Q&A with Alyssa Hironaka
What is your favorite piece of music to play? To listen to? Wow. What a difficult question to answer. There are so many extraordinary works in existence, especially for the piano. I have so many favorite composers and pieces and cannot pick just one. However, I have always felt highly connected to music from the Romantic era because of how heartfelt and poignant Romantic era pieces can be. Especially the music of Frédéric Chopin. His Barcarolle, Op. 60 is one of my most favorite works by him to both play and listen to because it is so uniquely intimate, enchanting, and majestic. It embodies love, nostalgia, reverie, and ardor in a very sweeping and touching way that really pulls at my heartstrings.
I also love playing lieder and art songs because music elevates poetry by expressing feelings that words alone cannot. I’m all in for calling pianists “collaborators” (not “accompanists!”) when they are performing lieder and art songs. “Collaborative pianists” do not simply exist in order to serve as live backing tracks!
What is one of the most important pieces of advice that you were given as a musician or teacher? There are many, but I’ll share one that is relevant to new teachers. During my undergraduate years at UH Mānoa, I was enrolled in a piano pedagogy class taught by Bichuan Li. One day, a special guest came to class: Helen Chao-Casano. I asked her a question: “What piece of advice would you give to new piano teachers that you wish you received when you first started teaching?” Her reply was: “You don’t have to know everything, but you must remain curious and never stop learning.” That was valuable teaching advice to me because as a new piano teacher at that time, I was struggling with ambition, perfectionism, and vulnerability. I learned to accept that it is ok to not be perfect at all times. It is ok to make mistakes, as long as I learn from them. Most of all, it is ok to be kind to myself and patient with myself. All of that is ok as long as I continue to learn, grow, and find ways to do things better for both the benefit of my students and myself.
Being one of the youngest members of HMTA, what in your opinion are the most valuable benefits of being a member at this stage in your teaching career? The benefits of being an HMTA member at a young age are numerous. For one thing, being involved with HMTA allows you to be able to connect with other musicians. In any career, it is crucial to develop healthy connections with others; especially with the right people. In the music world, knowing the right people can help lead to many wonderful and exciting opportunities such as jobs, concerts, positions, and applying for schools.
MTNA also offers educational resources to members such as webinars and subscriptions to American Music Teacher and the MTNA e-Journal. Such resources can help young and upcoming teachers refine and enrich their teaching.
What do you find most challenging about being a piano teacher? And what creative solutions are you currently exploring? As of now, how to discern whether a quick learner needs to be challenged or not. One quick learner of mine thrives on being challenged. Another quick learner of mine does not really like being challenged at all. Depending on the situation, I’ve decided to start asking myself if a challenge is really necessary or not. Quick learning does not always indicate that the material is way too easy. Progressing quickly can also just mean that the student feels very enthusiastic about piano playing.
If you weren’t a musician, what would you be? In an alternate universe, I would have been a lawyer because I am a deep thinker who has honesty, determination, and organizational skills. I also love helping people; especially if they cannot help themselves. In addition to that, I enjoy research, writing, untangling difficult problems, and having thought-provoking conversations with others.
How did you decide to choose music as a career? I became a student of Ellen Masaki during the summer of 2009, just months before her passing. I miss her and wish that I had known her for a longer amount of time. Although I had just a few lessons with her, those lessons were highly memorable and fun. I looked forward to lessons every week. In October of that year, my parents and I went to a tribute concert that the then Honolulu Symphony (now Hawaiʻi Symphony Orchestra) presented in honor of Ellen Masaki and her legacy. I was touched by the entire concert, especially Sean Kennard’s performance of the last two movements of Beethoven’s 3rd Piano Concerto. I had always loved music, but this time, I started to really, really, really love music and feel serious about music. I had felt and discovered the ethereal effect that music can have on people. I decided right away that I needed to someday study music in college, teach, and perform; even if I had to wait several more years to be able to do that. I don’t regret choosing music, even though I have had (and sometimes still have) days in which I question myself. When I have those difficult days, I find it important to remind myself of why I chose music and how much pleasure music brings to others. I like listening to some of my favorite recordings to help me find inspiration and positive thoughts again.
What else do you ‘practice’ on a regular basis other than piano? I love immersing myself in creative design, photography, music composition, psychology, and geeky pursuits. I work on digital sketches on my iPad as a hobby and create and edit graphics, some of which can be found on HMTA’s Facebook and Instagram pages. I am also one of the editors of HMTA’s Facebook page and have just recently created HMTA’s Instagram page (@hawaiimusicteachers), which I also maintain. I love doing photography as well (especially in nature), which goes hand in hand with graphic design. I’m a composer too and have written a few works. I haven’t composed in a while, but I would like to return to it again sometime soon. I am fascinated by psychological topics such as personality types, motivations, learning styles, and more. Understanding psychology is very helpful for teaching and personal development. Lastly, I’m a huge geek who keeps up with several fandoms including Star Wars and Marvel.
Describe yourself as a teacher 10 years from now. What are your biggest aspirations? I’m a first-year Master of Music (MMUS) in Piano Performance student at UH Mānoa. Grad school did not start off the way I ever expected or wanted it to, but I’m trying to make the best of it as much as I can. After I graduate, I would like to pursue a Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) in Piano Performance degree at another institution. I have started researching into various schools so that I can prepare the appropriate repertoire for pre- screening auditions by next Fall. In 10 years, I would like to be finished with my DMA, become a piano professor somewhere, continue teaching piano, continue performing, and continue being me. I aspire to be a lot wiser and more knowledgeable than the person I am today through education and experiences. I would also like to be happy, no matter what I end up doing at that point. I’m looking forward to seeing where music takes me next, even if the waiting process is difficult right now. In closing, I’d like to make the following statement:
“the arts need your support, especially now. If you can, support local arts organizations and attend performances (even if virtually right now). The arts are paramount and must live on so that artists can continue to bring hope, inspiration, and joy. Stay safe and healthy, be smart and considerate, and spread music (not germs)!”
