lessons.html

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<h1 class="content-padding">Lessons</h1>
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  Alex provides lessons in-person or in high quality online video-communication.
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  <h2>What to expect</h2>
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    Lessons are an hour or half an hour long. Advanced students should consider the hour-long lessons. Lessons are adapted to each students needs.<br><br>

Sometimes students are provided a small homework like activity. These may consist of music listening, sight-reading, music theory, music history, or researching one of their music pieces. 

Generally, piano students should prepare around four pieces per school year or half a school year depending on individual progress and length of pieces. 
    New students will learn or review keyboard techniques; the approach to pressing the keys. Concepts often lacking in beginner and advanced pianists. 
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  <h2>Resources</h2>
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    Students will follow RCM piano technique with supplemental Bartok and Dohnányi piano exercises. Selected music will come from a variety of sources: RCM, <a href="imslp.org">IMSLP.org</a>, and urtext.
    Beginner piano students will need a <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Bastien-Piano-Basics-Jane/dp/0849752655"><i>Bastien Piano Basics</i></a> book. 
    Students already reading sheet music will need an RCM book, 
    <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/HS1-Brown-Scale-Book/dp/0887977855/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=brown+scale+book&qid=1598567708&s=books&sr=1-1"><i>The Brown Scale Book</i></a>, 
    and access to IMSLP.org and a printer. Students will also need a pencil, eraser, and possibly a highlighter.<br><br>
    Clearer details of what to purchase will be discussed at the first lesson.
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  <h2>Instruction Philosophy <span id="philosophy-moto" style="font-size: 16px"><i>Balancing musicality, creativity, and intensity</i></span></h2>
  
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    Alex implements a variety of instructional methodologies flexibly to provide effective and efficient music lessons. Ultimately, one preeminent concept ascends all others; musicians require the crucial trait of <b>musicality</b>. 
    Musicality transforms mechanical motion and sonic waves into music. 
    A musician cannot simply press the keys they must feel and fully-comprehend a composer's musical intentions to transfer musical aspects into their playing. 
    The most compelling approach to achieving appealing musical abilities appears through singing musical phrases in piano pieces.
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    Learning to play the piano involves activating and moving muscles in specific means. Students progress much faster when the instructor explains the muscular movements required to play.<br><br>
    
    <b>Stylism</b>, the unique sound structure that generates contrast between musicians. 
    This vital feature is no longer taught due to instructors requiring students to follow their preconceived notion of how a piece must be played. 
    Every composer integrates their musical style into their compositions. Each musician needs their own rich musical style too.
    Students should be inspired to experiment with their piano pieces as it develops their style and creative thought.<br><br>
 
    Alex strives to provide answers to student's questions based on evidence and academic research. 
    The traditional piano instructor provides knowledge derived from prior instructors, a <i>word of mouth</i> practice. 
    This style tends to distribute some amount of inaccurate or misrepresented information, normally regarding the lives of composers. 
    
    Instruction derived from recognized musicologists and extant historical sources is much more robust which allows students to comprehend the internal aspects of music with the security of accurate information,  
    and better memory retention. Again, this differs from the traditional authoritarian style where the student is only told what to do.
    Evidence-based learning accomplishes the following goals:</p>
    
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    <li>Knowledge set in a solid foundation which easily transfers to future opportunities.</li><br>
    <li>Develops critical thinking skills which permits students to come to their own conclusions.</li><br>
    <li>Allowing students to choose from a variety of valid playing styles.</li><br>
    <li>Exploring realistic perspectives of composers and their life stories.</li><br>
    <li>Discovering thoroughly researched answers to complex questions.</li></ul>
    
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  Students in the modern musical universe are entangled in an enormous piano repertoire. 
  This means aspiring pianists often do not have time to compose, experiment, and play their own music. 
  In the 1800s, improvisation and performing one's own works equalled in importance to performing the works of others. 
  Today the development of this skill is disregarded despite it being crucial to historical composers. 
  Alex promotes students' musical creativity. Students are strongly encouraged to improvise at home to develop their compositional skills. 
    Beethoven, Chopin, Liszt, and many others were great improvisers.
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