Music sharing and Peer mediated Teaching and Learning

James was away in Toronto so it was just Stephen, Edel and I present at our second group meeting on Sunday, April 8 4:30 - 6:30 pm. Even though it was just the three of us, we filled up our 2 hour meeting time at Steinway on the 8th very readily . Stephen who has his RCM level 6 piano exam coming up on Friday, April 13 was serenading Edel and I with his exam pieces and a level 8 piece he is learning. Stephen's pieces are so polished and his playing was totally amazing. He has made phenomenal progress on his pieces since we first met in February. After Edel and Stephen had left, Brent Hay (piano consultant at Steinway) even commented to me that he thought Stephen was a great player. I really liked Edel's playing as well - she played a beautiful portion of a piece by a contemporary Italian composer, Ludovico Einaudi. Edel also played another piece in which she accompanied herself while singing a song and did a great job! I know from personal experience that it is very hard to both play and sing at the same time.

Our discussions ran the gamut of what apps Stephen thought were great to use for ear training to how I bring method acting into my piano pieces to Edel's great idea of the two of us being accompanists for each other in our songs. Yes, Edel and I both have aspirations to be singers as well. I am taking jazz vocal lessons currently which has really helped me to increase my vocal range. Edel has a great voice and I believe with the help of a vocal coach, her voice can only get better. At this point in our discussion, Stephen even said that he would love to get vocal coaching too. Stephen is an avid music learner and for him, his pursuit of music excellence has led him to embark on getting his bachelor's degree at the U of C in classical guitar this fall. Stephen is a great role model for Edel and I and for any music learner for that matter. He shows us the path that we as aspiring musicians can also walk if we believe, work hard and persevere.

For me, being able to talk all things music with Stephen, Edel and James at these past two meetings have been a dream come true for me. I have finally found my people and the feeling that I have when I think about that is every bit as wonderful as I thought it would be. If you are reading this and are wondering about this group, do not hesitate - please come to a meeting and meet us to experience it for yourself! There is something to be said for sharing experiences but I think what is even better than that is to experience sharing and that is exactly what we did at this last meeting. Nothing beats that feeling!