Art of painting has always been very important in my life, as any other arts. Once you are in music, everything is intertwined and enriches each other, creates more analogies, associations, and deepens music interpretation. I constantly encourage my students to learn arts and visit as many exhibitions as possible.

Oglethorpe University Museum of Arts is the museum in Atlanta which has become my favourite instantly.

When I came to Atlanta in 2003 and visited the museum the first time, I immediately sensed familiar, intellectually intense atmosphere.

Through years, I have never been disappointed in my first impression, whether it was thoughtfully presented various exhibitions from all over the world, accompanied by the series of insightful and extremely intelligent lectures, or series of concerts.

No doubt that the host of the museum, director Lloyd Nick, was “the soul” of this unique for Atlanta place. His and his wife interest in meaningful, spiritually intense art, which implies to influence, wake up, develop and release intellectual and emotional energy of the audience – has been the main aim of their very specific and selective preferences.

Moreover, his last lecture in conjunction with nationally recognized exhibition at OUMA “Mandalas by the Patients of Carl Jung” has confirmed his interest and striving to be literally well rounded as a human being as well. Sanskrit “Mandala” means “circle”, the most harmonious shape in the world, which the Swiss psychoanalyst’s patients used for the self-expression of the internal universe. One can recall confined in the circle “Yin” and “Yang”, St.Peter’s cupola, brain progress forcing perplexing labyrinths, and other numerous examples of the magical round shape objects, which Lloyd Nick displayed in abundance in his lecture. As his wife consents and what I have experienced myself — he had always been a “round” person, sensitive to surrounding people, tolerable, capable of  compromise in consideration of the conflicting opinions, and very inspired to learn intellectually and share his discoveries through his unremittingly dedicated work as a director of the museum.

I was lucky to have always open the doors of the museum for my musical programs, either piano or harpsichord ones, through the years. Some of them were motivated by Lloyd and his exhibitions.

Lloyd Nick retired to pursue his painting and hopefully volunteer with his new alarming our intelligence lectures about art in the round shape world.

I have registered for this program and launching it at my studio as currently the most adequate to the European pre-college programs in US.  The program orientation on upbringing of a well-rounded musician, no matter on which instrument a student performs, profoundly matches my own pedagogical approach.

In accordance with the program definition, “The Achievement Program is a sequenced course of musical study appropriate for all levels and ages. Many adults participate in The Program, as they consider the assessments to be a clear and rewarding way to motivate and guide their study. They also appreciate receiving constructive and valuable professional feedback on their growth and development.”

Carnegie Hall Royal School The Achievement Program starts from Level A to 10 and awards students with the internationally recognized Certificates after each level test and Diplomas (Associate Performer’s Diploma in Piano Performance and Associate Diploma in Piano Pedagogy) for those who are interested to proceed to the Diplomas level assessments.

Flexibility of the program is very appealing to any age and level. Students can enroll at the grade they feel confident and can skip levels depending on their preparedness.

The Achievement Program has three assessment sessions per year: in fall, winter and summer. The Program consists of several sections: Performance, Technique (scales and technical exercises-Etudes), Sight-Reading, Ear Awareness, and Musical Terminology. A separate Theory assessment (test) will require Theory Rudiments for Level 1-5 and more complicated subjects for levels 5-10 and Diploma (Harmony, Counterpoint, Analysis, and Music History)

Though rooted in the ABRSM program (Royal School of Music, London), it is better balanced with the Performance section. ABRSM doesn’t require memorization, what is essential for the future pianist or any instrumentalist. In distinct from ABRSM, The Achievement Program requires memorization and includes technical pieces (Etudes) as an undeniable necessity for developing and reinforcing technical abilities of a performer. Better variety and larger choice of compositions in the repertoire (from 3 to 5) will convince any dedicated teacher to work within the program.

The best benefit of this program is upgrading of the standard in all USA states and made it comparable to the standards abroad. “A national standard ensures the equality of all students, no matter where they are located.” Currently more and more colleges in US accept the Certificates and Diploma and waive some college pre-requisites.

