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I have slowly been making my way through Ravel’s Jeux d’eau. You may know the piece from the 2024 Olympics, when it was played in the opening ceremonies by pianist Alexandre Kantorow on a grand piano in pouring rain.

The picture makes me cringe – what an awful way to treat a beautiful instrument! However, the image of rain falling on the very instrument whose music simulates the movement of water is incredibly effective. My shock and awe at this sight drove me to explore the piece myself a few months later.

Let me start by saying that this is a difficult piece to learn! It is not straightforward like Mozart, where the notes fit neatly into their appointed beats and the melody is often clearly delineated in the right hand. Instead, Ravel seeks to create an impression of the different ways in which water moves.

In the Pacific Northwest, we are very familiar with water, specifically rain! Our rain comes in all shapes and sizes: fine mist that you barely see, steady unrelenting rain lasting weeks on end, quick torrential downpours, light pitter-patter drops that evolve into unexpected hailstorms. And then there are the rivers, lakes, ocean...and the waterfalls that barely drip with water in the summer’s heat but cascade violently during winter storms. Think of the millions of tiny water droplets that make up all these expressions of water and then imagine translating them into ink by giving a toddler a ballpoint pen with the instruction to “cover the paper with dots.” This is what the music looks like. How do you even make sense of it all?! My process with this, and all new pieces of music, tends to look like this:

1. Get an overview – listen with and without the score, muddle through a first reading

2. Analyze sections to identify patterns, work out chunks

3. Practice note by note, taking it apart hands separately, and write out the beats where necessary

Zoom in, zoom out and repeat. Even though I may start this process by going through steps one, two and three consecutively, I am constantly revisiting one or the other of the steps as I work towards mastery. I can never stay in one step exclusively or I hinder my own progress.

When presenting a new piece to a student for the first time, we make choices about how we will teach it: play it first for them; talk through it and analyze what is happening; or let them muddle through without any assistance. All three approaches accomplish different goals, and all three approaches are needed throughout the student’s time of study with us.

When we approach a new piece ourselves, we also make choices about how we will begin learning it. It is important to get an overview of it at some point (some may argue that this is an essential first step), perhaps by listening to a recording or muddling through a first reading. The latter is almost impossible to do in the Ravel, as parts are just not readable at first glance. Nonetheless, it is important to have an idea of how the piece is laid out and what Ravel is trying to communicate.

Analysis can get us a long way, as we study the piece first for an initial theme and begin noting sections that vary from, or repeat, the theme. We look for key changes, tempo changes, and register changes. We might even mark our music before we ever begin playing, identifying an ABA form or writing in names of notes or chords that are difficult to read (multiple ledger lines, for instance, or passages with double sharps!).

Practicing note by note, hands separately, slowly and methodically is also an important strategy, but it can be easy to “miss the forest for the trees.” In other words, we can get too focused in on the minutiae that we lose the whole arc of the piece if we stay in this mode too long.

Our practice must constantly be a process of zooming in and zooming out. Similarly, we need to teach our students to have a sense of the whole (This is usually not a problem, as students like to power through to the end, despite making numerous mistakes, or playing haltingly as they struggle to figure out notes in the midst of “getting through”) and to attend to small sections that need troubleshooting. This is why “play your piece three times a day” or “practice for 30 minutes a day” is not sufficient instruction. We need to spend time during the lesson demonstrating how to look at the big picture and identify sections (zooming out), and then in writing in fingering and practicing short bits in a focused and detailed manner (zooming in) so that our students learn effective ways to practice.

One fun way I like to “zoom out” when students are getting lost in practicing short bits is by taking them to the last four measures of a piece and teaching them the section. We then discuss working backwards as a practice strategy: now that they know the last four bars, they can learn the few bars before those and play to the end, feeling a sense of accomplishment!

If you play for a choir, you know that practicing choral music often demands a quick, efficient approach. This is where analysis is most beneficial to begin with, then muddling through the whole piece (identifying shortcuts), and working note by note only at crucial points. If you are interested in learning more about this approach, you can check out my Open Score reading workshop.

Practicing does not have to be a chore; it can be an enjoyable process of problem-solving and discovery when we learn to zoom in and zoom out, taking advantage of our time and energy by working hard on details in short, focused bursts, and then rewarding ourselves with the chance to play what we know and have already mastered – or listening to the music with our score and taking note of what another pianist does to make it musical.

Which of these three phases of music learning do you enjoy most? Do you tend to spend your time in [teaching or practicing] one phase more than the other two? I didn’t even speak to the topic of memorizing - is that a part of your learning process? Let me know in the comments!

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My formal training in piano stopped shortly after I completed my undergrad. I took a few graduate level courses at an international music school, but never ended up pursuing my master's degree. Yet, I have worked hard in the years since to maintain my skills and even to improve both technically and artistically. There were opportunities that presented themselves to me - like being offered the pianist position at my church and taking one-off lessons with a friend's teacher - and others that I intentionally pursued - like getting into the musical theater world and finding a community choir. But the thing that has grown me the most is something I never would have predicted: listening to myself play.

