Phillip Dieckow: Principles of Teaching
The pursuit of personal excellence, whether as a five year old or as a sixty-five
year old, is a driving force of life--the cradle of hope and faith.
Whether this pursuit is in the planting of a garden, the raising of a child, the
painting of a picture, becoming a "A" student or excelling at sports, bodybuilding
or music, the basic principles remain the same. Regardless of your path, I
believe you will find correlations in the basic principles of my teaching of
the piano.
1. Most people READ THROUGH the music repeatedly until they get most of the
notes right, gradually deciding on proper fingering, dynamics, phrasing (legato,
detached notes and timing of breath pauses) and pedaling. This approach is a
WASTE OF TIME and produces a dissatisfying result.
2. Listen to a RECOMMENDED recording three or four times--following the
music--to get a general idea of the piece. Then DO NOT listen to the recording
again until the piece is learned and polished.
3. Set a weekly goal of how far you want to go in the piece (based on how
much of it you can work each day) based on the following principles.
4. Keep a JOURNAL of your daily practice (or a POST-IT on each piece) so
that you have a visual record of what you have done.
5. Take four or eight measure sections at a time (even two measures if the
piece is quite complex). Work out fingerings, rhythm, phrasing (legato, detached
notes and timing for breath pauses), dynamics and pedaling. With great
concentration, work to make it all happen simultaneously. REPEAT THE SMALL
SECTION SIX TO EIGHT TIMES (eight to ten depending on the difficulty). Alternate
repetitions between no pedal at all and pedal to highlight accuracy. The aim is
for it all to be perfectly realized during the repetitions. STOP AND FIX anything
that is unclear or messy. THERE WILL ALWAYS BE TROUBLE SPOTS. Use various rhythms
and metronome and separate hand practice until they are mastered--past the point
of panic. When you get tired and are not concentrating well, stop and take a
short break and then GET RIGHT BACK TO IT. Work this way by sections until you
get to your preset goal in the piece. DO THIS EVERY DAY, no matter what comes up.
6. Exercise slogans like NO PAIN NO GAIN and PUSH TILL IT BURNS are
applicable. Don't be too easy in setting goals for yourself but also don't
make the short-term goals unattainable within the week's time. DAILY work in
the above manner on each piece you are studying is imperative.
7. You WILL get discouraged and frustrated and often feel like you are
pursuing an unreachable goal and making a fool of yourself. WE ALL OFTEN FEEL
THAT WAY, sometimes 50% of the time. CLEAR GOALS AND HARD, THOUGHTFUL, PERSISTENT
WORK--remembering all steps toward a goal are BABY STEPS and we often can't see
them clearly since they are so gradual--this is the winning formula. That we
have the DESIRE to play well and learn to know ourselves better and express
ourselves through music is the first sign of being gifted. God has given us
these desires and gifts, but He has given them to us RAW. It is up to us to
develop and refine them.
8. Working and thinking and living in this manner makes you part of a group
of people who probably represent all that is left of NOBILITY in this century.
It is a great responsibility, regardless of our goals, but it is also a great
blessing.
6-4-98
