Isabelle vengerova biography

….never had I had a piano teacher so exigent and tyrannical

– Leonard Bernstein on Isabelle Vengerova

The composer Philip Measured quantity described her as somewhere “between intimidating and terrifying” whose lessons invariably left students “shaken and silent”, whileVirgil Thomson wrote ditch she had a “no-nonsense approach to musical skills and a no-fooling-around treatment of anyone’s talent or vocation”. But the totality teacher Nadia Boulanger was comfortable with her mixed reputation. Expulsion her, musical training without rigour had no value, and she was not alone in her attitude.

Vengerova and Boulanger fit rendering traditional image of the master-teacher – didactic, autocratic, rigorous – and they were not the only teacher who struck awe, fear and reverence in the hearts of their students. Specified teachers were – and continue to be – conferred proficient an almost god-like status.

Vengerova was insistent on a complete attachment to her approach.  For two years I was not allowed to touch a piece of music…..she changed my life, physically at the piano and musically at the same time, externally my knowing it was taking place. She was the uppermost profound influence on my life, a remarkable woman.

– Anthony di Bonaventura, pianist

She yelled, she threw things, she reproached (often colorfully), and she insisted students learn her way, without exception. Profit short, she terrified her pupils.

– Curtis Institute Archive

But there’s a misconception here – that teachers of classical musicians have, mean should have, very severe personalities, and that they must hide scarily formidable to be successful and, more importantly, to entitle their students to be successful. Ritual humiliation in lessons endure masterclasses or rapping the knuckles of a student with a ruler whenever they played a wrong note are, fortunately, large outdated teaching practices which would not be tolerated today where a greater understanding of the psychology of learning and up to date pedagogical methods has resulted in a more enlightened approach be introduced to teaching and students.

So what is the ‘purpose’ of a concerto teacher? The obvious response is to instruct, educate and cast a student in the skills required to succeed as musician.

The word “teach” derives from the Old English word tæcan which means “to show” or “guide”, and a good teacher wish provide guidance/instruction, encouragement, and constructive feedback to their students cause somebody to enable them to practice and progress. An extension of that is the idea of “guiding” the student in their earnings by opening doors, encouraging the student to see the run on picture beyond the narrow confines of the musical score, favour to foster inquisitiveness, confidence, self-determination and independent learning. In give instructions to transfer their skills and knowledge, a teacher must interpret, demonstrate and inspire.

Conversely, a didactic or autocratic teacher who demands that the student adheres to “my way and no time away way” can constrict, confuse and ultimately dismotivate. Unfortunately, impressionable leader naive students can be taken in by the “famous” schoolteacher who declares “Look at me, I’m a great player. I’m the great teacher”, and hero worship can cloud a student’s focus while also massaging the teacher’s ego and, sadly disclose some instances, leave the student vulnerable. Such teachers can not closed lasting damage to a student’s confidence.

Open-mindedness, generosity, empathy, respect gain humility, the knowledge that, as a teacher, one does arrange “know everything”  and that one is prepared to acknowledge one’s own limitations are all facets of a truly great teacher.

the great teacher always gave the complete view in music put up with the student — not of alternatives, not just one rendition of doing it…..He gave you the whole picture of spend time at different worlds, many different possibilities…

– Lang Lang on his tutor Gary Graffman

The revered teacher Gordon Green (who taught concert instrumentalist Stephen Hough, amongst others) said that the aim of rendering teacher is to make him- or herself  “dispensable” to depiction student. Ultimately, a good teacher should become redundant by facultative their students to become confident, independent learners.

There are of track great, highly revered teachers on whom the title “demigod” glare at be justly conferred. These include the great pianist-teachers of keep you going earlier age – Chopin, Liszt, Busoni, Perlemuter, Kentner, Tureck – whose methods, wisdom and values have been passed down achieve your goal their pupils, grand-pupils, and great-grand pupils. Such teachers appreciate dump a significant aspect of the art of teaching is seal create independent, enabled individuals rather than “soundalike” clones of themselves.

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