Keyboard Pedagogy Professional Development Summit July 24-25 at the Royal Conservatory

How about a great excuse to travel to Toronto this July: the Royal Conservatory's Keyboard Pedagogy Professional Development Summit, a two-day symposium featuring piano pedagogy luminaries such as Marvin Blickenstaff, Andrew Hisey, Janet Lopinski, Kent Williams, and Jennifer Snow at the RCM's new Telus Centre for Performance and Learning. If you register before July 1, you'll pay only $275, after which the price goes up to $325. The student rate is only $195, regardless of when you register.

Below is the full program for the weekend - I particularly like how the breakout sessions are repeated throughout the day so you won't miss anything:

SATURDAY, JULY 24, 2010

8:00-8:45 a.m. Registration, Coffee
8:45-9:00 a.m. Welcome: Dr. Jennifer Snow
9:00-10:45 a.m. OPENING GROUP SESSION: Strong Foundations

Piano Pedagogy 101: In Consideration of the Basics
Dr. Marvin Blickenstaff
Engage in a comprehensive and insightful overview and explor
ation of basic teaching principles. Using the preparation / presentation / reinforcement approach, we will experience ways in which the teaching of reading, rhythm, and technique can begin in the first lesson.

10:45-11:00 a.m. Break

11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. BREAKOUT SESSIONS
Interactive Workshops: A, B, C

A. CREATIVITY AND SKILLS
A Creative Spirit: Pieces
Dr. Andrew Hisey
By mining repertoire for patterns and musical ideas and textures, teachers can invite students at all levels into radical acts of critical listening, improvisation, and creative exploration.

B. IMAGINATION AND APPLIED THEORY
Not Just in Theory: Making the Most of Repertoire Study
Dr. Janet Lopinski
Explore insights on the value of incorporating music theory into the piano lesson and demonstrates how a “multi-tasking” approach can engage students in the learning process while solidifying their understanding of the musical language.

C. INSPIRATION AND REPERTOIRE
Learning How To Learn
Dr. Kent McWilliams
Inspire students to become independent learners. Investigate specific teaching techniques that help students acquire problem-solving skills for life and develop a sense of inquiry that allows them to take ownership of their own music making.

12:00-1:00 p.m. Lunch

1:00-2:00 p.m. ROTATE BREAKOUT SESSIONS
Interactive Workshops: B, C, A

2:00-3:00 p.m. ROTATE BREAKOUT SESSIONS
Interactive Workshops: C, A, B

3:00-3:15 p.m. Break

3:15-4:00 p.m. TECHNOLOGY DEMONSTRATION
Beyond the Studio Walls: Long Distance Teaching: Yamaha
Mr. George Litterst and Dr. Jennifer Snow

4:00-5:30 p.m. PANEL DISCUSSION AND OPEN FORUM
Dr. Jennifer Snow
Expanding your Reach:
Professional Development and Opportunities
Panel: Frances Balodis (MYC), Elaine Rusk (Frederick Harris Music), Ann Edwards
(Royal Conservatory School), Jun Fujimoto (Yamaha), Victoria Warwick (ORMTA),
Dr. Andrew Hisey, Dr. Kent McWilliams, Dr. Janet Lopinski

5:30-7:45 p.m. Dinner Break: Group or Individual Options

8:00-9:30 p.m. RECITAL: Leonard Gilbert
Winner of 2010 Canadian Chopin Competition

SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

8:00-9:00 a.m. Coffee

9:00-10:45 a.m. LARGE GROUP SESSION
Nature’s Clues to Interpretation
Mr. Marvin Blickenstaff
We know it when we hear it: the performance sounds “natural” and “right.” What are the elements that contribute to a “natural” interpretation? In this presentation we examine the role that gravity, inertia, breath, and heartbeat play in formulating the interpretation of the music we play and teach.

10:45-11:00 a.m. Break

11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. BREAKOUT SESSIONS

Interactive Workshops: D, E, F
D. CREATIVITY AND SKILLS
A Creative Spark: Patterns
Dr. Andrew Hisey
Learn to approach the teaching of technical drills and theory constructions in w
ays that form a suite of practical tools for creative application and expressive satisfaction.

E. IMAGINATION AND REPERTOIRE
Discovering the Dances
Dr. Kent McWilliams
Explore the influence of dance on repertoire that we play and teach every day. Video demonstrations of standard Baroque dances (including the Allemande, Courante, Bourrée, Gavotte, Minuet, Sarabande, Gigue) as well as four distinct Polish folk dances that inspired Chopin’s Mazurkas and Polonaises will be highlighted.

F. INSPIRATION, MUSIC HISTORY AND STYLE
Beyond the Notes: Explorations:
Dr. Janet Lopinski
Inspire your students to develop a deeper awareness of musical style through incorporating the study of music history at all levels, from elementary to advanced. Ideas will be explored on how to inspire enhanced appreciation and enrich the musical experience for all of your students.

