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Tony Caramia
Professor of Piano
Coordinator of the Class Piano Program
Director of Piano Pedagogy Studies
Eastman School of Music
University of Rochester
Q. What are the advantages to you of using a Clavinova?
A. I use the Clavinova for different purposes:
• to access different sounds such as harpsichord, orchestral instruments, guitars—to encourage students to not only think pianistically but also to think “outside the piano box,” to be more creative and to match technique to sound
• to enhance my teaching in a class situation
• to allow me to teach and talk with one student or a duet or trio while others are practicing individually
Q. What one feature of Clavinova is most valuable?
A. The ability to split the keyboard into different sounds, such as double bass in the lower register and piano sounds in the mid to upper range. This allows me to perform jazz bass lines under a typical jazz piano sound, with chords and lines. Coupled with the great rhythmic support of Jazz Piano in the Rhythm link, I have the authentic jazz trio with which to demonstrate ideas to my jazz piano students.
Q. Would you use a Clavinova in private instruction?
A. I would love to be able to do this because the Clavinova allows students to see and hear, in clear detail, exactly what they're doing or not doing.
Q. How do students respond to the CVP?
A. After getting used to its possibilities, they embrace it wholeheartedly. One TA in particular uses the rhythmic accompaniments with great success when going over scales. Her students LOVE the various disco and Latin rhythms, and these sounds enhance the otherwise dull routine of playing scales over and over. She can alter the tempo and keep them ‘honest.' It forces them to listen beyond themselves and sharpens their ears, while sharpening their physical skills.
Q. What is the product mix in your lab?
A. We're looking at getting some new models soon. Right now we have…
1 CVP 207
3 CLP 950 Clavinovas
3 CLP 860 Clavinovas
4 CLP 150 Clavinovas
1 Disklavier (model MX100II)
1 MLC-100 Lab Controller
Q. When did you determine that a Clavinova was the way to go for music education?
A. When I began teaching class piano in 1976, I taught with 10 acoustic uprights; the resulting cacophony was deafening and non-productive. Then we got electricity and a lab and my hearing was restored!
Tony Camania has written for American Music Teacher magazine and the web site The Piano Pedagogy Forum. His solo piano compositions are published by the Hal Leonard Corporation, for whom he is also a keyboard clinician and consultant. He has conducted numerous workshops in jazz piano for teachers at MTNA (Music Teachers National Association) national and state conventions. In addition to his teaching career, Mr. Caramia is an accomplished recording artist with three jazz albums: Tribute, Upstate Standards and Tony Caramia, Live. His CDs are available at cdbaby.com and by request at tcaramia@esm.rochester.edu. His books are available at halleonard.com and amazon.com.
Features listed above are not available on all models.
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