The other day, a friend asked me to write a post about efficiency, especially regarding to piano practice. Why she thought I was the right person to do that is a mystery to me since I'm fully aware of my weird and unorganised working routine. Back at university in Poland, my friends used to come to my room and listen as I was practicing. Some of them would even sit there for a few hours, probably waiting for me to really get started with something substantial, but then all of a sudden I was done and willing to go. Their only comment was: 'Wait, what - that's it?!'. Once, I was even asked to t ..read more

A few days ago, I had a nice chat with Aleksander Debicz, a pianist I met several years ago at the Mozarteum Summer Academy in Salzburg. Alek has just been nominated to the prestigious Polish phonographic award Fryderyk 2019! On this occasion I decided to ask him a couple of questions about the way that led him to this great success. - I’ve been following your career for a while and I’m under great impression of all three of your CDs! What led you to the contract with Warner Music Poland? - I can say I followed a very conventional pattern – the offer came after my success at the Transatlantic ..read more

A few posts ago, I introduced you to the first part of my project about the human brain and its reaction to music. Today, I’d like us to dive deeper into the feeling of pleasure which music can cause. Let’s learn what scientists and psychologists have discovered about the mechanism that makes us enjoy things. I remember that when I was working on this project I was struck how universal these rules were - it was an essay about pleasure assisting music but I had a feeling that it could have as well been a study on what attracts and repels us in life and how we experience joy and distress in gen ..read more

Today, I'd like us to come back to the topic which I started in the 'Greek tragedy with a piano' post - what options young musicians have to develop their careers. A few days ago, I had a chat with François-Xavier Poizat, a French/Suisse pianist whom I met when I was studying in Geneva [http://www.fxpoizat.com/]. This courageous man started his own music festival when he was only 20! This year, Puplinge Classique Festival is celebrating its 10th anniversary and on this occasion I'd like us to uncover the backstage story of this special undertaking! - 'I am going to start my own music festival ..read more

Today, I'm going to take up a very difficult subject of a thinking pattern which is hugely responsible for all kinds of stress. We learn it at the young age - 'acquire' is probably a more appropriate word, since we never fully realise what is going on as children. And frankly speaking, many of us don't get much more aware as adults. The thinking pattern I'm talking about is called 'perfectionism'. As is the case with most things in life, the kind of impact this matter has on us depends on our approach. For instance, what's wrong about having an ambition to achieve the highest quality in whate ..read more

Ever since I started this blog I've felt that it would be a good idea to share with you a few chapters from a project I wrote a little while ago. I'm sure it will feel very much at home here. Since it is a university thesis you may find it a bit more formal and scientific, especially today's part, than my usual posts. But the content and the conclusions are really worth getting through it (modestly speaking ;D) so I hope you won't get easily discouraged! The project will appear in a few parts in turns with the continuation of our series about stress and other random posts - so ..read more

In my last post, I wrote about various emotions covered by the term 'stress' and their positive and negative effects. I focused particularly on fear, its real sources and ways of dealing with it. Today, I'd like us to have a closer look at another feeling that always accompanies stress and can easily penetrate all areas of our lives. 2. Discomfort I'm sure I don't have to convince anyone that this is what bothers us most in a challenging situation. We may practice our concert program for weeks, we can rehearse our presentation in front of friends, we can go through all the books over and over ..read more

Every week, I'm going to post three quiz questions here. After four rounds I will sum up the points and announce the winner! The prize is a big surprise ;). Here we go! Round No. 1 1. Which city connects Arnold Schoenberg, Igor Stravinsky and Jascha Heifitz? 2. Which country connects Steinway, Morningside Music Bridge and pancakes? 3. Which famous concert hall connects the Miss World Pageant, the Grand Wagner Festival (conducted by Wagner himself) and the Classic BRIT Awards? Have fun! :) Use the mailbox on the home page to send the answers ..read more

These days we hear about it all the time. But I think the subject of stress in a musician's life specifically is worth bringing up. Both professionals and amateurs know that a working environment of an artist is difficult in terms of emotional health. Pianists struggle with many challenges: stage fear, pressure, criticism, competition, perfectionism... The list is long and at times it can seem overwhelming. I've personally experienced a big share of various hardships in this area. But thanks to this I was urged to figure out how to deal with these difficulties and overcome them. Luckily, it t ..read more

One of the great advantages of being a piano student is that you have many excuses to travel around the world. If you're canny enough you can find plenty of opportunities that will be no burden on your budget- many competitions, festivals or summer academies offer scholarships or various funding options. Also, ministries of culture in most countries or private cultural organizations have special programs that cover summer camps for musicians and any other travel expenses connected with their education or performing. This summer I participated in workshops with Maria Joao-Pires in Dubrovnik ..read more