By Pat Lawrence
Cynthia Puls |
Evansville fourth grader Cynthia Puls decided to play cello the
first time she ever held one. "I liked the way it felt, the way
it vibrated. I had never heard it played." It was a career decision
for the nine year old.
An accomplished musician by 1980, when Cynthia moved from Indiana
to Louisiana, she toured and played professionally with orchestras,
string quartets and contemporary music groups. She completed her Master's
Degree in cello performance in Baton Rouge.
When she relocated to Indianapolis in 1985 and started a family,
she found a mentor. “She was a great teacher, teaching young
students. I watched her for five weeks, then she turned the teaching
program over to me. She taught me to respect a child's mind and get
them to respect it, too."
The lesson is the foundation of her teaching philosophy. She says,
"I teach cello, but what I teach children is how to think."
Her students are The Cello Company, an exuberant mix of cellists
from five to sixteen that meet weekly to practice and perform together
in public. "With traditional learning, students are taught to
play and read; all at once. I teach them to play and listen first,
before they learn to read." She uses the Suzuki method, which
she explains as ‘the Mother Tongue’ approach. “Learn
to talk, then learn to read. In Suzuki, they learn something simple
and keep adding. Kids can play a song after one lesson -and five songs
after five lessons.
She says students don't learn with new music. "They learn by
getting better and better at what they know -old music. Their mastery
improves. They can play longer and longer tunes. Twinkle, Twinkle
Little Star soon becomes a concerto"
The Cello Company |
She says, “ Reading is a must! Reading is introduced from the
start; separate from the instrument. Once the child is balanced at
the instrument, then reading is added.”
Cellos are close cousins to the violin. A bass instrument in the orchestral
string family, they provide deep, rich underlying tones to the soprano
of a violin and are tuned a full octave lower than the tenor of a
viola. Popular in the 16th century and loved by Beethoven and Bach,
today the cello is played alone, in quartets, and in orchestras. The
instrument has changed over time. The original flat bow is now curved,
providing a whole range of new sound effects. An endpin was added
to hold the cello up so it can be played comfortably. Steel strings
brightened and clarified the resonant cello sound.
Present day cellos are smaller than their 16th century counterparts.
Students can play an instrument half or even 1/10 the standard size.
"Bigger cellos have more sound", Cynthia says, "but
the instrument must fit the player."
Since the young musicians perform regularly in front of each other,
they’re comfortable with an audience. There are no auditions.
When The Cello Company performs, even the newest student participates.
At practice students stay until they have played all they know, then
join their parents and listen to the rest of the group lesson. "Each
week, they play a little longer." Members also have weekly individual
lessons. Cynthia says, "Parents are the secret ingredient. They
share in the practice and help kids feel successful. What makes a
musician is never quitting."
She cherishes the special relationship of teacher and student. "I
get to see all their 'firsts' and best of all, the magical moment
when the student suddenly 'gets it'. I watch for the light to go on.
On that day, the kid walks out of the room- different. I walk out
-different. I've never gotten over the awe of seeing it happen, of
seeing them take off and soar."
When she moved to Parkersburg in 1992, Cynthia was so upset about
leaving her students, she wasn't going to teach again. "But,
this kindergartener heard me practicing and asked if I could teach
him to play. I couldn't turn him down." She has 26 students again,
with a waiting list. "I'm always looking for the light to come
on."
Cynthia performs ten concerts a year as a member of the Trillium
Piano Trio. "I think teachers must keep alive as players. It
keeps their teaching alive."
The Cello Company has played at the Parkersburg Art Center, the Smoot
Theatre and for the legislature, promoting music. Cynthia encourages
them to practice five days out of seven and attend concerts to "listen
to the language of music". It’s the language she speaks
most fluently, her mother tongue.
Contact Cynthia Puls in Parkersburg at 304-422-0509 or trilliumpianotrio@zzzip.net.
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