Letter from a CAM Parent

I wanted to tell you how much our entire family enjoyed the master class with Enrique Graf on Tuesday evening [3/29/10].  It was our first experience attending a master class and we are hooked!  All the students bravely performed the pieces they are currently working on and were in turn given helpful and encouraging critique of their work by Mr. Graf.  He was honest and attentive while being witty at the same time!  He made the children feel good about what they had already achieved with the piece while also fine-tuning it and giving them a way of looking at it in a new light.  It also became a master class in how to use the pedal! I was especially impressed with Mr. Graf’s care of each individual and his ability to remember student’s names and immediately pick up on each individual’s special strengths.

Thank you for including my son in such a talented group of students. At 7, this master class made a huge impression on him and he was inspired and encouraged to see that his fellow students practice hard and connect so deeply with their music.  It is a privilege that CAM offers so much more than just a weekly lesson and the master class is another extension of creating a student who is a sum of all the parts of music, not just the notes they play.

Thank you for providing such an amazing and enriching environment and a special thanks to Enrique Graf for his time with our students.

Sincerely,

Leigh Sabine

Mother of Aidan Sabine, piano student of Irina Pevzner

CAM Students

The following is an excerpt from a school assignment written by Anthony Leadem.  Anthony is a 3rd grader at Charleston Day School and has been a student of mine since he was quite young – just 4-1/2 years old!  During the past four years we have had our ups-and-downs, just like all students will.  But since our first lesson, when he learned Take Off, he has come so far!  I love his energy and enthusiasm and really admire how hard he has been working this semester.  I’m so proud of you, Anthony!

- Susan McAdoo, CAM piano instructor

WHY SO PROUD?

“I’m going to play piano.”

“OK,” said mom.

I run upstairs into the ballroom and play Ride In a Wagon.  I sit down, move my book so I cannot see it to challenge myself.  You should be so proud of me.

You should be so proud of me because I practice piano and I have improved a lot.  I focus more.  I also look at the book more than I used to.  I do better at playing the right keys.  Piano is awesome.

You should be so proud of me now and forever!

By, Anthony Leadem

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CAM STUDENTS GIVE BACK

Last Saturday, CAM students Kinsey and Makeen Hallaba, along with some friends, raised $69.39 to be donated to the American Red Cross to aid in the relief efforts in Japan.  They raised the money in just under an hour while practicing their violin and guitar outside a local grocery store.  The MedCare Urgent Care Clinic matched their donations for a total of $138.78!

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Interview with CAM instructor Marco Sartor

Check out the www.charlestontoday.net interview with CAM guitar instructor Marco Sartor:

Marco Sartor, guitar

Thursday, March 10, 2011

by Peter Ingle

Buy tickets to Marco’s March 15 performance at the Dock Street Theatre.

Classical guitarist, Marco Sartor, lives in Charleston, SC where he teaches at the Charleston Academy of Music, and from where he travels extensively to give concerts and master classes.

Marco was born in Montevideo, Uruguay and is a top prize winner in numerous international competitions. He has performed solo and with chamber music recitals in three continents to critical and public acclaim. He has also appeared with the Allentown Symphony, Virginia Symphony, Buffalo Philharmonic, Regional Orchestra of Chile, and Sodre Orchestra of Uruguay.

His debut solo recording “Red” was just released on Fleur de Son Classics to rave reviews.

Marco is also featured on Marc Regnier’s Grammy-nominated album “Radamés Gnattali: Solo & Chamber Works for Guitar” on Dorian Sono Luminus.

As a sought-after teacher, he has been invited to give master-classes in a number of universities and conservatories in the USA, Uruguay, and Argentina. He also started the guitar programs at the Carnegie Mellon Music Preparatory School in Pittsburgh and at the Charleston Academy of Music.

 He received degrees from the College of Charleston and Carnegie Mellon University. Learn more at MarcoSartor.com.

 

Watch our interview with Marco and listen to him play:

http://vimeo.com/20920273

 

Share and Enjoy:

Thoughts from an Adult Piano Student

I take piano lessons from Susan McAdoo at the Charleston Academy of Music, and I am giving four solo piano recitals in March (all the same program).  And did I mention I am 62 years old?

I started taking piano lessons from CAM instructor Susan McAdoo in January 2006 after I retired as a director in the tax department of a local accounting firm.  I wasn’t a beginner, but I had not played the piano in 14 years, unless you count a few Christmas carols.

I started piano lessons when I was 8 years old and continued through high school.  I decided in my senior year in high school that I wanted to major in music.  I received a BA degree in piano performance from Coker College in 1971 and immediately opened my own piano studio in Florence, SC.  I loved teaching, and my students did well in recitals and various auditions.  To learn more about music and teaching, I commuted to the University of SC and earned a Master of Music in Piano Pedagogy in 1982.

Then, in 1989 I started in another direction.  I had been Treasurer of the SC Music Teachers Association and discovered that I really liked working with numbers.  Entering the field of accounting would never have occurred to me in the early 1970’s.  I talked to a counselor at Francis Marion University, and he encouraged me to take an accounting course.  I took all the courses I needed to sit for the CPA exam while I continued to teach piano.  In 1992, I started my first job in the accounting field and stopped teaching piano lessons.

I didn’t play the piano while I was working as a CPA.  Singing in my church choir was my musical outlet.  But I knew when I retired that I wanted to study with someone and go back to regular practicing.

I didn’t know much about the Charleston Academy of Music when I called and asked if someone there taught adult students.  I had looked at the website and knew all the teachers were highly qualified.  I had my first lesson with Susan in January 2006, telling myself if the “chemistry” wasn’t there, I would try someone else.  But I liked Susan’s approach to teaching adults.  We jumped right in with Bach, Clementi and Mendelssohn, and I was back to practicing.