In 2018, my children were squarely in the grammar school phase and it occurred to me that I should try making a CD during the hours in which they were attending school. I'd recorded one before, with the help of friends who owned a small production studio, and we had recorded live tracks at a beautiful music center in the mountains. (Listen to that album here.) I'd also been a part of several live choral recording projects, so I was aware of the pressure to perform and the hyper-consciousness one enters when in such a situation. But I didn't want to record in a studio on someone else's instrument or even on a single day. My vision was to record on my own piano, in my own living room, over the course of weeks, taking a leisurely pace and listening to takes in between recording sessions.

Doesn't that sound fantastic? The reality was so much different (read more about that here). Between the piano developing weird clicks, airplanes roaring overhead, and the neighbors mowing their lawns, it was quite the experience! I learned a lot about self-recording and producing. But I learned a whole lot about myself as a pianist, too.

Listening to recordings of yourself is eye-opening and not for the faint of heart! The process of recording and my desire to share my music turned the heat up even more, and so for several months I scrutinized my playing ruthlessly. Everything was subjected to criticism, and I found myself asking, “What makes my playing different? What is my signature sound? How might I convey my personality and feelings about this music solely through sound? Who am I as an artist? What differentiates my sound from the thousands of existing recordings?”

The exercise was immensely stretching and so good for my playing. I became more concerned about accuracy, but also more intent on producing a beautiful tone. I wanted listeners to hear the shimmery top of my piano and feel like they were in my living room listening to one of my intimate house concerts.

In the end, the recording was far from perfect, and there are definitely things I would do differently a second time around. But it was mine. And I had emerged a better musician and pianist because of it. (Listen to the recording here.)

Why do I share all of this with you? Because too often we sit down and play the piano for the thrill of playing and we forget to listen to what we're producing. The physicality of playing is so absorbing that we forget to make music. Either we are facing technical challenges, or fingering difficulties, or odd leaps, or we're taking pride in how fast our fingers can fly and what kind of physical gymnastics we're capable of at the keyboard. It is so easy to forget about the sound. Even worse, when we are faced with a new piece of music, especially in a collaborative situation where we are playing for a choir, we get so hyper focused on playing the correct notes that we forget to breathe and sing the lines.

We have the incredible privilege of being musicians. Our goal is to make music. And the way we get there is to start listening.

In your playing this week, whether on your own or with a choir, I encourage you to listen intently to the sound you are making. Challenge yourself to be musical every time you sit down, even during a first reading. You will find that it makes the process so much more enjoyable, and your playing will be better because of it!

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"Tell me about what you just played. Did you include the dynamics?"

"I don't know."

Have you had a similar exchange in your studio? This is all too common with my students. They play for me; I make some comments, praising them for what they did well and addressing one or two things that need work; and then they try again. Then they look to me for my approval. 

But I don't want them to always look to me; I want them to notice if they have accomplished what they set out to do. I want them to listen.

My goal in piano teaching is to create independent learners. I want my students to play well technically and express themselves musically, but I also want them to eventually be able to learn music on their own. In order to do this, I will need to spend a number of years with them building up their technical, musical, and reading skills. I also need to teach them to listen.

How is this accomplished?

When students first come to us, their movements are often crude and unrefined, and they are so intent on pushing the keys that they forget to listen. But that doesn't mean they can't be taught! This is why we begin teaching them how to count, drawing their attention to when notes move higher or lower - aurally and visually and kinesthetically. It is why we teach dynamics and the difference between staccato and legato playing. As they grow, we talk about phrasing and making the music sound like a conversation, or a story. We introduce concepts like rubato.

We  need to teach students to pay attention to what they are doing at the piano.

One thing we can do to help our students begin listening to themselves is to have them play through a piece once, working out movements and fingerings, and then ask them to play it a second time with dynamics (or articulation, or whatever it is you want them to attend to). The physical won't always be isolated in practice, but it is often this way when we approach a new piece.

We can't toss out body mechanics. Students still need to move their fingers, control the force of their arm weight, and so on. And so much of their work in learning to play the piano is focused on controlling their movements. But as they work out technical difficulties, they ought also attend to the sound.

I remember learning in this fashion for many years - practicing to master playing the instrument with each new piece I was given - and then my teacher would start asking me to "add expression."

As pianists, our goal should always be to play musically. The movements our bodies make are just a means to an end. If we, or our students, can play all of the correct notes but lack any shaping of the phrase, articulation, dynamics, or rubato, what are we doing?

I like to tell my students that the piano is a musical instrument, not a computer! 

Pressing the right keys doesn't make music. Shaping the sound with the way we move, breathing between phrases, listening to how notes rise and fall, and making adjustments to the tempo and dynamics does!

Here are some things we can do to train our students to listen so that they can become musicians at the keyboard, not merely piano "players":

1. Demonstrate what we want them to do. Have the student sit in your "teacher chair" while you play. Talk about what you are doing. Then, have the student try to imitate your playing. Praise their efforts. Discuss how they can manipulate their movements to achieve a certain sound.

2. Record the student and play it back to them. Tell them what to listen for. When students are physically removed from making the sound, they can listen more intently.

3. Play recordings of other pianists, either audio or video, for your students and encourage them to listen for a specific thing each time.

As students mature and become more self-aware (and better listeners), they will develop the ability to play more musically. Their desire to make music will grow, and they will begin self-correcting their mistakes and adjusting their movements to create the kind of sound they want to hear. 

As you welcome students to lessons this week, consider how you can encourage them to be better listeners as they play!

