As I was driving home after our EAC Spring Recital this week, a word popped into my head—dimension. From Schubert to Beethoven to Persichetti, musical lines were not only understood but brought into the fore, mid, or backgrounds in imaginative ways. The music was, in the words of my friend Radmilla, 3D.

There are times when we feel our playing is flat. Often we turn to dynamics and the hierarchy of beat structure to breathe new life into it. Certainly, playing without dynamic nuance and variety or with equal emphasis on each beat will result in flat and earthbound playing.

Sometimes though, we forget that we need to do more than just balance voices and attend to dynamics and rhythmic hierarchy. We need to place the voices in perspective and let them converse. My students didn’t forget that and I am proud of them.

 

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