12:00-1:00 p.m. Lunch - FH Exhibit Room

1:00-2:00 p.m. ROTATE BREAKOUT SESSIONS
Interactive Workshops: E, F, D

2:00-3:00 p.m. ROTATE BREAKOUT SESSIONS
Interactive Workshops: F, D, E

3:00-3:15 p.m. Break

3:15-4:00 p.m. Technology Demonstration
E-pearl: Self regulated Learning for students

4:00-5:30 p.m. PANEL DISCUSSION AND OPEN FORUM
Dr. Jennifer Snow
Meaningful Assessment
Demystifying assessment: What to listen for and how to create improved student experiences
Panel: Dr. Thomas Green, Chief Examiner Practical Subjects (RCM Examinations), Janet Fothergill (Royal Conservatory School), Dr. Andrew Hisey, Dr. Kent McWilliams, Dr. Janet Lopinski

5:30-5:45 p.m. Closing Remarks

If you're interested in going to the Keyboard Pedagogy Summit, you can register online at rcmusic.ca.

Collaborative Piano Studies at Belhaven University

The Music Department at Belhaven University offers a Bachelor of Arts with an Emphasis in Collaborative Piano and Piano Pedagogy. About the program:

The Emphasis in Collaborative Piano and Piano Pedagogy is one of Belhaven’s most popular university music programs for students who want to prepare themselves for a versatile career in piano accompaniment or teaching. The music industry has a high demand throughout the world for collaborative pianists and gifted instructors, and for pianists with a vocational desire to work in Christian missions, this emphasis provides a versatility that will allow many avenues to engage musical cultures around the world.

Opportunities for students receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Music with an Emphasis in Collaborative Piano and Piano Pedagogy include graduate study in Music focusing on Accompanying or Collaborative Piano or Chamber Music or Piano Pedagogy, as well as teaching positions, church and ministry opportunities, and accompanying positions.

For more information, you can contact music [at] belhaven dot edu or call 601-974-6494.

Complete list of Degree and Diploma Programs in Collaborative Piano

Zara Baroyan on Ballet Accompanying

Acute Accompanist, written by Heidi Kurpiela for the Longboat Key Observer, looks at the life and work of Zara Baroyan, Sarasota Ballet's company pianist. An excerpt:

Baroyan has played the piano for the Sarasota Ballet since 2004. She works without sheet music, paying attention to the class combinations and drawing energy from the dancers. Seated with her back to the class, she watches the dancers through a mirror, stopping every time the teacher stops and restarting wherever the teacher picks back up.

Every teacher’s count is a little bit different, and the same goes for the dancers.

“You have to know who you are working with, their personalities,” Baroyan says. “You have to be a mind reader. Teachers can do unexpected things, and you have to be prepared to change.”

Call for Pianists: The 2010 Castleton Festival Orchestra

If you're interested in spending your summer in the foothills of Viriginia learning orchestral piano rep with all your meals and accommodation paid for, you might be interested in applying for a newly created orchestral pianist position with the Castleton Festival Orchestra. About the orchestra:

The Castleton Festival was inaugurated in 2009 by Artistic Director Lorin Maazel. The orchestral program and symphonic concerts were among the most successful and popular elements of the Festival and will be expanded substantially for 2010. The Festival Orchestra will provide players for more than a dozen fully staged opera performances, which remain at the heart of the Festival program, as well as four symphonic concerts and several reading sessions as part of the Lorin Maazel Conducting Master Class program. The Festival anticipates adding more formal chamber music activities for instrumentalists and will again offer coaching by leading players in their field.

If you're interested in applying, send a cover letter, resume, and one reference to orchestra [at] castleton festival dot org or to the following address:

The Châteauville Foundation
60 West 66th Street, #32-I
New York, NY 10023;
Attn: Douglas Beck, Executive Director

The Castleton Festival runs from June 23 to July 25, 2010. You can read more about the piano position here.

Classical Singer Magazine's Salute to Vocal Coaches

The June 2010 issue of Classical Singer Magazine is out now, which means it's time for CS's annual Salute to Vocal Coaches! Vocal coaching-related articles in the current issue include:

• What's My Line by Greg Waxberg - a look at the singer/prompter relationship
• Classical Singer Coaches Speak by Catherine Corcoran - interviews with vocal coaches
• Becoming an Opera Coach - A Conversation with Dorothy Randall by Catherine Corcoran
• The $50 Week - The Advice is Free by Olivia Giovetti - words of wisdom from coaches of various stripes

The June 2010 issue also contains the annual Coach and Accompanist Directory, of which a small introduction can be found here.

If you subscribe to Classical Singer, you should be receiving the issue shortly. You can also access the articles and full directory with a free Classical Singer subscription.

Poll: What's Your Busiest Month of the Year?

What's your busiest month of the year? Is it September, with academia's first frantic weeks? What about February, with the pressures of festival season? Or April, with its deadly combination of exams, juries, and recitals?

The poll will be up on the sidebar for the rest of the week.

Motivation

Teacher: "So how's the practicing going?"
Student: [sheepish look]

One of the recurring themes in every music studio is that of motivation, how to get your students fired up so that they do their work and more. Natalie Wickham's 4 Tips for Dealing With Unmotivated Students has some useful tips on how to help students move beyond their inevitable slumps:

Ideally, piano lessons are for the long-haul, so don’t feel like a few weeks here or there spent focusing on other things is a waste of time. A lesson of music games could be just the thing to remind the student of how much they’ve learned, or 20 minutes spent watching and listening to piano performances on YouTube could be just the thing to re-ignite their enthusiasm for music.

