As playing the piano is often a solitary activity, duets are beneficial for students as they provide them with a chance to play alongside another musician. Although practicing with a metronome is a useful tool to getting a piece at a consistent speed, the unpredictability of playing with another musician introduces a new element into learning, and further highlights the importance of listening while playing.
Here are the four students we have chosen to perform duets written by Catherine:
Daisy Page will be performing the Spring duet with Catherine: Call of the Chorus.
Scarlett Preston-Jones will be performing the Summer duet with Catherine: Playing in the Park
Emily Loveday will be performing the Autumn duet with Catherine: Blowing in the Breeze.
Charlotte Davies will be performing the Winter duet with Georgina: Softly Falls the Snow.
We have found that duets are a lovely addition to our lesson plans, as they give us a chance to play the piano alongside our students, and we look forward to recording these four pieces for the CD.
What a lovely idea! It gives confidence I think to play alongside someone else. No one should underestimate how hard it is though to keep the rhythm together. Good luck to everyone involved!
ReplyDeleteThank you! You make a very good point - people who have never played with other musicians may not appreciate just how difficult it is to keep in time with other people; this is something our students are noticing as they continue to learn their duet pieces.
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