For the past year I have been dabbling in student instrumental accompanying. While I have read with accomplished friends in the past, and accompanied professionals in concert, I had not previously worked much with students.

My first opportunity came up to play for a violin student at a local young artists’ festival. His repertoire was Prokofiev’s Waltz from Cinderella, the first movement of the Brahms Violin Sonata No. 1, and movements 1 and 2 of Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto. His mother made contact with me on the 16^th of the month; the festival was on the 20^th. We had time for one rehearsal, and I had never played any of the pieces. I really wanted the job, so I surveyed an online Facebook group to find out if it was do-able, obtained the music, and got to work.

Here’s how I approached tackling the pieces:

1. Listen to a recording with the score. It is vital to get an overall picture of what the music is doing. I tried to find recordings (on YouTube) of both professionals and students playing, as I had no gauge for the ability of the violinist I would be playing with.
2. Play through the pieces. Do what you can to get from the beginning to end in one fell swoop.
3. Triage. What needs the most work? Identify the rough spots and focus solely on those, writing in fingerings, working out movements and technical difficulties until you can play them with ease.
4. Read again, under tempo. Can you get through at a moderate tempo without errors? If not, triage again. If it feels good, move on.
5. Learn the instrumentalist’s part. Ideally, you want to be able to play your part and sing/hum/speak the instrumental part. In a last-minute situation, this is not always possible, but you must know as much as you can about the other part. Notice where you play together, where you need to look up for a cue, where you need to listen for the start or end of a phrase. Play the part on the piano by itself. Listen to the recording again, paying attention to what the instrumentalist’s line is doing.
6. Play with a recording. We are fortunate to have technology on our side here. There are numerous recordings of standard repertoire available for free on YouTube, and you can even play them at slower speeds! Play the recording on your chosen electronic device, with or without headphones or with one earbud in, and play the piano along with it. Where do you fall out of sync? Are there potential trouble spots that you may need to address proactively in rehearsal?
7. Listen to as many different recordings as you can find, as many times as you can. Your goal is to know the piece as fully as you can – the form, phrasing, where the instruments dance together and where one shines and the other supports, etc. Every time you take a walk, get in the car, go to the gym, prep a meal…every chance you get, put on a recording.
8. Take notes and record your rehearsal with the instrumentalist. Make as many notes as you can in the music so that you can return later in private practice and work through any trouble spots you have personally or that were messy in collaboration. Record the rehearsal so you can go back and listen and identify any other problems you may not have been aware of “live.” 

If you are already proficient at the piano and have good sightreading skills and technique, these steps should help you learn a new collaborative piece in a short amount of time. I was fortunate to have the Mendelssohn drop off in this particular scenario and I spent the bulk of my time learning and polishing the Brahms. The Prokofiev was much easier to learn and put together. That event led to more wonderful collaborations with that particular student, and to an ongoing professional relationship with his teacher and other students in the violin studio. I would not have benefitted from those interactions if I hadn’t first took a risk in accepting a last-minute accompanying request. 

It's worth the risk! Challenge yourself, and the next time an opportunity presents itself for you to accompany a singer or instrumentalist in a new situation, take it! Hopefully you will enjoy more lead time than I did, but if not, take courage and commit to focused practice and intentional listening, and see where the music takes you.

Keep up with my writing by subscribing to At Home with Classical Piano on Substack.

Happy May!

April showers bring...May flowers! We are experiencing glorious sunshine and blooming flowers in this beautiful Pacific Northwest spring...and what better way to complement the beauty of God's creation than an offering of music?

My May is full of music! I recently played for one of my daughters at the local Solo and Ensemble festival. It was her first time performing for an adjudicator, and she earned high praise for her performance on trumpet! She will also be performing in front of peers at school this month, and I will accompany her as well as the choirs at their Scottish Highlander-themed arts and music festival. 

This weekend I will dive into Dvorak's Piano Quintet Op. 81 (Enjoy this music via the video below!) as I take part in the Associated Chamber Music Players "Worldwide Play-In" event. ACMP is an international network of amateur chamber music players. It is free for any musician to join, and they host various workshops and "play-ins." A play-in is just like it sounds: a bunch of musicians get together to play music. There is no stage, no audience, no performance pressure - just music and musicians and an opportunity to play! This month's Seattle play-in is full at this time, but if you are interested in playing in a future play-in, or in learning more about what ACMP offers, check out their website! 

