Your Turn!
Visitor Input
Reprinted below are your e-mail responses--sometimes abridged--to the first issue of Muzine, along with our replies. All are greatly appreciated--and, no, we did not weed out negative ones! Your comments have been overwhelmingly encouraging.
"Thanks for the web page tour. This is an interesting spot, and I hope to see more of it. I am a beginning adult piano student and have a beginning child piano student..." Thanks for writing; you and your daughter sound like exactly the kinds of people we want to reach. This issue features a Profile of a mother/daughter team from Minnesota who began lessons together and are having a ball. "I just finished reading the first issue of Muzine. Congratulations on an excellent resource for the amateur musician. I'll make mention of it to my friends and cohorts...I believe you and your colleagues have undertaken quite a task, and appreciate the means through which you developed and sustained a focus in the first issue. The articles were of manageable length, well-written, and certainly relevant to the experience of the amateur musician." Thank you for your great encouragement! Your suggestions are added below: "Although I believe it was quite helpful to have your work and that of your cohorts as authors, I would suggest that you identify and engage some real amateurs in writing for the magazine...I believe hearing from the amateurs themselves also has value." OK, swell idea--how about you? "I would suggest an article on the value of music camps for adults...There are many folks who attend them." This will definitely be included in the near future. "[What about] a column...that would have a title like 'Keeping it Alive', or something like that...to identify how various adults are staying in touch with their music through chamber groups, orchestras/bands...parlor recitals in homes, and studio recitals..." This is one of the main things we are trying to do with Profiles, which is already beginning to show promise of being our most popular page. In fact, we're considering the possibility of running more than one Profile per issue. "What a great idea! I went and checked it out and think it looks great. If you ever have a books/video/CDs section I'd recommend Piano Lessons by Noah Adams (it's a great memoir of an adult's first year as a beginning pianist) and the video Small Wonders about an urban strings program." Thanks for your good letter and kind words. I got the Adams book and it's delightful, and a "recommended reading" list is something we're already looking into. See this issue's Profile for reference to another amateur strings group. "Thank you...I think it is great, because I believe music should be for everyone, not just professional performers. Thanks for writing; that's the whole idea behind Muzine. "I checked out Muzine...great idea and nicely executed." Many thanks for your comment. "Did you ever think of profiling pianists Christopher Taylor or Jon Nakamatsu? They're the 1993 and 1997 Van Cliburn Competition finalists, respectively." The whole idea of Profiles--and of Muzine generally--is to celebrate amateur musicians who play for pleasure and inspiration at home or in small venues, and who will never play in Carnegie Hall or win a major competition--but who still pursue first-hand music-making and experience the joy of it actively rather than passively, and work towards whatever level of skill they can attain. "Thank you for this great site! I am an adult returning to piano and I found much to enjoy at this site." And thank you for writing! You sound exactly like the kind of person we are trying to reach. "Very much enjoyed reading through the Summer issue of Muzine...It certainly ought to be seen widely." Thank you--hope you'll stay with us. "I am an adult beginning piano player...stuck for the time being on an oil terminal in Gabon, Central Africa, with no access to a good teacher, so until I get back to civilization I have to teach myself..." Wow! I have to admit I don't envy you. By all means visit The Piano Education Page; you'll find tons of help there. [from a friend:] "I just visited the site of Muzine and it is superb!" Thanks--we appreciate that. [from another old friend:] OK, OK, I visited it. Impressive! Thank you too, chum!
Our sincerest thanks to all for your valuable comments and suggestions. Already, after a single issue, we have received a wealth of new ideas which will contribute greatly to the ongoing growth and development of Muzine.
Click Here to keep those letters coming! ![]()