In spite of the comprehensive scope of the subjects of The Achievement Program, applicants have to realize that “The Achievement Program is designed for a wide range of students, not limited only to the exceptionally talented or those focused on a musical career.” (For more information visit www.theachievementprogram.org)

ABRSM program is still available at my studio for those who would like to continue London Royal School of Music system.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Raisa Isaacs Adult Piano Studio Receives
2011 Best of Atlanta Award

U.S. Commerce Association’s Award Plaque Honors the Achievement

NEW YORK, NY, December 14, 2011 — Raisa Isaacs Adult Piano Studio has been
selected for the 2011 Best of Atlanta Award in the Music Instruction category
by the U.S. Commerce Association (USCA).

The USCA “Best of Local Business” Award Program recognizes
outstanding local businesses throughout the country. Each year, the USCA
identifies companies that they believe have achieved exceptional marketing
success in their local community and business category. These are local
companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to
their customers and community.

Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each
category. The 2011 USCA Award Program focuses on quality, not quantity…

SOURCE: U.S. Commerce Association
www.uscaaward.com

Thanks to an impressively extensive research of Alan Walker,
Liszt has not perceived as a superficial virtuoso anymore.

I was lucky to purchase a newly published Barenreiter’s book of rare performed pieces for the Intermediate Level at the recent ABRSM Conference in London, UK (Liszt, Leichte Klavierstucke und Tanze). One might be astonished by subtleties of extremely refined, unpredictably harmonically deviating events of the texture, and full of flowing tender or dramatic nuances in some of these “easy” pieces.

Apparently, duality of Liszt’s personality (diabolic, infernal and divine, sublime) had drawn his interest to Dante’s and Faust’s medieval-rooted stories.

However, when a student works on the compositions like Dante Sonata or Mephisto-Waltz — I feel some kind of internal discomfort, as I have to reveal to students and require from them a profound degree of the devilish presence in the performance, most often seems ending with the glory or victory, at least, of the dark power. It reminds me Thai theatre where actors were considered among of the lowest castas, as they had to impersonate evil.

“Dante Sonata” contains heavy, pesante chords in abundance. Every piano teacher is familiar with the students “bang” problem. All kind of explanations gets involved to prevent it– from physical descriptions (in the vertical, fast drop a hummer hits a string fast — that produces harsh sound; use arm’s big muscles; rotation; indirect “landing” and so on and so on) to the metaphorical ones (from ”pet” the keys, “walk on the swamp or sand dunes” to the swim/golf swing analogies…). I like Mr. Stampfl’s reply on my question about the sound control in chords:” You feel like forte sustains after you play a chord”.
He widely waived his hand as if sending crecs. into infinity…

Currently the fact that literally “getting in touch” with old instruments, such as a harpsichord and fortepiano would give invaluable insight into the style of composers through discovering of the authentic sound is not a relevant anymore. How much harpsichord’s articulated and masculine Bach would be different from the modern piano’s Bach with a super careful, gentle dynamically touch and at 440’ feminine descant pitch? How Mozart’s piano would reveal graciousness and poetry, and favorite Beethoven’s Broadwoods would help to identify and delivery an appropriate measure in use of a pedal, considering his creative experiments? Realization of the problems as a time request compels piano educators to seek for knowledge to a greater extent in comparison with a couple of decades ago.

In anticipation of NDMTA Sonata Competition and as a NDMTA Program Vice-President, I invited Dr. Linda Li-Bleuel from Clemson University with a presentation “ Too Fast, Too Legato, and Too Loud! A Guide to Stylistic Challenges in Classical Era Repertoire”. Being exposed to the Fortepiano during her studies, she is densely equipped with the knowledge of the fortepiano touch in comparison with the one on the modern pianos. As a very often adjudicator on the auditions and festivals, she clearly realizes problems of adequate performance of the Classical composers on all levels of the Piano Performance. Her self-descriptive title of the presentation points out in its core to the main aspects of an interpretation of the Classical Era compositions relative to the rhythm, articulation and dynamics. Concise definitions and precise illustrations, interspersed with the humorous, sometimes with the tragically-humorous reminiscences from her musical up-bringing entertained and enriched/refreshed Classical Era Piano Performance fundamentals for the NDMTA members. Thank you, Dr. Li-Bleuel!

