Reviews and other general notes on music.
I have been to about 4 virtual shows the past 2 years. Judy Collins (my favourite popular singer twice.) Also saw Tom Paxton and various other people he has been working with since 2018 - two shows. in this post I will briefly review them all. Also the Auckland Choral show I saw recently. The [...]
Hello everybody- Join me on a creative journey alongside my teaching. In 2021 I hope to begin work on a new album but I need your help. There are live streams coming with chances to donate if you like what you hear. If you want to help me make the next great folk album click [...]
Shinichi Suzuki (1898-1998) came to the conclusion by the end of his life that listening was more important than practising. He had many things wrong about technique on the violin but this he did have right - listening to high quality recordings is important. That's why you are given the foundation recordings as part of [...]
Well folks, the time has come! tomorrow on Facebook I will broadcast live an introductory to the Play A story programme from InnerMusician. Thanks to Lyndel who has allowed me to use the powerpoint in addition to me going on about it. I just hope it works. Register your interest and then keep an eye [...]
The point of this post is to talk about the fact that, though we would all very much like to be, we are not musical savants or have savant-like abilities. Find out about a musical savant in this video. But don't let this discourage you from taking up the piano. In lessons, I will show [...]
Hello to everybody after such a long time I am updating this blog to tell you what is going on. Last year I took a day job to make a bit of extra money. I returned to my alma mater, AUT, to work as a notetaker. I had done the same job while I was [...]
Come with your questions! I will be periscoping at 8pm NZ time. I will be talking about the Inner Musician improvisation programme. This is how we star piano for life. Come and check it out in this virtual introduction! You can clik this link to find me on periscope and hopefully catch the live broadcast. [...]
Well, I'll be damned! Cabaret singer and songwriter extraordinaire Amanda McBroom was here and I missed her, again. Unfortunately it was last year. McBroom wrote The Rose for Bette Middler and has been covered by Judy Collins (where I first heard of her) and others. As a performer she has covered songs by Jacques Brel [...]
I love the music of the early 20th Century French composers, Debussy, Poulenc etc. So when I heard there was a concert by New Zealand's premiere chamber choir, Voices, >/a> I jumped at the chance to go. They had done a concert here in Auckland a few weeks ago - a sell out performance commemorating [...]
Judy Collins has made what is essentially a rock record with a guy half her age named Ari Hest. It’s kind of like those records she made in the 1970’s and 80’s but better — comes with maturity I guess. Silver Skies Blue is the result of a year’s writing collaboration between Hest and Collins. It’s also [...]