Dear Parents and Students,
Please mark your calendar. Dates of our semi-annual Studio Recitals in this academic year
are as follows.
Fall 2008: November 22, Saturday, at 1:00pm
Spring 2009: May 23, Saturday, at 1:00pm
The coming one (on November 22) will be just a week before Thanksgivings. (That is, you
will enjoy an easy holiday. :-) As usual, rehearsal will start an hour earlier, at noon.
Rehearsal schedule and recital program will be posted later. For other details, please
visit our studio website, and click "Studio Recital".
Reminder for all of you, especially new students: Our semi-annual Studio Recitals provide
wonderful performance opportunities for students to share and to learn mutually. I consider
they are really important events for students' piano study. Quoted from Recital Regulations:
"All of the students, including non-performers in this recital, are mandatory to attend and
to stay for the ENTIRE concert program. Any unexcused no show, late arrival, or early absence
will affect the individual student's good standing eligibility for performing in the next
season recital." I appreciate your cooperation for the past years.
However, unfortunately, in the last recital, there were 4 students leaving the hall early
during the intermission; 1 of them sneaked out without even letting me know, which had never
happened before since the Recital Regulations were applied several years ago. In our Studio
Recital we are simply audience and supporters of each other over there. If everyone only wants
to be a performer but not a listener, there will be no recital because there will be no
audience.
You all come to the studio to learn how to play the piano well, but, as a matter of fact, it
requires more than just fast fingers and some good music thoughts to become a good pianist.
I am convinced that to respect is even more important for both parents and students to learn
first. To respect a composer one should be attentive to his/her music; to respect a pianist one
should be attentive to his/her playing. Only do you, who show respect for others' performance,
have potential to further develop into a good pianist/musician, and receive respect from others.
Children should start to learn this early; parents must be a role model to your kids. If you
think your kid is too young to sit tight and listen in a concert, it could sometimes mean that
your kid is not yet ready to play the piano; but most likely, it means you are not ready instead
of your kid. I request young students' parents to involve; your help, to interest your kids to
listen in a concert and to educate them to respect, will be tremendously valuable to them in
the future.
I post recital dates early, usually in September. Parents please try to avoid conflict. There are
only 2 Studio recitals a year. Whoever was early absent without notifying me will not be eligible
to play in the next Studio Recital.
Worse was to follow; a very regrettable incident happened last time. Since misconception behind
the incident has been among some of Chinese parents for a long time, I decided to write the
following in Chinese (Big-5 encoding) to make it clear. This incident was the first time; I truly
hope it would be the last time as well.
在上次Studio Recital前夕, 發生了一件非常令人遺憾的事. 一位母親以強烈的反應與不友善的態度要求我改變她孩子在Recital節目單上的順序,
否則她拒絕讓孩子參加Recital. 當然我不會告訴各位這是哪位學生的家長. 然我知道這些年來, 不少家長都頗注意自己孩子在Recital中的先後順序,
將此視為彈奏好壞的排名順序. 對於這種誤解, 請容我在此說明.
首先, 節目單的順序, 是我"大略"依據學生這次演奏曲目的難易度, 由易至難而排出的. 如此做的唯一目的, 是增加Recital的可聽性與精彩性,
而不會在一個複雜的Beethoven Sonata之後, 突然跳出一首"Mary had a little lamb", 成為了有趣的對比. 然而, 所以我強調"大略"兩字,
是由於這種難易度的排序是極為粗略的. 原因如下:
1. 每個孩子彈兩首曲子, 常常是一首難些, 一首容易點兒.
2. 如果一個孩子的曲目偏向抒情, 我有時會刻意將一個曲目較為活潑的孩子緊接其後, 這也不過是Recital可聽性的考量罷了.
3. 甚至有時, 為了Recital節目單的美觀考量, 我會重新調整順序, 讓剛好印在一頁最底的演出者的曲目不會一部分印在這頁, 另一部分印在下一頁.
4. 我總是選一位過去於Studio Recital演奏過, 有經驗且表現不錯的學生作為開場的第一個表演者.
希望藉由這位學生作為緊接於後未曾參加過Recital的學生們的範例, 使整個入場--出場的流程能更為順暢.
I consider it is an honor to the selected student.
5. 其實, 真要把每首曲子都排出個難易順序是不可能, 也不合理的. 我只能很概略的說, 某一些曲子是大致上差不多的難度. 以上次的Studio Recital為例,
從第5位演出者William到第11位演出者Errica (共七人), 我只能大略的告訴各位, 他們曲目的難度是差不多的;
我沒有辦法很明確的告訴你們這七個人中誰的曲子比較難.