When it comes to memorization in Piano class, it might turn for some younger students to a nightmare. Commonly they would not encounter a stumbling problem in memorization of easy “one-line” pieces and rely on the repetitions, effortlessly remembering the text without involving any mental work.

However, once a piece gets more complicated, filled with thicker texture and unusual harmonization – they failed to memorize no matter how much time they would put in. Actually, nobody objects that a muscle memory is very important, and it is the one that might rule, at some degree (particularly in the fast pieces), through the anxiety on the stage. However, it is the most insecure memory if it is not confirmed by fundamentals in memorization.

When the students realize that convenient habit of endless repetitions does not work anymore, a teacher will have a hope that his call for analyzing a composition in more depths will be better perceived. Everything will be “on the plate” to help them: explanation of form, phrases structure, harmony progressions, cadences, key chords, simplified visualization of the notes move in the chords, similarities and differences, marked with various colors to trigger a connection with the graphic images of the notes, reinforcing of the aural perception (mutual help of singing and playing), and mental imagination of the text excluding the hearing (practice on the lid without sound support, with music and without).

The book in the link below follows the fundamentals and presents it in an entertaining and accessible way for all ages and levels. In addition, one might get more tips and tricks for the one of the most challenging processes in piano performance (except of those who are geniuses in memorization, like Garrick Ohlsson among modern ones and few others).

http://www.musicmemorization.com/about.html

To my luck, I did find a small book, entitled “Discovering English Folk Dances,” by Hugh Rippon in the seaside (actually English Channel) town of Kent. You never know what you might find in the most unexpected places (for example, I once found Bach’s “Goldberg Variations” recorded by Andreas Schiff at a booth in the Toronto airport!)

Rippon’s book confirmed the undeniable appeal that these folk dances had to the royal class, although social pretences forced them to keep the dances at a distance. In his book he mentioned that Queen Elizabeth I would gaze “admiringly” from the Warwick and Cowdray castles at the peasants or townsfolk performing their country dances. When I went to Warwick, I took a photo, pretending that the photo’s angle was from the viewpoint of the Queen, watching the dancers closely (and perhaps jealously as it is a well-known fact that she loved a very uninhibited and almost dangerously acrobatic Volta, or Lavolta!) through the loopholes on the top of the castle. 

In distinct from the jig, a longways country dance went through a long evolution and had become a popular dance in all European courts. It did reach America as a very familiar to everyone a square dance.  Originally as Italian, the longways dance was reestablished after British adaptation to Italy again and then presented at the court of Louis XIV and others.

Mutation and migrating of arts in Baroque Europe, including music and dances, is a fascinating adventure to research. I believe, it leads to the multidimensional perception of the human civilization and in a way helps to understand the modern time.

(Jig and Longways engravings published with H.Rippon permission)

The MTNA conference in Albuquerque featured Rediscovering Chopin sessions in the Preconference Pedagogy Saturday (March 20, 2010).

Originally from a foreign country (Russia), which emphasized and promoted any kind of arts and music with revolutionary ideas, I have been introduced to heroic and powerful interpretation of Chopin’s music – no matter what genre the composition would represent- through all years of my musical up-brining.

It was quite an unusual experience to encounter “salon”- kind, polished, with almost ephemeral sound of “white gloves” composer compositions interpretations after I have moved to United States.

Observing the creation of the Polish – French Chopin’s phenomena from the opposite side raised many questions, which is still quite a fascinating process for me to discover. I believe there are many questions to the current generation of Chopin’s music performers can be applied as well. How much of Polish Chopin has been left in a very different French nobility society, where he felt the most comfortably to perform? Why would a Polish professor be furious at a student performance and exclaimed, “Don’t perform Chopin as a French!” Who knows when and how much Chopin added French flavor to his beloved Polish tunes?

Mr. McWilliams from the Northfield College, MN explored influence of the folk music and dances on Chopin’s compositions in his very comprehensive interactive session, accompanied by a Documentary film with original Polish Folk Dance groups. He discussed about very often intangible boards between different dances merged in one composition and very fine, also not easy recognizable lines between Mazurka and Waltz even in a frame of Mazurka genre.