When I performed for the first time at a Music Café, I was so nervous, my hands and feet were shaking.  But as I continued playing at these adult gatherings, I was able to focus better and perform without quite so much shaking.

I am often asked why I take lessons when I already know how to play.  My first answer is that weekly lessons provide accountability.  I do not want to come to my lesson unprepared; therefore, I practice.  Also, I have worked on some music that I would never have picked myself.  Susan has selected pieces that challenge my brain and my fingers.  Often, a piece I do not like at the beginning becomes one of my favorite pieces.    Susan does a great job of helping me work out technical problems and suggesting innovative ways to practice. CAM has provided performance opportunities, especially through the monthly Music Café events.

I am also asked why I am putting myself through the stress of a recital and memorizing 45 minutes of music.  That’s a good question!  I like working towards a goal, and a recital definitely provides that. I like the sense of accomplishment:  taking a piece from the first steps of learning the notes and working out the fingering to the point of memorizing it and knowing what I want to communicate.  The deeper I delve into a piece, the more I am amazed at the composer’s genius and creativity.   I am surprised that I continually find new discoveries in a piece that I have been working on for months, but it happens – usually when I am practicing slowly!

I will never play as well as I would like to, but that’s okay.  I am learning new pieces; I am challenging my brain; I am making new friends; I am conquering nerves; and I am striving to do my best – that is all that matters.

- Sharon Hinnant, adult piano student

Recital dates:

Sunday, March 6, 3:00, New Wappetaw Presbyterian Church, McClellanville

Friday, March 11, 3:00, Rodenberg Hall, Franke at Seaside, Mt. Pleasant

Monday, March 14, 4:00, Chapel, Bishop Gadsden, James Island

Sunday, March 20, 5:00, Bethel United Methodist Church, corner of Pitt & Calhoun, downtown Charleston

Tan & See Piano Duo

Last summer, Amy and I formed our duo and performed in two music festivals: one in Charleston and one in Italy. Since then, we have had lots of performing opportunities, and we have our next recital coming up on Feb 22nd! Playing in a duo is certainly a very different experience from playing solo — we probably have to work twice as hard to bring everything to a performable standard! But apart from the hard work, we have a lot of fun, while not compromising on quality of the music that we produce. During our rehearsals, we not only have to play our notes. We discuss about the music, help each other on technique, argue over differences in interpretations… In short, our rehearsals are never boring! Amy comes up with lots of creative ideas and interpretations that we try to bring across. We try many different ways of playing something, and we even make silly mistakes in the music, but all that just ensures that we know each other’s playing really well, so when we finally bring all the music on stage, we can give our audience an enjoyable experience as well!

What’s interesting is that we share the same birthdate — Jan 28th — just a year apart. Check out our website at http://tansee.weebly.com

- Chee Hang See, piano instructor

Piano students at CAM

The following students have worked very hard for at least a semester to improve their technique, strengthen their fingers, and develop good posture and piano playing skills! Most of them are under 10 years old, and it’s very encouraging and amazing to see how much progress they can and have made! We all remember how our teachers used to constantly remind us to “Curve your fingers! Sit up straight!” I would like to commend all my students for being able to remind themselves when they are practicing! Here are some pictures! I take a picture every month, so we can all track their progress!

- Chee Hang See, piano instructor

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Upcoming Masterclasses

Not only am I looking forward to another semester at CAM, but I’m also excited about the upcoming Masterclasses we have planned.  This semester’s Masterclass Artists are Ilana Vered, Enrique Graf and Yuriy Bekker.  Before I go into the artists, I would like to say a few things about the Masterclass.

Masterclasses are similar to private lessons, but in a group setting with a new instructor.  It can be intimidating, sharing your musical talent and receiving feedback in front of others.  All of the Masterclasses that I’ve ever participated in were such positive experiences for me.  Since it was someone I had never studied with giving the feedback, I would always learn a lot.  Not only did they help to reinforce what I was already hearing from my current instructor, but they also provided new criticism.  Even from simply observing, I would learn new pieces from other participants.  I encourage and hope many of our students will participate in the classes we are offering.

Ilana Vered and  Enrique Graf are not only very well known artists, but mentors to many young musicians. I consider myself to be one of the many musicians that have been touched by them.  I am proud and honored to have them as our Masterclass musicians this semester.

- Eunjoo Yun

Ilana Vered www.ilanavered.com

Ms. Vered began playing the piano at the age of three, and later attended the Paris Conservatory where she studied with the eminent pianist Vlado Perlemuter.  Born in Israel, she graduated from the Paris Conservatory at fifteen, and completed her studies at the Juilliard School in New York City under the tutorship of Rosina Lhevinne, Nadia Reisenberg, and Aube Tzerko.  She made her debut as one of the first winners of the Young Concert Artists International Competition.

Enrique Graf www.enriquegraf.com

Mr. Graf completed his studies under Leon Fleisher at the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University on full scholarship.  Since joining the College of Charleston as Artist-in-Residence 15 years ago, Mr. Graf has played a pivotal role in the cultural life of the city.  He has created a nationally known piano program, established and directed recital series, and has often performed as a soloist with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra.

Yuriy Bekker www.yuriybekker.com

Mr. Bekker is the Concertmaster of the Charleston Symphony Orchestra.  He received a Graduate Performance Diploma from the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore and Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Indiana University’s School of Music.  He has studied with Herbert Greenberg, Nelli Shkolnikova, Ilya Kaler, Atar Arad, Emile Naoumoff, and Janos Starker.  He served as concertmaster of the Peabody Symphony, and has been a frequent guest concertmaster with various orchestras in the New York City and Baltimore areas.