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Elton Joel RW2 2'25
With apologies to them both. A rock piano solo without lyrics.
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Elegy RW2 2'25
Many, many parts to weave and balance - needs ensemble skills, even though it's for solo piano.
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Snowflakes RW2 2'25Recording (mp3, 0.9MB)
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The Art of the Interview back to magazine homepage
Introduction | Testing Creativity | Verbal Instructions | Swapping chairs
The Practice Snapshot | Concert in 10 minutes | Turnaround Time
Concert in 10 minutes
If you really want to know what it's going to be like to work with a student, nothing beats, well, actually working with them.The "concert in 10 minutes" tactic is designed to give you a taste of what might be ahead were this student to come aboard permanently, and is especially good for brand new beginners.
The way it works is that you tell the student that they'll be giving a performance in 10 minutes' time—600 seconds exactly to get it ready. It's something they've never seen before, but it's short and carefully chosen to be something they could do...if they're focused.
So what could a beginner do in 10 minutes?
Don't get too picky about posture, hand position or other details. Instead, you're going to play a piece for them that uses the two notes on your instrument that are easiest for a raw beginner just to play. Play the whole thing for for them once—so they know what the finished produce needs to be—and then start the clock.
With the countdown now running, something wonderful has happened. You've become a team, and you're both about to learn a lot about each other.
The big surprise
As long as both the student and parents are comfortable with the idea, I'll often send parents out of the room at this point—the plan being that we're going to surprise them with the performance.
For the next 10 minutes we'll be working hard together to cook and then serve the student's very first piece, all within the confines of a time limit that would otherwise seem crippling. 
The atmosphere is similar to those backyard renovation shows where the team needs to complete the makeover before the family returns from their holiday, with the ticking clock adds a compelling sense of urgency to all preparation.
At the end of the 10 minutes, you'll have a student smiling because they've just played their very first piece (even if it was just three Cs and a D) Parents will be clapping and making isn't-this-amazing noises to everyone in the room. Give your student a high-five, and tell them what a great job they did.
In the middle of all this congratulation , you'll have developed a strong impressions of just how well you two might work together—it's up to you now to decide if you'd want this team every week. If you've enjoyed the past 600 seconds, chances are the the lessons ahead will be too.