Another question is, at which degree in an interpretation we have to consider Schumann’s famous expression “Canon hidden in flowers”? It’s quite a well-known fact that Chopin kept very strong connections with Polish emigrants in Paris and has been called for the national Polish opera, as an expression of the protest towards Russian tsar’s oppression. Chopin has never done it. However, we cannot ignore in his Ballades more or less distant associations with Adam Mitzkevich poetry – slush underlying connotations with the Polish revolution and suppression that caused the most painful memories in Chopin’s heart until his death.

How it is possible to create an adequate interpretation without practically any chance for students to touch Chopin’s “the most cherished” Pleyel pianos with “ their silvery and slightly veiled sonority”(Liszt)?

Some of these questions were touched in my talk with the winner of the most prestigious International Chopin Competition in Warsaw Keven Kenner (1990). His master class with the winners of the Canadian Chopin Competition Leonard Gilbert (Ballade No.4, Op.52) and United States Chopin Competition Claire Huangci (Ballade No.1, Op.23) was very exciting and inspiring. Apparently, Gilbert’s serious and very thoughtful interpretation quite impressed Ms. Kenner in comparison with rather just emotional performance of Claire Hunachi.

Both winners, as a part of their awards, will skip Preliminary round and ready to go to the First Round of the Warsaw International Chopin Competition.

And lastly: in one of the master classes a high school participant performed so-called “Winter Wind” Etude (Op.25, No.11). To my frustration she literally imitated a winter wind, blizzard and etc… That made me feel how harmful reinvented titles can be for the modern performers. We still remember how “Moonlight” Sonata has become an impressionistic piece for the young pianists, which dramatically diminished the significance of the content and distorted composer’s intensions. Is it not the time to remove all subtitles from all editions, which practically impose wrong perceptions of the compositions on the inexperienced performers of the whole generation? Even Schumann’s “Aeolian Harp” for Etude Op. 25, No.1 should be perceived with great precaution and without forgetting the story itself. There cannot be any Bees, Horsemen and so on…

However, at this point let’s wish our International Chopin Competition competitors luck and hope that being in the environment of intercrossing of the different interpretations presented by the best young performers all over the world to be able to find resolutions and to open a new page in the history of Chopin’s Piano Music Performance.

Article submitted by AMTA member, Raisa Isaacs for AMTA Newsletter (www.atlmta.org/recourses)

Ms. Isaacs was a member of the jury in the final round of the 3rd Pianovision International Competition in Sonata category

The 13th WORLD Piano Pedagogy Conference was held on October 22-25 in Dallas, TX this year.

The main device of the conference,” Back To Basics” reflected two meanings: as a teaching from fundamentals and as mastering, returning and sustaining “basics” as a preliminary requirement for success and progress of any level musician.

As usual, the conference was compiled of common formats for any music conference (Lectures, Teaching Demonstrations, Exhibitions) and of quite specific, featuring the only World Piano Pedagogy Conference:

Town Hall Meetings with discussion on a specific topic; Minisessions, offering close interactions with presenters in a small group of teachers with questions and exchange of ideas; Open Mic, a discussion forum where everyone is welcome to express their opinions and suggestions; lecture-paper presentation by any teacher who has new interesting thoughts and approaches in the world of the piano pedagogy.

WPPC gives and anticipates maximum involvement and collaboration with the teachers, up to having them an opportunity to participate in jury in the MostWanted Pianovision International Competition (by invitation only for the final round).

PianoWellness Seminar is an inseparable part of each WPPC. This year it featured a presentation of the experienced clinician Sheila Paige. She has a numerous DVDs exploring different aspects of the body–hand–finger motions based on the deep knowledge of the human physiology. She demonstrated work of body in octaves and staccato based on the principals, which can be taught to any age and any level (DVDs available on www.pianowellnessseminar.com “3-D Piano with Fred Karpoff” was offered as a concept of combination Alexander Technique and Feldenkrais ( www.fredkarpoff.com) and integrated with the whole body modalities with the new insights on piano playing. (Set of 6 DVD will be released in February 2009.)

