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  <a href="/blog/blog/7582460/summer-music-camp-t-shirts-diy">Summer Music Camp T-shirts DIY</a>&nbsp;
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  <div class="message"><p>I am always looking for ways to cut costs, and designing my own t-shirts for my Summer Music Camps is one way I can do that! </p><a class="no-pjax" href="https://coribelle.com/product/1109983-summer-music-camp-2025-t-shirt-design" target="_blank"><img src="//images.zoogletools.com/s:bzglfiles/u/51313/032991f6bc15c663f3dce78ab6f858328599afb2/original/youth-staple-tee-black-front-683749db89569.png/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_m justify_left border_" alt="summer music camp t-shirt design png svg" height="1000" /></a><a class="no-pjax" href="https://coribelle.com/product/1109983-summer-music-camp-2025-t-shirt-design" target="_blank"><img src="//images.zoogletools.com/s:bzglfiles/u/51313/ab71e71fa0239d4a1f1deac327f917df3ddf1aa7/original/youth-staple-tee-heather-dust-front-683749db91654.png/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_m justify_left border_" alt="summer music camp t-shirt diy design png svg" height="1000" /></a><p>Last year, I held two different camps for my beginner piano students and new recruits (<a class="no-pjax" href="https://coribelle.com/product/1077640-the-great-music-race-piano-camp" target="_blank" data-link-type="url"><strong>The Great Music Race</strong></a> and <a class="no-pjax" href="https://coribelle.com/product/1078306-musical-secret-agent-piano-camp" target="_blank" data-link-type="url"><strong>MSA: Musical Secret Agent</strong></a>) and I designed a t-shirt for each specific camp. I was thrilled with the results (you can see them in my shop -<a class="no-pjax" href="https://coribelle.com/piano-teacher-resources" target="_blank" data-link-type="url"><strong> click here</strong></a> and scroll down to Piano Merch). </p><p>However, this year, I decided to try something a little simpler. I am holding two new camps, and instead of trying to produce a separate t-shirt for each one, I decided to go with a <a class="no-pjax" href="https://coribelle.com/product/1109983-summer-music-camp-2025-t-shirt-design" target="_blank" data-link-type="url"><strong>design that works for both</strong></a>. I think it turned out pretty well!</p><p>I made the design as a 300 dpi PNG file as well as a SVG file, so it can be used as an iron-on transfer or with a cutting machine. Iron-on transfer sheets can be purchased from any office supply store or online, and you print the design on them from your personal printer! (Be sure to choose “light” if you're printing on a light-colored shirt and “dark” if you're printing on a dark-colored shirt.)</p><p>Blank t-shirts can be purchased from a local craft store, like Michael's, or online, in a variety of colors and sizes. You can even buy them in bulk at a discounted price. I like to purchase youth shirts for my campers and a few adult sizes for myself and my teenage helpers!</p><p>Get the design for your DIY Summer Music Camp t-shirts <a class="no-pjax" href="https://coribelle.com/piano-teacher-resources" target="_blank" data-link-type="url"><strong>in my shop</strong></a>.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p></div>
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    <p class="post-info"><span data-time="2025-05-28T19:42:22-07:00" title="May 28, 2025 19:42">05/28/2025</span></p>

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  <a href="/blog/blog/7578018/on-the-origin-of-divine-music">On the Origin of Divine Music</a>&nbsp;
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  <div class="message"><img src="https://www.brownpapertickets.com/g/e/1588360-250.gif" class="size_orig justify_right border_" height="234" width="220" /><p>I just came off of a big concert weekend, having accompanied a cello recital and two choral concerts: two very different experiences! The cello recital consisted of a number of cello students ranging from beginner to advanced, playing standards from the Suzuki books as well as repertoire by Beethoven, Saint-Saens, and Dvorak. In contrast, the choir concerts were performed by an auditioned adult community chorus and focused on sacred texts in various settings throughout music history.</p><p>“On the Origin of Divine Music” was the title given the choral performances, and though much of the music was acapella (not requiring my services at the piano), it ranks among my most favorite programs. The concept was taking six sacred texts and looking at two different ways composers set them to music. This is how it looked:</p><p> </p><p>Historic Set:<o:p></o:p></p><p>Renaissance: Magnum Mysterium – Tomás Luis de Victoria<o:p></o:p></p><p>Baroque: Cantate Domino – Claudio Monteverdi<o:p></o:p></p><p>Classical: Ave Verum Corpus -Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart  - (piano and cello)<o:p></o:p></p><p>Romantic: “Wie der Hirsch schreit” from Psalm 42 - Mendelssohn  (piano and cello)<o:p></o:p></p><p>20th Century: Salve Regina – Herbert Howells<o:p></o:p></p><p>Modern:  Alleluia! – Elaine Hagenberg<o:p></o:p></p><p> --Intermission—<o:p></o:p></p><p> Contemporary Set:<o:p></o:p></p><p>Magnum Mysterium – Morten Lauridsen <o:p></o:p></p><p>Cantate Domino - Karl Jenkins (percussion)<o:p></o:p></p><p>Ave Verum Corpus – Imant Raminsh <o:p></o:p></p><p>Psalm 42 – Andrew Bleckner <o:p></o:p></p><p>To the Mothers In Brazil: Salve Regina - Gunnar Eriksson (percussion and cello)<o:p></o:p></p><p>Glory, Glory Hallelujah! - arr. Howard Helvey (piano and percussion) </p><p> </p><p>Not only did this make for an interesting and varied concert, but it also was an exposition of some of the most beautiful choral pieces that have been written. I hope to have a link to recordings of our performance soon, but for now, enjoy this setting in Hebrew of Psalm 42 by Andrew Bleckner:</p><div class="video-container size_l justify_left" style=""><iframe data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="DIHMTtA2Zd4" data-video-thumb-url="" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DIHMTtA2Zd4?rel=0&amp;wmode=transparent&amp;enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></div><p>The translation is as follows:</p><p><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);">As a deer longs for flowing streams</span><br><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);">So my soul longs for you, O God</span><br><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);">My soul thirsts for you</span><br><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);">O Beloved, the living God</span><br><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);">When shall we meet face to face?