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America! America! God shed His grace on thee!

Image by Nikki from Pixabay

When the world shut down in 2020, I asked a friend of mine, Seiko Werts, to help me put together a virtual concert. I wanted to do something in the style of our Indie Musikhaus house concerts, where we provided music from a mix of genres that was connected by a meaningful theme. We filmed our parts separately in our homes and Seiko beautifully melded them together into one of my most favorite concerts.

As you celebrate this Independence Day, I hope you enjoy the music we prepared in honor of our country, the many people who call it home, and the God who allowed our forefathers to dream up the “American experiment” and establish such a wonderful place to live.

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How do you make the most of your time, particularly if you are a musician and a mom, trying to juggle life at home with family schedules and your own musical commitments and projects? 

Do you ever time block? It is a great way to organize tasks and prioritize your time accordingly.

I am a big list maker.

My kids know that if they want something done (or purchased), it needs to go on a list or it won't get done. I have lists for the grocery store, long term projects, daily and weekly to-dos, and more. I love the satisfaction that comes from ordering everything that needs to happen on a piece of paper and crossing things off as they are completed.

But sometimes my lists just reveal to me how much I have on my place, and I get overwhelmed to the point of distraction. The lists become burdensome and I get sucked into the trap of worry over minute details for far too long or worse, veering off in an entirely unrelated direction and getting absolutely nothing checked off for that day.

Enter time blocking.

When I need to buckle down and make my time count, I require the constraint of designated times for specific tasks. I do this by returning to my lists, prioritizing what I want to get done today, and then assigning times for those tasks: an hour for this, 30 minutes for that, and so on. 

If the task doesn't actually get completed in that amount of time, that's fine, but it gives me a dedicated stopping point where I can then assess whether to keep going and take time from another task, or call it “good” for today and return to it later.

Time blocking has been immensely helpful for my self-discipline as a mother and pianist and it always feels good to know that I have accomplished something with my time. 

Just like music, time is a gift we are given that should be stewarded well.

My husband always says, "We are all given the same 24 hours"!" 

What will you do with yours?

Do you use time-blocking to boost your productivity? I'd love to hear about it in the comments below!

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Happy New Year!

For me, the new year is a mix of looking backwards and looking forwards. I always enjoy my new calendar, new planner, and freshly-cleared--out spaces after the busyness and joyful clutter of the holiday season, but before I look ahead to what is to come, I like to spend time reflecting on the passing year. Part of my "taking stock" this year included an inspiring Planning Workshop led by podcast host Jennet Ingle.

Oboist and music business coach Jennet Ingle produces an inspiring and informative podcast called Crushing Classical that I have followed for over a year now. She talks about her thoughts on being a musician, but mostly she interviews many varied classical musicians about their unique path in music. Recently she offered a free planning workshop via Zoom, and I joined over a dozen musicians for a session on assessing where we've come from and where we're going.

Jennet led by introducing herself and then quickly asked everyone to "choose a word" describing last year, and then one for what you want next year to look like. Many of us expressed a sense of fullness, busyness, or even clutter over the last year, with a desire for focus, streamlining, and intentional work in the new.

Jennet also led us in an exercise to consider:
1) What happened last year (in your musical life) that was fantastic?
2) What happened last year (in your musical life) that was just so-so or draining?
3) What do you want to happen in 2025? What do you not want in 2025?

She encouraged us to look through our camera roll or last year's calendar to help us remember what last year looked like, and think about cutting out or paring down those jobs/roles/activities that were just "meh" or draining, and plan for more of those that capitalize on our specific gifting and expertise. 

These may seem like common-sense questions, but how often do we really take the time to reflect on where we are spending the most time, and consider a better way to prioritize what is important, life-giving, and the best use of the talents and gifts we have been given?  I encourage you to take 30 minutes and try this for yourself!

What are your plans for 2025? Are you looking to add more music to your year? Are you planning ahead for new creative projects, concerts, travels? Message me - I'd love to hear from you!

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How would you like to go to Piano Camp? What’s that, you ask? I found out for the first time this October, when I drove through the glorious fall-colored mountains of the Cascades to spend a week with two other teachers and twelve adult amateur pianists at the Icicle Creek Center for the Arts. 

The week started out with introductions and a time of “sharing” (a.k.a. a private concert) by the teaching faculty – myself, teacher and composer Rachel Matthews, retreat director Lisa Bergman, and guest artist William Chapman Nyaho. This particular concert was dedicated to the memory of a former Piano Retreat student who had recently passed away, and students were given time to reminisce and share memories of her as well as honor her love of music with their own musical sharing at the piano. Afterwards, we enjoyed the first of many delicious catered dinners together, and then had the option of playing duets with a new friend or retiring to our rooms for the night.

Each participant was treated to a private piano lesson each day, daily group masterclasses, faculty-directed social hours (in which we explored topics such as Practicing, Performing, and Movement), access to multiple pianos for practicing, and optional meditation and movement classes. I also offered a talk on music in the Bible used for healing, worship, and celebration, and participants were given the opportunity to “Stump the Chump” as they peppered Rachel and me with all sorts of questions concerning practice and repertoire. There was a showing of a movie about a piano prodigy, and time available for playing duets, hiking, and visiting the organic garden and sculptures at the neighboring Sleeping Lady Resort. We enjoyed many meals together, which were another opportunity to learn about each other’s musical background, life experiences, and challenges at the piano. We shared ideas for repertoire, discussed the various musical groups we are a part of “back home,” and marveled at the natural beauty of our surroundings. 