Rozalie Levant presented her recently published book “The Anatomy of Musicality” with her own approach to piano pedagogy. Lectures about different problems of the piano performance have been given through the conference by well-known piano pedagogy faculty of the Music Conservatory at USC John Perry with Artistic Director of Chamber Music in Detmold Hochschule fur Music in Germany Stephen Perry (“Color”Techniques), Manhattan School of Music Phillip Kawin (Basics of Tone Production: No Bones in the Hand,No Stones in the Wrist), Koln Hochschule fur Music in Germany Arbo Valdma (Basic Practicing Techniques for Beginners to Advanced Level).

Independent and faculty of the different Schools of Music presented their Paper and Lectures on the “Tempo”, “Crescendo…”, “Adult and Young Beginners…” and other varies topics as well. Teaching Demonstrations at the WPPC gives a unique opportunity to observe pedagogical work of two outstanding teachers with one student simultaneously.

One can see and intellectually “digest”, altogether with the student, different techniques and different approaches in achieving of musical goals; sometimes clashing and even controversial but nevertheless enhancing and extremely beneficial for a growing musician. One can see “the boiling pot” of different world ideas that gives an incredibly vivid picture and understanding of the streams and tendencies in the modern piano pedagogy just at once!

Luis de Moura Castro-Arbe Valdma, John Perry-Phillip Kawin, Arbe Valdma-Toma Ungar — these top quality collaborations enriches you with their invaluable insights of the subtle nuances of piano teaching…(DVD Teaching Demonstrations can be obtained on www.pianovision.com for a very affordable price)

Exhibitions are the most colorful and enjoyable part of the conference. Leading Publishers (Hal Leonard, Faber&Faber, Henle and others) and manufactures presented their products and examined the most popular ones. Among of them – Piano Wizard Wanna Play? game for developing sight-reading; Music for Young Children ages 3 to 10 — course of a child-centered music-learning system that integrates keyboard, creative movements, rhythm, signing, ear training, music theory and composition; Notes Logic – a game with tactile, visual approach to teaching rhythms and so on…

Apparently it is impossible to describe all events during the conference in a brief article. You just have to be there!

This summer I attended the “Summer in Regensburg” International Music Academy in Regensburg, Germany. The Academy provides two weeks of intense music-making and study to classical pianists and string players from around the world. As a pianist, the Academy provided me with the opportunity to take private and chamber music lessons from internationally acclaimed pianists and teachers as well as the opportunity to perform solo and chamber music works at various locations in Regensburg.

I had been forewarned by my teacher Raisa Isaacs(who is by the way on the Academy faculty), that there was quite a bit of work involved, and she was quite right. In total, I had six private lessons with four different teachers, six chamber music lessons, performed on three different occasions, attended two master classes, went to a workshop about Baroque music, attended more than 10 recital/concerts, and of course, practiced – all on top of a six-hour jet lag! But the experience was well worth the effort.

I was originally somewhat hesitant to show the same pieces to so many different teachers –afraid of the confusion it might cause if each of them offered conflicting suggestions about technique or musicality. But that wasn’t the case. In fact, it seemed that many of the ideas/recommendations of one teacher just seemed to reinforce those of another.  And often they seemed to coincide with things my own teacher has told me in the past. This has then given me a very good idea of what things I should concentrate on in the future. At other times, the teachers provided me a fresh new way of approaching the music, either technically or musically.

One of the things that was completely new to me was playing chamber music. I was assigned Beethoven’s Sonata for Cello and Piano, Opus 102 No. 1. I was coached by Ashima Scripp, a world-class cellist, who was also my partner. Towards the end of the Academy, we performed the first movement as part of one of four all chamber music recitals. As a pianist who generally only performs solos, this was quite exciting to me – it was the chance to experience the collaborative effort and camaraderie of ensemble playing that other instrumentalists probably take for granted.

There were many other great things about the Academy, but the last that I’d like to mention is the location. It was located in the old part of Regensburg, near the Danube river and the Old Stone Bridge. During our “spare” time we could easily take a 5-minute walk to view St. Peter’s Cathedral, a magnificent centuries-old artifact, impressive even to someone who is not a fan of old architecture. Or we could visit the Thurn and Taxis Palace or St. Emmeran’s Basilica. All in all this beautiful old city was the perfect place to celebrate music of the classical masters.

By Deborah Brown