</span><br><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);">Why are you so desolate, my soul?</span><br><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);">why so distraught within me?</span><br><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);">Hope in the divine source of all!</span><br><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);">For I shall praise the Holy One</span><br><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);">My ever present saviour, My God.</span></p><p><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);">For the contrasting setting by Felix Mendelssohn, see my blog post </span><a class="no-pjax" href="https://coribelle.com/blogs/musical-reflections/posts/7562358/mendelssohn-s-psalm-42-for-choir" target="_blank" data-link-type="url"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);"><strong>here</strong></span></a><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);">.</span></p><p><i>Keep up with my writing by subscribing to </i><a class="no-pjax" href="https://athomewithclassicalpiano.substack.com/" target="_blank" data-link-type="url"><i><strong>At Home with Classical Piano on Substack</strong></i></a><i><strong>.</strong></i><o:p></o:p></p></div>
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  <p class="post-info">in <a href="/musical-reflections/blog/blog_categories/1988">Music</a>, <a href="/musical-reflections/blog/blog_categories/37001">Choral music</a>, <a href="/musical-reflections/blog/blog_categories/37002">Accompanying</a></p>
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  <a href="/blog/blog/7575710/out-of-the-teacher-s-mouth">Out of the Teacher&#39;s Mouth</a>&nbsp;
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  <div class="message"><img src="//images.zoogletools.com/s:bzglfiles/u/51313/d76fb771674089b3c741d3a085abf08308e7c54b/original/piano-lessons-hands.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_m justify_right border_" height="427" /><p>Do you find yourself using your own “stock phrases” during piano lessons or creating new ones on the spot? This week any one of my students might have heard one of these from me:</p><p>“If you play it right this time, you can level up.” - spoken to a teenaged boy who likes to play video games. He was struggling with focus and accuracy and needed incentive to pay attention.</p><p>“Use your dinosaur arms.” - to a beginner using a collapsed wrist and generating a weak sound. We talked about using the whole arm to play the sound.</p><p>“This piece is ‘learn on your own.'" - begun as a way to assign students another piece to work on during the week when we ran out of lesson time, this is becoming a more usual directive. Students love the challenge of learning an at-level piece on their own, and it gives me valuable insight into what they are able to learn independently.</p><p>“And then the old man has a mood change.” - suggested to a cello student as we rehearsed a piece together requiring a character change between sections</p><p>What kinds of things do you find yourself saying to students during lessons? Let me know in the comments!</p><p><i>Keep up with my writing by subscribing to </i><a class="no-pjax" href="https://athomewithclassicalpiano.substack.com/" target="_blank" data-link-type="url"><i><strong>At Home with Classical Piano on Substack</strong></i></a><i><strong>.</strong></i></p></div>
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  <p class="post-info">in <a href="/musical-reflections/blog/blog_categories/1988">Music</a>, <a href="/musical-reflections/blog/blog_categories/62033">Piano teaching</a>, <a href="/musical-reflections/blog/blog_categories/67314">Beginner piano</a></p>
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  <a href="/blog/blog/7575047/exercises-in-open-score-reading-for-choral-accompanists-673b6dbe-bdda-40a6-8bee-123d8cda59d7">Exercises in Open Score Reading for Choral Accompanists</a>&nbsp;
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  <div class="message"><a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.facebook.com/share/g/16Td47Fo9C/" target="_blank"><img src="//images.zoogletools.com/s:bzglfiles/u/51313/0e5e9fe0620357df41711219af67c6f9c50351e4/original/copy-of-100-ig-post-templates-1.png/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_m justify_right border_" alt="Choral accompanists facebook group" height="1080" /></a><p><span style="color:rgb(8,8,9);">After attending my </span><a class="no-pjax" href="/open-score" target="_blank" data-link-type="page" data-link-label="Open Score"><span style="color:rgb(8,8,9);"><strong>How to Read Open Score workshop </strong></span></a><span style="color:rgb(8,8,9);">(still available!) and practicing the exercises in the accompanying Student Workbook, you might want more exercises in SATB open score reading. Here are some that I recommend:</span></p><p><a class="no-pjax" href="https://ks15.imslp.org/files/imglnks/usimg/d/d4/IMSLP104895-PMLP06534-Brahms_Werke_Band_20_Breitkopf_JB_104_Op_52_scan.pdf" target="_blank" data-link-type="url"><span