Piano Lessons in Livingston, NJ

Raf V

Instruments: Piano Clarinet Drums Mallet Percussion Orchestral Percussion Conga Latin Percussion Djembe

Why did you choose your primary instrument?
my decision to play drums as my primary instrument happened very naturally. I started off playing clarinet and classical percussion. Later on, I also studied piano but when I started studying jazz, I switched to drums. I still play the other instruments, but playing drums is just another experience for me. I can express myself the best on the drums out of all the other instruments I play. It feels the most honest. I think because when you play drums you really feel the instrument resonate. This natural phenomena is very inspiring.

What musical accomplishments are you most proud of?
Besides teaching, I also have a career as a performing musician and composer. Last September, I went to Europe with my quartet and we played 10 shows over 2 weeks and recorded my compositions in a studio in Germany. I'm very honoured that these top noch musicians are willing to work with me.

Have any of your students won awards or been selected for special honors? How have they succeeded?
I've never had students that took part in a competition. But I am willing to prepare students to enter a competition, aiming for the best possible result. Since I took part in many competitions, I know how to deal with this.

What do you think is the hardest thing to master on your instrument?
Honesty. An instrument never lies. It sounds the way you feel, think,... The instrument knows as much about you as you know about yourself. It might even know more.

Do you use specific teaching methods or books? (Ex: Alfred, Bastion, Suzuki, Hal Leonard) Why did you choose them if you did?
I don't use specific methods because people and students aren't specific either. Some books work for some people and visa versa. I disagree with a lot of the academia so I rather teach my own method, which is a method that I create per student.

What does a normal practice session look like for you?
Start of simple. Playing simple things is actually the hardest thing to do. Because the material is so raw, you can't hide behind your mistakes. So I would stick with a simple idea for a long time before going to other places. Really try to become this one idea so that you don't have to think about it anymore. You just play it naturally. This will automatically lead me to other worlds I still have to explore.

If you have a Music Degree, what is it in (Performance, Education, Musicology, Theory, Composition, etc) and why did you choose that degree?
Performance, because I love performing. I got my Education degree within my performance degree. Composition: Because i find it very challenging to write my own music. To learn more about yourself as a player and come op with (musical) questions and solutions.

What is your dream piece to perform and why?
I don't have a dream piece yet. For now I would say that my dream piece would be an improvisation where I'm really happy about.

If you weren't a musician what do you think you'd be doing instead?
painting.

What is your favorite style/genre of music to play and why?
free improvised music. in free improvised music i can be the most honest i can be compared to any other musical situation. since i don't like lying, this is my favourite genre.

If you play more than one instrument, how did you decide to start playing the second? (Or 3rd, 4th, 5th, etc)!
read the question about choosing my primary instrument. everything happened naturally, I didn't think about any of these things.

Does music run in your family? Tell us a little about your musical family members.
read "did you ever have a teacher that inspired you?"

When did you decide to become a professional musician? Was it a gradual decision or was there a defining moment for you?
this happened very early on, I must have been 11 or 12. When going to middle school, my friends started thinking about professions but since I already enjoyed playing music that much, it was a very easy decision to make.

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