Piano is my Forte

Winter Holiday Cafe

2025-12-08T15:20:00.001-05:00

What an afternoon! Our local Music Teachers Association teamed up with a local coffee shop to offer an Open House to benefit Nektario's Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping young adults with disabilities attain independence, purpose, and joy. (nektarios.org) As many as 45 students and teachers shared music in a comfortable setting, while customers enjoyed coffee, hot cocoa, pastries, and holiday shopping.

I myself had never performed in such an environment. It was quite a different performance arena, nothing like I had ever experienced. It was loud! We had rehearsed a delicate piece, Magic Christmas, by Lena Orsa, full of snowflakes and fairy dust. The subtleties we had worked so hard on in rehearsal were lost in the hustle and bustle of the coffee shop. We offered instead snowballs and sleigh rides! But oh, what fun! Then Christmas Jingle for Three, (yes, 3 performers, 6 hands, one piano) easily filled the space with jingle jingle jingles. I was happy to have performed our pieces early in the program so I could share my dynamics experience with those following. Forget subtleties, just give it your all and have fun!

It was a great community event. Bringing music out of the studio and into the community. Everyone who attended enjoyed the atmosphere, the food and drink, the shopping, and the music!

I challenge you to a Duet!

2025-07-23T14:54:00.001-04:00

Hmm... This was a June musing that never quite got there.

The Frederick County Music Teachers Association meets regularly on the second Tuesday of the month, to plan various performance opportunities for our music students, to learn from other, more experienced pedagogues, (ha! just looked that one up. "Pedagogue: another name for teacher, but one who is strict, stiff, or old-fashioned", also "dull, formal, or pedantic". We are none of those things!) and to have fun. (Exactly!) We save the last meeting at the end of the school year for a teachers' duet challenge.

Typically, we hear piano duets. We were fortunate this year to encourage a violinist to perform with piano accompaniment. Yes, Karen has taught piano lessons for many years, but this year she joined us as a student of violin. Take it from someone who knows -- picking up the violin as an older adult is quite the challenge. Karen did a great job. We enjoyed hearing Brahms' Hungarian Dance #5, three selections from Moszkowski's Five Spanish Dances, Beethoven's Sonata in D, Op. 6, the Rondo movement, and Handel's Bouree, as well as a piano arrangement of Beethoven's 6th Symphony, the 3rd movement. The 2 piano teachers who performed this last piece are working through the full symphony, one movement each year. Interestingly, the 3rd movement doesn't "end" but slides attaca subito into the 4th movement, so we'll be sitting on the edge of our seats until next June to hear the conclusion.

A special treat was the performance of 3 piano trios. Yes, that's 6 hands on a single keyboard! Vandall's Triple Dip, Petite Valse by Corteaux, and Olson's Out...Standing! This last piece is most curious. The 3rd played does not get a seat, but moves behind the other 2 players. playing high, playing low, and occasionally elbowing the other 2 out of the way to play in the middle register. No, I guess we do not live up to Mr. Webster's definition of pedagogue. We have too much fun!

Maybe next year, we will hear more violins, and maybe something with a guitar or harp. Whatever, it will be great! As I've said repeatedly here, we have too much fun. 😊

Piano Pizza Party 2025

2025-06-04T17:15:00.003-04:00

Summertime, and the living is…easy? I just hosted 6 elementary aged students at a Piano Pizza Party. Ha, I’m exhausted! But I think they enjoyed it. I typically host this particular event before the Sonatina Festival in late winter. And I usually have the older kids in attendance. I like to give the aspiring musicians a chance to play through their sonatinas, from memory, for an audience, before they have to face an adjudicator. It gives them a chance to spot any weaknesses in their grasp of the music, and together we have another few weeks to iron out the wrinkles. That particular event never came to pass this year, and the younger kids were itching for some pizza. So....

We reviewed the scales they each learned this year. Over the year, my younger students each made a "scale octopus", with 8 arms, for each of the 7 letters of the musical alphabet plus an additional A for the octave. They learned 5-finger scales and added beads to the octopus' arms to represent the scales they mastered. The older kids made longer chains, full octave scales with black and white beads to represent the key signature of each scale. It has become quite the competition to get the longest chain! (Sanna has played through the Circle of Fifths all the way to F#.) Yesterday, they quizzed each other on the scales they'd learned, the key signatures, and the proper finger technic for playing scales. (Seriously, they didn't want my input at all, but relied on each other for feedback!)

They also played a piano ensemble rendition of Pachelbel’s Canon in D, (see Jennifer Boster, at theplayfulpiano.com) with the various themes building on each other. The Canon in D Piano Ensemble Strips contains 17 2-measure phrases from Pachelbel's Canon. Jennifer has 2 pianos, and in her video, I think she accommodates up to 8 kids at a time, each new theme adding to the mix. I divvied up the 17 phrases among my students, and had them each master just one phrase, not knowing who would attend the party and how we would handle 17 phrases on just one piano. The smaller party attendance was thus a plus. Those who were game spread out across the keyboard. Camille started with the opening phrase in the bass clef, Sanna then added the treble melody, and Sam filled in between them. Yes, we lacked some of the more intricate phrases, but it worked out well for all involved. They each played the same rhythm, all quarter notes, and they played well. They recognized the need to maintain a steady tempo and they now understand my admonition not to stop for mistakes. Sam said, "I had to listen just to myself, so I didn't get lost!" They also appreciated the joy of playing together, not something pianists get to do too often. I hope to try it again with more advanced students and see what we can create!

