Sunday, February 22, 2009

Interview with Lang Lang - A Life So Far

Interview with Pianist Lang Lang – A Life So Far
by Scott McBride Smith

From Clavier Companion Magazine, Jan/Feb 2009

“Classical music is like the whole world – there are pieces that are introverted, percussive, or expressive. If it doesn’t fit your personality, you need to learn.” Lang Lang

I think that says a lot about education – both teaching and learning. Sometimes (or most of times) we feel so overwhelmed by all the information we have to swallow and digest for our own learning and teaching system. But in the end, we know that there are not a lot of options because there is no short-cut in learning and teaching. If it doesn’t fit you, you take time to make yourself fit in.

I chose this article because it presents a pianist’s passion in learning and teaching. The interview features a well-known Chinese pianist Lang Lang. Lang Lang is a 26-year old pianist who has been an international celebrity since his dramatic debut with the Chicago symphony, substituting for Andre Watts when he was 17 years old. I remember hearing his performance on NPR in 2003 for the first time then I went to see him playing live at the Kennedy center the following year. I was very impressed by his amazing technique and musical interpretation (but not so much on his facial and body expression).

In this interview, he talks about his piano training with his former teachers including Gary Graffman at Curtis. He also tells readers about the launch of the Lang Lang International Music Foundation, dedicated to sponsoring study opportunities for a small number of talented young musicians aged 6-12 and encouraging all children’s love of music. It was a pleasant surprise for me that he decided to launch an educational organization at this time of his life and at this stage of his career. Because I have seen many distinguished artists become involve in education later in their careers, when they are not touring so much. Lang Lang says that the purpose of this foundation is to inspire and give positive motivation to young people. He continues that he learns a lot through collaborative work with other musicians and students whether the results meet his expectations or not. He believes that there are still things to be learned from the experiences.

The interview continues with talks about his teaching. He states that, for students, a good teacher should be able to open door to music. Yes. Music is all about inspiration. It opens one’s heart and it helps one to see the world in different views. He recalls his former teacher Gary Graffman being open-minded from selecting repertories to building career as professional pianist. He says that, through Mr. Graffman, he learned to study music in a deeper level. He continues that he found great joy in learning different styles of music in very precise and detailed manner. Then he adds that he learned a different approach to thinking about music. He remembers his teacher being easy to work with, generous and kind.

As I finished reading this article, it made me reflect my own teaching in the past. It is not so much about what I taught; it was about how I taught and what kind of teacher I was.
With all the great things Lang Lang has said, I think about this; what kind of teacher am I going to be.

2 comments:

  1. A very informative post, Kim. I was curious, though, to know more about what Lang Lang meant when he talked about the "deeper level" in study he attained with Gary Graffman. How specific is he about what that "deeper level" might be or mean.

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  2. The first thing this article made me think of is how we can always learn something new from anyone, anything, anywhere if we are just open to learning. That is why I love our class because we are all different and work in different fields but I always learn something new every class that adds to my LIFE knowledge.

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