Finally, I have some gorgeous music to share with you at our next Indie Musikhaus! Read on for more details on our upcoming concert!

Dvorak's Piano Quintet in A major

Indie Musikhaus Returns: A Gathering of Friends

Let's get together - ya, ya, ya! I am excited to bring back Indie Musikhaus after a three-year break! Soprano Stacey Mastrian and I have put together a program of some of the most beautiful music: Liszt, Puccini, Rachmaninoff, and some lighter selections from musical theater and folk music. You can view the whole program here.

The program draws its theme from the song "Over the Rainbow," from The Wizard of Oz. It is the idea of reflecting on days past (Troubled Water, Shenandoah) and looking ahead to brighter days to come (Come to My Garden, My Favorite Things). Longing and gratitude come together, bound by hope and love. 

Join us for "A Gathering of Friends" as we reflect on where we've been and look forward to what is ahead! The concert will be Saturday, June 17th, at 2pm.  Please RSVP with your name and how many people will be attending so we can save a place for you!

As always, we will send you directions upon receipt of your RSVP. We will take a suggested cash donation of $10-15 at the concert. If you would prefer to Venmo, you may do so ahead of time to Cori-Belle (image is piano keys). We can't wait to see you!

Artist Spotlight: Stacey Mastrian

Dr. Stacey Mastrian, soprano, will be joining me in next month's Indie Musikhaus. She is a delightful person and a wonderfully talented musician. You will love hearing her! In fact, click here to listen to a sample of her work. You may also view her bio and hear more of her music on her website.

Around the Web

The Seattle Chamber Music Society is offering over 30 free concerts this summer! Check out their Concert Truck schedule and their Music in the Parks schedule.

PNW composer Morten Lauridsen is selling some original manuscripts of his compositions here.

The Cross-Eyed pianist and blogger, Frances Wilson, suggests a new term for practicing in short bits: practice snacking.

Thoughts on sightreading at the piano and tips on improving in this area!
 

Trill technique!

Upcoming Events

Saturday, June 17th @ 2pm - "A Gathering of Friends" Indie Musikhaus house concert with soprano Stacey Mastrian and pianist Cori Belle 

This content is from Cori's May 2023 Newsletter. If you would like to receive her newsletters in your inbox, click to subscribe here.

Culture Shapers

Happy Summer! I have been thinking of the many conversations going on these days about identity, history, truth, and morality. There is so much ugliness and division happening in and amongst it all. It has made me think about the role musicians and mothers have as Culture Shapers in little and big ways. 

Mothers have a unique opportunity to shape the home environment so the people around them can flourish. In our home, we aim to glorify God in everything that we do. This is the foundation for our values of faith, family, excellence, truth, discipline, order, and beauty. (I am sure there are others, but these are the ones I can think of right now!) As a mother, I try to instill these values in my children by immersing them in an environment conducive to such things: an orderly home, family dinners, cultivating an appreciation for art and beauty, modeling a walk with God, emphasizing a good work ethic and academic excellence, serving regularly at church, etc. We stock our home with great books, host concerts of great music in our living room, and try to choose quality television and movie entertainment to enjoy. We create a family culture of truth, beauty, and excellence that we enjoy together and share with others. 

Musicians also have the opportunity to shape culture. We can reflect the nastiness of the social order in our art, or we can seek to create things that are beautiful and stretch the imagination toward a higher ideal. Our art is conducive to collaboration and is a wonderful way for us to gather with people who are different from us and create something harmonious and beautiful.

Seeking Truth and Beauty 

I love reading and making lists. Here is a list of some favorite books that explore truth and beauty. 

Piano-Centric 
Beyond the Notes by Susan Tomes 
Speaking the Piano by Susan Tomes 
Piano Notes: The World of the Pianist by Charles Rosen 
The Instrument, the Music, the Musicians - from Mozart to Modern Jazz and Everything in Between by Stuart Isacoff 

Nature 
Mozart's Starling by Lynda Lynn Haupt 
Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard 
All Things Wise and Wonderful by James Herriott 
The Wild Trees by Richard Preston 
Lab Girl by Hope Jahren 

Historical Fiction 
Island of the World by Michael D. O'Brien 

Science Fiction 
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley 

Social Issues 
Live Not by Lies: A Manual for Christian Dissidents by Rod Dreher 
Surviving Religion 101 by Michael Kruger 
Why Social Justice is not Biblical Justice by Scott David Allen 
Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters by Abigail Shrier 
What's Wrong with the World by G.K. Chesterton 
You Who by Rachel Jankovic 
Eve in Exile by Rebekah Merkle