It was truly a unique experience, a “treat” for all of us to enjoy a week away from the busy-ness and distractions of daily life, and a time to take a deep dive into the many wonderful works written for piano. 

Note: A wonderful resource for practicing can be found on Nyaho’s website under “Resources.” Check out his “Efficient Piano Practice” document. 

Read more about this week of Piano Camp in Leavenworth here:

Let's talk about the music!
Social hour: Keys to a solid performance
Special topic: Music as healing, worship, and celebration in the Bible

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It can be so easy in lessons to teach and review concepts, that we forget to teach students how to practice. And yet, practicing is where the student will spend most of his or her time working out what we have taught him in the first place! One way we can assist our students in effective practice is by assigning sections of a piece to work on. Often, student repertoire will contain some return of the theme – sometimes even a full repeat of the introductory material – so if we can break down the form of the piece into a few short sections, practice feels much more manageable.

When you are introducing a piece to a student, whether you play it for them or not, take a minute to look at the music together. What is the opening statement? Does it come back again? When it comes back, is it exactly the same or a little bit different? If different, what is different? Where does the next statement begin? You can label sections A, B, C, D, or even A, A1 (for a variation on A) to show more clearly what is happening. This bit of analysis can help the student to think about how the composer develops the theme, and makes sight reading easier! It can also help with practice, as then you can assign the student to work only section A until mastery, and then move on to section B. 

Rather than assigning the whole piece to be played the following week, the student is assigned sections to master – which will be more pleasant for both you and the student when you return to the next lesson! This is also a way to help students manage their time. If you assign 3 pieces for the week, you can decide how many sections of each should be brought to mastery. (It is a much better way than hoping the student will practice and that something will have been accomplished by next time!)

Practicing in sections is a great strategy for getting a lot done in a short period of time. Short, focused sessions of practice are much more effective than long, unfocused sessions aimed at filling a certain number of minutes. 

This way of practicing has benefitted me as a mom, having limited time to practice and needing to make the few minutes at the piano “count”! It is also wonderful for memory, as the brain benefits from a period of rest before returning to the material. You can alternate sections, or even pieces, for variety, and come back to the same sections and see progress quickly because the brain has been able to synthesize the information in the “break” time. 

Teaching students to practice in this manner helps them to focus their practice when they are at home and gives them a way to see progress quickly, providing a motivational feedback loop of “feeling good” about what they are doing at the piano. When they return to lessons, they will feel confident that they have accomplished something during the week, and will be eager to demonstrate what they have learned!

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Do you invest in your own musical growth and development, beyond what you do at the piano itself? I am still in the child-raising years, and time even for practicing is sometimes hard to manage! But it is important to invest in our own musical education when we can.

Maybe you are part of a local or state chapter of a music teacher’s association, where you can meet regularly with other teachers, attend conferences, and learn best practices. Or maybe you are part of a community choir where you meet with other music lovers on a weekly basis. Or maybe, you are so tied up with homeschooling, shuttling kids to sports practices, and managing the household that you don’t have the time to spare for “outside” groups. We are fortunate to live in a time where information is at our fingertips. Although the camaraderie of colleagues can be inspiring and life-giving as we exchange ideas and collaborate in real time, the reality is that sometimes we can’t make it happen. Where, then, can we turn to nurture our own musical growth? What kinds of things can we do “on the go” to keep up with our love for music and desire to learn and grow?

If you are a reader, there are some wonderful books written by pianists for pianists, both biographical and about the piano and its music. Susan Tomes is a Scottish pianist and writer, and she employs a wonderfully conversational tone in her books. She writes of collaborating with chamber groups on the road (Beyond the Notes), the process of learning and “what makes a pianist ‘tick’” (Speaking the Piano), and daily reflections of life on the road as a performer (Out of Silence: A Pianist’s Yearbook). She also has a book called The Piano: A History in 100 Pieces, in which she selects 100ish pieces that are representative of the piano repertoire (including chamber music, concerti, and art song), and tells the story of the piano and its music as she shares thoughts about each piece. I have been working through this last book over the past year or so, reading a selection at a time and listening to a corresponding recording via my own CD collection or on YouTube. 

This last exercise in listening is wonderfully inspiring and instructive. To take it a step further, there are a number of masterclasses available for viewing on YouTube, and if you really wanted to dig in, you could grab some sheet music of your own or snag it off of IMSLP and follow along as you listen to the masterclass, making notes along the way. But again, if you are strapped for time, the second best bet would be to queue it up on your phone and listen as you walk, drive, or exercise, get ready in the morning, or wind down at night. I have often listened to a masterclass in short spurts over a span of days, or even taken music with me to a gymnastics practice to study with my phone and a pair of headphones. 

Beyond Tome’s books, there are other possibilities for adventures in listening: Listen to This by Alex Ross covers a range of genres with a good representation from the classical repertoire. The book is a collection of essays varying from a history of classical music to a description of conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen’s appointment with the Los Angeles Philharmonic to a fascinating look at the Tanglewood music festival through the eyes of Mitsuko Uchida. While my favorite essays are focused on classical themes, Ross also explores the intersection of music and technology, Kurt Cobain’s success and personal demons, as well as music by Finn songwriter and singer Bjork, and the musical stories of Bob Dylan and Radiohead.

