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2021 The Magic Piano Newsletter Website - All Rights Reserved
About Cliff Michaels
I
was
a
professional
musician
in
New
York
City
for
30
years.
My
professional
experience
began
at
15
years
old
playing
accordion
in
the
Catskill
mountains
of
Upstate
NY.
Shortly
after
that
I
began
playing
piano
and
keyboards.
Over
the
years
I’ve
played
numerous
venues
such
as
top
40
show
bands
doing
the
Atlantic
City
and
East
coast
club
circuit.
As
a
freelance
musician,
I
worked
for
many
of
the
NY
orchestra/musician
booking
offices
that
would
have
you
in
a
tuxedo
playing
the
Presidential
Suite
in
the
Hotel
Pierre
one
night
for
a
corporate
cocktail
party,
or
the
waiting-for-your-room
lounge
at
the
Waldorf.
The
next
night,
I
might
find
myself
in
a
beer-smelling,
bouncing
off
the
walls
bar/club,
deep
in
the
heart
of
New
Jersey.
(
Ahhh,
the
music
business—Fun
when
young)
The
dress,
music
repertoire
and attitude adjustments needed were quite different depending where the ‘job’ might take you.
Some
fond
memories
are
the
following:
Accompanying
international
performance
stars
such
as
the
great
Finnish
born
actress/singer
Juliette
Koka
for
stints
at
NYC/Greenwich
Village
(SoHo)
clubs
like
‘Boltax’,
on
Wooster
Street…
or
the
college
concerts
she
often
did.
Juliette
was
most
known
in
the
U.S.
for
her
1977
one-woman
Broadway
show
about
show
about
the
late
tragic
French
chanteuse,
Edith
Piaf.
No
entertainer
I’ve
ever
known
could
send
chills,
smiles
and
tears
through
their
audience
like
Juliette
Koka.
After
a
show
with
Juliette,
as
I
slowly
collected
my
music,
I
would
always
find
myself
glancing
out
in
amazement
at
the
obviously
emotionally
moved
audience.
Her
ability
to
touch
an
audience, to cause people feel what she was feeling when she performed was such a gift.
I
recall
a
couple
of
shows
arranged
by
the
well
known
NYC
radio
&
TV
host
Joe
Franklin
for
some
of
NYC’s
hospitals
children’s
cancer
care
wards.
I
forget
most
of
the
entertainers
booked,
but
one
I
remember
well.
I
had
the
pleasure
of
meeting
and
accompanying
Neva
Small…
one
of
the
stars
in
the
movie
Fiddler
On
The
Roof.
(And
so
much
more)
Her
talent
and
energy
had
me
and
any
audience transfixed when she performed. I actually remember thinking “My God! She’s amazing!”
And
their
were
also
great
entertainers
like
Michael
Sedgewick.
(The
Singing
Farmer)
Mike
was
an
amazingly
talented
British
Broadway
(London
Theater/West
End)
actor
whose
love
for
his
audience
poured
from
him
with
every
performance.
I
spent
years
with
Michael
on
and
off
doing
such
a
variety
of
gigs.
Whenever
Michael
planned
a
U.S.
(NY)
trip
in
pursuit
of
elevating
his
career,
I
got
the
call.
“Cliff,
I
have
quite
a
few
engagements
coming
up.
(Central
and
Gramercy
Park
private
clubs.
Night
clubs
like
the
famous
Regine’s.
etc.
(To
numerous
to
remember—lots
of
places,
lot’s
of
celebrities.)
Can
we
have
a
look at your calendar?”
Mike never called them gigs LOL - he was quite the proper Englishman.
My
last
couple
career
years
were
spent
winding
down
my
playing
to
the
occasional
club
date
(social
function),
some
hotel
gigs,
and
even
accompanying
some
performers
on
a
TV
Telethon
or
two,
such as the Dennis James–United Cerebral Palsy Telethon.
Teaching
During
those
career
years,
I
would
occasionally
find
myself
with
a
student
here
and
there
which
led
to
passion,
what
I
really
loved
to
do;
much
more
than
the
business
of
playing…
teach.
This
website
is
part
of
that
passion.
I
enjoy
helping
beginning
and
intermediate
students
learn
to
play
the
piano
and
the
music
they
love.
My
goal
on
this
website
is
to
offer
practical,
useful,
real-
world
information
and
advice
to
help
visitors
learn,
improve,
and
speed-up
all
areas
of
their
piano
playing,
and
their
learning
journey. I now reside in, and teach piano in South Florida.
About This Website And What It Has To Offer
First…
why
did
I
call
it
the
‘
Piano
Magic
Magazine
Website
?’
Maybe
it’s
a
bit
corny
but,
over
the
years
when
I
learned
something
new
on
the
piano
that
had
an
exciting
result
and
improved
my
playing,
I
always
thought
of
it
as
a
magical
thing.
The
whole
process
for
me
was
a
‘magical’
process,
creating
such
a
satisfying
feeling.
I
hope
it
will
be
for
you
too.
The
site
is
for
limited
knowledge
beginners
to
intermediate
students
;
for
the
hobbyist
to
serious
learner.
Many
of
the
methods
offered
are
not
traditional—they’re the tips & tricks of the trade method. Think of them as ‘shortcuts’; a fast track way of achieving your goals.
You
will
need
to
know
the
basics
of
course.
Intermediate
players
will
learn
a
myriad
of
tips,
tricks,
and
methods
to
get
them
that
pro
sound
without
technical
jargon
and
debate.
All
information
on
this
site
is
free.
Eventually
I’ll
be
creating
subject
targeted
material
that
will
come
in
the
form
of
inexpensive
booklets
focusing
on
just
one
of
the
many
subjects
taught
here.
With
these
booklets, you can learn and apply immediately the subjects and techniques covered in a more through and extended manner.
Why I Choose/Decided To Do This
With
so
much
information,
various
methods
and
opinions
available
on
learning
to
play
piano,
it
can
become
quite
confusing
for
the
learner;
causing
a
lack
of
focus
and
direction.
Which
books?
Which
videos?
Which
websites?
Which
teacher?
Keep
in
mind,
that
your
goal
is
to
‘play
music’.
(the
kind
you
want)
In
order
to
create
self-motivation
and
desire,
you
need
a
faster
way
to
arrive
at
your goal.
I’d
like
to
help
you
reach
your
goals
faster.
You
obviously
love
music
and
want
to
express
yourself
through
the
piano.
An
over
abundance
of
technical
jargon,
useless
exercises
and
theory
study
may
delay
progress.
That
being
said…
As
you
progress,
and
for
various
reasons,
you
may
wish
to
learn
more
advanced
methods
and
techniques
–
that
will
be
the
time
for
you
to
pursue
the
more advanced subjects.
- - - - -
CONTACT ME:
This form is provided allowing you to make comments, requests, suggestions, recommendations and feedback. And, if you
live in South Florida and would like some information regarding private piano lessons. I will respond as soon as possible.
DidI made a boo boo somewhere, a broken link — a speling error – don’t be shy – let me know. How will I know if I'm doing a
good job... the right job... without getting feedback?
ABOUT ME AND THIS WEBSITE • CONTACT ME
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