Teaching piano (or any other subject) is not just exclusively reserved for passing your knowledge to the students. It is a natural interaction between the teacher and student, and if you are getting well along, then it is an enjoyable activity for both parties. The teacher can even learn something from the students or learn about some new trends that they (mostly teenagers) talk about. Or just meet the names of the new singers, bands and artists they like (and dislike). A sort of this happened today. {at the time I finished and published this in post, it became yesterday}
So, I have that Dutch student who is a real chatterbox. I guess our piano lessons are also a kind of therapy, so I let her (though I have to cut her so many times and kindly remind her why she is coming to the lesson... hmm, to play the piano :D ). In one of her rants about the school, she explained to me the project she has to do, to pick a famous person and do a presentation. She didn't know actually how to do it. I gave her some tips, like structuring the presentation, doing a list of things she would like to talk about etc. The famous person she chose for that presentation is a Dutch pianist, Iris Hond.
I haven't heard about that piano lady, but my student told me a few words about her. That it is the favourite pianist of her grandparents... that the pianist, Iris, likes to play without shoes... and what her surname (Hond) means. Pause. A long one. I guess she will have to do a bit of research to be ready for the project and know more things about Iris, so I did it too when I finished the lesson. No, not big research but I searched for the name, found her Spotify and YouTube channel and gave it a try. I couldn't even do a more detailed search in this short time from learning the name of the pianist until now, however, I can say that I probably like what I hear right now while writing these lines. I am listening to the track Quiet. Let's watch the video together if you like.
Sound of the waves, dawn... we hear the first sounds of the piano and strings. Very calm. Classical piano scores flow in the water. More strings and the cello very slowly bring the music closer. We see a young lady swimming in a white dress. Did she escape from her wedding? From a concert? From an important thing and found the means to escape in the sea? Oh, when the piano starts it brings a bit darker note. Why the poor piano is also in the water? 😱 Isn't it difficult to swim in a long dress? I would maybe freak out a bit, as I have the feeling that my legs would get tangled in that long dress. Just when I am thinking about this difficulty seems that she is taking it down. The music got more dramatic and changed the rhythm. Yes, finally, she won't drown, the long white dress is just a matter of the past, she can swim now freely, what a relief! Hmm, maybe she is just dreaming or having an inspirational moment as we see her playing the piano, but not under the water. She found some trousers and a white tank top in the meantime, got dressed and took one part of the piano to the shore. The end.
The music we heard is a very nicely balanced piece, structurally. Also, the choice of instruments (piano, just a few strings) is simple but beautiful. In those more dramatic parts, Iris plays a few passages that resemble a bit oriental, with the ornaments she uses. (the right-hand part). If we talk about the calm parts, we can say that it is quite minimalistic, and the combination of the randomly played notes on the piano (but they are not random after all) with the cello and violins makes a super nice musical composition. And together with the dream-like video, I see it as a pleasant audio-visual candy for our mind. Well done, Iris Hond.
I think this one song I saw from her will make me dig through her other works. This piece, Quiet, made some positive impressions on me. Thanks to the fact that sometimes teachers can learn about other artists from their students.
Today is a new teaching day, the last one actually in this term. Let's see what new I will learn today from the classroom before the school break starts :))