Audiation: the ability to hear and understand music
Learning the piano involves a lot more than playing the right keys. To become a well-rounded, naturally expressive musician, we also need to develop core musical skills. One of these core musical skills is audiation. Audiation can be described as the ability to 'think' music, and it enables us to hear and comprehend music at a deeper level.
Piano lessons for all of my students include skills in audiation. This means that listening to and understanding the music internally precedes, or is taught in combination with, notational learning (playing what we see on the page).
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Learning is sequenced so that students progressively build a vocabulary of sound and rhythm patterns
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There is a strong focus on developing an innate sense of musical phrasing and expression
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Reading notation is introduced gradually to match the student's current level of musical understanding and abilities
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Students apply their skills to learning classical repertoire, as well as creating and improvising freely at the piano.
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Having a strong internal understanding of what we hear and play results in a deeper connection to music — and learning that is more effortless and joyful.​ That's why I take an audiation approach to piano lessons, regardless of whether you (or your children) have never played a note at the piano, or whether you (or they) are starting to learn classical repertoire.
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