Job Opportunity

Michael Belajonas, long time faculty at SCCC has just opened beautifully renovated teaching space at 149 North Country Road in Port Jefferson.  Mike would like to bring in an experienced piano teacher qualified to teach through NYSSMA Level 6.  For further information, Mike may be reached at 631.363.0707 or by e-mail at belajom@sunysuffolk.edu.

The Well Balanced Pianist Announcement

The Well-Balanced Pianist
The Integrated Approach

Dear Friends,

I'm writing to tell you about a Well-Balanced Pianist program, New York 2015, that will take place at my house!

The Well-Balanced Pianist is an integrated program for piano study, for pianists at every level, that I founded and continue to direct. We have had weekend-long and week-long programs in Long Island, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Illinois since 2003. Since it is my dream program, I've included everything I think a pianist needs in order to improve in all aspects of playing and performing. I also have the privilege of choosing instructors whose work and integrity I respect.

Here are the details: we will meet in Stony Brook, NY from January 17-19. This session's clinics will focus on technique. Susan Nowicki and I will teach piano, and my own fantastic Feldenkrais (bodywork) instructor Sharon Oliensis will join us for classes and private sessions. We are also privileged to have the amazing certified and licensed Dalcroze Instructor Dorothea Cook teach us how to feel rhythm and meter through movement. Participants will have lessons, clinics, mindset discussions, an open forum for questions on technique, and a chance to play duets!

Enrollment is limited to 10 pianists (high school age and up) so we can provide personal attention and detailed intensive instruction. Obviously, space is limited, but I hope you or your students will consider joining us. The Early Bird registration deadline is October 15.

Please send any questions to me at tdybvig@gmail.com. And do feel free to forward this message.

Terry

Announcing - new Guild Chair For 2014 - 2014

We are lucky to be able to offer Guild to our students on Long Island.  It is programs like these that keep our students motivated.

Tamara Slobodkin is retiring from Guild chair and we thank her for keeping this valuable program going for many years.  Now we welcome Esther Chung Marks, who has volunteered as a Guild Chair to continue the good work of Tamara.  We are very grateful and appreciate her time towards this endeavor.

Pictures from the June Pot Luck

What fun! a Potluck!

A thank you note from one of our members

Dear Friends & Colleagues of SPTF,

 I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Johanna Kosak, our current president, Diane Gale, Ellen Spergel, Tami Levy, Fran Hanlon, & Karen Cellala our past presidents since the mid 1990's for their time and dedication to this outstanding organization. It's been aproximately 20 years of learning and growing with all of you. I enjoyed our journey together. I reach out to all of you with my sincere gratitude for unselfishly sharing your time, education, and talents with me throughout these years. You have all helped me in one way or another to grow in developing a full-time piano studio and giving my students opportunities to participate in recitals and competitions. I've enjoyed working with you at the recitals I participated in. As you are all aware piano is my secondary instrument. I was somewhat apprehensive at first to teach piano but after consulting with my piano teachers from Pa. and the help of this group, I now have full confidence in my teaching skills as an experienced teacher and will take all that I've learned from this organization with me. I'd just like to leave you with something I feel very passionate about. Always remember that everyone has strengths and weaknesses and has value in this organization. Pull from each other's strengths. listen to one another, and above all respect each other whether you are young or old. We can all learn and benefit from each other. 

Thank you again for your respect and friendship, 

Fondly,

 Linda Loeper

 P.S. You are all welcome to come and visit us in Florida. We will have a guest room. . Keep in touch. 

A Review of "Alice's Piano" by Fred Barnett

              Alice’s Piano

                                                                                                    Melissa Muller and Reinhard Piechocki

”Alice’s Piano,” one of the most inspirational biographies to come along in years, traces the life of concert pianist Alice Herz-Sommer who died this past February at 110 years old. That’s 110. The recent documentary film on her life, the oldest living Holocaust survivor, also won a special award at this year’s Academy Award. What separates this authorized bio and extraordinary life is Alice’s incredible never-failing indomitable spirit: Optimism of the highest order which pervaded each and every aspect of her life. even after experiencing the very worst of Nazi horrors, while trying to shield her young son.                      

      

Some quotes: : “Life is a gift. Teaching is love and teachers must love to teach. There is little comparable to learning a new piece. Music to be performed must be part of you, body and soul.

Music is our food. All you take with you after you die is what you shared and gave to others.

Chopin’s etudes saved my life.” In the Theresienstadt concentration show camp, engineered by the Nazis to convince outsiders that Jews were treated humanly. Alice set out to learn all 24

Chopin etudes which she continued playing into an advanced age. Unlike most descriptions focusing on the technical challenges,  Alice describes the human quests and emotions embedded in each etude, even relating each to individuals and events  taking place in the camp.

Her pianistic values: transparency, accuracy, and simplicity. Also included is some very surprising info, both negative and positive, regarding some legendary composers, and performers not generally included in standard music texts. Although Alice Herz Sommer never reached the career

heights of other familiar luminaries, or tried to, her inspirational story and prudent messages are more than well-worth the read: Global impact. Real, from cover to cover.

“Alice’s Piano," available from St. Martin’s Press, 175 5th Ave, New York, N.Y. 10010

A follow up bio, “ Lessons from the life of Alice --” by Caroline Stoessinger, also highly recommended, summarizes more of Alice’s impact. Available from Random House, N.Y.

Fred Barnett 

A Spring Piano Recital from one of our teachers, Wen Ling