We finished the piano part of the party with a few solo performances. Eamon, my youngest student, played Flying, consisting of 2 notes set to a rhythm up the keyboard. He was very happy to show off his mastery! Alex played a piece he had composed himself. Sanna, also relatively new to the studio, attempted The Movie Thriller, from memory, and we were thrilled that she remembered most of it! And Hazel performed 3 pieces! Happy Birthday, which she is learning for her own birthday next week, and Cracker Jacks, which she had not mastered as of her last lesson but aced yesterday! She also gaver an encore performance of her recital version of Ode to Joy. Then we moved outside for pizza and lemonade. So happy the weather cooperated; 6 little kids was a lot for me in my little studio!

I love to provide performance opportunities for my students, the formal recitals and the very informal events. These latter events give the kids confidence that they can do it! And confidence that they can help each other as well. I had intended to finish out with a group production of Chopsticks, but alas, we ran out of time. That will have to be our summer project.

Winter Cabaret

2025-01-10T21:30:00.001-05:00

A fun night! It was very cold, and snow is predicted, which tends to keep folks in this town behind closed doors. But not tonight! Tonight was our annual Winter Cabaret, an event for my piano students to show off what they've learned since the Halloween Recital, and an excuse to keep them practicing over the school break.

New this year, I invited alumni to perform. Alumnae, actually. One former student has "graduated" from piano to clarinet. She and her sister played a piano/clarinet duet that was beautiful. This same sister is studying music and anthropology, and opened the program with Mendelssohn, and knocked my socks off! The third alumna is a music theater major this year; she and her brother played a piano/violin duet, also spectacular. Around these three acts, my younger students offered their own fare, from Ode to Joy and Jingle Bells to The Dreidle Song and Silent Night. We also heard a heartfelt performance of The Christmas Song, from A Charlie Brown Christmas. This last piece was still iffy at the lesson earlier this week, but what a little pressure can do for the practice curve!

The Winter Cabaret has become a favorite performance venue. Low-key, with cookies and apple cider, with Playdough (to mold young musicians) and pen and paper (to draw on their creativity), everyone participates in one way or another. The format has changed over the years, but always enjoyed by all.

Play Music on the Porch Day

2024-08-31T16:54:00.000-04:00

What a great concept! Playmusicontheporchday.com and the book Play Music on the Porch Day, by Brian Mallman, illustrated by Pepjin de Jonge, set the stage for my back-to-school, first performance opportunity. And what fun we had! I pulled out all the stops, had drums, ukulele, flute, violin, as well as electric keyboard on my back deck, for everyone to enjoy. My summer students showed off their summer accomplishments, my returning students dusted off Spring Recital music, my parents even joined in the fun and did their best on the handbells. We attempted Mary Had a Little Lamb, as well as Largo, from New World Symphony.

Brian Mallman had the idea, "What if for one day everything stopped...And we all just listened to the music?" The idea took root, and in 2014, the first Play Music on the Porch Day occurred. By 2018, musicians from 70 countries participated, posting their events on the website. "Musicians from across the globe, regardless of their differences, are finding common ground through music... Music is powerful and universal... When you pick up your instrument and start to play, the world disappears and you get lost in the sounds."

We've had rain and high humidity for days; I was afraid we'd be rained out. I spent the whole morning cleaning inside, just in case. By noon, it was just cloudy, so I spent the next hour and a half setting up the back deck. The kids were enthusiastic, the siblings participated, as well as the parents. I even played (very badly, I admit) the violin. But what a blast! And in true party fashion, we had chips and dips and soda. I made peach bars, mm mm good!

I hope to make this an annual event!

12th Night Piano Party

2023-01-06T22:27:00.001-05:00

How do you get your students to practice over the holidays? Host a recital after the holiday! It always works. Last year we met in the church, actually just 2 days after Christmas. The church was still decorated for services, poinsettias, candles, lovely, quite inspiring, actually. This year, I pushed it back a week, and will probably keep this new agenda moving forward.

What a HUGE success! I had 19 students participate, from the absolute beginner to the well-seasoned high schooler; two adults even braved the spotlight tonight. What fun everyone had. Smiles all around. I set it up cabaret-style, tables surrounding the piano in the parish hall. Poinsettias on all the tables, and PlayDough! Part of a New Year's Resolution to shape these young students into accomplished musicians! Yes, the party favors were a hit, even with the non-performing audience.

But the stars of the night were the 19 performers, playing Jingle Bells, O Christmas Tree, Deck the Halls (we did have a lot of Jingle Bells, O Christmas Tree, and Deck the Halls) and Come See the Parade! and Chopin and Hoagie Carmichael. Everyone chose their own favorite current study piece, holiday or not. They had 2 whole months to learn, internalize, and polish their music, and they each shone.

We did not have a formal program. We drew names out of a hat to set the order. I think the informal setting took the pressure off. Even those who made obvious errors were not flustered. They held their composure, moved on, and got to the end of their music without a grimace.

And after the program, while folks were enjoying cookies and sparkling cider (note to self -- sparkling cider is a hit!), both young and old returned to the piano to play more music, to play duets, to have fun! I think the "open piano" half of the evening was my favorite part. At that point, the group's attention was diverted and the kids especially could just let loose, enjoy the art of creating music. "Put all your soul into it, play the way you feel!" to quote Chopin. These kids (and adults) were feeling happy and proud of their accomplishments!

Frederick County Duets

2022-08-22T15:09:00.001-04:00

(I can't believe I failed to post this. The event was in June! My bad...)

What a morning! The Frederick County Music Teachers Association had their end-of-the-year meeting this morning. Typically, at this particular meeting, we gather for coffee and conversation, no set agenda, just reminiscing about the year past and dreaming about the year to come.

This morning, however, was a little but different. Back in March, I challenged the teachers to a Duet duel! Buddy up with a partner, practice a duet of their own choosing, and perform for each other at this meeting. Oh, what fun!

