CPTP118: The “Crisis in Creativity” with Kevin Olson

Kevin Olson is a natural composer. He started composing at a very young age and creativity seemed inevitable to him. Now, he wants to encourage that in the next generation.

Apart from inspiring our students with wonderful motivating repertoire, Kevin also has some fantastic words of wisdom when it comes to including creativity in our lessons.

By taking it a little bit at a time – we can find more time for creativity. Our students don't have to be producing complete, fully-notated compositions. Start with including improvisation and drawing from the pieces your students are playing. Then you can see where it goes from there.

Transcript

If you'd like to download a PDF transcript of this episode, please click below.

[thrive_leads id='128768']

TopMusicPro Members: You can access your PDF download now from the Resource Library. Not a member?

In this episode, you’ll learn

• How Kevin started composing at age 5
• The place of composition competitions in Kevin's studio
• Why external motivation is important for teen music students
• What we can do to foster students' creativity
• How to integrate creativity with everything else you have to cover
• The music Kevin is most excited about right now
• How he goes about composing a concerto
• Where he starts a new composition

Links Mentioned

• My Kind of Music
• Kevin Olson on FJH

Today's Sponsor

The jewel in the crown of the Casio piano range is the Celviano Grand Hybrid. The premise behind this instrument was to merge the finest elements of an acoustic piano’s authenticity with the benefits of innovative Casio digital sound technology. A unique collaboration with the esteemed acoustic grand piano manufacturer C. Bechstein, has resulted in a stunning hybrid instrument. Each Grand Hybrid is equipped with a Natural Grand Hammer mechanism, full-length, wooden grand piano keys and an exquisite selection of three world-renowned acoustic grand pianos tones.

Casio CELVIANO Grand Hybrid Pianos offer a full range of functions that provide meticulous support for music lessons such as recording functions, Hall Simulator, Headphone Mode, USB and MIDI connections and Line input and output connections.

Unlike acoustic instruments, no tuning is required and the keyboard mechanism does not require any adjustment, which can mean significant savings in terms of maintenance costs.

For more information click here to see the Celviano in action.

Get $100 off Annual TopMusicPro Membership

As a valued podcast listener, you're eligible for a $100 discount on an annual TopMusicPro Studio Membership. This discount lasts for as long as you're a member and whatever price you sign up for today is the price you'll pay as long as you remain a member.

Copy this coupon code to use when you see the "Coupon Code" box: PIANOPODCAST.

[thrive_link color='blue' link='https://members.topmusic.co/join/pro/' target='_blank' size='medium' align='aligncenter']Become a Member[/thrive_link]

Thank you for Tuning In!

There are a lot of podcasts you could be tuning into today, and I’m grateful that you’ve chosen mine.

Whether you’re at the gym, on the bike or in the car, I know that you and your students will get lots out of what you learn in the long run.

Just make sure you try out some of the ideas before they get lost in the business of your next lessons!

If you enjoyed today’s show, please share it by using the social media buttons on the left of the page.

Also, kindly consider taking the 60-seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes or on my Facebook page. Reviews are extremely helpful when it comes to show’s ranking and you can bet that I read every single one of them personally.

Lastly, don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, to get automatic updates every time a new episode goes live.

Where does creativity fit in your teaching?

Do you find it hard to plan into your lessons? Have you been trying to do too much or jump too far?