I have just purchased the most delightful book. The title kind of gives it away -yes, it is about music and is a compact guide for adults embarking on that scary journey – learning or relearning a musical instrument. Being a music ‘tragic’ myself and a mature age student of the piano, I was interested in seeing what this book had to offer. I was not disappointed.
Its author, Zuzana Lenartova, is one of the Eastern Suburbs’ best known piano instructors with a wealth of experience in teaching adults. Readers may remember Melanie Kembrey’s article featuring Zuzana in The Good Weekend (October 2021).
She has drawn on her experience to answer almost every question we might ask as students. First of all, this little book is rich with technical information-all the practical knowledge a beginning learner of any instrument might want – from the meanings of terms like ‘ritenuto’ and ‘rubato’ to information regarding scales as well as different key and time signatures. There is good advice on how to improve one’s musicality and pitch, on how to approach a new piece or prepare for exams if one wants to.
However, it is not just the purely technical aspects of study that are dealt with in this book. The author is acutely aware that the decision to study music at a mature age is rarely taken lightly. Mature age study often comes through a deep love of music and a firm commitment to mastery. As well, older students come with very fragile egos! Zuzana Lenartova clearly understands these complexities and imparts important wisdom about attitude to learning, approaches to learning new pieces and overcoming discouragement and disappointment in the learning journey. It can be difficult taking up a new instrument or dusting off that old one as a more mature student and learning can be a very fraught journey! I could really relate to much that I read!
Visually, the book is filled with very cute illustrations and is nicely designed. I think I will be dipping into it for information and advice on a regular basis for a long time to come.
Zuzana Lenartova’s DO RE MI TO YOU is available at all good bookstores and online.