style="color:rgb(8,8,9);"><span><strong>Brahms Liebeslieder</strong></span></span></a><span style="color:rgb(8,8,9);"> - These are wonderful dances. I have them scored for SATB and piano duet accompaniment! Some go quite fast, but you don't have to practice them fast. Often you just have two voices moving at a time. When SATB all sing, it's usually homophonic, forming chords. It would be a good next step after my workshop for continuing your practice with some of the things we talked about. </span></p><p><a class="no-pjax" href="https://cpdl.org/wiki/images/3/35/D486.pdf" target="_blank" data-link-type="url"><span style="color:rgb(8,8,9);"><span><strong>Schubert Magnificat</strong></span></span></a><span style="color:rgb(8,8,9);"> - This is also quite accessible. It is a 3-movement work. A good one for marking unisons and making choices as to which 2-3 voices to prioritize out of the 4 on a first reading. There is a little bit of practice here for prioritizing vocal entrances as well. </span></p><p><a class="no-pjax" href="https://cpdl.org/wiki/index.php/Die_Sch%C3%B6pfung_(The_Creation)_(Joseph_Haydn)" target="_blank" data-link-type="url"><span style="color:rgb(8,8,9);"><span><strong>Haydn Creation</strong></span></span></a><span style="color:rgb(8,8,9);"> - We worked from "Awake the Harp" in our workshop. There are a number of solo movements in this piece. I would suggest looking at #13 "The heavens are telling the glory of God" and #26 and #28 which are two settings of "Achieved is the glorious work." All three of these movements are for chorus only, set in SATB, and which will require you to make decisions about what you want to play. </span></p><p><a class="no-pjax" href="https://s9.imslp.org/files/imglnks/usimg/6/69/IMSLP392310-PMLP141537-NelsonmesseVS.pdf" target="_blank" data-link-type="url"><span style="color:rgb(8,8,9);"><span><strong>Haydn Nelson Mass</strong></span> </span></a><span style="color:rgb(8,8,9);">- This is a multi-movement work for soloists and chorus that combines all the elements from above - marking unisons and parts, homophonic movement, deciding which 2-3 parts to prioritize, some individual vocal entrances but not too crazy. </span></p><p><span style="color:rgb(8,8,9);">These are all good starting places, if you're not quite ready to dive into more complex work like the Bach fugues! </span></p><p>Want more resources? Check the <a class="no-pjax" href="/choral-piano" target="_blank" data-link-type="page" data-link-label="Choral Piano"><strong>Choral Piano</strong></a> page or join our new <a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.facebook.com/share/g/16MfSaryYU/" target="_blank" data-link-type="url"><strong>Choral Accompanists</strong></a> facebook group! </p><p><i>Keep up with my writing by subscribing to </i><a class="no-pjax" href="https://athomewithclassicalpiano.substack.com/" target="_blank" data-link-type="url"><i><strong>At Home with Classical Piano on Substack</strong></i></a><i><strong>.</strong></i></p></div>
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  <p class="post-info">in <a href="/musical-reflections/blog/blog_categories/1988">Music</a>, <a href="/musical-reflections/blog/blog_categories/2016">Pianists</a>, <a href="/musical-reflections/blog/blog_categories/37001">Choral music</a>, <a href="/musical-reflections/blog/blog_categories/37002">Accompanying</a>, <a href="/musical-reflections/blog/blog_categories/67245">Practicing the piano</a></p>
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  <a href="/blog/blog/7574582/how-to-read-open-score-workshop-for-choral-accompanists">How To Read Open Score Workshop for Choral Accompanists</a>&nbsp;
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<div class="post">
  <div class="message"><img src="//images.zoogletools.com/s:bzglfiles/u/51313/1294b33107ed296843a726b382b2618961e663e9/original/how-to-read-open-score-workshop.png/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_m justify_left border_" height="1080" /><p>Last Friday I had the privilege of hosting an online workshop on <a class="no-pjax" href="/open-score" target="_blank" data-link-type="page" data-link-label="Open Score">How to Read Open Score</a> for choral accompanists. In addition to the 40-minute workshop, each participant received a 37-page student workbook which contained practical exercises for use during the class, as well as several charts to guide one's initial assessment of a score (Secrets to Open Score Reading, A Snapshot for Open Score, and Triage for Open Score), and several appendices of musical selections to work on after completion of the class. I am happy to report that the majority of those attending found the class to be “extremely valuable” and “extremely relevant” to their role as choral accompanists.</p><p>What fun it was to share strategies that I use at the piano to assist singers in learning their parts! Open Score reading does not have to be scary. My goal with the workshop was to show pianists how to look at a score, mark it, and prioritize what is most important to play. </p><p>It is a common misconception that being good at Open Score reading means one must play <i>all the notes</i>. This is simply not true. Singers need a solid rhythmic and harmonic foundation, and they need to be able to hear their parts voiced at different times in the music. A pianist needs to know what to prioritize so that he or she can lead the singers to hear what they need to hear in order to learn their parts well.</p><p>I hope that you, too, will find this to be <i>extremely valuable</i> in your pursuit to become more excellent at Open Score reading and supporting your choir in the best way possible!</p><p><a class="no-pjax" href="/open-score" target="_blank" data-link-type="page" data-link-label="Open Score">Click here to go to the workshop</a>.</p></div>