The opening number was a one piano, 4 hands transcription of Beethoven’s 5^th – OMG, it was like the entire orchestra was right there in front of us! The sound one can get out of a grand piano in an acoustically live room is immense! We heard Brahms’ Liebeslieder, Dvorak’s Slavonic Dances, Faure’s Dolly Suite, Ravel’s Mother Goose Suite, and a Prelude in G Major, by Melody Bober, for 6 hands! We decided those 6 hands should be connected to younger bodies; we didn’t fit on the piano bench, had to bring in an extra chair.

Although our event was not advertised, not a public event per se, it was a great way to end a year of in-person performances by our students. For most of the pandemic, our student performances were limited, or online. This year we were fortunate to host a few recitals in person, and what a difference live music makes! Not wanting to be left out, I guess, we decided to do our own Duet Recital. I can’t wait ‘til next year when we do it again!

Where'd I Put My Glasses?

2022-06-07T09:56:00.000-04:00

Great lesson last night. New student, still learning to read the notes. And he admitted he hadn't had time to practice. As we were reviewing his treble clef notes, I observed him leaning closer to the music, pulling back a bit, squinting. "I wonder if this book is online? At work I just enlarge the screen." "Ah, you need glasses," I replied. Middle-age moment. "Let's put the book away and approach this differently."

So we did. First, Twinkle Twinkle. I love teaching this piece; it's part of a first lesson with kids, but not so with adults. It took some doing, but he got it. So well, actually, that his right hand taught his left hand how to play it. Voila! Hands together. Good job!

How about a scale now. He played C to C, using most of his right hand fingers. We corrected for fingering, and he got it. Now add left hand, in contrary motion, both thumbs sharing Middle C. After a few trials, he got it. Good, good, now parallel motion, ascending. Got that too. We were on a roll! But we still had 40 minutes to fill.

"What do you remember about Twinkle Twinkle? Did you know that Mozart wrote 12 variations on this very tune? Let's add some left hand accompaniment." (Yes, I've taught the variations, and have the opening theme etched in my brain.) We learned it measure by measure, left hand first, then adding right hand. We got as far as "How I wonder what you are" before our time was up. Depending on his state of denial next week, we might get to add "Up above the world so high." (Yes, he really needs to get glasses.)

This was the evening for rote learning. I had a youngster earlier tonight. This little guy is an amazing reader. I have a poster of musical terms in my studio. He has read every word on it, many times. "Sforzando--that's a funny word!" He's got phonics down pat. Not so with note reading, however. I have him in a young beginners book, and we struggle every week. (Funny, he can identify the notes on flash cards, and he can name the notes on the keyboard, but he can't get from staff to keyboard. Gotta work on that.)

We turned the page to find Old MacDonald Had a Farm. Oh, good, a melody he knows! He named the notes, he knew which hand starts, he put his hands in position. "Where do I start?" Um... left hand thumb, middle C. After a few false starts, we closed the book. I told him to sing it while he played. After the opening C C C, do the notes go up or down? "Old Mac Don

ald." Sing it -- Up or down? Yes! He got it. We never quite got to E-I-E-I-O; perhaps next week.

A challenging evening, but always fun.

Piano Pizza Party

2022-06-03T15:59:00.000-04:00

End of the school year, end of the piano year. How do you celebrate a year of in-person lessons, YAY!, in-person recitals, BRAVO!, and great successes? Throw a Piano Pizza Party, of course! I used to have a huge event, at the house, invite all my students, their families, prospects for next year. That's when I lived in a big house. Since I downsized, I hardly have room for all my students to gather.

But gather we did. Everyone had had a portion of a duet or a trio to learn. We only had a month to pull this together; our Spring Recital was May 1. These kids were awesome! The first performance was Ravel's Pavane for Sleeping Beauty, from The Mother Goose Suite, The two girls who performed had never played together. They are both accomplished young musicians. They read well, they learn quickly, and they played very well together. First read-through was a bit clipped. We listened to the suggested metronome marking and they played again, Wow! Yes, awesome!

The second performer was a youngster, She has limited recital experience, and was reluctant this evening. We agreed to skip the performance piece and jump to the party piece, Hungry Hippo. The primo section is all on black keys -- hey, I know this piece -- I played it with my friends when I was little! She learned the piece in the book, and I taught her a few additional verses. We had fun learning it, and we had fun performing it for the others. This little girl was ready to teach it to the other students in attendance! Maybe at another time; we had more music to play. In fact, she then played her performance piece, She'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain, also a duet, very well.

The final presentation was Melody Bober's Prelude in G Major, a piano trio, meaning one piano, 6 hands! We all learned a lesson on preparedness with this one. The two outer voices had given adequate time to learning their parts; the inner voice, not so much. Hey, with the demands of end-of-the-year school activities, it is understandable that she just didn't have the time. She did her best, resorting to reading just one hand. Still, the piece didn't hold together. She and I changed places: I played the inner voice and she became the teacher. I too had not given it much prep time, but we pulled it off.

My new mantra this year has been Practice Makes Progress. These kids on Tuesday evening appreciate what that means. And their prize for their progress? Pizza! Funny, everyone had a chair for the performance half of the evening, but once the pizza came out, we all just sat on the floor. Some good conversation between bites let me know the evening was a success.

How do you get to Carnegie Hall?

2022-04-19T08:24:00.001-04:00

Practice, practice, practice!

I've just returned from a weekend in New York. What a whirlwind weekend it was. To catch the 7:33 Amtrak out of Baltimore, I had to leave my house at 6 a.m. We pulled into Moynihan Station a little after 10. Having taken the escalator upstairs, I still couldn't find the exit to the street. Fortunately, I was meeting a friend, and she talked me up more flights of stairs to get to street level. Already I'm overwhelmed by the city that never sleeps!

