What a great recital today.  15 students volunteered to perform for the residents at Mississauga Extendicare.  5 students M.C with funny scripts and every student delivered top notch piano playing.  The audience had a great time if you can judge from their smiles, humming, toe tapping and singing.  Great Job EVERYONE!!

I have students of all levels who do piano examinations for every grade level. I also have students who skipped all the examinations til the end and only do them at the advance levels for the highschool credits. Few have been positive experiences and few have been ugly.

Personally, the only piano examinations I did were for Grades 4, 8, 9, 10 and ARCT. I suffer from extreme stage fright and I specifically recall after my Grade 9 piano examination, running to the nearest pay phone to call my teacher in tears thinking I’ve failed it miserably.

I had a 15 year old student who has completed examinations for every grade found them so agonizing and upon her parent’s insistence, went in for her grade 7 examination. She was so nervous that when the examiner greeted her, she burst into tears.

A few of the students who are not self motivated to practice, I use examinations as a goal that forces them to practice to pass each level. Others, we work through all the requirements and instead of the required piece from each section and studys, I require the students to learn double the required pieces. On top of the technical requirements, we also work on sight reading and ear training. The kids are not losing in their lessons by not having an examination, but by knowing what I require from them to go on to the next level, they have their own goals.

By not having a specific timeline, as examinations are only held 3 times a year, most of my students who are self motivated to practice, complete the levels at a quicker pace. We do have regular performances held every 2 months which in itself allows the kids to work towards making their pieces performance ready.

The goal of learning the piano should be for the pleasure of it in itself. Rarely do I find a child who started piano to not like it. There is excitement on their faces when I play new pieces for them to select from. I haven’t met a student yet who did not beam in happiness everytime I checked their music and deemed it performance ready and finished – ready to move on to the next.

I found as long as the students know there is a clear structure to the levels as the RCM is great at providing and the students know clearly what is required from them to progress, examinations should only be used as a tool when necessary and not be the end goal in itself in learning.

Happy 256th Birthday Mozart!

Congratulations to 12 year old Thomas. A hockey player, a gifted math whiz, and all around great kid who achieved 99% in his Intermediate Rudiments Theory exam. WOW!!

From the students of Becky Yuan piano studio 2011

Students and parents volunteered time today at Mississauga Extendicare. Starting the Christmas season right with the singing and playing of Christmas songs. Each student was introduced while we all gathered around to sing.

Franz Liszt was the world’s first ROCK STAR. Born 200 years ago, women would attack him and tear at his clothes. Pull out chunks of his hair and fight over broken piano strings.

He was the inventor of the recital. The first to stride from the wings to the piano in a concert hall. He was the first to place the piano sideways so the audience could see the profile of him. The first to perform without the musical score and the first to move his body with the music and whip his hair so beads of sweat would fall on the women in the front row. Before him, it was considered arrogant to play without the score.

All students who agonized about having to perform in recitals and memorize music have only Franz Liszt to blame. Known throughout Europe as one of THE most technically advanced pianist of his age and perhaps of all time, a composer and a teacher. His influence continues on today in his compositions. Here is one of Franz Liszt’s famous piano compositions performed by Tom in the cartoon, Tom and Jerry.

Dates have been set. This year, small groups of students of Becky Yuan piano studio will be volunteering to perform themed recitals for the residents at the Extendicare Mississauga, located on John Watt Blvd near the intersection of Mavis and Derry.

November 29, 2011 at 6:30pm Christmas Theme
February 7, 2012 at 6:30pm Valentines Theme
April 21, 2012 at 2pm – A performance for the Volunteers Appreciation Event
June 16, 2012 at 2pm – Light Classics.