Professional concert pianist teaches piano lessons according to your interests. Classical music, pop, improvisation, composition, audition preparation... Let's do what you really want!

Kom meer te weten over Rafa

• 1) Vertel ons wanneer jouw passie voor muziek is begonnen en meer bepaald wanneer de voorliefde voor jouw instrument is begonnen.

  Music had interested me from a very early age, when I first saw the movie "Fantasia" with my grandparents. It sparked a fascination with how it was possible to compose certain works and make the sounds that were coming out of the orchestra. Also, music started to make my imagination and emotions much more vivid than any other thing, and I regularly fantasized about playing myself the music that I loved listening to. One day, I just asked my parents to enrol me in a music school to start piano, probably inspired by watching my music teacher playing in class, and from that point I just started getting more and more into the music world, until I became the professional musician that I once dreamt of being.

• 2) Naar welke muziek kan je eindeloos naar luisteren zonder er gek van te worden?

  A bit of everything! Even if I am specialized in playing a certain type of music, I really need all kinds of genres in my life, and depending on my mood or what I'm going through, I can listen to one thing or another endlessly on repeat. Some of my favourite genres would be classical, rock, soundtracks and some types of electronic music; and some of my favourite musicians are Debussy, Queen, Gershwin, David Bowie, Chopin, Randy Newman; amongst many others.

• 3) Vertel ons over de moeilijkste of bijzonderste les die je ooit hebt gegeven.

  Both the most difficult and special lessons have been, without a doubt, when I had to teach kids that I knew could enjoy the piano, but they didn't know how to connect with it.
  
  I say this because with some of my youngest pupils I could clearly see that they connected with music in some way or another, but the process of approaching them to the instrument or the habit of practicing was extremely challenging, because it's a bit hard for children to understand the benefits of a long term effort. With that being said, it was highly rewarding to see these kids when they finally got how to get over the things that were being a struggle to them; because watching them being happy with their progress and enjoying while playing made up for all the effort that I put on them.

• 4) Wat is volgens jou het moeilijkste instrument om te beheersen en waarom?

  Every instrument has its advantages and inconveniences, but I think the piano has a very ironic condition: It's the easiest instrument to start playing, but at the same time it could very well be the most difficult to master. I say it's the easiest because it's a very visual instrument, where you have all the keys laid in front of you and therefore it's not necessary to waste hours figuring out how to play the notes: They are there and you just have to press the right key, without even having to tune it. On the other hand, when you play more advanced pieces, you have to read a lot of notes (including two staffs at the same time!), with the extra complication of having to play harmonies, which sometimes can get really tricky to understand and memorize.

• 5) Wat zijn, volgens jou, de sleutels tot succes?

  Nothing beats having a good planning, and being consistent with the work that you want to get done by the end of the week.

• 6) Noem een of meerdere muzikanten met wie je om 2 uur 's nachts in een bar graag zou willen improviseren en vertel ons waarom.

  I would love to do it with Chilly Gonzales, a pianist that maybe is not so well known for the big audience, but that knows how to make a great show. I would love to play our favourite songs together, while having a drink and a laugh, and learn about his energy on stage, and his clever techniques to make his music sound so spectacular while using limited resources.

• 7) Kan je ons een leuke anekdote vertellen die met jouw beroep of schooltijd te maken heeft?

  I once was asked to play a small concert for little kids... from one day to the next one. I was so busy at the time, that I couldn't think of what to do, and half an hour prior to the concert I still had no idea what was I supposed to play for these children. Thankfully, I came to my senses really quick, and I improvised a small programme of traditional songs and excerpts from well known composers, that we used to talk about classical music and its different sounds. The kids loved it!

• 8) Wat maakt jou een geliefde Superprof bij al jouw leerlingen?

  I always balance my lessons in a way that allows me to teach many new concepts and techniques to my students, while also adapting to the personal and didactic needs of each person. With this formula, I've been told by many students that they have learned and worked a lot in our lessons, while having fun during the process. In the end, seeing these reactions from my pupils is really what makes me feel happy and useful as a teacher.