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    <p class="post-info"><span data-time="2025-05-12T21:52:24-07:00" title="May 12, 2025 21:52">05/12/2025</span></p>

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  <p class="post-info">in <a href="/musical-reflections/blog/blog_categories/1988">Music</a>, <a href="/musical-reflections/blog/blog_categories/2016">Pianists</a>, <a href="/musical-reflections/blog/blog_categories/37001">Choral music</a>, <a href="/musical-reflections/blog/blog_categories/37002">Accompanying</a></p>
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  <a href="/blog/blog/7563747/eric-whitacre-and-the-sacred-veil">Eric Whitacre and The Sacred Veil</a>&nbsp;
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  <div class="message"><p>Eric Whitacre is a beloved choral composer. I love what he does harmonically with his music, and up until now I have loved every piece of his that I have heard. Recently I have been sitting with his 12-movement work, The Sacred Veil, in a sub assignment for a local community choir.</p><div class="video-container size_l justify_center" style=""><iframe data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="IZz04WQPcf0" data-video-thumb-url="" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IZz04WQPcf0?rel=0&amp;wmode=transparent&amp;enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></div><p><o:p></o:p></p><p>I confess, I have trouble with the work. It starts with a couple’s meeting and falling in love, and then quickly dives into a cancer diagnosis. The bulk of the music tells the story of the family grappling with the progressive loss of their wife and mother who died at the age of 36 of ovarian cancer.<o:p></o:p></p><p>The poetry is exquisitely set. There is no question that Whitacre is a master at setting text. The music is lovely, beautiful, perfectly expressing the love of a man and a woman, of a woman for her children, of the tenderness in their relationships. It is also harsh, frantic, desperate, portraying the awful reality of facing a fatal diagnosis and losing a cherished loved one. The whole work is undergirded with sadness and awash with the shadow of death. <o:p></o:p></p><p>I understand this is the reality that many cancer patients and their families must grapple with. I understand the gravity of their experience, the crippling fear at hearing a fatal diagnosis, the trauma and anger and despair that arise and threaten to take hold during this kind of trial. I don’t think any of that should be minimized or dismissed. But I question why it must be put into an artistic work that a director and group of singers must sit with for weeks on end. Why would you want others to taste any semblance of your trauma and grief? What is the point of taking an audience through this journey? Why would anyone who has faced similar circumstances want to relive their struggle?<o:p></o:p></p><p>As artists, we strive to communicate honestly and meaningfully with our audience. We want to share something with them that will touch them emotionally, offering a piece of us – something that we have learned or gained from the music itself or that it has allowed us to express from our own life experiences.<o:p></o:p></p><p>I think Whitacre wrote this work because he loved his friend, the poet who lost his wife. I think it was his way of saying, “I see you, I understand what you are going through/went through, and I love you.” It is deeply personal for both of them.<o:p></o:p></p><p>Maybe that is what solace we can offer friends when they go through desperately painful times – our presence, our trying to make sense of their struggle as they go through it, our love. How wonderful to have friendships like these – but in our darkest hours, when friends aren’t around, we need something more. <o:p></o:p></p><p>In desperate, painful times, we need something beyond human connection; we need the divine. We need supernatural intervention, comfort, hope. We can’t find it in ourselves, in trying to be strong for others, in accepting the inevitability of death with no tomorrow. <o:p></o:p></p><p>Music offers temporary solace, but even it is not enough to buoy us when we feel like we are drowning. That kind of strength and hope can only be found in Jesus, the very person of God who broke into our world in human form, who bore our sorrows and sat in our grief – the effects of our sinful rebellion against God – and took the wrath of God due us upon Himself as He died on the cross. Many musical works have been written about His tragic death. But the story doesn’t end there; He rose from the dead three days later, proving His victory over death once and for all, offering hope to all who look to Him and believe. We no longer have to sit in our grief, because it isn’t the end. For the believer in Jesus, death is freedom from the troubles of our world and the doorway into eternal life. His presence is the soul-sustaining strength that we need to bear our burdens in life.<o:p></o:p></p><p>I have much respect for Eric Whitacre’s beautiful artistry in composition, and I will rehearse this piece with choir and orchestra with all the attention and expression that I would give to any choral masterwork. But I wish he would have included the hope of the gospel – the life-giving message of freedom from the fear of death, and the unmatched love of our Heavenly Father shown in the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ. <o:p></o:p></p><p>I wonder if Whitacre knows that the Sacred Veil has been torn clear through, for on the day Jesus died on the cross the veil in the Jewish temple in Jerusalem was split in two, signifying His ultimate defeat of death. I wonder if he knows there is a path to true life, a way for us to connect with God Himself in this life as well as in the life to come?