I've also been thinking about Daniel Pink's Drive video presentation and how one might apply the principles of autonomy, mastery, and purpose to the craft of teaching music students:

Over the last few years, I feel that much of the progress I've made and still need to make as a teacher has been directly related to not only enabling musical experiences for my students, but motivating them to complete the week-by-week work they need to do and search beyond, maybe even discovering their own musical paths in the process. Fortunately, the constant stream of new and fascinating personalities into my studio requires me to constantly be on the lookout for ways to reach them.

College Teaching: Tenured vs. Adjunct

Some sobering facts for those entering the college teaching profession - Peter Brown, whose Confessions of a Tenured Professor from Inside Higher Ed writes about the fact that 73% of all teachers in the post-secondary field are now non-tenured, many with no job security or benefits:

What kind of callous person would I be if I were not profoundly disturbed by such obvious inequality? And what does it say about my entire profession when over 70 percent of those teaching in American colleges today are precarious, at-will workers? This new faculty majority, frequently and erroneously mislabeled as part-timers, are often full-time, long-term perma-temps, whose obscenely low wages and total lack of job security constitute what is only now being recognized as the "dirty little secret" in higher education.

The exploitation is indeed filthy, but for me and my tenured colleagues, this scandal is neither little nor secret: the vast majority of those well-educated, skilled professionals who daily teach millions of students in our classrooms are actually being paid far less than the workers who nightly clean them. Ad-cons are treated as chattel or as servants who can be dismissed at the will and whim of any administrator from departmental chair to dean or provost. And woe to those ad-cons who elicit the wrath of their campus presidents! They can be non-renewed without any due process whatsoever, simply zapped, either individually or by the hundreds. We all know this, but most tenured faculty colleagues choose to simply look the other way. C’est la vie. Tough luck. Life just isn’t fair. Keep on walking and change the subject.

Another depressing statistic: Yahoo!Jobs recently listed music as the #4 lowest-paying college degree, with an average starting salary of $34,000 and a mid-career average of $52,000.

But wait, all is not lost. Focus also published a list of the Best Jobs in America, with College Professor coming in at #4, with a median salary of $70,000. Bear in mind that Focus' stats are for the full professor level, and probably don't include the salaries of those at the Assistant or Associate level.

Profession-wide, it's difficult to get a sense of exactly how much teachers at schools of music are making. As far as I know, there are no statistics in existence that list the salary ranges of faculty at schools of music.

[Disclosure:  I'm on the faculty of the Royal Conservatory of Music, an organization that does not have a tenure system, although it has a collective agreement, offers benefits and pension to qualifying faculty, professional support, and a relatively high level of faculty job security.]

What are your thoughts on teaching, studying, and administrating in the groves of musical academe?

20 Collaborative Piano Videos You Might Have Missed

Every so often, I come across a video that is memorable for the high level of musicianship and ensemble playing, some great visuals, or just a crazy concept. Here are 20 memorable videos, in no particular order, featured in past Collaborative Piano Blog articles:

1. Darryl Taylor and Maria Corley Perform H. Leslie Adams’ For You There Is No Song. A wonderful recent performance of a song that should be more well known.
   
2. Lee Hoiby’s Last Letter Home from Pfc. Jesse Givens. Andrew Garland and Lee Hoiby perform a song with lyrics written by a young man who lost his life in the Iraq conflict.
   
3. Condoleezza Rice Plays the Dvorak Piano Quintet at Aspen. She’s a former Secretary of State, she’s a……collaborative pianist!
   
4. Christopher Aaron Smith and Terry Decima Perform Tom Cipullo’s Desire. Go and take a look at the songs of Tom Cipullo. Now.
   
5. Elizabeth Schwarzkopf masterclass from 1980…with great Roger Vignoles footage. A young Vignoles looking sharp and playing beautifully 30 years ago.
   
6. Roger Vignoles in The Battle Hymn of the Accomopanist. Roger’s own version of the Victor Herbert classic.
   
7. Thomas Quasthoff and Hélène Grimaud Perform Hör ich das Liedchen klingen at Verbier. It’s tough to find a performance of Schumann more committed than this.
   
8. Vadim Repin and Nikolai Lugansky Play Arvo Pärt's Fratres. From a Tokyo performance in 2004.
   
9. The Boston Trio Plays the Ravel Piano Trio 1st Movement. Live from Jordan Hall at the New England Conservatory.
   
10. Mischa Maisky and Martha Argerich Play the Debussy Sonata for Cello and Piano. Fine playing, fine camera work and editing.
    
11. Anderson & Roe Play Piazzolla’s Libertango. Hot hot hot.
    
12. Heather Lundstedt, Scott Douglas, and Ensemble Perform I’m Not Afraid of Anything. It’s hard to believe that Heather was only an undergraduate in this 2006 performance.
    
13. Peter Longworth and Mark Johnston Play the Richard Strauss Violin Sonata. Live from Mazzoleni Hall at the Royal Conservatory in Toronto.
    
14. Agnieszka Reiner and Sławomir Cierpik Play the 2nd Movement of Robert Schumann's Violin and Piano Sonata in A minor. A memorable performance of a fine sonata by the 200th-birthday-boy.
    