Aaron Copland’s classic, What to Listen for in Music, is more of an academic text, with a focus on form in classical music. He argues that we tend to listen to music on an emotional level, looking for meaning or a certain feeling that we can relate to personally. He challenges the reader to think more about the notes and how the composer manipulated them to create a work of art that can be appreciated on an emotional and intellectual level. If you are looking to stretch your thinking, this book will put you back in the college classroom and give you the opportunity to analyze music in its various forms.

One last book takes a look at the history of the piano through both emotional and intellectual lenses. It is both conversational and an easy read, and an opportunity to reflect on musical form: A Natural History of the Piano: The Instrument, the Music, the Musicians – from Mozart to Modern Jazz and Everything in Between by Stuart Isacoff. Don’t be fooled by its extensive title; it is a very accessible and exciting book! Isacoff includes all kinds of fascinating tidbits about composers and music in short soundbites, in and among his cohesive history of the piano. Read a page or two for entertainment before going to bed, or dive deep into a full chapter while listening to musical examples at your computer; either way, you will be rewarded with a fun look at the piano by way of The Combustibles, The Alchemists, The Rhythmtizers, and The Melodists.

If you would prefer to just read about the lives of pianists, there are several good books available: Leon Fleischer’s My Nine Lives: A Memoir of Many Careers in Music tells his story of overcoming physical challenges with his hand; Stephen Hough details his childhood and growth and development into a concert pianist in Rough Ideas: Reflections on Music and More, and Sviatoslav Richter: Notebooks and Conversations tells the fascinating story of the Russian pianist at the piano. 

When reading isn’t possible, listening can be a good substitute! Finding a book on audio or discovering gems on YouTube or podcasts can be a wonderful way of staying in touch with the world of music and gathering inspiration and ideas. You can find Leonard Bernstein’s Young People’s Concerts on YouTube, which are suitable for all members of the family and wonderfully informative and entertaining. Living the Classical Life, also on YouTube, is a channel chock-ful of interviews of classical musicians from all over the world, hosted by Zsolt Bognár. The series has been around since 2011, but only recently has shown up on YouTube! If you love podcasts, Jennet Ingle’s “Crushing Classical” provides more snapshots of classical musicians’ “portfolio careers” as well as her own insights on teaching and performing. “Music Studio Startup” is more focused on the business side of music teaching as it relates to running your own music studio. “The Counterpoint Club” is hosted by local string quartet Skyros, and tells the stories of their own musical projects as well as highlighting the stories of other musicians. 

For podcasts focusing more on piano teaching, you might check out The Piano Pantry, Field Notes, The Piano Parent Podcast, or Dynamic Piano Teaching.

As you can see, musical growth and learning does not have to stop once you leave undergraduate or graduate school! You are free to Choose Your Own Adventure of listening, reading, studying, and exploring among the many resources available on the internet and at your local library. I would encourage you to choose one resource to look into this month to inspire and challenge you in your own musical journey!

Disclosure: Some of the links on this page are affiliate links, which means that if you click on a link and make a purchase, I may receive a commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you and helps to support my music.

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Memory is always the most laborious task for me, and I tend to procrastinate in favor of playing and enjoying the music! But truthfully, if I do not take the time to memorize, I do not learn the music as well or as deeply as I could. Below are the steps I generally take to memorize, and then a link to a short video showing it in action:

1. Learn the notes and be able to physically play with ease (for me, this is the most fun part, and usually the fastest). Expression comes as I study at the piano, listen to recordings, and make decisions along the way.
2. Memorize the melody (usually in my RH)
3. Consider the tonalities/chords/key, mark my music with the letter names, and talk through the changes
4. Pick up contrasting voices and figure out how they fit
5. Really think about how the voices are moving – where do they move by step, chromatically, or by interval? Adjust fingering as necessary and keep it consistent.
6. Test my memory by playing away from the score
7. How did I do? Correct mistakes
8. Play something completely different: another section or a completely different piece. Come back. Have I retained what I memorized? If not, find out why and fix it.

Between each step, I play the section to test my memory. By #6, I really should have it, but if my focus is not there, I have to slow down, refocus, talk through what is happening in the music (aloud!), and try again. I work on this section by section, constantly moving forward and then back to review what has previously been memorized, back and forth, until the piece is completely memorized. At that point, I start testing my memory by thinking the piece away from the keyboard on my walks, when I’m driving, and when I go to sleep. Another good test is to “ghost” hands by playing one hand while thinking the other as it hovers over the keys without playing. Finally, if I can write it out (I seldom do this, but it can really help when a theme comes back in various iterations!), I feel like I really know it. 

Here is a brief video of what this looks like in practice.

None of this guarantees a mistake-free performance, but the mental work is beneficial for both secure physical movements and expression, even if I decide finally to perform it with music. 

Does memorizing come easily for you? Maybe the physicality and hard work of learning the piece is enough to solidify the notes for you. I would still encourage the mental exercises of identifying chord names and key changes, isolating voices, and planning consistent fingering to strengthen your understanding of the music and engage with it more fully!