<o:p></o:p></p><p>Maybe his next project could be a re-setting of <a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.classical-music.com/features/works/brahmss-german-requiem-text" data-link-type="url"><strong>the text of Brahms’ Requiem</strong></a>, which comes from the Lutheran Bible and offers incredible hope and peace, both now and for eternity.</p><p>To hear Eric Whitacre’s thoughts on The Sacred Veil as a whole, as well as what inspired each individual movement, <a class="no-pjax" href="https://ericwhitacre.com/music-catalog/the-sacred-veil" data-link-type="url"><strong>take a look at his video clips here</strong></a>.</p><p>See the piece live and in person as Kirkland Choral Society teams up with Philharmonia Northwest to present it this May. <a class="no-pjax" href="https://kirklandchoralsociety.ticketspice.com/the-sacred-veil" data-link-type="url"><strong>Get your tickets here.</strong></a><o:p></o:p></p><p><i>Keep up with my writing by subscribing to </i><a class="no-pjax" href="https://athomewithclassicalpiano.substack.com/" target="_blank" data-link-type="url"><i><strong>At Home with Classical Piano on Substack</strong></i></a><i><strong>.</strong></i><o:p></o:p></p></div>
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  <p class="post-info">in <a href="/musical-reflections/blog/blog_categories/1988">Music</a>, <a href="/musical-reflections/blog/blog_categories/2017">Seattle area</a>, <a href="/musical-reflections/blog/blog_categories/37001">Choral music</a>, <a href="/musical-reflections/blog/blog_categories/37002">Accompanying</a>, <a href="/musical-reflections/blog/blog_categories/67328">Christian worship</a></p>
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  <a href="/blog/blog/7562358/mendelssohn-s-psalm-42-for-choir">Mendelssohn&#39;s Psalm 42 for Choir</a>&nbsp;
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  <div class="message"><img src="//images.zoogletools.com/s:bzglfiles/u/51313/c449c9c2e99421f76575e116558087c7067b9b53/original/bcc-2024.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_l justify_right border_" height="1365" width="2048" /><p>One of the blessings (curses?) of being a musician is getting to hear music in your head <i>all of the time</i>. Usually, it is music from a recent rehearsal or practice session. My most recent ear-worm is a phrase from Felix Mendelssohn's choral setting of Psalm 42. The choir I currently play for, Bellevue Chamber Chorus, is singing the first movement (also entitled <i>As pants the hart</i>), accompanied by myself at the piano, in our <a class="no-pjax" href="https://bellevuechamberchorus.org/origin-divine-music/" data-link-type="url"><strong>upcoming concert</strong></a> of sacred music, so we have been studying the piece for several weeks now. </p><p>Psalm 42 <i>Wie der Hirsch schreit</i><span style="color:rgb(32,33,34);"> (As pants the </span>hart<span style="color:rgb(32,33,34);">) </span>is a cantata for choir, soloists, and orchestra. Schumann commented that the work was the <span style="color:rgb(32,33,34);">“highest point that he [Mendelssohn] reached as a composer for the church. Indeed the highest point recent church music has reached at all.” Mendelssohn himself described it as “my best sacred piece… the best thing I have composed in this manner”, a work “I hold in greater regard than most of my other compositions.” Indeed, it contains what I love most about Mendelssohn's music: beautiful elongated musical phrases that terrace one independent voice line on top of another until they all come together in chordal harmony at the end of the phrase. </span></p><p><span style="color:rgb(32,33,34);">The entire text of the first movement is “As the deer pants for water, so my soul thirsts after Thee, oh God.” Each time Mendelssohn sets the words “nach frischem Wasser” (for fresh water), the melody rises, as if the deer is reaching up, or moving towards, the water. Similarly, when he sets the word “schreit” (literally “shouts” or “cries” or longs for, in the phrase “my soul thirsts/shouts after Thee”), he emphasizes it most often by leading the melody upwards. This happens only when <i>my</i> soul cries out, not when the deer cries out!  The deer pants for <i>fresh water</i>, but my soul <i>cries, </i>God, to Thee. Of course, the word order is different in German, but you get the idea. </span></p><p><span style="color:rgb(32,33,34);">That Mendelssohn would so deliberately paint the text in this way indicates his deep understanding of the text and the way music can work in tandem with words to communicate an idea in a richer way. His artistry enhances the original poetry and affords the singer, and the listener, opportunity for reflection as he has each voice part repeat snippets of phrases over and over until they come together in full chorus. If only modern worship songwriters would take this to heart! </span></p><p><span style="color:rgb(32,33,34);">Listen for yourself to a recording of this wonderful piece:</span></p><div class="video-container size_xl justify_center" style=""><iframe data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="LCPw-km0M8U" data-video-thumb-url="" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LCPw-km0M8U?rel=0&amp;wmode=transparent&amp;enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></div><p>Then, mark your calendar for a chance to hear it live and in person! Bellevue Chamber Chorus will perform it on May 17 and 18, and you can <a class="no-pjax" href="https://bellevuechamberchorus.org/origin-divine-music/" data-link-type="url"><strong>buy tickets and find online streaming information here</strong></a>.</p><p>Incidentally, the first movement is also a great exercise in open score reading. You can find a <a class="no-pjax" href="https://s9.imslp.org/files/imglnks/usimg/6/6f/IMSLP162952-PMLP45681-Mendelssohn-Psalm_42_op.42-zg.kiv.pdf" data-link-type="url"><strong>free copy of it here</strong></a>.</p><p><i>Keep up with my writing by subscribing to </i><a class="no-pjax" href="https://athomewithclassicalpiano.substack.com/" target="_blank" data-link-type="url"><i><strong>At Home with Classical Piano on Substack</strong></i></a><i><strong>.</strong></i></p></div>
