by Kenneth Woods | Sep 9, 2015 | Nuts and bolts
Earlier this week I gave a talk on “how to rehearse” for a regional consortium of music educators. The following list formed the basis of our discussions. It’s by no means a complete or exclusive list, but we publish it here without further comment...
by Kenneth Woods | Sep 1, 2015 | Nuts and bolts
NOW AVAILABLE Elgar- Piano Quintet, Sea Pictures. Orchestrated by Donald Fraser. £12.00 As many of you know, all of us at the English Symphony Orchestra are busy gearing up for our 2015 Elgar Pilgrimage from the 7th-10th of October, with concerts in some of...
by Kenneth Woods | Apr 8, 2015 | Lists, Nuts and bolts
So you made a mistake on the gig yesterday. I feel your pain. We all make mistakes- I made a real howler twice in the same place on a cello gig recently and it’s been bothering me ever since. Mistakes are a controversial and painful subject for musicians. Nobody likes...
by Kenneth Woods | Nov 22, 2014 | A view from the podium, Haydn, Nuts and bolts
(Disclaimer- I’ve broken my no-swearing rule in this post. Apologies for any offense. I think Haydn’s music merits a bit of good profanity) Long-time Vftp readers will know that I’m quite the Haydn aficionado. Last Saturday, I broke a long, heart-wrenching...
by Kenneth Woods | Jun 1, 2014 | A view from the podium, Bobby and Hans, Explore the Score, Nuts and bolts
‘When his time to reach for the stars had arrived, Schumann’s personal language was fully formed, and just as the subtlety of his piano style had been an immense asset for the songwriter, so the expressiveness of his vocal melody was a bridge to the ‘voices of men and...
by Kenneth Woods | Jan 10, 2014 | A view from the podium, Nuts and bolts, Study with Ken
Several months ago I was sipping a flat white in a café with a friend and former student who was describing the teaching methods of one of America’s more eminent conducting pedagogues- a gentleman I’ve never met nor observed. Apparently one of his favorite aphorisms...
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