Review

Samantha Keehn
Beyond the Notes and Rhythms: A Practical Approach to Musical Expression:

Flagstaff, AZ, United States
Publisher: Mountain Peak Music
Date of Publication: 2011
Language: English

Primary Genre: Study Material - book
Secondary Genre: Study Material - etude

Dr. Keehn has drawn on techniques associated with teaching, acting and choreography to create a brief but intense instructional guide aimed at achieving greater musical expression. The topics include repetition with an eye towards improvisation, atmospheric language such as descriptions of dance, animals, and fantastical characters, and everyday behavioral gestures, such as walking and communication with others, to link the performer's emotions to the music. Keehn traces these prompts to the dramatic teachings of Michael Chekhov, among others, and the choreographic process developed by the Viewpoint Method. She concludes her book with 31 etudes that are deliberately left unedited in order to provide vehicles for independent interpretations. She writes that "each etude was chosen or composed because of its potential to be versatile." 
 
Beyond the Notes and Rhythms offers a unique tool for the mentor/apprenticeship relationship inherent in the private music lesson. An added feature is the supplemental links to related web sites and audio recordings of the etudes. By providing materials for the performer to draw on personal experiences as well as musical training, Keehn puts the focus on teaching as opposed to coaching. A pathway is created for achieving more emotionally authentic performances, ones that stress a strong sense of musical style and not merely technical expertise.

-Joel Elias
California State University, Sacramento
California State University, Fresno