rhapsodydmb
A LEARNING PARTNERSHIP DOES NOT INVOLVE "COMPLIANCE", "FORCE", OR SUFFERING
The most beautiful illustration of the nature of relationship and teaching style under which I thrive, came when recently I interviewed,...
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Rhapsodydmb.com
A soft place to land to read music poetry and stories, and share our love of piano adventures!
rhapsodydmb
- Apr 2
- 4 min
HOW JUSTICE & AMBIVALENCE CAN MOTIVATE PERSISTENCE & REDUCE STRESS IN LESSONS & PERFORMANCE
Theories in the field of psychology about motivation are vast. What can we use to motivate ourselves toward lessons with a goal of...
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rhapsodydmb
- Mar 30
- 5 min
THE PAUSE THAT REFRESHES, AND MAKES MUSIC LIVE!
The COCA-COLA company claims that "Advertising slogans are a part of everyday life for consumers around the world,and Coca-Cola has...
40 views0 comments
rhapsodydmb
- Mar 26
- 6 min
PLAYING WHAT ONE LOVES, BUT LISTENING TO ALL
One of the principal elements I seek in any piano teacher with whom I work, is that I be allowed to choose the pieces I want to learn,...
51 views0 comments
rhapsodydmb
- Mar 7
- 9 min
A STUDENT'S CHALLENGES IN COMMUNICATING A DECISION TO TERMINATE LESSONS
"The teacher-student relationship is incredibly important, regardless of the age of the student, and a positive, supportive and mutually...
216 views0 comments
rhapsodydmb
- Mar 5
- 4 min
HOW TO USE YOUTUBE - & - THE LAW OF UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES
HOW TO USE YOUTUBE: Cello teacher Hans Jorgen Jensen (from Denmark) taught me the "right" way to use many performances on YouTube to...
18 views0 comments
rhapsodydmb
- Mar 3
- 4 min
PERFORMANCE IN THE FACE OF PUSH-BACK
Joe, my neighbor-piano mentor friend pictured here before he played my Duchess, loves to prepare for months for his student recital every...
45 views0 comments
rhapsodydmb
- Feb 28
- 5 min
WHY DO SOME PRACTICE DAYS GO SO WELL?
Last night I played Schumann's "Traumerie," Mendelssohn's "Confidence (intermediate arrangement)," Schumann's "Foreign Lands," Aram...
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rhapsodydmb
- Feb 27
- 5 min
HOW DO SELF-ESTEEM AND SELF-CONFIDENCE DEVELOP?
Shaky self esteem and self confidence seem to be major challenges for many senior or "older" adult piano students. A former piano teacher...
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rhapsodydmb
- Feb 20
- 3 min
FRIENDS, PIANISTS, & COUNTRYPEOPLE: LEND ME YOUR EAR!
Today after a short conversation with my composer-pianist friend Bruce, this strange idea came to me: Do you think up there somewhere in...
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rhapsodydmb
- Feb 13
- 9 min
WHAT I WISH I HAD KNOWN AT THE START
At the end of March, 2023 I will accomplish 24 months of weekly piano lessons. So what do I wish I had known before I returned to study...
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rhapsodydmb
- Feb 6
- 6 min
MUSIC - IN THE "RIGHT" TIME!
Bruce, a composer-pianist-broker friend who is significant to my growing musical confidence and knowledge, recently asked why my music...
56 views0 comments
rhapsodydmb
- Feb 5
- 6 min
LISTENING TO ONE’S “INNER VOICE” IN A HANG DRUM - by Raven Crone (Guest Blog; with Rowley & Joy)
I was reading two poems about “Inner Voices,” in a manuscript of Ann’s second volume of poetry which is scheduled for publication later...
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rhapsodydmb
- Feb 5
- 7 min
FINDING A MUSIC TRIBE: The loneliness of a long-distance piano student
Being an amateur pianist who studies in individual zoom lessons at home, is a lonely affair. It occurred to me after about a year of such...
71 views0 comments
rhapsodydmb
- Jan 25
- 8 min
THE "FLOW" - A MYSTERIOUS CONCEPT
Words fascinate me. When I was in early grammar school and it was about time to leave for school in the morning, my mom used to find me...
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rhapsodydmb
- Jan 23
- 6 min
LEARNING THE PIANO - DREAMS & INDIVIDUAL OPINIONS
After the just-past 21 months of piano lessons, I have arrived at the conclusion that there are no (or very, very few) "best practices"...
45 views0 comments
rhapsodydmb
- Jan 20
- 4 min
“MUSICALITY” - AN ELUSIVE CONCEPT
The more I delve into new words and concepts from the world of music, the more I find ambiguity and vagueness. So often the experts I...
22 views0 comments
rhapsodydmb
- Dec 17, 2022
- 2 min
WHAT PIANO LESSONS AND LOVE OF MUSIC DELIVER
I noted a December 11, 2022 New York Times' article by Jenny Odell about what Twittering does/did to her sense of time. Her conclusions,...
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rhapsodydmb
- Dec 14, 2022
- 4 min
THE EXCHANGE
I observe that when I enter into music, either as a player of my piano or a listener to another person or group, I am participating in an...
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rhapsodydmb
- Nov 20, 2022
- 5 min
DISRUPTION OF SOUND WAVES
During a recent piano lesson on November 17, 2022, my teacher, Robert Estrin (livingpianos.com), wanted to help me fine-tune the piece I...
9 views0 comments
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