For children, memory seems to come much more easily! However (or maybe more importantly, because of this very thing…), it is up to us as teachers to draw attention to major and minor tonalities and relationships, independent voices, efficient movement of fingers and hands, and directives in the score for dynamic and tempo changes. Then we can guide them in interpretation by asking questions about why the composer might have made these choices, or encouraging students to experiment with different articulations, dynamics, rubato, and pedaling in order to convey a mood or idea. Don’t settle for students who want to play fast and “get through” a piece; slow them down and encourage them to reflect by asking questions about why a composer might have made certain choices. 

As contrary as it seems, slowing down is the fastest way to play quickly, and it gives us great freedom in movement and expression. We just need to remind ourselves to do it!

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What do Bernstein, Bonds, and Hough have in common? I am revisiting works from these three composers in preparation for an upcoming recital and am working on “connecting the dots” of their lives. Of course, they are all recent composers in terms of music history: Bernstein (1918-1990) and Bonds (1913-1972) were contemporaries; Hough was born in 1961. All three composers spent time in the United States: Leonard Bernstein and Margaret Bonds were born here, and Britain’s Stephen Hough studied for his Master’s at Julliard. 

Hough has arranged several pieces from musical theater, and we know well Bernstein’s mark on that genre with Westside Story, Wonderful Town, and Candide. 

Bonds was composing at the same time as Bernstein, but we don’t know how familiar they were with each other personally. Bonds wrote a piece called the Montgomery Variations, and evidently submitted her outline of the work to Bernstein at one point, probably in hopes of his conducting it. The outline was signed by Bernstein and is now available for purchase (for the “low” price of $7,500) on AbeBooks! 

What I find most intriguing about the three, however, is that Bernstein’s “Four Anniversaries (1948),” Bonds’ “Troubled Water,” and Hough’s transcription of “My Favorite Things” all tell stories of people and places. The challenge for the performer is to consider the musical telling in light of each composer’s back story – his or her childhood, upbringing, maturity into adulthood, nationality, musical output, loves, religious beliefs, and so forth – in order to draw meaning from the notes on the page. 

It is an adventure in interpretation to consider: Who are these people that Bernstein wrote vignettes of? How do Bonds' personal experiences contribute to her arrangement of the spiritual “Wade in the Water”? Similarly, why does Hough choose to arrange a well-known musical theatre tune in this way?  Why do these composers repeat motifs multiple times? Why do they return to the theme a note higher, or lower, or a full interval apart, from the original statement? Why the sudden pianissimo or fortissimo? 

I find this challenge especially enjoyable in contemporary works – maybe because they tend to be more programmatic (tending towards a story) than earlier forms, like a Baroque dance or Chopin ballade. Perhaps, though, I also feel a little closer in terms of time – we’ve at least lived in the same century! Or maybe it is because I share Bernstein and Bonds’ American nationality and can relate to the independent spirit, the colorful dissonances resolving to major harmonies, and the “fun” inherent in the percussive rhythmic elements. At any rate, each of these pieces speaks to me in a way that keeps me wanting to practice, dig a little deeper into the music, and share it with others. 

What music are you working on these days? Is there an obvious connection between time periods, composers, genres? Of course, a connection is not required in order to study music we love; but if you are thinking in terms of programming for a performance, perhaps you want to consider how to “connect the dots” for your audience. For more ideas about programming for a recital (yours, or your students’), check out this article. 

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There are a couple of things that really help me achieve noticeable progress at the piano: getting to the piano consistently for ten minutes a day and keeping a practice journal.

Ten minutes is not a lot of time, but it is an easy way “in.” I can always make time for ten minutes at the piano, and if I get there for ten, inevitably it turns into more!

A practice journal can help me get focused right away, especially if I have a limited amount of time to practice. I use a practice journal in three ways:

1. Write down what I accomplish in each piece as well as where to start the next time I sit down at the keyboard.
2. Track big picture goals, like pieces for a recital.
3. Analyze parts of pieces to aid in memory, noting themes and when they recur with slight variations.

Take a look at the inside of my journal here:

Do you use a Practice Journal? Tell me how you use it to focus your practice!

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Do you need a theme for your next recital? Or maybe you just want to mix things up a bit…beyond the usual chronological or leveled order? Try some of these ideas:

1. Melodic Exposition. Choose pieces with a strong or memorable melodic line.
2. Piano Themes and Variations. This theme offers lots of possibilities and allows for student compositions and duets!
3. Songs of Home. Songs of Childhood. Choose songs that celebrate childhood or that have a sense of nostalgia for you.
4. Songwriter. I once juxtaposed songs by Schubert with modern compositions, highlighting the themes and musical techniques that each composer used in a unique way.
5. [Name of composer] and Friends. I once did a Bernstein and Friends concert, showcasing works by Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland, Antonin Dvorak, and George Gershwin. All of these composers had some musical or personal relationship with each other.
6. Piano Showcase. How about choosing songs that show the versatility of the piano and pianist?
7. Latin Dances. There is wonderful piano music written by various composers in Latin America. Start out in Brazil, move to Spain and Mexico, and close in Argentina!
8. His and Hers. How about highlighting songs by men and women composers? Include pieces written by siblings Felix and Fanny Mendelssohn, and husband and wife pair Robert and Clara Schumann.