A little more than 24 hours later, I hailed a taxi to take me uptown to Carnegie Hall, The draw? One of my students was performing in a recital! I first met Anda in 2019, when she was a 6-year-old beginner. Always eager to please, still we struggled to read notes, learn rhythms, make music. But she had enthusiasm, and a mother who was equally eager for her to succeed.

I actually credit the pandemic with her unparalleled learning curve. When school went online, we also moved from in-person lessons to Zoom lessons. Anda did well in her school studies and excelled in her music studies. Not being able to go outside and play with her friends, she sat at the piano, for hours, every day. Not only did she learn to read those notes, the pitches and the values, but she also learned to express herself musically at the keyboard. Her parents, noting her progress, bought her a fine instrument to play. She played Beethoven's Fur Elise, she played Handel's Passacaglia, she played soundtracks to video games that I can't even pronounce.

Last summer, her mother asked if I thought she was ready to prepare for a piano competition. I've never prepared for a music competition; I have qualms about making music competitive. But I agreed. Anda had certainly shown she's got what it takes. They chose Mozart's Rondo alla Turca, a fast-paced piano solo in sixteenths, arpeggiated chords, phrases in octaves; in other words, a lot of notes for 8-year-old hands. We had 6 months to learn it, memorize it, and polish it for the Elite International Music Competition.

And polish it she did! We were lucky the actual competition was a) in-person, and b) local. Anda played beautifully The comments from the adjudicator matched my own thoughts: questions on phrasing, use of pedal, and the like. Anda accepted the critique with grace, and we awaited the results. Second in her age group! The prize for all her hard work? A place in a recital at Carnegie Hall in New York!

How thrilled was I, her teacher, to be invited to attend this recital. And what a show! 46 children in all, ages 3 to 18, performed music of great difficulty, all with such grandeur, such finesse. I have reconsidered my reluctance toward music competition. These children were poised, happy, artistic. I was delighted to be in the audience, absolutely proud of Anda's success, and looking forward to a future bright with music. Not only will I be able to say, "I knew her when..." but also, "I got her started!"

Holiday Sounds

2022-01-07T13:18:00.000-05:00

Oh, what a night!

Late December back in '21.

All were gathered, we had so much fun!

What an evening, what a night!

Last Monday evening, I invited all my students, young and old, to share in a Holiday Piano Party. Twelve pianists performed holiday music and more, to the absolute joy of all in attendance. We had Chopin, we had Mozart, we had Handel and Bach, all to wish us a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

These past 22 months have limited public performance. I was thrilled to obtain permission at the local church to host this event. We were all masked, of course, which made announcements a bit muted and awkward. But the masks could not hinder the beautiful music each participant performed. They worked hard to master their respective pieces, and to get over the anxiety of playing for others. I was so proud of everyone!

No formal program was intended, and we chose names out of a hat for performance order. Took a bit of the edge off, I think. My youngest student got to open the program. He has been taking lessons with me a mere 4 weeks, and delighted his audience with a 5-finger version of Jingle Bells, followed by an anime soundtrack he taught himself by ear. Kudos, Samuel, for a job well done.

Ha, I just realized, anime opened and closed the program. Josie pulled off a rip-roaring version of Fukashige a la Carte, worthy of the silver screen.

In between these 2 bookends, we heard variations on Jingle Bells, a Chopin Prelude, Bach's Jesu, Joy of man's Desiring, Mozart's Rondo a la Turca, and so much more. I was thrilled to welcome back a student from 2 years ago to play the Chopin; Eleanor now attends Barbara Ingram School for the Arts. She even provided some Christmas tunes to quiet and focus the audience as we awaited the start of the program. Anda and Myra played a Jingle Bells duet; this was their first time paying together, and after a rocky start, they did great listening to each other and staying together. Anda used this audience to prepare her for a Carnegie Hall debut to be held in April 2022. You read that right: Anda placed second in her age group in the Elite International Music Competition in early December, earning her a place on the recital stage at Carnegie Hall this spring.

The program lasted about an hour, followed by cookies and drinks, and a surprise violin performance by Will, the brother of 2 of my piano students. The acoustics at All Saints truly enhanced his playing. We were all thrilled that he brought his violin!

As I stated at the beginning of this post, performance opportunities have been limited in this time of Covid. We held lessons online for 16 months, and occasionally still rely on Zoom to get together when necessary. Being able to gather together and make music together is great therapy for all: the kids learn stage presence; the parents beam with pride; adult students overcome performance jitters. We all hope the Omicron variant will not hinder future performance events, but at least we got this chance to enjoy the fruits of our labors.

May 2022 be kinder, gentler. May we continue to make music to share.

Bachtoberfest

2021-10-31T07:15:00.001-04:00

We held our first (annual?) Bachtoberfest just last weekend, and kudos to all who participated. Even my brandie-new beginners took a turn in the spotlight. As their teacher, I was absolutely thrilled! We started working on this event way back in August.

(Almost) everyone learned a Bach composition: Minuet in G, Prelude and Fugue in C, Solfeggietto, to name a few. We started by looking for patterns, melodic, rhythmic, to help make sense of the whole. Next we aimed to make those melodies sing, to meet Bach's cantabile instructions. In most cases, we truly appreciated the "sewing machine" nickname given to Baroque-era music. It just goes on and on, with hardly time to breathe!

We found our breath between performances. Paying homage to the German flavor of the evening, we enjoyed bratwurst and pretzels! And in keeping with the season, between bites, we also enjoyed some Halloween tunes.

Bachtoberfest was an adult event. My kids performed their Halloween recital yesterday. Oh, what a hoot! Sponsored by the Frederick County Music Teachers Association, there were 77 participants, representing 10 county teachers. Certainly the largest group event for this group. Kids and teachers alike, even a few parents, arrived in costume: angels and ninjas, witches and cats. The music ran the gamut as well, from absolute beginner to quite polished advanced musician. One high scholar in particular performed her own composition, including percussion which she had previously recorded to accompany her spectacular piano performance. What a day!