15. Ravel’s Nahandove with Maren Engelhardt, flautist Eva Skrinjaric, cellist Christine Hu, and pianist Francis Perron. The video’s random-but-not-so-random footage was filmed around Vienna
    
16. Julius Eastman’s Gay Guerrilla Performed at EMPAC. 4 pianos. 1 epic 30 minute piano work.
    
17. Stephen Harper Performs With Yo-Yo Ma. Yes, Canada is currently governed by a collaborative pianist of sorts.
    
18. Attila Pertis and Monika Egri Play the Blue Danube Waltz on a Pleyel Double Grand Piano. Worth watching both for the playing and for the unique instrument.
    
19. Cecilia Bartoli and Mitsuko Uchida Perform Ch'io mi scordi di te. It’s a concert aria…it’s a piano concerto…it’s….Mozart’s one-of-a-kind hybrid concerto/aria.
    
20. And finally, last but not least…Accompanist Clones. You too can now overbook yourself to your heart’s content, as your army of clones takes over your town’s collaborative piano scene.

Thanks for reading. If you haven’t already, subscribe to the Collaborative Piano Blog or follow us on Facebook.

Mammoth Ivory for Piano Keys?

I just learned a fascinating tidbit from Susan Tomes' Out of Silence: A Pianist's Yearbook: ivory from dug-up mammoth tusks can be crafted into piano keys. What's more, since mammoths are extinct, their ivory is legal, unlike that of their pachyderm cousins. Susan writes:

I'm astonished to think of slivers of deep-frozen tusk from thousands of years ago finding their way onto piano keyboards for the performance of Chopin and Liszt, and incidentally giving a fresh slant to that hackneyed phrase, 'a mammoth programme'.

Pianists and piano technicians: do any of you have any experience with this type of piano key material?

Fundraiser for Noe Valley Chamber Music May 23 in San Francisco

On Sunday, May 23rd at 4pm, San Francisco's Noe Valley Chamber Music will be presenting its 2010 gala and silent auction, featuring tenor Thomas Glenn (pictured at right). Composer, pianist, and Tapestry LibLab alum Jack Perla will be performing some of his recent work with soprano Melody Moore, mezzo soprano Erin Neff, and baritone Torleff Borsting. Jack sends the following information

I'll be playing the piano, and we'll present some of my Concert Arias, and scenes from Love/Hate. A special bonus - Rob Bailis, librettist for Love/Hate, will play some of my solo clarinet Partita, and bassist David Arend will join for some jazz and American songbook selections.

One of the featured items for the silent auction is a signed page from Jake Heggie's newest opera Moby Dick (minimum bid $500). For more information, check out the NVCM website. Tickets for the event at Noe Valley Ministry at 1021 Sanchez Street are $40 per person.


View Larger Map

(Thanks, Jack!)

Souvenir at the Bay Theatre in Baltimore

The Baltimore Sun's Mary Johnson reviewing Ralph Petrarca's Cosme McMoon at the Bay Theatre's production of Souvenir:

A different set of acting challenges exist for Petrarca, who must combine a narrator's art with a comedian's timing while demonstrating a professional musician's piano skills. McMoon must carry much of the first act, communicating directly with the audience in an opening monologue that recalls his meeting Jenkins years earlier when he was an aspiring young composer in need of funds.

Petrarca's McMoon transitions from a middle-age bar pianist to a believable, brash 24-year-old musician who initially is appalled at Jenkins' screeching and astonished to realize that she is oblivious to her vocal shortcomings.

Jim Treanor musing about the mystique of Florence Foster Jenkins, from DC Theatre Scene's review of the same show:

And so Cosmé sits down at the piano, and Florence opens her mouth and emits a lethal injection of music. No – that’s not right. Music is an act of harmony with nature, but what Florence sings is a declaration of war against God. It is the caterwauling of cats in heat, it is a pack of dogs baying after an ambulance, it is a gaggle of insane dentists, high on nitrous oxide and bent on revenge against their unsedated patients. If it is music, then the sound of jackhammers is music, or the bawling of politicians, or the droning of preachers sermonizing after an all-night bender. It is pigs being slaughtered, it is aural waterboarding, it is a hoarding of misery.

Souvenir, of course, is Stephen Temperley's wonderful homage to the unique and dreadful Florence Foster Jenkins and her enigmatic pianist Cosme McMoon. Souvenir runs until June 5 at the Bay Theatre in Baltimore, Maryland.

More Cosme on the Collaborative Piano Blog:

An Interview With Cosme McMoon
Was Cosme McMoon Really Edwin McArthur?
Accompanist for Florence Foster Jenkins, a Poem by Darren Morris

Yshani Perinpanayagam on Accompanying

Last November, I mentioned that the prestigious Yamaha Birmingham Accompanist of the Year Competition (judged by Roger Vignoles, John Humphreys, and Simon Nicholls) was won by Yshani Perinpanayagam. Yshani was featured in the Spring 2010 Yamaha Educational Supplement in conversation with Bill Martin, Music Education Manager of Yamaha Music Europe. An excerpt from the interview:

BCM: What makes a good accompanist and what advice would you give to young pianists who want to explore it and improve their accompanying skills?

YP: As a piano soloist you have to learn to step outside of yourself and listen to the whole. As an accompanist you have to do that even more.

When I’m learning something new I work a lot away from the piano: following a recording with the score and sometimes playing along or even singing the melody part. That helps me find where the breathing comes and learn how the other part works with my own. Listening to recordings of a particular accompanist’s approach with a particular soloist is always helpful, throwing up ideas that I might either follow or discard. Sometimes I may even record a rough version of the other part, so I get used to working with it.

