Description:

Kevin Fitz-Gerald, Associate Professor of Keyboard Collaborative Arts and Keyboard Studies at the University of Southern California, talks about piano students. A lot of pianists dream of becoming a concert pianist. However, that isn't realistic. Therefore, Fitz-Gerald mentions collaborative arts programs. Collaborative arts programs teach musicians how to play in chamber groups and as an accompanist. They also teach how to deal with people and sell one's self. Also in this segment, Fitz-Gerald discusses the inherent quality required of a collaborative arts student. Individuals must have the musical and intuitive sense. He explains that in his collaborative arts program class, he assists students by showing them how to bend when working with another person. The significance of understanding the text of a song is covered as well. Composers use word painting. One must play to reflect the feeling of a particular word. Thus, musicians must research the music. Fitz-Gerald also talks about how simply being music doesn't cut it today. There are too many educated collaborative artists.