Once the World Was Perfect 

BY JOY HARJO 

Once the world was perfect, and we were happy in that world. 
Then we took it for granted. 
Discontent began a small rumble in the earthly mind. 
Then Doubt pushed through with its spiked head. 
And once Doubt ruptured the web, 
All manner of demon thoughts 
Jumped through— 
We destroyed the world we had been given 
For inspiration, for life— 
Each stone of jealousy, each stone 
Of fear, greed, envy, and hatred, put out the light. 
No one was without a stone in his or her hand. 
There we were, 
Right back where we had started. 
We were bumping into each other 
In the dark. 
And now we had no place to live, since we didn't know 
How to live with each other. 
Then one of the stumbling ones took pity on another 
And shared a blanket. 
A spark of kindness made a light. 
The light made an opening in the darkness. 
Everyone worked together to make a ladder. 
A Wind Clan person climbed out first into the next world, 
And then the other clans, the children of those clans, their children, 
And their children, all the way through time— 
To now, into this morning light to you.

Open Rehearsals with SCMS 

Years ago, when I started having babies, the Seattle Chamber Music Society would hold open rehearsals at a school in the north end, relatively close to where I live. Whenever I could, I would sneak out with a [hopefully] sleeping babe or a toddler + mounds of quiet snacks to munch on, and sit in on one. How fun it was to see four or five chamber musicians working through their music in preparation for a concert (they were always incredibly well-prepared) and hear them discuss what they felt needed changing or banter back and forth! 

Thanks to technology, that same "backstage peek" is available online for the next two Mondays, August 2nd and August 9th. Tune in at noon to sit in on one or both of these open rehearsals via this link. The program details are below. 

Monday, August 2 – Noon (PT) 

Robert Schumann 
Trio for Violin, Cello and Piano in G minor, Op. 110 
James Ehnes, violin / Mark Kosower, cello / Orion Weiss, piano 

Monday, August 9 – Noon (PT) 

Florence Price 
String Quartet in G Major 
James Ehnes, violin / Stephen Rose, violin / Beth Guterman Chu, viola / Ronald Thomas, cello

Around the Web 

The Cross-Eyed Pianist suggests six books to own and love. 

A compilation of favorite recordings from the last 10 years of the Carnegie Hall Live At the Keyboard series, including Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3 with Martha Argerich and the introspective Seven Fantasies by Brahms played by Sir Andras Schiff. 

Some tips on how to get past that resistance you inevitably face when you are trying to make headway on a creative project. 

Upcoming Concerts 

Fall 2021   TBA! Stay tuned!

This content is from Cori's Summer 2021 Newsletter. If you would like to receive her newsletters in your inbox, click to subscribe here.

As musicians, we wear many hats: performer, student, teacher, collaborator, music director, producer…Perhaps you also wear some of these: blogger, promoter, accountant, website developer, recording artist. Maybe you have been fortunate enough to be the Artistic Director at some point, the one responsible for programming the music at an event? 

I say fortunate because so many times artists perform out of obligation to record labels, producers, and teachers who determine the content of their programs. I think it is such fun to figure out exactly what I want to play on a program and then create a story around it. 

When I was a young pianist, recitals were often programmed with the beginner performers at the top and advanced performers closing out. In situations where the performers were more evenly matched, or in solo recitals, the music would often be programmed chronologically (i.e. Bach to Ives). Perhaps this was the standard for many other musicians too, as I still see concerts like this. Sometimes this kind of order makes sense, but it can also be a little boring. 

How about a program of music by women composers or people of color? I have seen these sorts of concerts too, and they can definitely provide fodder for creative inspiration. However, might we take it a bit further and consider how the pieces of music within these programs relate to each other? If we take a theme like “Music by Certain Kinds of People,” and throw a bunch of music into it because it all fits that category, we could be missing out on discovering important connections between people, eras, and styles of music. 

Of course, we also need to consider our audience and what might be interesting to them, taking care not to choose all slow pieces or all unfamiliar pieces, etc. 

