Episode 77 - Christmas Shopping

G'day, everyone! Welcome to show number seventy-seven. Teaching has finally finished for the year, wrapping up with a wonderful awards ceremony and a staff performance that was definitely more enthusiastic than musical! I’m looking forward to my last piano lesson of the year this Monday, where Devi and I will pick out a few pieces to keep me busy over the break.

YouTube Review: Merriam Pianos - Hybrids This week, I take a look at a video from Merriam Pianos featuring Stu Harrison. Stu discusses his switch from a Grotrian acoustic upright to a Kawai NV5 hybrid. It’s a fascinating watch,especially if you are weighing up the pros and cons of acoustic versus hybrid instruments. As Stu points out, an 8/10 experience you can have anytime is better than a 10/10 experience you can rarely access.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsTElPqKJjY

Essay: Christmas Shopping Despite the title, this isn't a gift guide! Instead, I explore the value of giving musical gifts,especially to young people. After forty years of teaching, I’ve noticed that engagement is key to learning. Giving a child access to an instrument—without friction—can spark curiosity and build valuable life skills like self-discipline. If you have the means, a musical instrument might just change a life this Christmas.

Review: AMEB Piano Series 19 Grade 1 I popped into Carlingford Music to pick up the newly released AMEB Series 19 books. I’m not planning to sit the exams, but these books are a great source of graded repertoire. The Grade 1 book features a diverse mix, from a sarabande by Gillock to a "swung blues" piece by Eric Baumgartner. I’ll be trying out a few of these over the holidays.https://www.ameb.edu.au/shop/music/keyboard/piano/series-19

Progress Work continues on Beethoven’s "Moonlight" Sonata; it’s slow going, but enjoyable. My flute piece is coming along, though combining hands still slows me down. I’ve also added a new piece based on Rossini's Barber of Seville, and Wynn-Anne Rossi's "A Wild Chase" is nearing completion—I can finally play it from memory!

If you'd like to get in touch or share your own musical journey, drop me a line at [email protected].

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