And what a month! Music, music everywhere. Even the church choir is singing again. Makes my heart glad. Oh, we're still wearing masks, of course. But what a thrill, to be able to gather and enjoy making music together. The beat goes on...

Summer Soiree

2021-07-24T18:42:00.001-04:00

All of my students have now had the opportunity of a post-pandemic public performance, and what a joy last night's petite soiree was This was an adult evening, wine and cheese and piano playing. I think everyone involved enjoyed themselves. I know I did!

My younger students presented their Spring Recital in June, to much acclaim. Two of these young musicians chose the same piece to perform. Handel’s Passacaglia, arranged by Bobby Cyr. It was interesting to hear their different interpretations of the same printed piece. These are two young people, and tempo is everything to them. The Passacaglia flew off the piano keys, much to the delight of my adult students in the audience.

A-ha moment, indeed. You like this music?, I asked the adults. How about you learn it too? “Passacaglia” is an old Italian or Spanish dance tune, a theme and variations over a repeated bass line, and typically at a slow tempo. In this particular case, it is a series of scales in the right hand, and a simple chord progression in the left hand. I gave each of my adults 6 weeks to learn at least 2 lines, the opening theme. Some chose to go on, learn more, while others were quite content with the 2-line challenge.

We got together last evening to share our results. The learning curve worked to our advantage. Between us, we were able to cover the whole piece, all 8 iterations of the theme. We talked about how Handel/Cyr worked out the left hand, the repeated interval patterns beginning on different notes in each measure, but the pattern was the same measure to measure. We noticed the scale pattern in the right hand, how it turned itself upside down in the second iteration, how it disappeared in the third section. We talked a bit about how each of us went about learning it, and about how we struggled to get our hands to play nicely together. And of course, we fed our performance with wine and cheese. We rounded out the evening with a sightreading session, playing through duets together. My lesson coming out of that: introduce the duets in the next lesson, with the goal of a polished duet soiree in September!

You may ask, why would I teach the same piece of music to multiple students for the same performance? I had never done so before, even having the 2 girls play the same piece at the Spring Recital. In the case of the girls, it was a piece I knew both girls would enjoy, and they both really wanted to include it in their recital repertoire. For the adult soiree, my thinking was different. I wanted them to compare their learning techniques, their insights along the way. As an added bonus, I learned different learning techniques! I was able to help each of them by applying what I learned from each of them. And we all had compassion for the struggles of the others. It was a fun experiment.

It's Independence Day!

2021-07-04T15:52:00.000-04:00

Today is so beautiful, so temperate, so atypical for July 4th. It's hard to sit inside; I want to be out, soaking in the sun. Perhaps once I've finished this little missive.

What are we doing in the musical world this Independence Day? I started my day in church. The choir anthem this morning was Finlandia, music by Jan Sibelius, words by Lloyd Stone.

This Is My Song, O God of all the nations,
a song of peace for lands afar and mine.
This is my home, the country where my heart is.
Here are my hopes, my dreams, my holy shrine.
But other hearts in other lands are beating,
With hopes and dreams as true and high as mine.

I am quite familiar with the music, but had never known the words. How lovely, how utterly apropos for Independence Day. This day, of all the days of the year, we celebrate America's independence, but we need also acknowledge the interconnectedness of us all. We all have hopes and dreams, and we share these hopes and dreams across borders. The blue sky, the bright sun shines over all.

My country's skies are bluer than the ocean,
And sunlight beams on clover leaf and pine.
But other lands have sunlight too, and clover,
and skies are everywhere as blue as mine.
Oh hear my song, thou God of all the nations,
a song of peace for their land and for mine.

As I come to the end of my thoughts today, a small wren has perched outside my window. Can you hear its song? It too sings of peace throughout the land. May your Independence Day be safe, and our nation be at peace.

Ephemeral Joys

2021-06-26T17:13:00.000-04:00

The blackberries are in! Every day for the past 2 weeks, I have communed with nature in my urban oasis. I have wild blackberries growing in my garden, and each day more and more are ready to pluck from the vine. I have also harvested the first of many zucchinis, as well as fresh mint and basil. These last 3 will last all summer, but the blackberries are ephemeral.

Sort of like the elation of a Spring Recital, especially this year. We had been online for 15 months. All "public" performances were prerecorded and posted to Facebook. Sonatina Festival 2020, Spring Recital 2020, Halloween Recital 2020, Beethoven's Big Birthday Bash on December 16th, 2020, Sonatina Festival 2021, we performed in the privacy of our own homes, probably numerous times, and chose the best recordings to post on Facebook. Finally, in June 2021, we gathered to make music together, to share the music we had learned over the past season, and to receive applause and accolades for our artistry.

My kids used their pandemic time well and applied themselves to their music studies. Although the whole online experience was less than ideal, and something I hope never to have to experience again, the time away from baseball and soccer, from playdates and school field trips, allowed for more opportunity to focus on the piano and to accept challenges that perhaps would have been scoffed at a year earlier.

We all learned a lot about ourselves, about music, about focus, to name just a few lessons. And quite honestly, I did not know what to expect come recital time. I had not had in-person lessons with these kids until the week before the recital. The kids who regularly practice on electric keyboards did not have much opportunity to play on an acoustic piano before the recital. We didn't have piano class or a dress rehearsal, but jumped right in, cold turkey.

And they did it! I was so proud of these young musicians, ages 8 - 16, for their perseverance, their focus, their courage to perform after 15 months of isolation. I admit, it was not the best recital. There were flaws, glitches, music that blew off the music stand. Concert etiquette needs a review -- when and how to bow.

