First year in Kuopio

This year has been amazing. I think I can't even realize how much has happened since last autumn. I moved into my first own home and I started studying in university of applied science. I think I'm lucky when I got there straight after high school, even I was prepared to year off.

How do I feel now? I think I was soooo stupid when I started studying :D I knew nothing. I had to learn how to practice regularly because my practicing wasn't enough. I had to learn how to live on my own and I think that the hardest part was making friends. I was afraid that I'm too young and stupid for that environment so I stayed at home way too much. At some point I realized that I should just hang out more at school. I noticed that people meet each others in Music Centers Valohalli during their coffee break or something like that. For my surprise that worked. I noticed that people in that house are very kind and nice people! If you needed company you got it. Support? You got it. Tips for practicing? Got it. Only seldom there was no one. I've never been in that kind of enviroment. I came from a small town where so called team spirit was just a strange concept :D

I've done lot of great things in this year. I started to take singing lessons and I did my first degree about it. I was in choir, and I worked with a singer first time in my life. Me and him took part in Erkki Melartins chamber music competition. We didn't get the place in final but that was so rewarding chance that it doesn't matter. I learned a lot as being a someones pianist (and not being just an accompanist) and how to communicate and listen during music. The pieces I got were supposed to learn in a very short time and I exceed myself when I practiced 6 pages of Mozart in 1,5 weeks. I cried when I got all the 7 pieces done just 2 days before deadline. And I was so sure it wouldn't be possible.

So... that kind of projects gave me the self confidence I needed. I realized that I AM a good pianist (and also pretty good singer and surprisingly fast at learning musics theory :D). But I also need to work hard for being it. I also start to realize that I'm young and I still got time to develop. The thing why so many people felt (and still feel) so pro to me, is because they are mainly older than me so then they got more experience. Also everyones background is valuable, no matter how different it is. And if someone is already a musician it doesn't mean that I could never graduate as adept. These things might sound self-evident but it wasn't for me. I think something moved inside of me when I was a tutor in Savonias entrance examination. I saw the same uncertainty in applicants that I had. The thoughts when you question are you good enough. It was strange to calm people and give a peer support by telling things I've felt and done. It was nice to see the relief in their faces and someones even laughed for mine stupid thoughts. It's said that you learn something only when you teach it to the others and it was that kind of moment. It felt funny.

What would I like to do in next year... well I want to be in every project which sounds interesting :D I want to be someone singers personal pianist and accompanist, and continue singing as well. I want to go forward in piano and do the D-degree about it in next autumn. I want to get experience about teaching and be as good teacher as I can be. Also I want to find more my musical identity and personality. This first year was great to wake it up.

So yes... I'm hopeful and open minded for coming. If the first year was this amazing I can't imagine how amazing the next year will be. Now I'm in the need of summer :)

The picture's from here.

10 facts about me

1. I love to make combinations about cars license plates. For example if the license plate is TIU-123 it would be Today I Understand.
2. I love to read Donald Ducks, especially Don Rosas stories and drawings. I've cried to his comics because they are so touching and humane. He's sense of humor is also amazing.

3. Cars are one of my passions. My dream is to own 60's or 70's Ford Mustang some day.
4. I have never been in an amusement park.
5. When I started playing piano I didn't know it was classical. I took me many years to realize it.
6. Every second number of my date of birth is 6. I'm born in the 26. day of June in 1996, so you got the 666 out of it. I think it's funny :D
7. I never win anything but in this year I'm going to Tuska Festival, and also to Iron Maidens and Black Sabbaths gigs. I won all the tickets from some Facebook lottery.
8. Now when I live on my own I've realized how much I love my family. I know this is common but still.
9. My summer starting routine is to buy new sunglasses. I always buy the same styled glasses I already have and I've done this like 7 years. I've lost so many sunglasses that it's not even unnecessary.
10. When I was 16 my biggest phone bill was about 150€. Mom was not happy. Neither was I. I might had one boy who I liked to text.... :D

The picture is from here.

Why metal?

