Laura B
Chapter 7: As humans, it can become so easy to give into the temptation to micro-manage our lives. We often over-look, over-try, and over-instruct in our lives. We then wonder why we keep on failing, getting hurt, and feeling discouraged. Life becomes much easier when we learn to see the broader view and then let our bodies naturally take the correct steps by itself. When we wake up our awareness, we in turn are able to free ourselves from the nitty-gritty grind of life. We begin to live in a state of constant discovery as we learn to enjoy the journey. Ristad uses this concept with teaching beginning pianists how to gain an understanding of the keyboard and how to sight-read music. She discovered that most beginners understand music written vertically instead of the traditional horizontal way. Through this discovery, she created her own techniques of producing music vertically that help beginning pianists begin to conceptualize the keyboard. They are able to identify intervals more easily, as well as play full chords in their first lesson. Eventually, they are able to apply their knowledge into reading on the traditional horizontal staff.
Key Concept: Don't be so focused on the nitty-gritty techniques of movement. Look up, take in the view, and trust that your body will know what to do.
Key Terms: vision, interval, clef, vertical
Making Connections: I too often find myself so focused on trying to control through my mind what my body is doing while practicing. I need to learn to take a step back, focus on the whole picture, and then trust in my body to do this rest. It's all about becoming more aware!
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