🎙 Episode 64 – Purpose

G’day and welcome back to Piano, Finally. This week I had something like a first public performance—playing my four showcase pieces for a junior music class I was covering. They asked, I played, and it went alright. With just two weeks until the actual showcase, I’m ramping up practice but not aiming for perfection—it’s about learning, and sharing the journey.

🎧 YouTube Spotlight – Ten Keyboard Sounds EVERY Player Should Have
Pierre Piscitelli’s video on Ten Keyboard Sounds
every player should know is a treasure. From grand and upright pianos to Rhodes, DX7s, Wurlitzers, Clavinets, B3 organs and synth pads, Pierre demonstrates each sound with real song examples and tutorials. I’ve already been matching them on the Nord—and it’s a resource I’ll be coming back to often.

📝 Essay – Purpose
What’s the purpose of education? Increasingly, governments treat it as job training, and arts programs—particularly music—are the first to be cut. Yet the benefits of music are profound: leadership, culture, creativity, and joy. Only 37% of students in Australia are taught music at school, and often by non-specialists. We need to push back. Music isn’t just about careers; it’s about happiness, history, and living a full life. Those of us who know its value must keep speaking up.

🎼 Review – Sydney Symphony Orchestra 2026 Season
Subscription renewals are out, and I’ve secured my Sunday series. Next year’s program includes Holst’s The Planets, Beethoven’s Violin Concerto, Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1, Ligeti, Dvořák, Bach, and Mozart’s Symphony No. 39. There are also extras—masterclasses with Bryn Terfel and Anna Lapwood, plus Lucas and Arthur Jussen playing Poulenc. If you’re in Sydney, check out the 2026 season
. It’s a wonderful way to support live music.

🎶 Progress
With the showcase looming, practice is focused entirely on the “old four”: Spindler’s Canon, Türk’s Bagatelle in F, and Andrew Craggs’ Afternoon Snooze and Blackout Blues. Devi has also given me some improvisation exercises, and while they’re not world-shattering, they’re fun and freeing. All recorded this week on the Nord Stage 4 using a mix of pianos and electric pianos from the standard library.

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