Article
The Day of My Exam
Imagine the day of your examination. You are walking on the street. You get to the academy. You open the door. You walk to the notice board. There is an announcement of your examination. You check the hall, the time and the jury. You walk to your practicing room, open the door and step in. You start warming up. Your examination will take place in an hour.
You have half an hour time. Somebody knocks at the door. Your teacher enters the room. He asks, how you feel and says something supportive to you. He leaves. You continue your warming up. You have fifteen minutes time. You check your clothing, your hair and make-up and that you have everything you need for the performance.
It is time to get to the concert hall. You collect your belongings, open the door and walk to the door of the hall. You open the door see the grand piano on the stage, the jury, your friends who have come to listen to you and the audience. You walk to your place, make a bow and start.
Improve your role as performer
Imagine yourself on the stage. Add those qualities you want to improve to this picture (more self confidence, more relaxed myself, better contact to the audience and so on).
Reading the music and memorizing it
Always read the music carefully. It is far more difficult to correct mistakes than to learn it right from the beginning.
Read one phrase, close your eyes and imagine yourself playing it. Can you hear the music, visualize your fingers or the score, and feel the movements in your hands?
Improving the technique
Improving the technique is improving the brain! A clear image of the music and the movements are fundamental, otherwise the fingers don’t know what to do. Increase the speed of your thinking. Your thinking should always be faster than the actual doing. Try to find the musical solutions by singing and thinking about the music, the structure and the phrases.