From spirit, not mechanics.(Creativity for All)

Franz Liszt was once asked to explain the secret of his astonishing technique. He replied, "Technique must flow from spirit, not mechanics."

This suggests that our true role as educators is to help our students create music that is inspired. Liszt implied that technique is to be a byproduct of inspiration rather than a requirement for it. His comment challenges us to keep in mind that art originates from inspiration and to teach our students in such a way that technique and all aspects of music flow from spirit, not mechanics.

The poet Wallace Stevens wrote, "Music is feeling, not sound." Music is not merely what we hear, but what we feel when we hear. Feelings are both receivers and transmitters--without them, we cannot sense, respond to or convey inspiration. Feelings transform technicians into musicians. Our primary focus, then, must be to awaken feeling and sensitivity in our students. After all, it is our capacity to sense, feel and respond that transforms intangible inspirations into audible expressions able to move both performers and listeners. How, then, do we teach feeling?

When we struggle to read notes and perform them correctly, we cannot deeply listen to tones and be inspired by them. To enable our students to play from spirit, we must lessen their cognitive burden--the strain on their brains. Therefore, before a student begins playing a new piece in the lesson, we suggest the following approach: the teacher first identifies the basic, underlying mood of the piece, which is often expressed in the flow and movement of the accompaniment. The teacher then repeatedly plays a short accompaniment pat-tern derived from the piece. The student listens to the rhythmic impulse of the accompaniment--the heartbeat of the piece--and then begins spontaneously creating melodies within the key, listening attentively to each tone to ensure it fits the mood. Experienced students may then want to play both the accompaniment and improvised melody as a solo.

Once a student has listened, felt the rhythm and created music in the mood of the piece, she is far more likely to play the actual piece with genuine feeling. She will no longer have to think so much about the time meter, dynamics, articulations and key signature, because she has felt them. The student's playing is more likely to be both accurate and musical, allowing her teacher to guide her rather than merely correct mistakes.

Nearly everyone can ...