My "final exam" for piano class this semester

ShiroKuro · 2025-12-07T02:45:12+00:00

I think I might have mentioned that I'm taking piano lessons on campus this semester. It has been great! I love my teacher and I love the structure. We were...

ShiroKuro

Nightowl For most people being a professor would be challenging enough without taking their hobby to such an extreme

Being a professor is indeed challenging, I think that's why I hold my piano hobby so dearly. And I certainly don't excel in all (or even many) areas. There's nothing better than have a grant application rejected to be reminded of that!

What do you do to relax... maybe a bit of brain surgery on the side, or just design rockets when you fancy a change?!? 😆

😆

Joking aside, piano is (usually) relaxing for me. Also, we don't have children, and I have a very supportive husband, two things that also help make it possible for me to continue my pianistic pursuits.

Josephine

ShiroKuro My teacher this semester is a doctoral student, but she's easily one of the best teachers I've ever had (which is saying a lot because I've had a lot of teachers over the years!) The doctoral students get a tuition waiver and receive a stipend for teaching in the secondary piano program (so, for the record, although I don't pay for these lessons, she gets paid for teaching me!) I will have her as my teacher again next semester, but then I think she'll graduate. Hopefully I'll be able to continue with someone else after that, someone who is a good fit for me.

Maybe she wants to continue teaching you!
I don't know if she wants to be a teacher or work as a pianist, but a lot of concert pianists teach as well next to performing. Someone I know is professional singer, and she performs but also teaches at a conservatory, and she wanted to ask a piano teacher from the same conservatory if he could teach me. I looked the piano teachers up, and they all perform as well, and also have students outside the conservatory.

twocats

Josephine most grad students don't stay at the town their school is in after they graduate. I bet she would love to continue to teach SK if she was going to stay!

Josephine

twocats

That's true, I didn't think about that. For some reason I had online teaching in my mind while I know Shiro isn't looking for that. Probably because I'm looking for an online teacher myself. I mixed it up in my mind.

Ornstein

Great rendition! and really like the buildup into the return to the theme at 3 mins. Nicely conveyed the polyphony and the rhythmic ideas going on, pretty interesting piece.

Simonb

Hi ShiroKuro

Sorry, late to the party!

Lovely piece and lovely playing. I know it probably isn't, but it sounds like film music to me.

Cheers

ShiroKuro

@Josephine and @twocats right, she’s probably not going to be in town after she graduates. Also, I definitely do not want to do online lessons. I did that during the pandemic, and if possible I never want to do it again! 😃 Also, I essentially taking lessons for free by using this tuition benefit. Not having to pay for a weekly lesson is awfully nice, so I want to continue with the uni lessons for a while.

@josephine, I hope you can find an online teacher that you like!

@Ornstein thank you for listening and for the nice comments!

@Simonb thank you! I could see it as movie music too.

twocats

ShiroKuro Also, I essentially taking lessons for free by using this tuition benefit.

Oh right! The best reason to get lessons through your university!! 😃

lilypad

ShiroKuro It is super fun to play! And I’m only playing it at probably 75% of the marked tempo 😅

I tried to learn this years ago but couldn’t manage it, so it’s nice to be able to play it now. 🙂

Next up on my practice menu are some Christmas pieces for the PT holiday recital and PIYW!!

What is considered a generally acceptable percentage for a marked tempo? I think I obsess too much about marked tempos.

ShiroKuro

lilypad What is considered a generally acceptable percentage for a marked tempo?

I don't think there's a "generally acceptable percentage." I think it's all very aesthetic. If the performer likes the tempo, or the listener, then it's good. My teacher thought my tempo was fine. I think it drags a bit, and I'd love to have a little more of the momentum and drama of the faster version.

IMO it's all subjective.

I think I obsess too much about marked tempos.

I totally get that!

lilypad

ShiroKuro Thank you. I feel better now.

ShiroKuro

twocats Oh right! The best reason to get lessons through your university!!

Right?!!

The ironic thing is that these lessons are soooo so good, and they're free. But I've had teachers that I continued to pay for just mediocre or average lessons but I continued with them because they were nice and I didn't have better alternatives.

So it's pretty amazing that I'm getting these awesome lessons, and they're free!

ShiroKuro

Just an update, I got an A+ 🙂

You might not think it's an "A+ performance," I certainly don't, but it still made me happy.

Also, since recording it, I've been successful at picking u the tempo a bit. As always, recording really pushed me forward with it!

keff

ShiroKuro Well done indeed. I am beginning to wonder if recording a piece puts me under more pressure than playing live to an audience.

rsl12

Congratulations!! It must be nice to get the A+, even if it doesn't affect your GPA.

ShiroKuro

rsl12 It must be nice to get the A+, even if it doesn't affect your GPA.

It is nice!! I might be more happy about this A+ than any I got in classes that were my actual major when I was a student! 😃

GPA, hmm, I wonder if I even "accumulate" a GPA as a non-degree seeking student. I have no idea! 😃

@KevinM thank you!!

KevinM

Well done ShiroKuro. Always been impressed by your playing so I'm not that surprised.

twocats

ShiroKuro congrats!! Wow, that's awesome. They could have just given you an A but they gave you A+, that is meaningful!!

ShiroKuro

keff

Thank you!!

I am beginning to wonder if recording a piece puts me under more pressure than playing live to an audience.

I think it does for me! For one thing, a live performance is ephemeral. But my recording is like a permanent record, so anyone can go back and listen again and hear just how bad it is. 😅

ShiroKuro

twocats They could have just given you an A but they gave you A+, that is meaningful!!

I hadn't thought of it that way! 🙂

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