One big part of my personality is love into metal music. It started when I was in primary school and I had a crush whose favorite band was Metallica. I wanted to make an impact so I called to my friend and asked if she could copy some Metallica for me (Yes, we lived the time when was no Spotify, and everything had to download illegally.). She was okay with that, and my trip into heavy metal world was started. Too bad that the boy didn't notice me even I tried so hard :D
Then came my birthday and I turned ten or something.. my cousin called to me and asked which record I wanted as my birthday present. I didn't know any good bands so my cousin brought me Black Sabbath. I told that the Paranoid was "okay" so it was enough for him. Little by little I fell in love.

At lower secondary school I had a big brake from metal culture and music. I became a huge fan of Michael Jackson because he died "magically" in my 13th birthday (for real he died in 25.6 but in Finland it was 26.6. when it happened). I didn't listen anything else but Michael Jackson, it was my life until it started to be so embarrassing that my friends started to be mean for me. Well, let's not go into that but I realized that I had to change. And I had a new crush again... :D

Metallica, Megadeth, Testament, Machine Head, Black Sabbath... I was sold. I found the workable way to clear my mind and handle the bad feelings I had. I started to find my personality and found the style which continues to this day. Black clothes, chains on jeans, leather jackets... and the attitude I guess. Of course it was a long way to go and nothing happened just one click. Also I wanted to be careful so my friends would still accept me. In that age everything was a bit different.

Now I couldn't imagine my life without metal music. It has brought so much good to me. Great experiences, new friends, inspiration and an interesting touch to my identity. Of course the bands I listen has changed a bit, to the heavier way I think. But umm... in music has happened the same as can happen with food. Let me explain: I still like everything sweet and the things I loved as a child, but now I can now eat herring and blue cheese with smile on my face.

Pictures taken from Pinterest.

Music memes

I don't know what I was doing but I got lost in the wonderful world of Pinterest. One of my entertainments is to laugh for good memes and there are lot of good ones about classical music. Here is a "few" of them! I hope that I'm not the only one with stupid sense of humor.

Let's start with Beethoven. Beethoven rocks.

I've actually told the banana joke in a tutor meeting. The idea was to tell one joke at a stage of Henry's Pub so you got the free drink ticket. It was not surprising that only musicians laughed :D

The next ones are just so stupid... and still so clever.

At the next ones might be part of my future?

I laughed so much for these:

And how cute is this?? Awwww.

I can relate in this soooo much :'D

And the last one tells so much about my personality and taste of music.

Okay, so this was a lighter post again! The last two posts were so full of text that I thought to bring some humor in this blog. Maybe I should do the same kind of post about heavy metal because it's so big part of me. The bad thing is that usually you need to know things for this kind of humor (that's the reason I don't show classical music memes for my non-musical friends). For example in the second meme of this post you need to know that Beethoven was deaf. 

Ouch, the clock is almost 1 am. I guess I should go to sleep now and shut down the Pinterest. By the way all the pictures of this post were from there.

What I've learnt from my piano teachers

My first piano teacher was a bit scary for a beginning. He was quite old man with a low voice and an high authority. But when I got to know him he was very good teacher. They say that the first teacher matters a lot so here is some things I appreciated in him:

• He allowed me to compose my own songs and even perform those in concerts. His philosophy was that when a child is exited you should allow the excitement, and just try to keep up with them. Never told them to slow down.
• I really respected him. His authority was natural and he knew what he was talking about. His knowledge was amazing and he had a great sense of humor.
• I really learned to keep my nails short. I remember one lesson when I had too long nails and he gave the nail scissors and told me to cut my nails. Then it was embarrassing but now it's just fun :D

Now I've had five teachers after him and it's quite a lot when some will have just one teacher. I've learnt something from everyone, but I think now it's better to be more abstract and tell the things I've noticed or learned during this 12 years from all of them:

• Pick the pieces you like. It's never nice to play the piece which doesn't motivate you at all. I've noticed about myself that I don't develop when I don't like playing something.
• ...But still you should play the music you're not very into. For example I don't like Bach's Inventios, but those are asked in degrees and are very useful for technique. And I've noticed that a good teacher can make you like the music you didn't like before.
• Talk and communicate. Be interested. I appreciated that I was asked how I'm doing and is everything ok. It was very useful when an exam week was going or something else - then teacher didn't wonder why my practicing was so little.
• Don't behave rude. Ever. Not for any person. The respect will suffer from it even the teachers skills would be how amazing.
• You should never be motivated by fear.
• Be ready to learn through your life. Teaching has changed a lot and it will change all the time. It's important to find and keep the style you have but still you should be ready to develop yourself and follow the world.
• Be equal for all. You don't have to like everyone but you must be fair for everyone you teach. If the communication doesn't work you should seek another solution.
• And I think this is the most important: love what you do.