If you are in the position of choosing music for a performance and arranging its order, maybe you could think of it like you are telling a story: 

1. What kind of story do you want to tell? Start with a piece you love or want to highlight, and build your program off of that. Do you want to showcase virtuosity, express deep emotion, make a personal or political statement, or inspire/excite/comfort an audience? 
2. How do your musical selections relate to each other? Is there a relationship between musical or literary ideas? Are the composers contemporaries? Have the composers studied from the same teacher/lived in the same part of the country/grappled with the same ideas/used similar musical motifs? Or perhaps you want to show contrasting ideas! 
3. What piece will begin your program? What kind of mood do you want to create? What musical or extra-musical idea are you introducing? 
4. How does your arrangement of pieces flow? Have you considered what key a piece ends in and what key the next piece starts in? This is a worship service trick: To create flow within a set of songs, try to keep common key relationships, like I-V or relative major/minor. This is a subtlety that may go unnoticed, especially if there is talking or applause between pieces; but if you are programming a set of lieder, for instance, you may not want more than a few seconds between songs, and you will want to avoid an abrupt key change. 
5. How will you end? What impression do you want to leave your audience with? What song would you most like them to remember as you conclude the concert? 

There is no “right” way to program, but you can easily avoid a hum-drum, boring program by putting a bit of thought into it. Be intentional about the music you choose, and then do a little research to find connections between musical ideas, lyrics, motifs, geographical regions, and composers. It will enhance your understanding of the music you are performing and create a delightful experience for your listeners! 

Some of my favorite programs may help you get started: 

Battle of the Sexes: Piano and vocal music by Franz Schubert, the Boulanger sisters, Leonard Bernstein, and Felix and Fanny Mendelssohn 

Songs from Home: A piano recital in a friend’s home with narration including songs from my childhood, songs that highlight my musical development, and songs that reflect my Euro-American heritage. Composers include Chopin, Rachmaninoff, Liszt, Ola Gjeilo, and George Gershwin. 

Bernstein and Friends: Piano, vocal, and cello music by Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland, and Dvorak. 

Latin Dances: Music from various parts of Latin America contrasting classical and jazz traditions. Pieces are grouped by country and alternate between solo piano and jazz ensemble.

A Moment in Time

What strange times we are living in! This “pause” has been, for some, a time for reflection and new projects. For me, it has been more of a shift in how I spend my time. Music has taken a backseat to the more pressing duties of motherhood, which for the past two months have included homeschooling, counseling and entertaining children, and general upkeep of home and family. We’ve acquired a basketball hoop, a drone, and a new bike! We’ve resurrected two old laptops for online schooling. We’ve planted a garden, ripped up our soggy lawn, completed two 1,000-piece-puzzles, and cleaned out all the closets. My girls sleep in newly rearranged rooms. Family bike rides are a new “thing” and our baking adventures have taken us into new territory: pretzel bites, Dole Whip, churros, and faux Dippin’ Dots. But I miss music! 

I read an article this morning that explained this weird time for musicians better than any I have seen up to now. It explained the need of professional musicians for an audience. The muse, the motivation to practice and refine, the creative energy...all these things require an audience, or at least the anticipation of a future audience, to gain momentum. This is true for me at least. In the absence of regular meetings with musician friends to rehearse or talk music, and without a calendar with upcoming performance dates, my music has slipped aside. 

I can hear you already - Cori! We want to hear you play! Yes, and I will... It will come back. Live music-making will come back, because there is that impulse in us that must make music for others. But right now it all feels a little strange. Like zoom fatigue. Have you been there? That feeling that meeting virtually is just not enough. Perhaps it is better than nothing, but really it is not a good substitute for the very real social nature of humans. We need to physically be with each other, sharing the same breathing room, giving and receiving that unseen creative energy. We are not virtual beings; we are made of both body and spirit, and the expression of our creativity is both material and spiritual. This is how it is, how our Creator God made us, and I have hope that since He made us that way, He will restore that very physical expression of music in person again. Until then, I may remain partially silent, but the music will come! 

Bothell meets Hiroshima 

I am so proud of my friend, Seiko Werts, who created this wonderful video compilation with her husband, Doug, and her friend Shoko Nagai along with her husband. I hope you are inspired by their beautiful music and photography!

If Ye Love Me 

If you are keeping track, you know that I haven't written a newsletter since February, at which time I was promoting Kirkland Choral Society's "Love" concerts. Here is a piece I learned first at KCS, which was recently recorded by a friend who works as musical director at Seattle's First Church. Some members from KCS joined choir members from First Church to make up this virtual choir!

