How to Make Musical Magic
Musical Magic
It is wonderful to watch someone master a piece and feel that joy and confidence that comes from working hard. I remember that feeling. But it was always quickly replaced with a brand-new assignment challenge so there wasn’t much time to relish the success.
I realized one day that I needed to be learning new pieces myself in order to keep magic alive for myself. So, I did and still do. But sometimes there’s magic that happens that we simply cannot orchestrate.
Finding Magic in daily living
I live in the desert. One of my favorite things is the lightening and storms that pop up randomly in the summer. The darkened skies all lit up is magic. But I cannot order it or even plan for it.
It makes me wonder then how I can encourage parents to help their students find magic. I encourage them to watch great shows like Walt Disney’s Fantasia 2000 with their kids. Introduce them to musicals, plays and shows with great music. Some parents take it in stride, others make real efforts, but I’ve found the interest in playing the piano picks up FAST when someone finds they can play something they love.
One of my students told me yesterday that her Mom and Grandma took her to see the Sound of Music performed by the local Shakespeare Festival actors. She had just finished learning most of the tunes from the show. The magic for her was coming home and reliving the fabulous show by playing them all again.
A Cinderella play came to the stage at a famous outdoor amphitheater orchestrated with the Rogers and Hammerstein songs written way back in the 1960’s. When my 6 & 9-year-old students got to see and love it, of course they were excited to learn the tunes themselves. Magic happens by being open to new music, even if it means me finding the notes for students obcessed with the the Fortnite dance mash ups. I will do anything to help kids feel joy playing music they love on the piano.
How do you help students find Magic in their music?
I’d love to hear.