6. 曲子的難易度其實是因人而異的. 以一個技巧好, 手指快但音樂性一般的學生為例, 一首處處是running notes且速度快的曲子對他人來說很難,
但對這個學生可能很容易; 然而一首速度慢且充滿感情的曲子卻可能會被這個學生彈得慘不忍睹, 困難重重, 對其他人來說卻較容易.
所以我只能(也只想)大略的排序. 再次強調, 唯一目的, 只是增加Recital的可聽性與精彩性罷了.
關鍵是, 曲子的難易當真代表一個學生的彈奏程度與好壞嗎? 實不盡然. 所謂彈得好, 應指的是演奏者對一首曲子在音樂上與技術上的控制, 理解, 以及表現俱優.
在鋼琴比賽中, 評審對於好壞的鑑定也取決於此, 而不是曲子的難度. (否則, 評審只要根據報名參賽者的曲目難度就可以決定誰是第一名, 不用到場聽所有參賽者演奏了.)
至於曲目的難度, 概略來說, 學得愈久, 彈得曲子愈難. 也就是說, 一個學生所演奏曲目的難易度只粗略顯示其學習時間的長短罷了. 當然, 再仔細點兒探究,
每個學生的學習速度是不同的, 以同樣兩個學了四年的孩子為例來比較, 他們所彈的曲目難度也可能不會相同. 無可諱言, 學得快絕對是個優點, 背後可能代表這個學生領悟力佳,
練習認真而有效率. 然而, 學得快並不見得表示彈出來的音樂比學得慢的孩子好; 能彈出優美的音樂, 彈得好, 才是我們學習的目的.
不論是因為學習時間長亦或是學習速度快造成一個學生在音樂會中彈得曲目比另一個學生難些, 常常仍不能與這兩個學生的彈奏好壞劃上等號. 舉例而言:
學生A學一首新的曲子兩個星期後可以做到70分, 到第三個星期能做到80分, 第四個星期能做到85-90分. 學生B學一首新的曲子兩個星期後也能做到70分,
但到第三個星期只能做到72分, 第四個星期只能做到73分. (當然, 我瞭解每個學生的學習特質及其能達到的標準.) 假設70分已是一個, 對學生B而言, 可以接受的標準,
我兩個星期就會讓他pass這首曲子. 但我很可能會要求學生A彈四個星期, 因為他能做得更好. 表面上看來, B學得快些, 但事實上, A彈得比較好, 假以時日,
A很可能會成為一個比B更好的pianist. 假如我真的依據學生彈奏得好壞來排Recital節目單的順序, 坦白告訴各位, 恐怕會跟現在節目單上的順序截然不同.
只要一個孩子每天花時間認真練琴, 我不在乎他是否學得比其他孩子慢些, 但我在乎(並要求)每個學生的每首曲子都能至少彈得好到一個可以接受的水平. 學得快是天分,
值得欣慰, 但我更重視彈得好. 我尊重每個人天生學習的速度不同, 但前提是, 必須盡了力. 如果一個孩子學得慢純粹是因為沒有好好練琴, 或者家長不重視,
那就是很令人遺憾且不希望發生的事了. 這樣的情況, 我在乎. 總而言之, 我希望家長們把重心放在"我的孩子是否把每首曲子都彈好", "與他自己比較,
我的孩子是否在這次Recital中比上次彈得更好"上. 我瞭解對大多數的家長而言, 若真想比較出孩子與孩子之間的彈奏好壞其實有些困難,
這畢竟需要一雙較敏銳亦或被訓練過的耳朵來分辨. (所以比賽是需要專業評審的.) 如果不是很能聽得出彈奏好壞, 卻又很希望與他人比較,
我建議家長們去比較"是否我的孩子比別人努力, 練琴的時間比別人長", 而不是"我的孩子是否彈得曲子比別人難, 在Studio Recital中的順序比較後面".
坦白說, 那樣的比較沒有任何正面意義.
附帶一提, 舉辦Studio Recital, 並訂出相關種種規定, 都只為增加學生們的演出經驗, 並提供互相學習的機會, 這有益於學生們, 而非有利於我.
以不參加Recital作為威脅, 恕我直言, 很可笑, 也不甚明智. 遺憾的是, 孩子們的學習是單純的, 但少數家長們虛榮作祟, 比來比去, 影響孩子的價值觀,
更甚至不惜為此犧牲孩子的學習機會, 本末倒置. 從今以後, 若再發生家長以不合理的態度計較孩子在Recital中的順序, 很抱歉, 我將會立刻請他們離開這個Studio,
因為這表示這位家長對學習的理念與我截然不同.
歡迎各位提問與我討論.
