Clavier Companion - January/February 2012 - 7

Poetry Corner
Richard Zimdars, Editor
Bach & Mozart in Saint-Julien-le-Pauvre I continued, “On day four do all of the above but add four of the eight new measures of your new piece. Day five, do it all again, but add the chromatic scale and all eight measures of your new piece. Then play the parts of the piece you already know, including ‘jazzing it up.’ On day six play the chromatic scale first, followed by your new scales and chords, then the new measures in your piece. Next play the old portion of your piece connected to the new part and then play ‘Heart and Soul’ as long as you want.” “What about day seven?” “Take the day off from practice!” “Well, if I already know more of my new piece, I will probably want to go to the piano and play it.” “Go for it.” In this eternal grotto crenelated cave we bêtes civilisées sit and listen to this musique celeste this divine musick clavecin et violon a divine insanity a sweetness and a glory such loveliness and loneliness in the high sound of it compounded in the art of it Mozart’s heart stirring in it And now the beatitudes of Bach in chromatic fugue the violon baroque like a fine wood boat carried away on the wild waters on the wild stream of the fugue dancing ecstatic now in the shoals of that music to eddy away at last into the night gardens of Julien-le-pauvre and into the night sky with its ecstatic geometries and the Bacchic night-music of the spheres —Lawrence Ferlinghetti Note: Saint-Julien-le-Pauvre (Saint Julian the Poor) continues to sponsor a concert series. It is the only surviving twelfth-century parish church in Paris. “Bach & Mozart in Saint-Julien-le-Pauvre” by Lawrence Ferlinghetti, from EUROPEAN POEMS AND TRANSITIONS, ©1984 by Lawrence Ferlinghetti. Reprinted by permission of New Directions Publishing Corp. Lawrence Ferlinghetti (b. 1919) is an American poet and a cofounder of City Lights Booksellers and Publishers. His collection of poems titled A Coney Island of the Mind has sold more than one million copies and been translated into nine languages.

It worked!
When I returned the next week, Katherine was at the door waiting for me. “It worked!” She ran to the piano and played both the old and new sections of her new piece and her new scales and chords. We celebrated with a duet of “Heart and Soul” and made plans for the next week. Will this tactic, which requires weekly micro-assignments, work over time? We will see. I have successfully used it with other junior-high students, although I design each solution to fit each child’s temperament. For example, different approaches are required for the student who practices a lot but learns slowly or the one who gets a lot wrong and never fixes problems. In every instance, adding activities that the students are already doing, such as playing “Heart and Soul” or “jazzing up the piece I already know” tells them that you value their input, that they are getting old enough to bring some ideas of their own to the table. Admitting the truth of my own twelve-year old practice habits always gets my students’ attention. I loved the moment when Katherine said, “How did you get over this problem?” In that moment she admitted her practice habits were a problem and that she was ready to hear about possible solutions. Children this age still need lots of guidance. Once they know you value their wishes and ideas, they are ready to hear yours. Helping them to tackle new material by breaking it down into small doses, for example, shows them a way to begin learning how to organize their practice themselves, which is the ultimate goal. Because we are some of the only teachers in students’ lives who see them one-on-one for several years, we can help tweens through this risky time. With some creativity and patience from both teacher and student, piano practice can teach students how to work on their own, a skill they can apply to all their learning. In addition, music can become a solitary oasis in their otherwise multitasking, high-tech, peer-pressured lives. Remember, too, to enjoy twelve-year old passion. Katherine said to me recently, “When I play ‘Snowfall’ the light wakes up in my soul.”

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012

CLAVIER COMPANION

Clavier Companion - January/February 2012

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