If you already have songs chosen and need to figure out how to tie them together, consider how they might relate by composer, time period, nationality, key, or musical form. If you still cannot find relationships, how about a study of contrasts? With a little creativity (and perhaps a splash of narration or some written program notes), you can come up with a cohesive program that engages your listeners and excites your performers.

Would you like more ideas on Creative Programming? Try this article.

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Refreshed

"The mountains are calling and I must go." John Muir

Well, maybe not the mountains exactly, but the redwoods! My family and I spent last week in the bay area enjoying a rental house nestled in the California redwoods. Beautiful homes peek out amongst these awe-inspiring trees. Just a short 10-minute walk "through the neighborhood" brought my girls and I to a series of three small "wells" and then a waterfall! I found myself trying to imagine what it must be like to be a full-time resident in this area. Would I get any work done at all?! The call of the woods, fresh air, and easy walking trails is just too enticing. At any rate, it made for a memorable vacation, and we all appreciated the slower pace amongst such beauty. 

Finding “Hope” in the Works of J.S. Bach

Here is a wonderful article exploring the theme of hope in the music of J.S. Bach. Of particular note is Bach's use of chorale tunes in the final "Chaconne" movement of his famous Partita for Violin. I love this piece, which has been transcribed for piano, and I hope to bring it back into my fingers in the near future!  

Slow and Steady Wins the Race

"Going slow to go fast" is so antithetical to my impatient nature! But slowing down to analyze a piece before, or while, studying at the keyboard really does produce better, more secure performances. This article explains how to engage your mind learning a new piece.

Below is an excerpt from Chopin's Scherzo in Bb minor, Op. 31. I was practicing this today - a piece from my college days that I am reworking (and re-memorizing!). It is tempting to just plow through and play what I remember using muscle memory, but I know that is not reliable under the pressure of performance, so I am forcing myself to slow down and secure small sections by focusing on key centers and consciously noticing patterns.

Here, you'll see that I found that the left hand moves down the scale in octaves for eight measures, which is very helpful - because the jump from beat one to beat two in each measure is the same note - just an octave higher. If I can remember the starting note (Bb), I should be able to get through this passage! :) The intervals in the third beat lie nicely in the left hand, as is so wonderfully common with Chopin, but as extra insurance I will need to block (combine) the notes from the second and third beats to better understand harmonically where he is going.

The right-hand octave melody is not only singable, but to find the starting pitch of each eighth-triplet set, I can connect it to the preceding octave by noticing that in the first measure it is a minor third above, then the third measure is a step above, then the fifth measure a minor third above, then the seventh measure is a step above. Cool, isn't it? 

This kind of work is helpful in the initial memory phase. I admit that I do not always think this way in performance, especially when the piece is flying by at a fast tempo! However, there are times when I need to focus my attention on more than just communicating a beautiful melody or admiring the sound (!), and instead talk myself through a passage like this: ("B-flat, minor third, A-flat, step," etc.). It seems a bit sterile, but it is life-saving to have these things to hang onto when my attention starts to wander in performance!

Around the Web

And going even slower...Perhaps this is a technique those of you in retirement can try: How to Begin a New Piece.

More on approaching practicing as an investment in future performances. The last suggestion, keeping a practice diary, is one I use often!

Pianists pursue so many different career paths. Here is "A Short Essay on the Life of a Pianist." 

There is a new show in the UK called "The Piano" that sounds intriguing - something like "The Voice" for pianists. I wonder if it will ever end up airing here? 

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

The Piano: A History in 100 Pieces 

Pianist-writer Susan Tomes has put together a wonderful compilation of mini-essays on 100 pieces written for piano in her newest book. Though not a strictly "solo piano" list, each piece that she highlights contains writing that makes the piano an important figure in the composition - either as "star" performer, as in a piano concerto, or as an equal partner in a collaborative instrumental piece. Tomes' writing style makes this an easy read, with fun anecdotes about composers and historical settings as well as notes on the technical side of things.  

Here's a fun New Year's goal: as you read through this book, make a point of listening to each piece on YouTube or Spotify or your choice of listening platform. You will find some gems and maybe gather inspiration for working on some of the pieces yourself! 
 

Musical Inspiration 

Here is a wonderful way to start off the New Year. I stumbled on this video via social media the other day. The accompanist is a former mentor-teacher of mine, Dr. Ann Nagell. This performance is part of a concert series held at Pinnacle Presbyterian Church in Scottsdale, Arizona, and believe me when I say it is a treat. Melissa has chosen some of my very favorite songs for soprano. I hope you love listening as much as I have!

More Inspiration for the New Year

Ann Wood is a wonderful artist. She dabbles in the sewing world as well as in cooking and painting. Her monthly newsletters are a fun piece of eye candy and often inspire me to go make "something." In this month's installment she reflects on last year's 100 day sewing challenge, in which she made a point of sewing something every day for 100 days. I think she is right on the mark in starting with the discipline of getting to work each day, as routine often breeds creativity. The point is to set aside time each day to do something! 

The video above shows the result of last year's 100 day project. This is what she has to say about it: "This book, this process was full of surprises for me. Daily practice reveals things and it’s an excellent place for ideas to turn up. Ideas like a reliable place to show up."  

Show up! Commit to daily practice and see what creative fruit results!