But the joy of the moment carried me, and I hope my young students, through the day. They could rest on the laurels for a bit, all performance worries set aside for now. They did their best, and their best is enough. And now, we begin again, learning mew music, new techniques, accepting new challenges for the next public performance. Their best will get better, because they persevered through the pandemic. They stayed true to their art.

Breathe

2021-06-20T15:53:00.001-04:00

I am a collector of books. I love to spend time at a book store, and I always bring something home to put on my bookshelf. History, fiction, biography. I have a lot of books. I don't always read the books on my bookshelf. Sometimes I just look at them,

The other day, as I was sitting on the floor looking at my collection of books on music, I pulled out a book on practicing, Passionate Practice, by Margaret Elson, that I had purchased in 2008. Still had the receipt in it. No, I had never even cracked the binding! This morning in particular, I pulled it out, opened it up, and enjoyed the first few chapters. Over the next few weeks, I intend to get through the whole book. In the meantime, I can share some of its contents.

For openers, B-R-E-A-T-H-E. Yeah, right there in black and white. When you sit down to play the piano, (or whatever you sit down to do), remember to breathe. I have coached my students to take time to breathe before performing in a recital, or even mid-lesson, and to consciously relax their shoulders. Seems to make all the difference.

Navy Seals use the 4-7-8 breathing technique to calm their nerves and help them focus on the task at hand. Breathe in for 4 counts, hold the breath for 7 counts, and exhale for 8 counts, and repeat. I have found this technique to be quite effective in stressful situations, and I even use it at night to help me fall asleep!

I've also tried box breathing, or 5x5x5 breathing, Inhale for a count of 5, hold the breath for a count of 5, exhale for a count of 5, hold for 5, repeated 5 times. Again, effectively relaxing.

Seymour Bernstein, in With Your Own Two Hands, states that the importance of breathing "in the interpretation of music cannot by overemphasized." He suggests that you practice different breathing techniques as you practice the music, perhaps inhale on one phrase and exhale on the responding phrase. For soft passages, you might try holding your breath. "You will discover that difficult passages are facilitated when you inhale before you play them and exhale as you play them."

Mr. Williams, my 6th grade teacher, used to count to 10, "So help me, Hannah, 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10" and then proceed to yell at us for one misdemeanor or another. Perhaps he should have practiced a breathing technique instead; might have made 6th grade more bearable, for all involved!"

Quotes

2021-01-11T13:44:00.000-05:00

I've been collecting inspirational quotes for years. I've included a few here. Perhaps one day I will expound on them. For the present, I hope they provide just that: inspiration to approach the piano with confidence and to play with satisfaction.