Piano Focus: The accompanist in the spotlight from the Yamaha Educational Supplement

Collaborators in Life and Music

From Peabody vocal coach Bob Muckenfuss’ lovely appreciation of the work/life relationship he enjoys with partner Steven Rainbolt:

Collaborating as performers has been a wonderful and rewarding part of our family life. It is certainly convenient that I have a ‘live-in’ baritone with a beautiful voice, and he has a ‘built-in’ coach and accompanist. But this has never meant that we agree on all aspects of interpretation. In fact, it is more of a challenge to disagree and come to a musical compromise, because at the end of the rehearsal, you go home together. We have often had differing views on matters, but over the years, we have managed to work through these issues and find solutions that allow us to collaborate even more successfully than ever. When it comes to student problems and job-related issues, we often agree. But when we do not, we have developed ways to make it work even if we disagree.

Read the full article on Operagasm: Collaborating in Life and Music.

Free Rhythm Worksheet Set from Wendy Stevens

A set of free rhythm worksheets from Wendy Stevens at ComposeCreate.com covers a wide range of concepts, including 8th notes, 16th notes, triplets, syncopation, polyrhythms, and compound time. You can print them out, email them to your students, or teach them directly from your laptop. The two-voice drills are particularly interesting, and you can use them as either a two-handed exercise, teacher/student duet, or as a clap-and-stomp.

Sixth-Grader Greyson Michael Chance Plays (and Sings) Paparazzi

If ever there was a bullet-proof argument for the value of music education for kids, this is it. Watch a bored and uninterested audience become won over one by one in Greyson Michael Chance's piano/vocal cover of Lady Gaga's Paparazzi.

Paparazzi by Lady Gaga. Piano Vocal. 8 pages. Published by Hal Leonard (HL.354008).

(Via Mind the Gap)

Phyllis Chen Plays Karlheinz Essl's whatever shall be

This video of Phyllis Chen playing Karlheinz Essl's whatever shall be for toy piano, dreidl, chopsticks, music box, and live electronics was recorded last week in New York. I particularly like the handheld camera action - more performers should take advantage of the spontaneity offered by this method of filming.



(Via Xenia)

Also check out The Ultimate Guide to the Toy Piano Scene.

Opera To Go 2010 Production Photos

Photo of Peter McGillivray and Xin Wang by Brian Mosoff

Photos from the recent production of Tapestry New Opera Works' Opera To Go 2010 are now up on the Tapestry blog, for those of you who missed the run in late March, or for those of you who saw the production, but still need to relive the action.

ARC CD Launch Giveaway: Win 1 of 2 Copies of Two Roads to Exile

Update: the contest is now closed, and the two winners are Brett Kingsbury and Fatima Medeiros! Thanks for playing - if you want to have a listen to Two Roads to Exile, you'll have to wait for the May 25 release date or pre-order the CD on Amazon.

Last week, I attended the CD launch event for Two Roads to Exile, the latest recording from Artists of the Royal Conservatory (reviewed here). What I didn't mention in the review was that at the launch I received two complementary copies ahead of the official May 25 release date!

So it's time for yet another free CD giveaway - rules and regulations are below. I would like to thank the Royal Conservatory and Sony Music Entertainment Canada for making these recordings available to Collaborative Piano Blog readers.

Competition Rules and Regulations

1. Answer the following question:

What are the names of the two previous commercial recordings of the ARC Ensemble (Artists of the Royal Conservatory) on RCA Red Seal?

2. Once you've figured out the answers, mail them to me at collaborativepiano [at] gmail dot com. Please note that you'll need to list both previous ARC recordings (in any order) to win one of the CDs.

3. There is no deadline for this contest. There will be two winners for this contest. After they have been selected, I'll update this post with the names of the winners, and them email them with a request for their mailing addresses. Once I get mailing addresses, I'll then send out the two CDs as soon as possible.

Best of luck!

Sting Sings Dowland's Come Again

One of the recurring themes of my vocal literature class at the Glenn Gould School this semester was that of the art song in popular culture. Early in the semester we looked at the songs of John Dowland, and one of the most fascinating recordings I found was this one of Sting singing Come Again with lutenist Edin Karamazov from his Songs from the Labyrinth album. From a televised performance:



The class was pretty evenly divided between those who thought that this was a fascinating look at the past and those who thought it was an outrage. My question to the class was whether or not they felt that the performance was authentic. One argument in favor of Sting's being an authentic approach to the singing of Dowland was that he is completely untrained in the classical operatic tradition, which did not yet exist in the time of Dowland. David van Ooijen sums up the Elizabethan singing ideal:

Voice production was not an issue Elizabethans were much concerned with. Learning to sing was equated with learning to sight-read.

Which is precisely how Sting manages to make this repertoire work. I feel his limitations as a pop singer combined with the clarity of diction learned from several decades of pop singing make for a convincing performance, both from an authentic and crossover perspective.

Nevertheless, as a classical music blogger, I'm damned either way I call these crossover attempts. If I like them, I'm a Philistine. If I don't, I'm an Elitist (as already has been charged in a previous opinion regarding an interpretation of Berlioz).