My first piano lesson as a teacher

Today was an awesome day. I had my first piano lesson as a teacher. At Thursday I got a message from one familiar, and she asked if I could teach her daughter in this summer. I said yes immediately.
I thought that this is a great chance to get practicing for the future, because on next year we will have teaching at school (and I am a bit nervous about that).

One thing that helped my job was that my pupil was already a good pianist. I mean, that we didn't had to start from the very beginning. It was nice to notice that we can focus in music and not to the very basics.

Well what did we do at the first lesson? We talked a lot, we didn't play much. I think that it's nicer for both if we get to know each others first. I asked what she was done earlier with other teachers, and I checked the notes she had. She didn't had any "homework" for summer so it was my change to start something new with her. I think I had little troubles by choosing a good note, because I didn't want to give too difficult or too easy piece. Also I wanted that the piece would be motivating and it should be nice to play and practice. Then we found a theme from Harry Potter and it was the best choice. She said that she had all the movies so the theme was very familiar. Then I said that I've never seen any Harry Potter movies, so we made a deal that she will practice the piano and I will watch at least one movie :D I hope that on the next lesson we will play more and I can start the "real teaching". I think that I will have challenges with learning teaching, but I'm very exited that I have this change to learn. I hope that she has the same feeling.

Well, I do fear that I don't be a good motivator for her. I know that her previous teachers were not very good and the latest teacher was everything but motivating. Whoever I will ever teach, I'd like to be a good motivator and support. I think I've failed if somebody's excitement about music flops because I can't be a good teacher. Although I said that we are learning together - she learns to play the piano and I learn to teach.

The picture is from here.

ABC's of music

Hi! On this post I wanted to do something more relaxing and fun. It was interesting to think music by ABC's. The first ones was easy to think but it got more difficult to the end.

A. Artist. I hope that someday I could say that word about myself - with good conscience.
B: Beethoven. A great composer but I got frustrated with his one sonatin in last winter.
C: Creativity. I love how creative I can be with music. There is always something new to try.
D: Drinking. Musicians life? Not the whole truth.
E: Emotion. The best music is the music played with emotion.
F: Failures. Part of doing this, and something you can learn a lot.
G: Guitar. My forever "someday I can play it well" -project :D

H: Happiness. I don't need to add anything on this.
I: Italian. Most of the music terms are written in this language. Piano, forte, diminuendo...
J: Jealousy. Something what every musician feels sometimes. I can also give a new motivation.
K: Karma. This can mean many things in music :D
L: Lied. Something I've got exited. I love the idea that you are not just a accompanist, you are pianist.
M: Mother. My biggest supporter I think, and also my rolemodel.
N: Notes. Always lost.

O: Opera. Never seen any, I hope that some day it's possible.
P: Piano. I've played it 12 years now.
Q: Quality. I hope that whatever I'll ever do, it's done by heart and with good quality.
R: Rhythm. The most important thing and also the best thing in any music.
S: Singing. Singing in a shower, during doing dishes, in a car... and the list goes on.
T: Tense. It's ok when it doesn't go over. It preps for a coming presentation.
U: Unique. Good thing to be.

V: Vibrato. Good thing to handle.
W: Website. When you do something professionally (gigs for example), the own website is a huge help.
X: Xylophone. I think I had one little xylophone which was meant for children. I didn't sound nice.
Y: Young. I try to be postitive and think that I am still young and I have time to do a lot of things.
Z: Zeppelin. Led Zeppelin. The only thing I worked out in this part :D