At the piano I am a teacher, a coach, a cheerleader. No, I don't have pom-poms, although now that I think of it... These various quotes and others have instilled confidence in me to encourage my students to strive for more. I think it's working!

~~~

Gabriel Faure, in a letter to his son Philippe in 1908: "For me, art, and especially music, exist to elevate us as far as possible above everyday existence."

"The first mistake of art is to assume that it's serious." Lester Bangs

Ella Fitzgerald: "I know I'm no glamour girl, and it's not easy for me to get up in front of a crowd of people. It used to bother me a lot, but now I've got it figured out that God gave me this talent to use, so I just stand there and sing."

"Talent is only a starting point." Irving Berlin

Gilbert Kalish, a longtime professor of piano performance at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, said he finds the necessity of adjusting to quite different pianos an "interesting challenge." He emphasizes to his students: "You don't play by feel; you don't play by habit; you play by sound, by listening to what's being produced. You have to learn to trust yourself, not to depend on someone out there listening."

"Every skill you have today was once unknown to you." --James Clear

Maya Angelou: "Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better."

Welcome 2021!

2021-01-01T16:19:00.002-05:00

A new year. Yay! Say "Good riddance" to 2020! Greet the new year with open arms and good intentions. My list of good intentions includes updating this page more frequently. Shall I start today?

The past 9 months have been... well, claustrophobic, to say the least. I just want to open my doors, greet my piano students in person, invite my neighbors in for tea, go shopping. To say I have become inured to social isolation is perhaps taking it too far; yet I fear the backlash when the OK is finally sounded. What, go outside? Remove my mask? But the potential germs! Toni, get a grip! Get the vaccine! Go outside!

My piano lessons have continued, somewhat unabated, even through the pandemic. I moved everything to Zoom in March, and much to my delight, most students have stuck with me! I developed a Facebook page for my students' eyes and ears only. They performed a successful Spring Recital, a Halloween Recital, and a Beethoven Birthday Bash all on Facebook, and I was quite pleased. It's not the venue we want, but it's what is available in this time of quarantine. I am proud of what all my students, young and old alike, have been able to accomplish over these months of internet lessons. But I do look forward to the day we can return to in-person lessons.

In the meantime, we persevere. We continue to meet weekly for lessons, and we continue to practice between lessons. We learn to read notes, count beats, and maintain steady tempo. We find our place on the page, we circle trouble spots, and we review, review, review. In that regard, the pandemic has not changed things. In fact, we have learned a lot of independence as a result of social distancing. We have learned confidence in our own ability to carry on, to move through a piece of music, and to perform, even if only for our immediate family.

May 2021 open many doors for creative expression. The concert hall awaits...

Staycation. What to do with my free time?

2020-09-01T20:53:00.000-04:00

I'm on vacation this week. Stay-cation, not going anywhere. I plan to use my time reading through Halloween-themed music, in preparation for the new piano school year which begins next Tuesday. The Frederick County Music Teachers Association has traditionally hosted a Halloween Recital in late October. Due to Coronavirus and social distancing requirements, the recital will probably be canceled. Nevertheless, my students will be creating eerie sounds over the next 2 months, and we will do something to celebrate Halloween, even if it's online.

This is one of my favorite events of the school year. Typically, everyone comes in costume, even the teachers! Last year, Sponge Bob was the emcee. We had 2 witches the year before. This year, Zoom will probably serve in that role. Or Facebook. I developed a private Facebook page for my students to share their Spring Recital performances, as well as other Facebook-worthy posts: Hallelujah Chorus on handbells; Fur Elise on glass harp; and artwork inspired by student repertoire. (Due to privacy concerns, I cannot share the link here.) I just posted Joachim Horsley playing a piano transcription of Beethoven's Symphony No. 7, on the keys and on the frame! Wow! Look it up when you have the chance.

Actually, quite inspiring. All of my students are learning to play Happy Birthday by ear, melody and some sort of left hand accompaniment. Perhaps my more advanced students will glean some percussive inspiration from this Horsley post. Thinking out loud here, since fall performances will most likely be held online, therefore pre-recorded, yes, this might work! Oh, I wish I were teaching this week!

I do love teaching, And I miss my students when I take time off. But I also need this time to brainstorm, to peruse new music, sightread through old music, and listen to funky Facebook posts to find inspiration for the coming year. Yeah, I think I've hit gold with this Horsley idea. All of my students are also working on music by Beethoven. We are going to celebrate his 250th birthday in December. Hence the Happy Birthday idea. We've got Straussian oom-pa-pah accompaniment, some Chopinesque left hand as well. I can't wait to introduce this percussive element! It's going to be quite the concert.

But Halloween comes first. Gotta play through all my Halloween repertoire. Such fun! Boo!

Pandemic Practicing

2020-06-28T16:03:00.000-04:00

Summertime, and the living is lonely. But I have a whole lot of time to play the piano! One of my students is working on Gershwin's Summertime. No, it's not easy, but I too am learning it and loving it!

Yes, this is the year to enjoy lots of piano time. No days spent at the pool, no trip to the Jersey Shore, no cruise through Alaska. I am safer-at-home, and taking advantage of this time to expand my repertoire. All of my students are working on something Beethoven, (2020 marks the 250th anniversary of Beethoven's birth), so I too am learning a lot of Beethoven. And Gershwin, and Chopin, and scales and chords.

Yep, the boring stuff too. I rediscovered a book I hadn't opened in years, Alfred's Group Piano for Adults, and I'm doing all the lessons, playing every sample. I hope to incorporate some of the theory into my lessons, specifically chords and chord progressions. As part of the Beethoven Birthday Bash that I will host for my students later in the year, I am hoping everyone will arrange their own variation on the Happy Birthday song, implementing melody and harmony. It's a project I approach with some trepidation -- it's been years since I actually studied any of this stuff myself! But I think we will all enjoy the challenge.

As noted previously, I continue to teach virtually via Zoom. It provides even more time for me at the piano. I use the time between lessons to read through students' music, to sightread through lesson books, and to practice Summertime among others. Yeah, pandemic practicing is lonely, but productive! My students, as well, have ample time to practice this summer, and it shows! I can't wait to get everyone together for our Beethoven Birthday Bash. It's gonna be great!

Lessons in the Cloud

2020-06-14T12:24:00.000-04:00

It has been an interesting ride. Online piano lessons. I scoffed at the very thought! And here I am, having become somewhat competent after 3 full months. I have learned a lot in these past 13 weeks. I believe my students have learned even more!

They have all accepted the challenge of distance-learning with grace. They didn't have a choice, of course. School went online, church went online, even sports practice went online. Go figure! So piano lessons too. The first week covered placing the laptop or phone properly so I could see the keyboard; to the right and slightly behind, at about shoulder height seems to work best. Then getting comfortable performing in front of a screen.

We moved on from there, week by week. Since I can no longer point to problem areas in the the music, I have to verbally direct the students' eyes to the page, the line, the measure. This helps the students to focus on the printed page. They need to mark their own scores now; my red pencil sits idly on the music stand. Zoom has been a godsend, but the syncing of audio and video still has delays. I cannot clap along while the students play. I can demonstrate, but they need to do the work to get the rhythm. They need to count the beats as they play, and subdivide, on their own.

Four of my students had previously registered for the Sonatina Festival, to be held in late March. Needless to say, the Festival was cancelled. Not so the preparation, the practice, and the polish on the sonatinas! I created a Facebook page for my studio so these 4 kids could perform for all my other students. Those other students who also learned sonatinas but were not ready for the Festival had extra time to practice and had the opportunity to record and post to Facebook. I was happy for them!

