No. 3 Mazurka - Reinhold Gliere by Isabel Zhong

Rubato is one of the abstract concepts to students, especially to a child. It is not easy to do naturally. You need to take time or accelerate a bit (but not affecting the tempo too much) according to the mood and atmosphere.

To understand the technique of rubato, I try to sing out the melody with students to let them feel the music like a poem. Which note do we need to emphasize? Which phrase is a question? Which one is an answering phrase? Where should I take a break/breath? We cannot only play all the notes accurately, but also play the melody expressively. 

It is not easy to control while we are performing. We'd better take recordings when practicing and you will know where should take time and whether it sounds awkward. Revise and revise. You will make a progress at the end.

PS Glad that this 6-year-old girl can perform naturally when she was doing her recording for competition!

Thank you my friends for providing the grand piano room and video making service for my student!

Shooting location: WIlsonWongMusicStudio

Audio engineer: Matthew Chan