Most conservatory students and graduates are proficient at playing their instrument, yet they often do not understand what the piece they play is truly about. The true nature of music is coded in the score, but most lack the keys to access this information, namely, proper training in solfège/ear training, harmony, and analysis that is of course linked to performance practice.
Training for musicians in conservatories in these topics is generally divorced from the musician's practice and performance and, unfortunately, it is not uncommon that the standard of aural training even in professional musicians is quite low. It is my goal to reconcile these discrepancies and provide first and foremost the essential material to become a more complete musician.
It's important to remember: music is an art of the ear! Not an art of the fingers nor of any other body part. This is easy to forget as there is indeed a technical barrier to be climbed on every instrument in order to effectively communicate through music. Nonetheless, music is played with the ear, by this I mean the mind's ear, and this is what my courses aim to develop.
Music is the most intangible of the arts. It is then in the educated musician's grasp and control only when there is a thorough understanding of both Harmony and Form. In harmony we deal with the vertical relationship of a tone in its harmonic context; in form, with the tone's horizontal relationship developed through time.
As musicians, performers, and teachers, it is our duty to understand what a piece is about in order to communicate it effectively to the audience. This is performance in its essence, like an essay titled "my understanding of what this piece is about". Precisely because of this, since we are dealing with some of the greatest minds in the history of humanity, it is also our duty to build ourselves through serious education, to ask the great masters the right questions, and to further our understanding of the masterpieces we are in charge of performing.
We have great responsibility in our hands… The great masters of the past depend on us.
I offer online courses that are individual, tailored to the student's needs, high quality, holistic, relevant, and personal. Arts education must be personal. These courses require a fair amount of work and effort on the part of the student, but are nonetheless doable in conjunction with other training.
In mainstream conservatory institutions, group classes are the norm and, with the exception of the main instrument specialization, most classes are disregarded as unimportant by many students. Conservatory courses in "Music Theory" and History are unfortunately notorious for wasting the precious time of capable and ambitious students; by the time they graduate, very few can answer even basic questions regarding Harmony, Form, or History.
An academic approach to Ethics is also unheard of, and there is rarely a humanistic angle to the student's development. Their mental and physical health is often disregarded. Too many conservatory students do not even listen to music, are broadly accepting of any recording or performance, and lack critical thinking. No wonder anxiety, frustration, and unhealthy habits plague conservatories all over the world.
My approach starts by taking into account the goals, ability, and potential of a student. From there we focus on both practical music matters and the holistic building of the student's development path. This is mainly done through extra-musical work that includes reading, memorising poetry, and conversations about art, philosophy, ethics, and more.
A well-rounded education, not only in musical subjects but the arts in general, with a special focus on literature, philosophy, history, and the visual arts, is needed for those who wish to build themselves through high-level education. This is, after all, our duty as performers: to climb up to the level of the great masters and always aim for infinite increase in our abilities. The yearning for infinite improvement is the only path against decay.
Much of the musical material we will cover has been built through tradition, in this case, wht we can refer to as the Second Vienna School. Arnold Schoenberg's ideas have been not only transferred orally in an unbroken line through his pupil Anton Webern, but developed further by truly remarkable musicians and pedagogues. Amongst them, my teacher Vladislav Soyfer. I am indebted morally and musically especially to my professor Vladislav Soyfer and his teachings.
I offer exclusively 1-on-1, accessible lessons on select topics in music, in which my goal is to explore together the amazing language of music which, after all, is simply put the best thing there is.
I invite you to look at my blog for some of my latest findings in my own path of discovery in the world of music.