080
around your own development and career.

1251
00:57:17,080 --> 00:57:19,620
But along the way, it's important to be aware of other people.

1252
00:57:19,620 --> 00:57:20,680
Support one another.

1253
00:57:20,680 --> 00:57:24,280
I have a chart and I require the students

1254
00:57:24,280 --> 00:57:28,440
to attend 15 recitals per semester.

1255
00:57:28,440 --> 00:57:31,680
That's not a lot, but it's to prove a point

1256
00:57:31,680 --> 00:57:34,120
that it's important to support one another.

1257
00:57:34,120 --> 00:57:35,560
Because normally they wouldn't do it

1258
00:57:35,560 --> 00:57:38,080
except for their few friends.

1259
00:57:38,080 --> 00:57:40,480
I said, go to concerts you don't even know them.

1260
00:57:40,480 --> 00:57:44,080
Go to a saxophone recital.

1261
00:57:44,080 --> 00:57:47,000
Anything to get 15 concerts so you listen to music.

1262
00:57:47,000 --> 00:57:48,640
And so it's an honor system.

1263
00:57:48,640 --> 00:57:51,680
When they go to a concert, they check it off on the board.

1264
00:57:51,680 --> 00:57:54,800
So I think it's important to support one another.

1265
00:57:54,800 --> 00:57:55,520
Let's see.

1266
00:57:55,520 --> 00:57:58,520
Oh, one thing I've taught is I got this

1267
00:57:58,520 --> 00:58:01,880
from a very dear friend and colleague who

1268
00:58:01,880 --> 00:58:05,040
is 80 years old from China, Benjamin Yu.

1269
00:58:05,040 --> 00:58:10,000
And he said, if the students can get 85% or 90% of it right,

1270
00:58:10,000 --> 00:58:11,920
they should feel satisfied.

1271
00:58:11,920 --> 00:58:14,260
When you set yourself up for perfection,

1272
00:58:14,260 --> 00:58:16,680
it's like for failure because you just

1273
00:58:16,680 --> 00:58:18,920
can't play perfectly, especially if you're

1274
00:58:18,920 --> 00:58:21,280
trying to be creative and take chances.

1275
00:58:21,280 --> 00:58:23,520
Perfection is not the end result.

1276
00:58:23,520 --> 00:58:28,200
So if you can get excellence, 85% or 90%, you're doing well.

1277
00:58:28,200 --> 00:58:29,040
Special moments.

1278
00:58:29,040 --> 00:58:33,520
I try to say if this particular turn to phrase or this harmony

1279
00:58:33,520 --> 00:58:36,000
really sends you in some way, you

1280
00:58:36,000 --> 00:58:37,800
can impart that to your audience.

1281
00:58:37,800 --> 00:58:39,920
It's great.

1282
00:58:39,920 --> 00:58:42,860
The bottom line is I think performance is human.

1283
00:58:42,860 --> 00:58:46,800
The goal is to have human interaction.

1284
00:58:46,800 --> 00:58:50,760
Reach somebody and they come backstage and they're in tears.

1285
00:58:50,760 --> 00:58:54,520
I feel they really loved what I was doing.

1286
00:58:54,520 --> 00:58:58,880
And pouring out my heart for some of them, they felt it.

1287
00:58:58,880 --> 00:59:04,240
Well, your students are so fortunate to have you

1288
00:59:04,240 --> 00:59:05,920
as a mentor and teacher.

1289
00:59:05,920 --> 00:59:08,420
And Poki is one of them.

1290
00:59:08,420 --> 00:59:11,200
And he always tells me about the experience

1291
00:59:11,200 --> 00:59:13,000
that he had with you.

1292
00:59:13,000 --> 00:59:20,360
And that's a wrap for the first part of this engaging episode

1293
00:59:20,360 --> 00:59:23,800
on the PianoPod with classical pianist, recording artist,

1294
00:59:23,800 --> 00:59:26,600
and educator Dr. Michael Coonrod.

1295
00:59:26,600 --> 00:59:28,960
If you have been enjoying our episodes,

1296
00:59:28,960 --> 00:59:31,880
please rate and review us on your favorite podcast

1297
00:59:31,880 --> 00:59:32,800
platform.

1298
00:59:32,800 --> 00:59:36,280
You can also watch this episode on the PianoPod's YouTube

1299
00:59:36,280 --> 00:59:37,120
channel.

1300
00:59:37,120 --> 00:59:40,920
Please find us on social media to get the latest piano news

1301
00:59:40,920 --> 00:59:44,400
via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

1302
00:59:44,400 --> 00:59:46,560
All the links are in the description.

1303
00:59:46,560 --> 00:59:49,720
Tune in next Tuesday, January 16th,

1304
00:59:49,720 --> 00:59:52,120
at 8 PM for the rest of the interview

1305
00:59:52,120 --> 00:59:53,680
with Dr. Michael Coonrod.

1306
00:59:53,680 --> 01:00:11,040
Thank you.