Sharon Isbin Outreach Zoom Masterclass with students from San Antonio College and UTSA on February 14, 2022
On Monday afternoon, February 14, preeminent guitarist Sharon Isbin gave a powerful and informative Zoom Masterclass to three local, college-level guitar students from San Antonio College and UTSA. In attendance were their instructors Tom Sprayberry (SAC) and Isaac Bustos (UTSA), host Daniel Anastasio, board member Pauline Glickman, and 15-20 attentive guitar students. The students performed works by Wilhelm Freidemann Bach (performed by Jay Salazar, SAC), Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (Andrew Rubio, UTSA), and Johann Sebastian Bach (Evan Wadsworth, UTSA).
Ms. Isbin imparted her wisdom regarding practicing techniques, technical tips, and stylistic interpretation, particularly regarding proper articulation and musical pulse coming out of the Baroque era. When Rubio was having difficulty recalling his first tempo during the recapitulation in Tedesco’s sonata, Ms. Isbin offered metronome tips to implement during practice. Her demonstrations – including experimenting on the spot with a variety of Baroque ornamentation – were a pleasure for the audience.
After teaching each student individually, she opened up for a brief Q&A to wrap up the masterclass, and graciously answered questions about practice regimens, as well as dealing with performance anxiety through meditative techniques like Transcendental Meditation, which she has been practicing since the age of 17.
Submitted by Daniel Anastasio