Survey

In February of 2024, I conducted a survey among the piano faculty to get their perspectives, reactions and opinions regarding Anime Piano Music. This was done to mobilize our collective knowledge and make analysis more interesting.

The survey is open to piano majors and music majors with a strong piano background. The latter is defined as the ability to play RCM level 8 repertoire since that is the minimum requirement at the piano faculty. The reason I opened the survey is because I believe that individuals other than piano majors can still provide insightful comments as music is a multidisciplinary and intersectional subject. The survey was anonymous and all questions were optional to answer except for the one asking for the participant’s consent. No rewards were offered for the completion of the survey.

Participants were asked a series of background questions. In terms of the demographic of the participants, 17 were students, 2 were staff and one of them self-identified as a U of T music alum. The vast majority of participants (17 in total) were piano majors with a small number of music majors with a strong piano background (5 in total) being present. Participants were supposed to choose only one option for this question but a small number picked both which resulted in overlapped answers. All participants indicated that they are currently or had been in a classically streamed music program.

When asked about their current/highest degree, 16 were at the bachelor's level, 3 were at the master's level, and 1 was at the doctorate level. The specialization of participants varied and some chose multiple options. The most common specialization was Performance, Composition and Piano Pedagogy at 5 each. This was then followed by Comprehensive at 4, Music Education at 3, History and Theory at 2, Collaborative Piano at 1, Music and Health at 1, and Common Year at 1.

Participants were then asked a series of questions regarding their background knowledge of anime, anime music, anime piano music, and Animenz. 100% of participants have heard of anime and anime music before. In terms of anime piano music, 90% have heard of it with 10% choosing the “maybe” option. When asked whether they had heard of the anime piano arranger known as Animenz, 50% responded yes, 45% responded with no and 5% responded with maybe. These results suggest that the classical music community at the University of Toronto has some knowledge of these phenomena.

Participants were asked to listen to Animenz’s arrangement of My Dearest, the 10th-anniversary edition. Animenz has stated that his arrangement of My Dearest is very important as it is a summary of his arranging style and bridges the gap between classical and anime music. It also serves as the foundation for all future arrangements due to its fusion of the two genres. The following is a brief summary of the results.

First Impressions

Participants had a wide variety of first impressions regarding Animenz’s arrangement of My Dearest. Many of the participants expressed a clear interest and discussed specific aspects of the arrangement such as its polyphonic nature and atmosphereic mood. One answer that stood out to me is how one participant stated that without text, the arrangement evokes multiple emotions. This answer highlights the importance of text when performing anime piano music. It is up to the pianist to narrate a story and since these arrangements are associated with an anime, it makes storytelling even more important.

Technical Challenge

Many participants felt that Animenz’s arrangement of My Dearest requires a high level of technical skill. A small number of people did mention that they thought it was easy to play. The arrangement also displays technical virtuosity which stunned several participants.

Classical Sound vs Classical Technique

Several participants indicated that Animenz's arrangement of My Dearest contains Classical and Romantic aesthetics/techniques. Some have even stated that it reminded them of Ravel, Chopin and Liszt's works. The fact that specific classical periods and composers were referenced implies that the classical elements are audible. Despite being able to identify these elements, the use of classical techniques does not inherently make a piece classical.

When asked, 70% of participants stated that the arrangement did not sound classical. 25% of participants chose the “maybe” option and only 5% stated that it did sound classical. Several participants commented on the use of pop chord progression and how it was the reason why they did not think the arrangement sounded classical

Potential Interest in Playing and Performing

Participants were asked whether they would be willing to play this arrangement. 40% said yes, 40% said maybe and 20% said no. The next question asks participants whether they would be willing to substitute this arrangement for one of their standard repertoire. Interestingly, 40% said yes, 45% said no and 15% said maybe. When push came to shove, participants who chose maybe in the previous question chose mostly no for the next question.

Participant's Reasons

Some participants indicated that they already have a connection to anime, J-pop or Animenz and would love to play it.
One participant stated that it looked like a fun experiment. Another stated that they like it and are open to playing it.
Others stated that they would like to play anime piano music but they would like to play other arrangements.
One participant stated that they think the arrangement is beautiful and they are interested in playing it on the side. However, this person also thinks that it may not be worth working on with their piano professor.
Several people stated that it was too difficult for them to play.
One person stated that they wanted to play it because of the technical aspect and thought that it was comparable to traditional piano repertoire. Another stated that they wanted to challenge themselves by playing this arrangement due to how difficult it is.
One participant stated that they needed more context about the music to make a choice.

Outside Influence

Many of the participants have expressed interest in playing this arrangement but at the same time, some participants were also concerned whether or not the piano faculty would accept this.

Several participants stated that they would like to play it but knew that their piano professor would likely not approve of it. They were also worried about whether or not this arrangement would be accepted by the faculty. Piano professors and music institutions hold great influence over a student’s repertoire and can influence whether this genre becomes accepted.

This interest raises the possibility of anime piano music becoming part of mainstream piano repertoire. Especially when the arrangement is as difficult as classical music, there is an opportunity for responsive pedagogy and repertoire substitution.

Another interesting finding is that a studio class at the faculty of music tries to find ways to play non-classical piano music. This suggests that piano teachers are at the forefront of change and can play a crucial role in the integration of anime piano music into the music curriculum. It is possible that in the future, the next generation of piano teachers will be more flexible in terms of repertoire choice as long as it is beneficial to the growth of the student. The results of the next question may support this prediction: when participants were asked if they would be comfortable teaching this type of music, 95% responded with yes and 5% responded with maybe.

The next question asked participants whether this arrangement and similar ones could be able to coexist with more traditional piano repertoires in the sense it could be played at a piano exam, jury, festival, or recital. 50% responded with yes, 40% responded with maybe, and 10% responded with no. This shows a somewhat positive sign regarding the possibility of anime piano music being integrated into the piano curriculum.

The last question asked participants how interested they were in a musical experience where they could customize a piano suite by choosing the movements from a list of pieces. This question was inspired by a performance practice I came up with in the previous section. 47.4% were neutral about it, 31.8% were interested, and 21.1% were very interested. None of the participants stated that they were disinterested. This shows that a customizable piano suite could become an actual performance practice for anime piano music.

To conclude, this survey suggests that there is a possibility of integrating anime piano music into the piano curriculum due to the openness of the participants to teach it and play it. Nearly half of the participants also believed that anime piano music could coexist with traditional piano repertoire in the sense it could be played in a festival, jury, piano exam, or recital. However, at the same time, many participants were worried about whether the genre would be accepted by their piano teachers or music institutions. This suggests that both piano teachers and music institutions hold great influence over a student’s repertoire. They are at the forefront of change and can influence the success of this genre of music.

In addition, many participants can identify classical elements within Animenz’s arrangement of My Dearest but do not believe it sounds classical. Classical techniques do not automatically make a piece classical.

Interestingly, the vast majority of participants referred to this arrangement as a piece. This was an accidental finding but it shows that as pianists, we are used to playing pieces that are written specifically for our instrument. This also implies that arrangements are rarely played during a pianist's education. This may be due to a lack of interest, lack of knowledge, or even a lack of repertoire. Anime piano music could spark greater interest in piano arrangements. This also raises the question of whether transcriptions and arrangements should be part of a piano student’s education.