Hear today's full episode by clicking "Listen" above or from your preferred podcast app.
Lang Lang is a piano superstar who is not only a very popular concert pianist but also a great advocate for training young musicians through the Lang Lang International Music Foundation. The Lang Lang Young Scholars Program is part of the foundation.
Yesterday we got solid advice on the habits that help you to master a skill. But life isn't only about practice. Today we'll find out what some of the Lang Lang Young Scholar pianists like to do in their free time. Today we'll hear from these pianists.
"After classes, I go cycling around New York City," says Sencheng Zhang. "Cycling gives me a source of freedom, especially around Central Park and Queens."
"Lately I've been having fun going to jazz clubs and I've been taking salsa lessons," says Anna Kesselman.
"I used to dance, and these days I like watching ballets, too. A lot of pianists move around a lot... it's all about feeling the music," says Xinran Shi.
It turns out that composers' hobbies often found their way into their music. For example, Antonin Dvorak loved pigeons. He even kept them in a loft at home. But he was sometimes annoyed by other birds. While writing his American String Quartet while on summer vacation in Spillville, Iowa, a red bird with black wings kept singing where he was working. It's call found its way into the music.
This week's Mystery Melody
It's time to test your ears. Each week we have a mystery melody that we have to figure out with likely not enough information. It relates to our topic. We'll make the melody less mysterious each day.
If you know the mystery melody, text your name and the title and we’ll give you a shout out on Friday. The number to text is (833) 490-4718.