What are your feelings on Sting's crossover attempt? Is he breathing new life into this repertoire and bringing it to an entirely new audience? Or should he stick to repertoire more in his milieu?

Where Have All the Staff Accompanist Positions Gone?

Good Company's Billie Whittaker on the fact that the College Music Society has only advertised 9 staff accompanist positions since August 2009:

Full-time, secure staff accompanist openings are starting to seem downright mythical. I also find it curious that the collaborative piano field has become so widely recognized, while the university collaborative pianist position (AKA staff accompanist) has remained the same (untenured, often part-time).

I wonder how many of the college staff accompanist positions around North America were ever advertised in the College Music Society, though. At the sessional/adjunct/lecturer level, many of these positions are routinely filled with either local or unofficial job searches, if any. And besides, if your staff accompanist position happens to be at the support-staff level, why even bother?

As always, your comments are welcome.

Was Cosme McMoon Really Edwin McArthur?

There is mounting evidence that Florence Foster Jenkins' legendary accompanist Cosme McMoon was not Edwin McArthur (as was previously mentioned here) but was in fact Cosme McMunn, who was born in Mexico and changed his name upon moving to New York in the early 20's. Both McArthur and McMoon played for Florence Foster Jenkins, but the story goes that McArthur was fired for chortling in recital, and Jenkins subsequently hired McMoon (among others). ParlorMobster has assembled a list of interesting sources, including the following:

• The mystery of Cosme McMoon (McMunn) and Edwin McArthur: the lost composer(s) of Florence Foster Jenkins from Dark Knight Dramaturgy
• What happened to Cosme McMoon after Florence Foster Jenkins died? on Answers.com from Mark McMunn, grand nephew of Cosme
• Articles collected by Max Murray

Donald Collup also credits Mark McMunn in his documentary Florence Foster Jenkins: A World of Her Own. It appears that Cosme was an avid body-builder, worked as a clerk in a bathhouse, and also enjoyed chess. An excerpt from Collup's documentary:

The evidence on the identity of McMoon presented by Collup, McMunn, and others looks pretty convincing, although still largely circumstantial.

Incidentally, if you're in Hartford this month, you should check out TheaterWorks' Souvenir: A Fantasia on the Life of Florence Foster Jenkins, which runs until May 23 with Edwin Cahill playing the role of Cosme McMoon (reviewed in the Times a few days ago).

Wikipedia lists Florence Foster Jenkins as "an American soprano who became famous for her complete lack of rhythm, pitch, tone, and overall singing ability."

The Diction Police, a Podcast for Singers and Coaches

Having you recently been cited for an idiomatic violation by voicing that bilabial fricative in the wrong place? A new podcast might be able to help. The Diction Police is the brainchild of Dresden-based vocal coach Ellen Rissinger. The Diction Police's goal:

...to enhance singers’ study of diction by hearing the text of songs and arias spoken by native speakers, to give a broad range of opinions from native speakers on their own language, and to give singers practical tools for practicing and learning foreign languages.

A noble cause indeed. Here are DP's podcasts to date:

• Episode 1: Heidenröslein and Der Gärtner with Nadja Mchantaf and Hans Sotin.
• Episode 2: Italian art songs and a discussion with Fabio Centanni.
• Episode 3: three Zauberflöte arias and a discussion of [ä], [r], and the German schwa.
• Episode 4: Gretchen am Spinnrade with Netta Or, Die Post with Markus Marquardt, and a discussion with Hans Sotin.
• Episode 5: Nathalie de Montmollin on Fauré and an interview with Philip Shepard
• Episode 6: Offenbach and Schumann with Stephanie Atanasov and Markus Marquardt, and diphthongs with Markus Henn.

Review: Artists of the Royal Conservatory - Two Roads to Exile

A double difficulty facing traditionally-minded post-Romantic German composers blacklisted by the Nazis in the 1930's was that even if they or their music survived Hitler's regime, they faced disdain and marginalization by a post-war European avant-garde intent on erasing the Romantic past and moving forward into the atonal age. Adolf Busch and Walter Braunfels were two composers who survived the Second World War with remarkable, although different stories.

Two Roads to Exile is the third release of Artists of the Royal Conservatory, the ensemble-in-residence at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto (ARC for short). Adolf Busch, one of the great German violinists of the early twentieth century, reacted to the outbreak of violence against German Jews in 1933 by moving to Switzerland and refusing to perform in Germany, severely jeopardizing his performing career in the process. He later moved to the US, where with Rudolf Serkin he co-founded the Marlboro Festival. Walter Braunfels (a descendant of Louis Spohr), was removed from his position as director of the Hochschule für Musik Köln for being half-Jewish. During the war he was sheltered by the Catholic community in Überlingen and miraculously returned to his duties in Cologne afterwards.

The Busch String Sextet in G major, Op. 40 and the Braunfels String Quintet in F-sharp Minor, Op. 63 are difficult, dense scores redolent of the Romantic era's last flowering. These works demand several hearings in order to get a handle on the twists and turns of musical logic, especially in the Braunfels quintet, which goes the farther of the two in terms of emotional scope, harmonic compass, and color choices. Fortunately, ARC's playing (sans clarinet and piano this time around) is of such a depth, artistry, and discernment that repeated listening is a continual pleasure, especially given the fine acoustics of the RCM's Koerner Hall, which provide both richness of overall sound and pinpoint detail (incidentally, this is the very first CD recorded in the hall).

