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With the first student, who had a problem with his right hand (see the Transforming yourself through playing the piano, Part 1), it was not possible for him quickly to change his personality by becoming proactive, reaching out and acting as an extrovert individual. In his case, I felt that it would be better to start working on his technique at the piano. I gave him a lot of exercises for his right hand (Dohnányi and Brahms, to name a few), but also suggested to do some first proactive steps in his lifestyle, which, in his case, was to start going to the gym and doing some weight lifting, as it was the place where he felt least uncomfortable and where he could start building up the strength in his left hand.
Hence my approach was different here: first we were trying to fix the problems with the hand, hoping, that it would positively reflect on his personality, helping him to eliminate shyness and become more extroverted.
What was interesting in each of these cases was that both students showed signs of positive development, not only in their techniques, but also in their personalities. The girl who was very critical became softer and creative, whilst the student who was shy and introverted started to communicate more freely with people around him, and become more socially active,
If it had not been for the piano, would they have noticed these qualities in their character? Would they have addressed these issues? We will never know, but here is a beautiful example of how playing the piano can not only bring you enjoyment in a musical sense, but also help you to develop your own personality.
Have you noticed which side of your body is stronger and which one is weaker? Have you recently had an inquiry that lead to problems with one side? How much do you know about your body? I would highly encourage you to look into this and derive your own conclusions! And by reading this blog you are already on your way to self-discovery!
Written by GéNIA
Russian virtuoso pianist, GéNIA, is an acclaimed pioneer on the classical music scene, with numerous TV and radio appearances. The founder of Piano-Yoga® , the first entirely new piano technique to emerge in over 50 years, GéNIA was taught by her great-grandmother, the renowned pedagogue Regina Horowitz (sister of pianist Vladimir Horowitz) and studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Her eclectic repertoire embraces classical and multimedia projects. With releases for Black Box and Nonclassical labels, she worked with numerous key figures in the music industry. A visionary pedagogue, GéNIA also founded the Piano-Yoga® Music School in London and gradated from the Life Centre, London in 2008 as qualified BWY Yoga Teacher. GéNIAs next appearance is on Sunday 24th March 4.30-5:30pm presenting Improving Yourself at the All About Piano Festival at Institut Français, 17 Queensberry Place, London SW7 2DT . View the webpage here.