Episode 73 - Practising in Public

G’day, I’m David Reidy. Welcome to Piano, Finally, a podcast by an old bloke who’s getting around to learning the piano, finally.

This week was light on practice thanks to Year 9 camp at Lake Macquarie and the start of exam-marking season, but there was still some playing – including at camp – and some reflections on what it means to practise where people can see you.

🎧 YouTube – 5 Minutes on… Moonlight Sonata
YouTube pointed me to Daniel Barenboim’s 5 minutes on… Beethoven – The “Moonlight” Sonata, part of a 13-video series where he talks about music by Beethoven, Debussy, Mozart, Chopin, Liszt and Brahms, illustrating his ideas at the piano. Barenboim argues that “Moonlight” is often played too dreamily, and links it instead to Mozart’s Don Giovanniand a more funereal, martial character. You may not agree with all his opinions, but they’re thoughtful and well explained.
Playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLErHuBsy75wzNtI5pjaDqwyM_C_RdipXn

📝 Essay – Practising in Public
Next year I’ll be watching Anna Lapwood teach a masterclass on the Sydney Opera House organ: students practising in public, with an audience. It made me think about my own public practice – playing in junior music classes I’m covering, while students work on written tasks or try keyboards and guitars.
Masterclass info:
https://www.sydneysymphony.com/concerts/masterclass-with-anna-lapwood

In science lessons, I’m the expert in the room; at the piano, I’m a learner. Saying “Here’s what I’m working on” gives me permission to make mistakes and gives students permission to be better than me at something. It models lifelong learning and shows that adults are still tackling new skills long after school ends. Learning piano as an adult is low-risk – we’re not after a career change, we’re here because we enjoy both the music and the learning. Practising where others can hear us helps build a culture where everyone keeps thinking, exploring and expanding their world.

🎼 Review – The Indispensable Beethoven Collection
As well as my aspirational Bärenreiter sonatas, I picked up Schirmer’s The Indispensable Beethoven Collection – 12 Famous Piano Pieces as a more practical working score for Piano Sonata No. 14. It includes Für Elise, four sonatas (Moonlight, Pathétique, Op. 49 Nos. 1 and 2), some variations, two sonatinas, and the attributed Adieu to the Piano. There are editorial notes, suggested fingerings (some amended in consultation with Devi), and the 96-page saddle-stitched book sits open nicely on the stand. The engraving is clearly from an older edition, but still quite readable.

Send me a text message.

You can contact me:

• via email at [e-mail]; this is probably the best option
• the show website, www.pianofinally.show
• Instagram and Threads @pianofinally
• and on YouTube
• all the podcast directories - list
• here's the RSS feed

Some of the links to books and other items mentioned in the podcast may affiliate links for Amazon or other providers. If you use one of these links, a commission may be paid to me at no additional cost to you. Thank you if you use a link.
All reviews of products, websites and services are unpaid, and no sponsorship has been received for any content on this podcast.