Violinists Marie Bérard and Benjamin Bowman switch parts for each of the works, with Bérard playing first violin in the Busch and Bowman in first chair for the Braunfels. They both play with a virtuosity of sound that is always at the service of both ensemble and musical argument. Violists Steven Dann and Carolyn Blackwell fill out the middle of the texture with conviction and musicality, and I think their sound may project more live than in recording (if Dann's fine performance sitting on the outside of the group today was any indication). At the foundation of the ensemble are cellists Bryan Epperson and David Hetherington, whose impeccably shaped phrases lend both blending and individuation of sound.

Royal Conservatory President Peter Simon remarked at today's Toronto launch event that the Artists of the Royal Conservatory have never released a CD that hasn't been nominated for a Grammy award. Two Roads to Exile is of a quality that one could imagine the same thing being said on the release of their next recording. The level of musical complexity on these two works combined with the performance's deep commitment requires a concentration of listening above and beyond the call of duty required for most classical releases. My suggestion on the best way to listen to this recording: experience it late at night, free from distraction. Fine speakers or headphones are a must, as well as time for repeated listening.

On Deck in May

Now that this year's classroom teaching is over, I've still got over a month of private teaching left in the RCM spring semester, as well as some time to spend on a few upcoming review projects.

First of all, I'm reading Susan Tomes' Out of Silence: A Pianist's Yearbook, a year's worth of observations on the pianistic life. This morning I also had a first listen to Julia Fischer and Martin Helmchen's Schubert: Complete Works for Violin and Piano, Vol. 2, in which Julia Fischer appears as both violinist (in the Grand Duo and C major Fantasie)  and duo pianist (in the F minor Fantasie). And today I received a promotional copy of Artists of the Royal Conservatory's Two Roads to Exile. Tomorrow I'm off to the CD launch event of Two Roads at the RCM's Conservatory Theatre, courtesy of an invite from Sony (thanks, Nader!). Stay tuned...

Lente Chute for Toy Piano

More toy piano awesomeness: from the MySpace page of Toy piano musica aka amergtuileztyi on YouTube, here is Lente chute for toy piano, with video by SweepAndMopp...



(Thanks, James!)

For more toy pianos on the Collaborative Piano Blog, check out The Ultimate Guide to the Toy Piano Scene.

Amazing Piano-flinging Trebuchet Video

Look at the air time on that piano - this is the farthest I've ever seen one being flung by a trebuchet:



Gravity in action on the Collaborative Piano Blog:

Piano-flinging Trebuchet at Burning Man 2007
Another Insane Piano-flinging Trebuchet Video
Beware of Falling Pianos
The 2009 MIT Piano Drop

Collaborative Piano Program at the University of Maine To Be Cut

The graduate Collaborative Piano program at the University of Maine will be cut, according to an article in the Maine Campus. The downsizing is part of a university-wide belt-tightening. Also on the chopping block are graduate programs in conducting and Women's Studies, as well as numerous undergraduate programs, subject to the approval of the University of Maine board of trustees.

What the article doesn't mention is that, after the current students in the collaborative piano program graduate, the music students left in the program may need to fork over a lot more money to pay for local freelance pianists to play for their lessons, rehearsals, recitals, and juries. Unfortunate indeed.

What's even more serious, not just for the collaborative piano students, but for all the students who will graduate from programs facing elimination, is the question of just what an eliminated degree will be worth in an already tight job market.

Call for Opera Composers and Librettists: The Tapestry 2010 LibLab

Want to be an opera composer? This is the best route....

Tapestry New Opera Works is once again looking for composers and librettists interested in participating in the 2010 running of Tapestry's Composer/Librettist Laboratory. I've been a pianist at the LibLab since 2002 (I'll be at the piano in 2010 again) and can honestly say that it's one of the most rewarding musical activities I've ever done. In addition, the LibLab is a meeting ground for numerous composer/librettist partnerships who will be launching new opera projects over the coming years, both at Tapestry and elsewhere. Here's the full press release:

General Statement

The heart and soul of Tapestry’s new work creation programme is the Composer-Librettist Laboratory. After ten successive “Lib-Labs”, this programme has been carefully honed for composers and writers to test, exercise and develop their collaborative writing and composing skills in the music theatre/opera art form. For most composers and writers the artistic process is a solitary one. Tapestry provides development, guidance and financial support through the often lengthy, but ultimately rewarding, new work creation process.

The Need

Tapestry considers it to be of vital importance for composers and writers working in the music theatre/opera art form to explore the process of collaboration in a creative, non-competitive environment.

The Program

Initiated in 1995, the Laboratory is an intensive ten day workshop for composers and writers to explore the collaborative process.

The Composer-Librettist Laboratory provides the opportunity to work with several partners in a short period of time, thereby developing techniques for effective collaboration.

Throughout the program, writers and composers are partnered with one another, each for a two-day cycle. Dramaturgical support is provided for both writers and composers throughout the process.

Through exercises in writing short scenes the working relationship between composer and writer is investigated. Each scene is performed by a resident ensemble of singers and pianists and constructively discussed by the entire group. The partners then change and the process begins anew.

Dramaturges, music directors and/or composer-librettist teams provide guidance and supplementary education in the form of workshops, readings or inter-disciplinary discussions.

