Repertoire and Recycling

Believe it or not, until I was about 23, my piano teachers would typically pick which pieces I was to learn, or they would at least strongly suggest what they thought would be best. Of course, there was some room for change, but I usually let them pick the music for me, trusting in their expert opinions.

I am now at a point where I do not have weekly lessons or a regular teacher looking over me. While I miss the guidance and critique, I appreciate a new and necessary freedom. Part of growth as a musician is discovering your passion and your strengths through repertoire. What I mean by that is, of all the plethora of great piano music, I have to choose pieces that I am both passionate about and that play to my strengths. Don't get me wrong: I'm completely for choosing pieces that play to one's weaknesses, but I play those privately for my own improvement and not so much for public performance.

When it comes to choosing my pieces now that I'm getting older, I find myself often "recycling" pieces that I may have played many years ago. There is a certain nostalgia that comes about when working a piece from years past, but more so, there is a new found maturity that is so evident, it makes the piece come alive. Fact: I am a much better musician today than I was in college. Because of this, if I take a piece I worked in college, it is going to be infinitely better today, simply because of the maturity and growth I've experienced as a musician.

As for new pieces that I've never played before, I must admit that I tend to be a bit fickle. I will adore a new work for the first week before getting bored with it and moving on to something different. Herein lies something I am missing -- a broad view. When my teachers would assign music, they had an idea of where I was going and what would be good for me. I never realized how difficult that is to see in oneself.