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  <p class="post-info">in <a href="/musical-reflections/blog/blog_categories/1988">Music</a>, <a href="/musical-reflections/blog/blog_categories/2017">Seattle area</a>, <a href="/musical-reflections/blog/blog_categories/37001">Choral music</a>, <a href="/musical-reflections/blog/blog_categories/37002">Accompanying</a>, <a href="/musical-reflections/blog/blog_categories/67328">Christian worship</a></p>
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  <a href="/blog/blog/7559865/live-performance-is-important">Live Performance is Important!</a>&nbsp;
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  <div class="message"><img src="//images.zoogletools.com/s:bzglfiles/u/51313/eefca04892f155ace60b60bf890c526e1af80cef/original/dsc-5350.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_m justify_right border_" height="1365" /><p><span style="color:#202020;"><strong>Why do we perform?</strong> Why go through long weeks (months, years) of preparation, wrestling with technical and musical challenges, fixing mistakes, "practicing for performance," only to subject ourselves to public scrutiny and our own self-criticism and nerves?</span><br><br><span style="color:#202020;">After all, our audiences could just turn on a CD, log in to YouTube, ask Alexa to play something, and we could save ourselves the trouble!</span><br><br><span style="color:#202020;">But the communal experience of enjoying live music cannot happen digitally!</span><br><br><span style="color:#202020;">I used to play for musical theater, and because it was a small regional organization with a tight budget, I was often in the pit band. And I remember the nights when the audience was flat, seemingly afraid to make a noise or laugh at jokes. Those performances always required extra effort from the actors, but it felt like playing to a black hole. </span><br><br><span style="color:#202020;">On the other hand, on nights when the audience clapped the moment the lights went down and laughed at the first stage antic, the energy was electric. The actors felt it, the band felt it, and the night became a continuous give-and-take.</span><br><br><span style="color:#202020;">Live performance is this wonderful conversation between artist and audience, a sharing of lives, an expression of our shared humanity. And when the audience is engaged and "gets it," it is incredibly fulfilling for all those present, something AI will never be able to duplicate.</span><br><br><span style="color:#202020;">If you find yourself talking yourself out of performing because of your own doubts or nervousness, try thinking about what the music means to you, and then consider that it might have a similar effect on someone else. Maybe someone is just waiting to hear the thing that only you can say through music. Of course, they could just put on a CD, but then it wouldn't be <i><span>your</span></i> living, breathing "voice" they're hearing. Don't be afraid to share your life through the awesome gift of music!</span></p><p><i>Keep up with my writing by subscribing to </i><a class="no-pjax" href="https://athomewithclassicalpiano.substack.com/" target="_blank" data-link-type="url"><i><strong>At Home with Classical Piano on Substack</strong></i></a><i><strong>.</strong></i></p></div>
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    <p class="post-info"><span data-time="2025-04-14T20:06:32-07:00" title="April 14, 2025 20:06">04/14/2025</span></p>

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  <p class="post-info">in <a href="/musical-reflections/blog/blog_categories/1988">Music</a>, <a href="/musical-reflections/blog/blog_categories/2016">Pianists</a>, <a href="/musical-reflections/blog/blog_categories/66971">Creating a Life in Music</a></p>
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  <a href="/blog/blog/7557247/post-concert-thoughts-on-bach-and-liszt">Post-Concert Thoughts on Bach and Liszt</a>&nbsp;
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  <div class="message"><img src="//images.zoogletools.com/s:bzglfiles/u/51313/f7180e8e60d173525b4b4408415c4c990b286d31/original/joy-comes-in-the-morning-postcard-navy.png/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_l justify_center border_" height="1275" /><p>Last week I put on a concert for the seniors’ group at my church. I called it “Joy Comes in the Morning.” I put together some of my favorite pieces by Bach, Liszt, and Margaret Bonds, along with a selection of hymn arrangements to show how music expresses the human experiences of joy, sorrow, and worship. The program began and ended with Bach. I’m happy to share with you some of the pieces I played at the concert.<o:p></o:p></p><p>Bach's is some of the most difficult music to play in the piano repertoire, both technically and expressively. He was a master artist, producing over 1,000 compositions during his lifetime. He was also a church musician, writing cantatas for the choir to sing each week, training up the boys’ choir, and serving as organist.<o:p></o:p></p><p>Franz Liszt also wrote some incredibly challenging music; however, for this concert I chose some of his Consolations, which are among his easier works. From pianist and composer Margaret Bonds, I played "Troubled Water" from her Spiritual Suite.