Eligibility / Requirements

Professional composers and writers who are collaboration-minded, willing to explore new approaches to music theatre/opera creation and able to constructively critique their own and others’ work.

Composers and writers must agree to enter the Lab as equals, with neither discipline taking precedence over the other.

The programme is open to participants from Canada and abroad. All participants accepted into the programme will receive a residency bursary offered by Tapestry that covers program fees of $2,000.

Participants selected will be responsible for their own travel and accommodation.

Participants must be available from August 23rd to September 3rd (inclusive) on a full-time basis.

Guidelines for Submissions

All applicants please submit:

1. A cover letter that includes your name, address, telephone number, e-mail address & website (if applicable)

2. A resume or CV outlining your professional experience and relevant academic and professional training.

3. A one-page description stating your interest in participating and why you would benefit from the program. This may be included as part of the cover letter.

4. For applicants who do not yet have a known body of work, a letter of reference from a professional in the field. This may be included in your application or send under separate cover directly to Tapestry.

Composers – In addition to #1 through #4 above, please submit:

Two samples of your work, including scores and recordings, at least one sample of work written for the voice.

Two copies of each score & recording are required.

Writers – In addition to #1 through #4 above, please submit two copies each of:

Two samples of your work, including an excerpt from a dramatic work for the stage, to a maximum of 20 pages in total.

Two copies of each sample are required.

Submissions must be postmarked on or before the submission deadline.

Deadline for Submissions

May 30 2010

Notification Date

June 25 2010

Submissions should be directed to the Attention of

Ms. Susan Worthington, Producing Director

By Mail

Tapestry new opera works

55 Mill Street, Bldg # 58

The Cannery, Studio 316

Toronto, ON M5A 3C4

For More Information Please Contact:

Susan Worthington, Producing Director
416 537- 6066 ext 225
liblab [at] tapestrynewopera dot com

Applications are not accepted by email or fax.

Cutting the Accompanist?

Note to school board bureaucrats: if you're looking at service cuts, don't cut accompanists.

Why? Accompanists are valued members of school communities. Cut the pianist and the choir may soon disappear too.

Melissa Treolo reports in the Bonner Springs Chieftain about a frantic effort to save BSHS' district staff accompanist position from the axe of the USD 204 Board of Education. BSHS senior Emily Warren deserves special credit for her plea to the board:

Shayne Warren’s daughter, BSHS senior Emily, also spoke to the board, crediting [choir director Brian] White and the choir department with giving her what she needed most after moving from California: an enriching arts experience she initially thought would be lacking in the small, Midwestern city of Bonner Springs. Losing the accompanist, she said, would be tantamount to losing the choir altogether.

“I understand that there’s a lot of things you have to take into consideration, but please, please, please understand that … you’re affecting the rest of the lives of … the freshmen who have come to the high school excited because they know the program is as good as it is,” Emily said. “Mr. White has devoted his time to teaching us the music, and he can’t play two roles, two very important roles, in a choir is the music (along) with teaching us how to be who we are, how to be the choir, the magnificent choir, we are. And, please, do not take that away from us.”

Sadly, the accompanist whose position is facing elimination was not named. All this press coverage and we're still anonymous... Update: The pianist whose position is facing elimination is Marsha Canady, as noted in an April 29 article. The board has held off on making its decision until May 17. (Thanks Melissa!)

Using Music Teacher's Helper to Reinforce Goal Setting

My latest article for the MTH blog:

Use Lesson Reminders to Help Students Stay on Target with Goal Setting

If you're new to Music Teacher's Helper, here's a quick rundown on what it does - Music Teacher's Helper is a seamless way to integrate a music teaching website with full online support including registration, student/parent logins, invoicing, income/expense tracking, student scheduling, file sharing, repertoire and practice tracking, and studio announcements. There are several pricing levels, ranging from a free account for 3 students to a Platinum account (for only $24.95 per month!) for an unlimited number of students, SSL encryption (very important these days if you're storing other people's data), and 100MB of storage for studio downloads.

Quote of the Day

I teach the way that I wish I was taught.

--Sal Khan

(Via 37 Signals)

Schimmel Acrylic Piano

These awesome pics of a Schimmel K 213 G acrylic piano are by Indy di on Flickr. You can read more about the K 213 G here.

More cool pianos on the Collaborative Piano Blog:

Schimmel Pegasus and Cylon Raider: Separated at Birth?
Hello Kitty Piano
Are Estonia Grands the Piano World’s Best-Kept Secret?
Beware of Falling Pianos
Music for Ruined Pianos
Baldwin High Roller Piano
Custom Painted Piano
Ken Unsworth’s Rapture
Concert Hall, Pripyat

Darryl Taylor and Maria Corley Perform H. Leslie Adams’ For You There Is No Song

I've really been enjoying this 2007 video of countertenor Darryl Taylor and pianist Maria Corley performing H. Leslie Adams’ For You There Is No Song at the East Cleveland Public Library. It’s worth noting that Darryl Taylor is also the founder of the African American Art Song Alliance, an organization dedicated to the promotion of the art song written by African American composers. If you find this repertoire as fascinating as I do, a good place to start exploring would be Willis C. Patterson’s Anthology of Art Songs by Black American Composers, in addition to the resources that can be found on Darryl’s AAASA site, Africlassical.com and the Africlassical blog.