Piano learning: On hitting the right notes

DIMAPUR — Teaching piano in a school setting after completing a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance made Zingrin Shishak realise how rewarding school-teaching could be, especially with the summer and winter holidays. What initially seemed like a mere stepping stone turned out to be far more fulfilling. This experience inspired him to pursue a Master of Music in Piano Pedagogy, and he has remained dedicated to the profession ever since.

Shishak is currently an Assistant Professor and Dean of Music at the Margaret Shishak School of Music (MSSM), and Patkai Christian College.

In an interview with Eastern Mirror, the 45-year-old assistant professor provides an outline for students interested in learning the piano.

What essential knowledge should every piano player have?

Consistent practice is needed to improve one’s skills.

Can you share us the steps that students must follow if they wish to enrol in formal piano education?

There are different ways to learn the piano. If you are just interested in learning to play the piano you can take lessons from a piano teacher. There are many music schools that cater to school-age students. If you are interested in learning about different aspects of music besides just playing, and you are interested in being a musician as your profession, then eventually studying music at the Bachelor’s level might be right for you. Also if you are just starting out, if at all possible try to practice on a real acoustic piano or a digital piano. It is better not to practice on a ‘keyboard’. A digital piano has 88 weighted keys which imitate a real piano. But a keyboard has fewer keys which are also very light and not heavy like a real piano.

Could you provide a brief overview of how a student can obtain a Master of Music in Piano Pedagogy like you did?

To get a Master of Music in Piano Pedagogy one would need to have previously done a Bachelor of Music. Different universities will have different requirements. You would need to audition for it as well. There will be certain requirements so one cannot just play anything. You will need to be advanced enough in your performing skills.

On average, how should aspiring piano students structure their daily routine?

Any student learning piano should strive to have a regular time that they practice every day. If you just practice whenever you have some “free time,” then you may never practice since there may always be other important things to do like your other classes, exam preparation, family responsibilities, etc. When you first start learning you may only need to practice 15-20 minutes, but as you progress you will need to devote more and more time. By the time I was in Class 9 I was practicing every day for one hour. When I was doing my Master’s degree, my teacher wanted me to practice three hours a day at least, and I knew other students putting in 4-5 hours daily.

Are career prospects limited to music schools alone, or are there other opportunities available?

I don’t recommend anyone to study music unless they really think they like it. Musicians usually don’t make too much money and any work they get may not be steady. Probably the steadiest job would be teaching as there are always students interested in learning piano. To make a living as a performer is not easy. You have to be good to be a successful performer but skill is no guarantee of success. Very few musicians reach that super-star level where they are rich. Often musicians may do various jobs. For example, someone might teach piano during the week, play in church services on Sundays, and also play in weddings.

For students who are interested in piano but are unsure of its scope, what advice would you offer?

Anyone can learn to play the piano. Learning music is good for the brain. In fact, people in the sciences tend to be good at music. The question is whether you are interested in a career involving the piano somehow. Do you want to be a teacher? Performer? What kind of music? Classical concert pianist? Playing keyboard in a band? How skilled do you want to get? If you just want to be able to accompany yourself or others singing, for example, you don’t need to become extremely skilled. But to be a classical performing pianist you would need to be very skilled. And to become skilled takes a lot of hard work.

If someone plans to pursue a career in piano, can they expect to earn a sustainable income?

There are different ways in which one can use the piano as part of a career, so it depends. But any musician should never expect to be rich. Only a few superstars are rich. There are always people wanting to learn piano, so if you teach you are probably guaranteed at least a few students, but how much money you earn to be able to live depends partly on how many students you can teach.

In the context of Nagaland, what does the future look like for aspiring pianists?

There is demand for teaching. There are also part-time or seasonal things like accompanying and playing at weddings. Churches also need musicians.

RAPID INSIGHTS 

Most important influence on your musical life

I would like to say other things, but probably it has to be my mother as she was my first piano teacher.

Where would you like to be in 10 years’ time? 

To be honest I am not sure of the answer. I am still trying to work out that question for right now, never mind the future.

A piece that you never grow tired of playing

Unfortunately and strangely for a piano teacher, I hardly play the piano and am not fond of performing. The only piece that I can (usually) remember and play by heart is ‘Invention in F No. 8’ by J.S. Bach.