Teaching

Residencies

Clinics

Philosophy

Resumé

Teaching

In addition to giving masterclasses and clinics at universities and schools throughout the United States, Swansbourne has taught at colleges and schools of music in Iowa, Missouri, Idaho and Texas.

He is currently accepting private students in Houston and is available for residencies, workshops and lecture/recitals nationwide.
 

Dr. Swansbourne does what every good teacher should do—he encourages. He always made me feel that I could do anything I tried. His standards are very high, but he is kind enough to think his students can meet them. It was my lucky day when I became his student.

–Emily Cook, BM. Woodlands, TX

Clive Swansbourne is an excellent teacher. His knowledge of piano repertoire is extensive. An excellent performer, it would be difficult to ascertain which style he prefers or plays best. He has a talent for helping a student work on a technically difficult passage of music and for devising fingerings that will work and that make sense to the performer. He has a good rapport with his students and is patient and kind. His love for studying, playing and performing is contagious.

–Judith Nelson, BM. Houston, TX

Residencies

During the next two years, Dr. Swansbourne will be offering special residencies focusing on the music of Tippett and of Shostakovich, whose birth centenaries occur in 2005 and 2006 respectively.

These residencies will include not only performances of the composers’ piano music, but presentations on their orchestral, operatic and chamber music as well.

Clive offers 1-3 day-long residencies focusing on the music of Beethoven, in which he discusses and performs the piano music in relation to the other works of Beethoven.

Day-long residencies are also offered in the music of Mozart, Schubert, Schumann and Chopin.

These presentations are all illustrated with examples at the piano and (depending on the topic), with recordings. Questions for discussion are always welcome.

Thinking Choreographically at the Piano. In piano playing the arms, hands and fingers should be imagined as dancers. In the same way as dancers plan their steps with full attention to naturalness, grace, efficiency and effortlessness, (not to mention preventing injury) so should pianists when confronting the music they are playing. This workshop discusses the art of thinking choreographically to solve a wide variety of problems, using many examples from the repertoire.

The Pedal – The Soul of the Piano. The use of the pedal can add as much satisfaction to a pianist’s performance as his or her phrasing, voicing or dazzling octaves. And yet it is one of the least closely studied aspects of the pianist’s craft. At every stage in a piece of music, choices about pedaling must be made in the same way as they are about dynamics and tempo.

Rubato: Natural and Unnatural. Everyone knows that mechanically exact rhythms are unnatural when applied to melodies, and that “rubato” is necessary to give them expressiveness. It is however a common pitfall in inexperienced pianists to indulge in too much rubato with the result that the music sounds even more unnatural than it would have without any. This workshop discusses the art of rubato and how to learn to use it more sparingly than one would think.

Recordings: When and How to Use Them. Listening to recordings is an essential education for all musicians. Learning by the examples of other performing musicians is as important as learning from a teacher. In this day and age when recordings of just about any music anyone would want to hear are readily available, both well and badly played, the musician is faced with the problem of sorting through the plethora and deciding which to choose and how and when to use them. This talk also discusses the invaluable use of personal recording equipment in the pianist’s preparation for performances.

Preparing for a Performance. Whether a pianist is preparing for a short appearance at a house concert or planning for a full formal recital, strategies for preparation have to be made. Beyond the mastery of the music, the complex psychological problems connected with performing have to be trained for, as well as the numerous logistical details such as dress, when to eat, when and how much to rehearse, getting to know the instrument etc. This talk presents the less glamorous underbelly of a performer’s work and how to overcome it.

Teaching Beethoven's "Pathetique" Sonata. Although this is one of the most widely played sonatas among early advanced students, it is often performed with little understanding of its style and character. This workshop examines in depth difficulties of technique, timing, dynamics, contrast and other interpretive issues in this challenging work.

Interpreting Mozart.  This workshop discusses how to bring Mozart's music fully to life by attending to vitally important issues such as precise phrasing and articulation, and the relationship of Mozart's piano music to his operatic style, an understanding of which can fire the player's imagination.  

Fingering and pedaling - the body and soul of piano-playing. This workshop will cover some general concepts of fingering as well as hand and arm "choreography", and then discuss techniques for effective pedaling in music from Bach to Debussy.

I find interesting challenges with students of all levels of experience and knowledge. I consider myself to be a patient teacher and a non-dogmatic one. I have never been trained in a particular pianistic “system”, and I therefore do not bring one to my teaching. I assess the strengths and weaknesses of each individual, and while strengthening the weaknesses, I try to encourage in my students a full awareness of and confidence in their strengths.

The main point of music instruction is to ignite a love of music in the student, and especially a love of playing music. When the interest is there, the hard work necessary in cultivating musical skills becomes enjoyable to the student, no matter what his or her talent level is. The ability to enjoy the activity of music is, in the end, more important than the talent level.

It is highly important that music study should be as enjoyable as it can be made to be. While the concept “fun” can imply a lack of required standards, this does not have to be the case. If the student is having no fun, it is unlikely he will want to continue for long. A grounding in the skills piano technique and an understanding of how to produce good and varied sounds in the most natural way is essential to all players, but the strict disciplines of music study can be conformed to the student’s temperament and direction.

I encourage students to explore wider musical and other artistic horizons to inform and deepen their understanding of the music they are working on. For example, if it is Russian music, I tell them how important it is to be acquainted with the literature of Russia, to see the emotional landscape of its countrymen “spelled out”. While working on Debussy or Ravel, I have them listen not only to other pianists but to the orchestral music of these composers, to sharpen their ears to potential sonorities in their own playing. I explain that at least a rudimentary knowledge of Mozart’s operas, or a closer knowledge of some of the great scenes, is essential to an understanding of his piano and chamber music.