An Identification of Past Influences and Current Trends in Australian Piano Pedagogy
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An Identification of Past Influences and Current Trends in Australian Piano Pedagogy Monika Rutkowska BMus (Hons)(Newcastle) A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy (Music) June 2018 This research was supported by an Australian Government Research Training Program (RTP) Scholarship Master of Philosophy (Music) The University of Newcastle (Australia) Statement of Originality I hereby certify that the work embodied in the thesis is my own work, conducted under normal supervision. The thesis contains no material which has been accepted, or is being examined, for the award of any other degree or diploma in any university or other tertiary institution and, to the best of my knowledge and belief, contains no material previously published or written by another person, except where due reference has been made in the text. I give consent to the final version of my thesis being made available worldwide when deposited in the University’s Digital Repository, subject to the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968 and any approved embargo. Monika Rutkowska June 2018 Monika Rutkowska - 3145630 ii Master of Philosophy (Music) The University of Newcastle (Australia) Acknowledgements I would sincerely like to thank my principal supervisor Conjoint Associate Professor Rosalind Halton and co-supervisor Nathan Scott for their valuable insights, guidance and willingness in helping me to grow both as a researcher and a writer. I would like to extend thanks to Dr Gian-Franco Ricci, who was the inspiration for studying this topic, and also my principal supervisor for the first half of this research project. A warm thank you to the survey and interview participants in this study, who generously gave their time, their reminiscences, and thoughts on teaching to this project. It was a privilege to hear about and study their insights and experiences. I am especially grateful to my family, whose support, patience and willingness to be a listening ear led me to complete this project. I would like to extend heartfelt thanks for their encouragement throughout the journey of writing this thesis. Monika Rutkowska - 3145630 iii Master of Philosophy (Music) The University of Newcastle (Australia) Table of Contents Statement of Originality .............................................................................. ii Acknowledgements ................................................................................... iii List of Figures ........................................................................................... vii List of Tables ............................................................................................ vii Abstract .................................................................................................... viii 1.0 Introduction ....................................................................................... 1 2.0 Literature Review.............................................................................. 3 2.1 Background ....................................................................................... 3 2.2 Project methodology as derived from Literature Review ................... 5 2.3 Thematic Frameworks ....................................................................... 7 2.3.1 National schools of piano playing/teaching .......................................... 7 2.3.2 German School .................................................................................... 9 2.3.3 Russian School .................................................................................. 10 2.3.4 French School ................................................................................... 11 2.3.5 Hungarian School .............................................................................. 12 2.3.6 Spanish School .................................................................................. 13 2.3.7 Italian/Neapolitan School ................................................................... 14 2.3.9 English School ................................................................................... 15 2.3.8 American School ............................................................................... 16 2.4 Pedagogical Themes ...................................................................... 18 2.4.1 Pianists on Interpretation ................................................................... 18 2.4.2 Concepts of technique as identified by selected pianists ................... 19 2.4.3 Different teaching styles .................................................................... 19 2.4.4 Perceptions of teaching philosophy/approach .................................... 20 2.4.5 Repertoire .......................................................................................... 21 2.5 One-to-one teaching at Conservatoria ............................................ 23 2.6 Summary ......................................................................................... 26 3.0 Methodology ...................................................................................... 27 3.1 Method design ...................................................................................... 27 3.2 Limitations ............................................................................................ 32 Monika Rutkowska - 3145630 iv Master of Philosophy (Music) The University of Newcastle (Australia) 4.0 Survey Responses ............................................................................. 34 4.1 Duration of teaching experience ........................................................... 35 4.2 Average age group/level of students ..................................................... 36 4.3 Location of international teachers as mentioned in the survey .............. 37 4.4 Participants’ diplomas and tertiary qualifications ................................... 39 4.5 Completion of diplomas and/or tertiary degrees by students of survey participants ................................................................................................. 41 4.6 Students of participants participating in competitions ............................ 42 4.7 Participants and workshops/masterclasses .......................................... 44 4.8 Aspects of teachers’ approaches identified by survey participants ........ 45 4.9 Professional musical activities of former students ................................. 47 4.10 Contributions of participants’ current students to the local community 49 4.11 Summary ............................................................................................ 51 5.0 Interview Responses .......................................................................... 52 5.1 Introduction ........................................................................................... 52 5.2 Teaching approaches of research participants...................................... 53 5.3 Keeping track of key points at lessons: experiences of participants ...... 76 5.4 Significant influences of interview participants ...................................... 84 5.5 The next generation of pianists ........................................................... 101 6.0 Conclusion........................................................................................ 110 Bibliography............................................................................................ 113 Appendix A: Online Survey Questions ................................................... 119 Appendix B: Interview Questions ............................................................ 120 Appendix C: Interview Transcripts .......................................................... 121 Bernadette Harvey – 26/05/2016 .............................................................. 121 Clemens Leske – 26/05/2016 ................................................................... 126 Daniel Herscovitch – 05/05/2016 .............................................................. 132 Jeanell Carrigan – 30/06/2016 .................................................................. 137 Kim Burwell – 06/12/2016 ......................................................................... 142 Lillian Camphausen – 14/03/2017 ............................................................ 147 Luba Totoeva – 07/12/2016 ...................................................................... 152 Meriel Owen – 11/11/2016........................................................................ 157 Monika Laczofy – 01/06/2016 ................................................................... 162 Monika Rutkowska - 3145630 v Master of Philosophy (Music) The University of Newcastle (Australia) Natalia Ricci – 02/06/2016 ........................................................................ 168 Priscilla Alderton – 20/06/2016 ................................................................. 192 Robin Baker – 25/11/2016 ........................................................................ 201 Sorina Zamfir – 27/05/2017 ...................................................................... 208 Stephen McIntyre – 08/11/2016 ................................................................ 214 Wendy Bisset – 27/10/2016 ...................................................................... 224 Vicky Yang – summary of interview from 07/12/2016 ............................... 231 Monika Rutkowska - 3145630 vi Master of Philosophy (Music) The University of Newcastle (Australia) List of Figures Figure 1: Number of survey participants according