I like to think of this as the “piece sweetheart” challenge. I want you to fall back in love with your instrument today by taking the time to play your all time favourite piece of music.
Too often we teachers spend all our own practice time (if we have any) playing pedagogical repertoire. I know I spend a lot of my time playing through new selections, polishing up more advanced piece so I can demonstrate them for students, and going over teacher duet parts.
But what about what you love to play? When was the last time you reconnected with your own favourite piece?
Today I want you to take the time to play your piece sweetheart. At least once.
Vibrant Music Teaching members, you can access this resource inside the VMT library. Not a member yet? Find out more about becoming a member here.
What’s your Piece Sweetheart?
This idea will mean different things to different people. I’m inviting you to take a little walk down the musical memory lane to find what piece fits this challenge for you.
The concept of a piece sweetheart might take you back to the first performance you ever heard on your instrument. It might be a piece you played at a college recital. The first work you ever learnt by a major composer. Your first sonata. The greatest performance you ever gave. The piece that you could never quite master…
My Own Great Musical Love
My own piece sweetheart has to be Beethoven’s Pathetique sonata, op. 13. Some may call this piece over-played, but it’s always had my heart.
I always loved Beethoven growing up. At every exam my list B piece was always Beethoven (at the expense of learning much other classical repertoire in my teens :-0 ). I got to know the Pathetique through a CD from a collection my brother gave me one Christmas. And I’ve been infatuated ever since.
When my teacher suggested the first movement of the Pathetique for an upcoming exam I was trilled. I have revisited it probably every six months or so since first learning the sonata.
I think it shows in my dog-eared edition…
I am never and most likely never will be satisfied with my performance of it but I think that’s one of the joys of our lifelong relationship with music. Each time I discover something a little more.
Action Steps
- Pick out your piece sweetheart and dust off your favourite edition.
- Play it. Enjoy it.
- Play it again and again if time allows.
So, what’s your all time favourite piece?
What piece will you be spending some quality time with today? Share what you’ve selected in the Vibrant Music Studio Teachers group on Facebook or in the comments below.
If you’re feeling really brave you could even share a video of you playing your piece sweetheart.
P.S. If you’re dealing with an injury, or can’t play for other reasons, take the time to listen to your favourite performance of your favourite piece. You can still reconnect in your imagination.
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Vibrant Music Teaching members, you can access this resource inside the VMT library. Not a member yet? Find out more about becoming a member here.
Did you miss any of the posts in the 30 Day Studio Refresh? Check them out by clicking here.
How funny! Beethoven’s Moonlight sonata was the first piece that inspired me to play the piano (even though it had four sharps). I also fancied Richard Clayderman too at the time so he also inspired me to play Ballad Pour Adelaide. I can play this piece by memory too!
I’m sure that particular piece (and Beethoven in general) has inspired many a beginning pianist to get started!
Wow, I was totally obsessed with the first movement of Pathetique also! It’s such a powerful piece. For me at the moment it’s Chopin. I recently lost my Mum and I have a Chopin book of hers that my Dad gave her in 1948! It’s really quite special to be playing from the same music she used to play from all those years ago and makes me feel very close to her.
Oh that’s lovely Coo. I have the same feeling when I play from books that my great aunt played from, although those are even older. So special to have that connection to her through music.
My piece sweetheart doesn’t even SOUND sweet, but it has to be a favorite of all time……………………….Maple Leaf Rag. I learned it in high school and now my oldest grandkids are in high school, so you know it’s been around…and memorized….a long while!
There are so many pieces in this category for me. I just LOVE piano music. Period. But today, I decided on “Dancing on the Berlin Wall” by David Lanz. I remember hearing someone play this in a bookstore recital when I was a kid and I was immediately set on learning it myself. Now, it is always a favorite to go back to and a great one to have in my back pocket when someone asks me to play for them. 🙂