<o:p></o:p></p><p>The hymns provided the text for meditation. <o:p></o:p></p><p style="text-align:center;"><i>"The aim and final end of all music should be none other than the glory of God and the refreshment of the soul." - J.S. Bach</i><o:p></o:p></p><p>I deliberately chose a mix of old and new music, classical and sacred* to show a continuum in time. If you are a Christian, you know that our faith has roots in the Jewish fathers – Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but that it also appears in the lives of so many others in history. Johann Sebastian Bach is included in this line of believers. His creativity, work ethic, and excellence in all that he did, should inspire us today to dedicated and deep work, and his devotion to God should give us pause as we also strive to do everything to the glory of God.<o:p></o:p></p><div class="video-container size_xl justify_center" style=""><iframe data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="IVjBIn27cWA" data-video-thumb-url="" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IVjBIn27cWA?rel=0&amp;wmode=transparent&amp;enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></div><p><strong><o:p></o:p></strong></p><p>I don’t know if Franz Liszt was a believer, but I do know that after being a showman celebrity at the piano, he withdrew in the latter part of his life and became quite meditative, composing pieces such as his Consolations. My thought here is that as we are comforted in our trials, God brings us to a point of submission to His authority and His will…and it is there that we find peace, which causes us to worship Him as He intended from the beginning. <o:p></o:p></p><div class="video-container size_xl justify_center" style=""><iframe data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="d6WFy8kWhI8" data-video-thumb-url="" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/d6WFy8kWhI8?rel=0&amp;wmode=transparent&amp;enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></div><p><span lang="FR-CA"><strong><o:p></o:p></strong></span></p><p>Once again, we return to Bach. This last piece is a bit of a marathon. It begins with an exposition of a theme, a dramatic introduction with repeating motives and fast running notes, then it steps back for a page into a meditative Adagio, stretching out long melodic lines that build and release. Finally, we come to the multi-page fugue in which the fugue subject appears 17 times! I have been thinking lately, as I practice the fugue, that it is like the sky that is new every morning – the clouds continually take a different shape; the sunrise appears in widely varying colors. Bach uses the same subject over and over, but in fascinatingly different ways, and as the piece goes on it becomes more complex and riskier and terribly exciting to play!<o:p></o:p></p><p>The way of an artist is mysterious and compelling; it draws us into another realm, causing us to stop and think, to meditate on beauty and soak in it. It can also induce in us an attitude or posture of worship. I think this is intentional. The God who created the world and made the breathtakingly beautiful sunrises is the same God who created Bach and gave him the inspiration for his wonderfully full and complex musical output, and He is the same God who made us to play and sing and create as He so wonderfully does over and over every morning.<o:p></o:p></p><p>The creation and the re-creation is an act of worship.<o:p></o:p></p><div class="video-container size_xl justify_center" style=""><iframe data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="NheAoD3x0fo" data-video-thumb-url="" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NheAoD3x0fo?rel=0&amp;wmode=transparent&amp;enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></div><p><strong>*</strong>Unfortunately, the hymn arrangements are still under copyright, and as such I am not able to share them here.</p><p style="text-align:center;"><i>Keep up with my performances and my writing by subscribing to </i><a class="no-pjax" href="https://athomewithclassicalpiano.substack.com/" target="_blank" data-link-type="url"><i><strong>At Home with Classical Piano on Substack</strong></i></a><i><strong>.</strong></i></p><p> </p></div>
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  <p class="post-info">in <a href="/musical-reflections/blog/blog_categories/1988">Music</a>, <a href="/musical-reflections/blog/blog_categories/2016">Pianists</a>, <a href="/musical-reflections/blog/blog_categories/2017">Seattle area</a>, <a href="/musical-reflections/blog/blog_categories/7068">Bach</a>, <a href="/musical-reflections/blog/blog_categories/66971">Creating a Life in Music</a>, <a href="/musical-reflections/blog/blog_categories/67328">Christian worship</a></p>
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  <a href="/blog/blog/7554074/how-to-make-money-as-a-piano-teacher">How to Make Money as a Piano Teacher</a>&nbsp;
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  <div class="message"><p> </p><img src="//images.zoogletools.com/s:bzglfiles/u/51313/d76fb771674089b3c741d3a085abf08308e7c54b/original/piano-lessons-hands.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_m justify_left border_" alt="How to make money as a piano teacher" height="427" /><p><span>As I see it, piano teachers have always struggled to some extent with making a livable wage, or at least with making a steady income. In recent years, many teachers have moved away from a pay-by-lesson model to a tuition model (pay by semester or in monthly installments for a year’s worth of lessons). This has helped alleviate the lean summer months and the time around the Christmas holidays when students tend to take fewer lessons due to vacations. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p> </p><p><span>As for the livable wage, teachers can raise rates, offer group lessons, or supplement their piano teaching income in various ways: <o:p></o:p></span></p><ol>
