Your Name: Shiho Takeda
Tell us about your formal education in music. B.M Piano Performance at University of Arizona
Tell us about your professional performance experience. I have collaborated with many instrumentalists and played for church services. As soloist, I performed Carnival of the animals by Saint-Saëns with SASO (and appeared KGUN 9 playing part of it), Beethoven choral fantasy with Tucson Masterworks Chorale. Also I had solo, duet and chamber concerts at various locations (churches, Japanese gardens etc.) in Tucson, Phoenix, Green valley and Oro valley and played at TRO reading sessions. I am planning to do a solo concert in Japan and also perform Tchaikovsky piano trio here in Tucson this summer. You can check my upcoming concerts at my website shihopiano.yolasite.com.
Do you still practice? How often? I try to get 3-4 hours per day during weekdays and 5-7 hours per day on the weekends.
What inspired you to start playing music? My mother took me to the eurhythmics class when I was 2 years old then I started taking piano lessons right after that by recommendation from my mother’s friend.
Was finding the motivation for practicing hard for you as a beginner? Is it still difficult at times? Yes! Because all my friends were playing outside and I had to practice first to go out to join them but most of the time when I’m done practicing, all my friends were gone. But I entered many competitions when I was little and doing well at these competitions was my motivation because I really enjoy performing in front of well-known musicians. It is still difficult to practice if I don’t have any goal but I usually have concerts to prepare for and that is my motivation for everyday practice.
What advice do have for students who need help getting motivated to practice? Find some goals (even a small one) or something you really enjoy doing in music and think about sharing it with other people!
What types of music do you currently listen to and enjoy playing? I like to play the transcription of classic pieces especially when the piece is transformed in jazz style. I enjoy the rhythm and harmony of jazz. Also I love to play in symphonies or chamber music because it is fun to work toward a same goal with other musicians and also I love the colorful sound created by many different kinds of instruments.
What do you like the most about the Allegro Student Recitals? It can be a good motivational goal for the student and working hard toward this goal make student grow.
What’s the single most important principle you try to convey to all of your students? It is important to practice hard but also try to have fun! Try to think of all the fun things you can do with music.
What aspect of teaching music do you enjoy the most? I love sharing time with students to enjoy the joy of music together. My wish is that the students discover more not only about music but also about themselves through music.
In what ways do you see your students benefiting from learning music? You can enjoy music every day, throughout your life. Some of my students told me that they are happy that they are learning music because they can play music when they are sad or happy and even able to share that with their friends or family. Learning music can increase your quality of life I believe. Also other students told me that they love learning music and looking forward for each lesson because learning music is just pure fun and also the better they became, they felt more accomplished.
What are your non-musical hobbies and interests? I love all forms of arts (dancing, painting, sculpting etc.) because it is fun to create something in your head. And also I love science (I have B.S in Math with Physic minor and B.A in Law also!) because it is fun to understand how everything works in this world.
What overall advice would you have for all music students, regardless of their instrument? Try to find something you can really enjoy (or your own style) in music. Also, even if there are times you don’t feel like getting better or you are too busy with other things and don’t have time for music, please do not give up. I am sure that you will be glad that you kept going.
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