My authoring technique in piano teaching employs improvisation. It is an indispensable part of my approach to teaching the piano and playing music in general. It is highly important to open up a “creativity flow” in any student, develop freedom of playing what one enjoys most without sheet music and long practice hours. In addition, it will enchant the performance of any written piece of music that one already plays and make learning new pieces easier and faster.
While improvising, a child learns to communicate with the teacher or other students through sound. When learning to improvise, a child of any age gains needed abilities for playing the piano with natural flexibility, agility and ease. In addition to that the method gives a child much more courage to perform in public without preparation and a higher self-esteem. Quite fast , in 10-15 lessons, one can trace a transition from the world of pre-music (chaotic sounds) to organised thought through and heartfelt music. Parents can spot the new level of perception when a child can describe them a picturesque story behind the sounds that he/she hears and answer the question “What was this musical piece about? ”.
Improvising is learning to see the building blocks of music and using them as one likes. It is a wonderful way to have fun by playing your instrument and unleash your fantasy. No special preparation required, no age limit, no style limit. It makes the child or an adult feel himself as a creator and an artist whilst making music. Through my method ca student learns to love and handle the beautiful world of sounds and turn sounds into music.
Methodology of teaching comes from the Academy of Music and Theatre in Tallinn, the first music academy to open a Master’s program in improvisation major. It consists of unique exercises on “music building blocks”, modes, scales, attention, harmony etc.
It is possible to take only improvisation lessons once a week or per fortnight for students who study piano elsewhere or who study a different instrument. One-off lessons are also on offer.