<li><span>Raising rates can be helpful, but it still seems that a teacher will be tied to the reality of teaching 40+ students, which means 30-40 hours of contact time and an additional X amount of hours doing administrative work, professional development, etc. This approach has a limited earning potential when weighed against the fact that one teacher can only take so many individual students, particularly when working around one’s family life and responsibilities.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li><span>Other teachers teach group lessons, which take various forms. One might teach buddy lessons, where two students come for a set period of time and each receives individual piano instruction while the other learns/practices music theory concepts on a computer. One might have access to multiple pianos or keyboards, and students work through the same curriculum while using headphones, with the teacher checking in now and again with different students. One might even manage a studio of teachers, where he/she gets a percentage of the profit from others teaching lessons for them. All of these situations have some limitations for the average piano teacher. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li><span>Supplementing piano teaching income can happen in a variety of ways. Besides the obvious – having an outside job, related or unrelated – teachers can rely on a spouse to carry the rest of the financial burden, compose and sell music, teach online or create online courses, or create resources to sell to others. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol><p><span>This last option is one I’ve been mulling over the most recently. There is the lure of “passive” income, in which one can still be master over one’s time and schedule, and yet earn money. For the average piano teacher, this is appealing, especially as many happen to be mothers trying to balance the family’s needs, but it can seem hopelessly out of reach. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span>Think about what is required to develop this passive income: some business sense; skill in marketing and/or graphic design and/or skill with technology; an entrepreneurial mindset and drive to succeed. In my experience, these skills are largely missing in the average piano teacher, who probably has some amount of musical training in a very specific skillset (playing the piano) and values the human contact and individualized instruction that are a hallmark of teaching piano lessons at home. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span>There is a trade-off here. If one wants to succeed as a business owner, what is required is a measure of separation from physical contact with students. This is true for a teacher in any setting who wishes to “move up” in the profession and expand his/her reach. More students = less individualized instruction. This is true in the physical classroom and in the growing online platforms. Virtual lessons cannot accomplish the same artistry and attention to detail as in-person lessons. Worse, pre-recorded online lessons cannot assess an individual student’s strengths and weaknesses in order to tailor instruction. Going the other way, if a teacher becomes a manager of other teachers, or a business coach or teaching coach, or a conference speaker, he/she can indeed expand the number of students reached (as individuals, in a one-on-one lesson); however, this manager/coach/speaker is necessarily removed from private teaching as he/she delegates the responsibility to others. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span>The exception to this last point is the composer-creator, who manages to keep an active teaching studio </span><i><span>and</span></i><span> produce content that is worthy of sales. This teacher does not need to sacrifice students to do both. I would argue, however, that it is difficult to do both to a high standard, as both roles require a commitment of time and focus.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span>There is something necessary and </span><i><span>human</span></i><span> about individual, in-person lessons, that we are in danger of losing as our society is increasingly driven to go online. Whether by economic necessity or convenience, the temptation to put everything online or to “go virtual” is real. But students (and teachers!) </span><i><span>need</span></i><span> in-person interaction, focused attention, individualized instruction, collaboration, and all of the joys and struggles of saying “hello” and “how was your week” and “what can I help you with” and “I thought of you when I heard this song” and “your playing really touched me” and “why does this seem so difficult for you” and “what else can we try, in order for you to be successful.” We are so quickly losing human eye contact at the cash register, common decency in letting someone else go first at a four-way-stop, and the joy of experiencing live music in person together; the individual, in-person piano lesson is a necessary respite from the fast-paced, impersonal, online world. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span>This does not fully answer the question of “How to make money as a piano teacher,” but it does speak to the heart of the profession: what are we really trying to do? Creating musicians is an art, and art is not rushed or easily out-sourced. The arts speak to us as humans – there is a reason we call them the “humanities.” And what makes us human does not translate easily to the virtual world; it must remain in the physical world. </span></p><p><i>Keep up with my writing by subscribing to </i><a class="no-pjax" href="https://athomewithclassicalpiano.substack.com/" target="_blank" data-link-type="url"><i><strong>At Home with Classical Piano on Substack</strong></i></a><i><strong>.</strong></i></p></div>
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  <p class="post-info">in <a href="/musical-reflections/blog/blog_categories/1988">Music</a>, <a href="/musical-reflections/blog/blog_categories/62033">Piano teaching</a>, <a href="/musical-reflections/blog/blog_categories/66971">Creating a Life in Music</a></p>
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