My teacher always told me that summer is a time when we have the opportunity to learn and grow as a pianist. We can learn a new concerto, make music with other musicians or even change our technique and how we play the instrument. Summer is a wonderful time of the year to assume a challenge. Giving ourselves a challenge is one of the greatest tools we have for growth as a musician. When you are young and have strong bodies, you need to challenge yourselves to be a better pianists. We, as pianists, have to realize that our bodies start to have problems after the age of about 26 so one should really challenge themselves before we reach that point. Teenage years are the best time for achieving optimal growth and establishing the foundation of technique which you will use for the rest of your lives. Look at the natural scenery around you to have an image of something truly beautiful, like Debussy. Eat something delicious that makes your tongue tingle with excitement, like Rachmaninoff. Read something that is profound that scrambles your mind like Bach. Or dance to music whose rhythm makes your body twitch involuntary, like de Falla. Everything in our life is related to these great works of art so go and explore while you are young!

We are extremely fortunate to have a great facility in a beautiful place like Uozu. Here the beauty of nature blends with the beauty of human made works of art, like the Hamburg Steinways here in Uozu. 

                                                                                                     

Miyoko Nakaya Lotto