Playing the piano, or any instrument for that matter – including singing – is not just a fun skill to learn. Training in music is training in focus.
Beginning musicians, of course, start out with just a few things to focus on. But as their capacity grows, they are able to focus on more. They learn to notice, pay attention to, and execute minute details.
Advancing pianists will pay attention to which finger plays which note, for how long, with a specific dynamic and articulation, the right phrasing and tone, and the right style, all the while making sure they are situated on the bench correctly with good posture, their head and shoulders, arms and hands all positioned properly, and the foot maneuvering the pedal and blending the notes well. When they practice, musicians are learning to manage all those details at once!
What a skill!
Wouldn’t every teacher and future employer love a student or employee who has been specially trained in “focus?”
In the early 20th C, Nadia Boulanger, a world-renowned music teacher of many now-famous composers, said of focus:
“Anyone who acts without paying attention to what he is doing is wasting his life. I’d go so far as to say life is denied by lack of attention, whether it be to cleaning windows or trying to write a masterpiece.”
Mademoiselle: Conversations with Nadia Boulanger
According to Ms. Boulanger’s philosophy, training in music sets up one for a life well-lived. That developed ability to focus transfers to every area of life! No wonder so many musicians end up in highly specialized careers, like medicine and astrophysics!
Do you want to learn to play the piano? Write your own music? Perform more confidently? Understand music better? Become a more valuable member of your ensemble? I can help you reach your goals, and I want to hear from you!
Piano, Theory, Composition and More! 