In April, I presented to all of my students, young and old alike, a mixed media assignment. I asked them to find on YouTube whatever piece they were currently practicing, to listen to it away from the printed page, and to draw what they hear. The results were quite imaginative. An 8-year-old playing Fur Elise saw great swaths of colors, representing love and rejection, anger and despair. A middle-schooler playing Spindler's Tarantella drew intricate spider webs. On Chopin Prelude in A Major, another middle schooler described it as "the chance meetings of a single moment, and the simple pleasures of life." Reinecke's Sonatina evoked visions of flowers.

May brought with it hopes of a Spring Recital, but with stay-at-home still in place, we had to find other avenues to performance. Again, Serini Music Studio on Facebook provided the stage. Other teachers have collected recordings of their students recital pieces, pieced them together over Zoom and into formal YouTube worthy events. I did not choose that route, not having confidence in the sound quality of Zoom to convey my students' artistry and not having the wherewithal to post to YouTube. Facebook works for me. In any event, the students have the option of playing over and over, posting only their best performance. They don't have the anxiety that playing for a live audience can generate. They don't receive the gratification of applause either. The good, the bad, none of the ugly.

I'm still working out the kinks in my Zoom sessions. I am fortunate to own 2 pianos; I moved my studio space to the piano nearer the modem. I've figured out how to use the white board during a lesson. I have downloaded theory games that I can share. It has been a whirlwind, and I wish it never had to be, but I've learned a lot, my kids (and adults) have learned a lot. We didn't need to isolate, just get computer friendly. We all thought it would be 2 weeks of inconvenience. More like 13 weeks and counting! Although locally restaurants and businesses are beginning to reopen, I think I will stay in cyber-mode for a few more weeks at least.

Zoom lessons, oh boy!

2020-04-09T12:30:00.000-04:00

Yeah, Coronavirus has changed everything! I swore I'd never teach online, how impersonal, how high-tech, how un-arty. How wrong I was!

I've been teaching online going on 4 weeks now. It's been an experience, to say the least. The audio delays, the distortion, the internet freezes. But every week, I'm there at the appointed hour, and my students appear on my screen, and we proceed as usual. Scales, chords, music, it's all there.

Online lessons provide an added focus to lessons. I can direct my students to measure 4, but they have to find measure 4. I can direct them to look for the pattern in measures 4,6, and 10, but they have to find the pattern in measures 4, 6 and 10. I think it gives music appreciation a whole new meaning!

For my younger students especially, online lessons provide a sense of empowerment, of ownership to their studies. Students need to write their own assignments in their books, they need to mark the trouble spots, add the accidentals, correct fingering markings. Those details have always been part of my job description, but now I have to share that duty with my students.

Many of my students had been preparing for the Sonatina Festival at the end of March Unfortunately, the festival was canceled due to the Coronavirus and the need for social distancing. I invited those students who felt ready to record their sonatinas and other music and share via our Facebook page. That has been a delight. I have shared other Facebook posts that I've found along the way, including this one from Sharon Ann Hurst:

I will teach you in a room.
I will teach you now on Zoom.
I will teach you in your house.
I will teach you with a mouse.
I will teach you here and there.
I will teach you because I care.
So just do your very best.
And do not worry about the rest.

Funny, I began my college studies as a computer science major. When I transferred to music, I thought I had left all the high-tech behind. Never in my wildest dreams...

Poker Face

2020-03-01T13:40:00.000-05:00

(Don't know why this didn't post in March. Wrote it March 1!. So, a bit delayed, and the Sonatina Festival was canceled, but the rest of the post holds true.)

My kids are preparing for the Sonatina Festival at the end of the month. They need to play, from memory, one movement of a sonatina, as well as one other contrasting piece, also from memory. We've been working on this music since January, and most of my students are ready and eager to perform.

In addition to notes, rhythm, rests, dynamics, the how-to-play-the-music details of performance, I need to teach and reinforce the how-to-play-through-mistakes details of performance. That is the hardest part! I think it's human nature to want to fix our mistakes before moving on. In music, we can't take the time to do that. The music continues, and we have to keep up!

So how do we go about playing through mistakes, picking up and moving on? Of course, knowing the music, inside and out, backward and forward, goes a long way in covering mistakes. I suggest playing from memory, occasionally, but also consulting the printed page during practice sessions. Visual reminders during practice will aid the recall during performance.

Slow practice is also helpful. We often want to speed through the difficult passages, but that allows for holes in our learning, for sloppy execution of phrases, and for memory slips. Yes, you need to play at tempo occasionally during practice, but it pays to slow it down, use a metronome, play every note, and of course, review those tricky sections over and over.

Another trick is not always starting at the beginning. When practicing, jump around, play the last line first, play up the page instead of down the page. I had a teacher once add practice numbers, and during the recital he would call out a number and I had to skip to that section. Needless to say, I knew that piece very well.

On that rare occasion when you just don't remember the next note, skip it, jump to the next section. No one else has the score, no one else knows the music like you do. Fudge it, fake it 'til you make it, but don't let on. Maintain your poker face. Shrug it off on the inside, but don't actually shrug! And whatever happens, take time to bow, to show your appreciation to your audience for hearing you out, and walk off the stage with dignity.

Snow Day?

2020-01-18T17:56:00.002-05:00

Funny how the weather forecast shapes your day. Slightest hint of snow and plans get cancelled right and left. Just because schools close early does not necessarily mean the streets are icy. A heavy snowfall in Emmittsburg does not always translate to snow in downtown Frederick.

Think about it. School buses move lots of kids. In Frederick County alone, there are upwards of 42,000 registered students in public schools, and close to 5800 public school employees. The powers-that-be need to consider the safe transportation of all these folks when they make the call to close schools. Sometimes they overreact, miscalculate. In such instances, I'm still open for business.

I once had to call a "snow day" in September! Hurricane Irene blew through, took down trees and power lines. Yes, school were closed then too.

So,no, I don't have a snow policy. Since I teach at home, it's no problem for me to get to work! My students might have a legitimate excuse, but not always. Mostly, rain or snow, I remain open.

A Fly on the Wall

2019-12-31T14:51:00.000-05:00

I had the opportunity last weekend of attending a county-wide piano student holiday recital. I think 35-40 kids participated. Between the students, parents, and residents of the assisted living facility in attendance, I was lucky to get a seat at the back of the hall! All in all, the young musicians did well. Some were better prepared than others.

One student in particular arrived late, and without his music. More power to him: he sat down at the piano and attempted to play from memory. I was touched by his determination. He got stuck. What to do to help him? Really nothing. He learned, as did the others in attendance, the importance of being prepared, and the grace of accepting defeat. He was, even in his vulnerability, an inspiration.

A few of my students sat in front of me. I enjoyed watching them as they listened to the other students perform. The older brother's hands were fingering the armchair as his younger sister played. I do that! I was especially humored when another student played an arrangement of something one of my kids was also playing. Whispering to mom, nudging dad's arm. They are learning to listen critically, to discern a fine performance. It was as much a joy to watch the audience as it was to listen to the performance.