This is a wonderful review! I didn't know about Kinney or about the book. I completely agree with the premise, and also the critique: My own piano training, ages 10 to 18, did not teach creativity at all. But I still loved playing. I'm now 64, and have been playing in earnest for the last 10 years. I think I'm better than I've ever been. One reason I think so is that I actually really like listening to myself. That might sound self-centered, or egotistical, but that's not what I'm getting at. What I mean is that I'm playing the music--I'm playing "music"--I'm not just playing the notes. I mean that I'm making intentional decisions about how to play, whereas in high school, I was just playing what was on the page. I wasn't making decisions about HOW to play.
Of course, becoming a jazz pianist in my 20s was a big leap forward in being musically creative. I recommend the book SCHOOL FOR COOL by Eitan Wilf about how jazz college programs teach jazz musicians.
Thank you Keith! Glad to hear you liked it. I'm also really glad to hear you're loving the music you're making: isn't it so wonderful—and so wonderfully liberating—to play creatively?
Thanks also for the book recommendation. I just checked it out and the blurb really caught my eye: "can creativity survive institutionalization?" A fascinating question. My gut reaction is to say no, but that probably reveals more about me than the question! I love to teach creativity by exploring the students' interests and reacting to them, which means each student's learning path is automatically different. But I'm not teaching in an institution, so I have that luxury!
This is a wonderful review! I didn't know about Kinney or about the book. I completely agree with the premise, and also the critique: My own piano training, ages 10 to 18, did not teach creativity at all. But I still loved playing. I'm now 64, and have been playing in earnest for the last 10 years. I think I'm better than I've ever been. One reason I think so is that I actually really like listening to myself. That might sound self-centered, or egotistical, but that's not what I'm getting at. What I mean is that I'm playing the music--I'm playing "music"--I'm not just playing the notes. I mean that I'm making intentional decisions about how to play, whereas in high school, I was just playing what was on the page. I wasn't making decisions about HOW to play.
Of course, becoming a jazz pianist in my 20s was a big leap forward in being musically creative. I recommend the book SCHOOL FOR COOL by Eitan Wilf about how jazz college programs teach jazz musicians.
Thank you Keith! Glad to hear you liked it. I'm also really glad to hear you're loving the music you're making: isn't it so wonderful—and so wonderfully liberating—to play creatively?
Thanks also for the book recommendation. I just checked it out and the blurb really caught my eye: "can creativity survive institutionalization?" A fascinating question. My gut reaction is to say no, but that probably reveals more about me than the question! I love to teach creativity by exploring the students' interests and reacting to them, which means each student's learning path is automatically different. But I'm not teaching in an institution, so I have that luxury!