An accomplished pianist and teacher of the Suzuki school of piano, Chennai-based Alexandra Minoza, shares the advantages of the teaching method and her concern for the lack of suitable venues for pianists, in the city.
It has been just four months for her in Chennai. Alexandra Minoza, originally from Cebu in Philippines, moved to Chennai after she married a city-based professional, Adithya. But she is already well-versed with the music pulse of Chennai and India. “I am a regular to all Anil Srinivasan concerts. He is too good. I think he is a brilliant mix of traditional and contemporary performer,” she gushes. Minoza loves the energy and variety in Indian music, especially Bollywood music.
“When I was in Singapore, I played as many as five Bollywood songs for an autistic child who’s a big fan of Shah Rukh Khan,” she says, turning to her instrument to play Main agar Kahoon from Om Shanti Om.
Motivated by her father, her trysts with the instrument began when she was seven and she went on to give her first solo performance at the age of eight. With a bachelors in music degree at the Yonng Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, National University of Singapore and post graduation from Royal College of Music, UK, she also has to her credit TV shows and several concerts, apart from an extensive teaching experience. An ardent fan of Mozart and Beethoven’s compositions, Minoza says it is hard for any pianist to leave out the greats out of their favourite list. “I also admire Claude Debussy, especially Clair De Lune,” she says, as she swiftly reaches out to the piano keys to demonstrate a piece of the composition.
Talking about the Suzuki school of piano, she says, “It works exactly like the mother-tongue approach. The emphasis on fundamentals is so much so that the children pick it up really well. The method also encourages them to be a lot more creative with their performance. In India, not many pianists train kids under the age of seven because young kids don’t have the coordination needed for the instrument. But in countries like Singapore, Japan and Philippines, they accept three plus kids for training,” she says.
However, Minoza rues the absence of concert halls for piano performances, in the city vis-a-vis the support system for other instruments. “It becomes very tough for artistes to carry a piano around. I wish there are more concert halls that support piano performances, too,” she signs off.
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