Around the Web 

Here is the article that gave me pause: Finding Inspiration in Isolation. Art needs an audience. 

One of my favorite pianists, Lara Downes, reflects on these strange times and considers the "why" behind her music-making. 

Musicians from Seattle's annual Chamber Music Festival perform Dvorak's Gavotte for Three Violins. 

Upcoming Concerts 

TBA!

This content is from Cori's May 2020 Newsletter. If you would like to receive Cori's monthly newsletters in your inbox, please subscribe here.

In looking for some new music to work on this year, I stumbled across this piece on youtube.  I have always loved Amy Beach, having become acquainted with her songs for singers in college.  This Romance for Violin and Piano is just divine.  Enjoy!

Martin Katz, pianist-accompanist-collaborator extraordinaire, has a new book out!  And thanks to Amazon.com, it arrived in my mailbox last week!  I am thrilled to be the new owner of The Complete Collaborator: The Pianist as Partner and am trying to savour it bit by bit rather than devour it in a single sitting as I am apt to do.  The book has a companion website where you can download and stream the musical examples.  Ingenious!  It's like taking an at-home accompanying course (or should I say "collaborative piano course," as Katz would?).  The first chapter discusses the role of the collaborative pianist and how the title of "accompanist" has morphed (reminding me of the constant shifts in education jargon concerning "learning disabled-special education-special needs students").  He then moves into chapter two with a discussion of breathing and singing.  My take-away?  '...the only truly guaranteed way for the pianist to categorize breathing situations and to know how to behave, is - you guessed it - singing!  Your own singing!  It is always the surefire passport to your most musical decisions."  (page 20)  I think I was given that advice once upon a time, but what a great reminder, that to truly be able to collaborate effectively, a pianist should be able to sing and play the music at the same time.  Breathing "with the singer" then becomes second nature and allows the music to flow naturally.

Though probably not grammatically correct, that is the question I am pondering right now.  Is graduate school in my future?  

I have my bachelor's of music degree in piano performance and have always been intrigued by the prospect of graduate school.  I have researched schools from time to time, applied to a couple, and was even accepted to one and offered a graduate assistantship, but for various reasons I never actually took the plunge.  Now, after over 10 years of freelancing and, more recently, becoming a mom, I am considering my options for professional development.  I am location-bound, which limits my choice of schools quite drastically.  Further, the university closest to me offers only a MM in piano performance, not in accompanying or collaborative piano.

What I am looking for are:

• a teacher to study with
• a network of musicians to collaborate with
• in-depth study of instrumental chamber music
• performing opportunities

Can I create these opportunities on my own?  Is a university the best place to pursue them?  Do I need a degree to validate my musicianship?  

Eventually I would love to form a chamber ensemble and perform and record regularly in the Seattle area.  I would also like to accompany a professional choir.  What is the best avenue for me to pursue these goals?
 

I didn't know there was such a thing until tonight: a collaborative piano blog!  I found some good resources to print out, among them:

How to Get Work as a Freelance Collaborative Pianist
10+1 Ways to Advertise Your Services as a Collaborative Pianist
Recital Fee Question
9 Places to Connect Online With Other Pianists
Piano Quartet Lists and Resources
Christopher Foley's Resume (pianist, creator of the above-mentioned blog)

And...The Musician's Resume Handbook from Eastman School of Music!  

I am so excited to dig into these resources, follow the links, and enjoy some online networking! 
 

I have been so excited this week to discover several amazing resources for downloadable sheet music and audio files of chamber music:

The Petrucci Music Library:  "Our goal is to create a virtual library containing all public domain music scores, as well as scores from composers who are willing to share their music with the world without charge."

The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum:  "In our music library, you'll find free classical music sorted by performer and composer, featuring performances recorded live in the museum's Tapestry Room as part of our ongoing concert series. Click on a composer or performer's name to view their bio and a list of musical works available for download."

echambermusic.net  (containing a more limited selection than the previous two, but still a good resource)

Further, in my search for like-minded classical musicians in the area, I found ACMP - The Chamber Music Network (originally the Amateur Chamber Music Players).  This organization "facilitates informal playing and singing by people of all ages and nationalities, beginners to professionals."  Their website also contains various links to resources for chamber musicians.

Even if you are not a musician yourself, you will enjoy visiting these sites and downloading free classical music for your listening pleasure!