Favorite Books from 2022 

I continue in my pursuit of great books for kids, and my favorite YA fiction novel last year was Emmy in the Key of Code by Aimee Lucido. It is the story of a twelve year old girl who moves to a new state and school and tries to find where she belongs. Her parents are classical musicians, but although she loves music she is not great at it. She finds her place instead in a computer coding class. Written in poetic form (and Java script!), this is a very clever, inspiring book! 

More fun Young Adult fiction: 

Redwall by Brian Jacques 
Fablehaven books 1-4 by Brandon Mull 
Banner in the Sky by James Ramsey Ullman 

Young Adult historical fiction: 

Words on Fire by Jennifer Nielsen 
Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys 

Several Nonfiction favorites last year: 

The Woman All Spies Fear: Codebreaker Elizebeth Smith Friedman and her Hidden Life by Amy Butler Greenfield 
The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe 
A Hobbit, a Wardrobe, and a Great War by Joseph Loconte 
The White Cascade: The Great Northern Railway Disaster and America's Deadliest Avalanche by Gary Krist 
The Good Rain: Across Time and Terrain in the Pacific Northwest by Timothy Egan 
The Dirty Life by Kristin Kimball 
The Gift of Good Land: Further Essays Cultural and Agricultural by Wendell Berry 
Parenting Generation Screen: Guiding Your Kids to be Wise in a Digital World by Jonathan McKee 
A Rebel's Manifesto: Choosing Truth, Real Justice, and Love amid the Noise of Today's World by Sean McDowell

Around the Web 

The writers at Stoney Creek Farm remind us that The Feast is Over! How's that for New Year's inspiration?! As you clear out the old to make room for the new, take time to revisit these healthy habits that may have dwindled over the holidays! 

Jarrod Richey offers some ideas for Expanding Music Enjoyment in Community that you might like to try in the New Year. 

Some good perspective on practicing. And another article approaching practicing as problem-solving. 

Pianist and writer Susan Tomes shares her favorite books of 2022.

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

Merry Christmas!

Twelve days left until the new year, twelve musical gifts for your enjoyment! 

This is my second newsletter of 2022 - I apologize for being absent for so long! I have packed this newsletter full of musical gifts that I hope you will enjoy as much as I have! My year has been full on the home front. As our girls get older, their activities require more time away which, for now, translates to more time on the road driving them places! I am loving every minute of it, but it does pull me away from the piano more than in past years. With everyone home on winter break and the resulting "pause" in our daily routine, I am taking some time to play catch up. The snow falling today makes a perfect backdrop for reflection on the past year and inspiration for the year to come!

1. Let's Get Together...ya, ya, ya

Much of art is worked out in isolation. Handcrafting a shoe, manipulating glass or metal or clay, practicing a musical passage...all require a level of focus and self-discipline, accomplished at least some of the time by oneself. An artist spends a vast quantity of time learning and practicing and honing his art. Someone said that to become an expert at something requires 10,000 hours. One would think, then, that coming out of full and partial isolation imposed by pandemic policies would result in a huge amount of artistic output. Are you seeing this? This has not been my own personal experience! 

Community is essential. The joint effort of collaborating in person serves to feed and inspire me between solitary practice sessions. As a natural introvert, I don't feel the "need" for community as often as my extroverted friends; however, we are not meant to live in isolation. There is a reason we send criminals to solitary confinement and stubborn toddlers to time-out. Isolation without regular intervals of community engagement is confinement. Much of what it means to be human is experienced when we are together. So I ask myself, and you...what effort are you making to be in community with others? How might the artist within you awaken when you let him out of isolation?

This video came across one of my social media feeds, and I found it fascinating. I have heard that handmade shoes are the most comfortable shoes you can wear. The amount of time, skill, and attention to detail in making a shoe is analogous to preparing a musical piece for performance. Whereas our audiences don't "wear" our music, they do walk in it for a time, and the care with which we have prepared it affects their overall enjoyment and can contribute to their quality of life.

2. Silent Night 

Sometimes in very difficult times, when words or actions fail to help, music comes close to us like a friend. The beauty of melody and lyric can open up our hearts like the sun opens up the flowers.

Keith and Kristyn Getty reflect on the story behind "Silent Night," which began in the 1800s. If you scroll to the bottom of the article, you can hear their daughter Grace singing the melody.

3. Another Silent Night

4. Let Them Sing! 

Two of my girls had the opportunity to participate in the Northwest Association of Classical Christian Schools choral festival this year. It is a fabulous one-day festival where junior high and high school students from around the Pacific Northwest come together to learn and fellowship and sing! I wrote about it here.

5. Gabriela Montero 

Wow, this pianist is amazing! She improvises on the spot - as pianists were required to do in the days of Bach and Mozart. The host of this interview reminds me of James Corden, who runs the Carpool Karaoke series...except this interview is in the classical realm!

6. BACH to Thankfulness 

Why study the music of the Western canon? This article considers the question and proposes an answer. 

7. More BACH 

The author of the above article, Jarrod Richey, presents his choir, made up of average students, singing the polyphony of a Bach fugue. You will have to click on the link in the article to hear the result!

8. Johannes Moser, cellist 

I love learning about other musicians' lives and how they deal with performance anxiety, practicing, and other challenges. