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Music, Books, and Music Books
Masterclasses
Friday, November 5, 2021 by LaDona Ahenda | Masterclasses
Things have settled down enough that we have been able to enjoy small masterclasses in the studio. This was the first time in almost two years that students had the opportunity to perform live in front of their peers. The nerves showed a bit, as I expected.
After each performance, I give students the opportunity to say something positive and something that could be better. Inevitably, "dynamics" seems to be the go-to answer. Sometimes I think that maybe this part of the class is worse for the students than the actual performance! It is challenging enough to pay close attention to the score during a performance, let alone to verbalize it. With time and maturity and more classes, the answers come to have more substance.
Once students are advanced and have been in my studio for a few years, these classes run themselves. Some of these moments have been among the best in my musical career. They have been eager to share what they observe and offer valid suggestions, sometimes suggestions that I hadn't even thought of. This tells me they have been listening and absorbing well in the lessons. I am always a little sad when these students move on.
So we start at the beginning with the young students. At that stage, I am happy if there is a wide enough range of dynamics that this can be clearly heard by others. And class by class, lesson by lesson, they hear more and become more aware. My satisfaction grows, and I trust theirs' does as well.
