ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Andy Barge

About Andy Barge

Andy Barge is a student of S & C Music Center in Dubai and has been playing the piano for 18 months. Hailing from the UK, he currently lives in Oman and works as a Wellness Director for a hotel resort.

Fourth Anniversary

2023-10-03T18:37:46+01:00

Fourth Anniversary Four years have passed since I started piano lessons - it is hard to believe that time flies so fast. My classes with Stefan Joubert at S & C Music have been excellent and life-changing really. He is a great teacher with the right blend of enthusiasm, standards and experience to help you grow as a player. The thing I love about S & C is that the lessons are designed for adult learners, and the teachers understand how adults learn and are sympathetic to the realities of learning as an older human. After four years, I now [...]

Fourth Anniversary2023-10-03T18:37:46+01:00

Thriving

2023-04-05T12:30:57+01:00

There is no feeling like being in the flow of doing something and flourishing at a particular craft. The first time you rode a bike without falling, or when you took up running and ran your first 10k is an excellent feeling of freedom and achievement. However, getting to this level is not simple, and requires practice and effort- but how do we achieve this? Thriving in piano playing has similarities to other high-performance areas and none more so than high-level elite sports performance. In a study on thriving in elite sports performers, Dr Daniel Brown, a sports scientist at [...]

Thriving2023-04-05T12:30:57+01:00

The Rule of Three

2023-03-16T08:54:36+00:00

I was watching a video recently about an Olympic athlete talking about their training. Right before they went to the last Olympics, they had a training session and, in their words, "was like a trainwreck'. They, of course, want to go to the Olympics in peak condition to have the best chance of winning and the worry was that they were behind in their progress. Their coach, however, had some great advice to give. She said when you are training at your upper levels of performance, not every session is going to be perfect and called it "the rule of [...]

The Rule of Three2023-03-16T08:54:36+00:00

Can I learn piano quickly?

2022-11-08T12:49:09+00:00

In this day and age, people are often looking for a shortcut to achieve something. Whether to lose weight, get in shape, or sleep better, the modern-day "hack" of finding an easier way is very fashionable. In wellness circles, this term is called "Biohacking". It means using technology and the latest research to make you look, feel and perform better than the average person.So how does this relate to the piano? And is it possible to achieve meaningful skills by finding a shortcut? First- we better define what we mean when we say being able to play. Stefan Joubert explains being [...]

Can I learn piano quickly?2022-11-08T12:49:09+00:00

Piano Pains

2022-10-29T15:39:00+01:00

I have been playing the Piano with S & C Music Center in Dubai since June 2019 and have been very consistent and, other than holidays, have not taken any significant breaks. Even when I broke my finger on my left hand, Stefan made me practice using only my other " you can get even better on the right hand", always the positive thinker! However, due to work commitments earlier this year, I had a hiatus from playing the piano for almost four months as I had to leave my piano back in the UK and couldn't play until I got [...]

Piano Pains2022-10-29T15:39:00+01:00

First concert performance

2021-04-21T20:08:22+01:00

"His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy" Eminem - Lose Yourself So on Friday, I did my first live piano performance for the London piano institute live feed. And it was brilliant! There was a concert with 32 students in total playing a wonderful variety of singing, guitar, piano and other talents. What was great is that everyone was at different levels, some (like me) performing for the first time in the world of zoom, others a bit more experienced. When my teacher Stefan first asked me if I was OK to perform, my initial thought was (quite reasonably [...]

First concert performance2021-04-21T20:08:22+01:00

Interview with Celine

2021-04-21T20:09:53+01:00

Andy Barge: How did you get into music? Celine Gaurier-Joubert: My parents are both amateur musicians so playing music was the obvious thing to do. As my father is an amateur violinist, I started to play the violin at 3 years old. I did not have much interest in it but discovering Chopin 1st concerto for piano at age 4 lighted a passion for this instrument. I started straight away and I was delighted with my choice. Andy Barge: What is the most common mistake that a beginner makes? Celine Gaurier-Joubert: Most beginners think that playing the piano proficiently is relatively [...]

Interview with Celine2021-04-21T20:09:53+01:00

Playing faster slowly

2021-04-21T20:10:46+01:00

I hate running. Whenever I do it, it never feels natural and when I run, I feel ungraceful and run like a cow- it can move quickly but it just doesn't look coordinated. The only bit I like about running is the bit afterwards when I get to take a bath! But you know, running is something I always wished I was better at. So enter a great book called, "80/20 running". In it, the author explains that the majority of people who run are moving too fast. When we run at too high an intensity, the body does not have [...]

Playing faster slowly2021-04-21T20:10:46+01:00

Sight reading fitness

2021-06-24T18:58:01+01:00

Today I was reviewing my sight-reading ability with Celine, from S & C Music. Amongst her advice, she gave some sage guidance: "sight-reading is the most important educational skill to learn when it comes to playing the piano because it empowers you to understand and play music faster." Imagine preparing to read a speech in your native language. As you are comfortable with the words and grammar, you can remember the address's content quickly, and you can then focus on quality delivery and how it sounds. You may even be able to read the speech once and remember the essence of [...]

Sight reading fitness2021-06-24T18:58:01+01:00

Trying to be perfect

2021-03-10T13:42:32+00:00

I was watching a terrific movie the other day "Whiplash". If you haven't seen it its a great film about an ambitious jazz drummer and his intense abusive music teacher, Terence Fletcher, pushing him (uncomfortably) to the edge to be better. At one point he even throws a chair at his head when he misplays! At one point, Terence says "there are no two words more harmful in the English Language than 'good job'. His point being that hearing this word stops you driving to improve. Let me say straight away that I'm not advocating the idea of abuse or throwing [...]

Trying to be perfect2021-03-10T13:42:32+00:00
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