Overcoming Challenges

 

Tomoko knows the value of persistence, even when experiencing challenges and failure. She asserts: “Each piano piece has some kind of physical challenge. Tomoko also associates learning to play the piano to mountain climbing. “You need to go up lots of small mountains. If the road is right, you will reach up. So practice daily, and step nicely.” 

Tomoko also shares stories about pianists and composers of piano pieces with her students, and sometimes mentions the challenges these individuals faced and overcame.

For instance, Mozart was a court musician in Salzburg, but was very unhappy in his job. He quarreled frequently with the Archbishop, and was fired from that position. However, he felt liberated, and became a famous pianist after performing in competition before the emperor.

Rachmaninov’s composing career had a rocky start. His first symphony’s premier was a disaster, partly because the orchestra hadn’t rehearsed enough and the conductor was drunk. For three years, Rachmaninov composed very little because he was so depressed. Fortunately, he was able to get psychiatric help, and his later Piano Concerto No. 2 became internationally applauded.

Robert Schumann also started as a performing pianist, but his little finger on his right hand was weak. He tried to fix that problem, but his hand became permanently damaged instead. With that career out of the picture, he turned to composing, and is known for his romantic piano works.

Jean Sibelius started his musical career as a violinist but was turned down by orchestras. He thought he was too old to train further for performance but instead of foregoing music, he decided to switch to composing. He not only wrote great violin concertos but also impressive piano compositions.

Beethoven experienced several challenges. As a boy, he was dominated by his alcoholic father, and then had to be the breadwinner for his family when his father declined and died. Then as early as in his twenties, Beethoven’s hearing started to decline. However, he wrote his best musical compositions when he could hear the music only in his head.

Tomoko too has had her own challenges, but has succeeded as a piano performer and award-winning piano teacher. She and the musicians above are worthy models for piano learners.

  

Signs of Spring

Spring has arrived! Time for renewal and hope. Tomoko appreciates the natural seasons as well as the seasons of one’s life and the seasons of playing the piano.

Tomoko has always enjoyed nature: the sounds of birds, the fresh smell of spring grass, the warmth of earth as the sun shines on it. Even though winters are mild where Tomoko now lives, the hills signal spring as the early year rains transform the dried brush into green velveteen ranges.

Sometimes a musician experiences a personal winter in his or her own playing. Stress or tiredness can cause the emotions to be muted so that playing becomes more mechanical. In one respect, this time can be used to good effect to focus on technical playing that requires little emotion but can occupy the mind. Sometimes a musician may find himself or herself at a plateau, seemingly unable to progress; that may be a time to switch to another genre of music. Other times,  piece may just feel too daunting; “90% challenging is not a good balance,” says Tomoko. It may be time to regroup, and focus on a simpler piece, or to focus on just one movement of a challenging piece.

“I always try to give my students hope,” says Tomoko. She knows from experience that even most bitter winter must end, and that a springtime of renewal will come eventually. Furthermore, when a student persists through a bad season of playing, and comes through successfully, their joy and pride are stronger for the challenge.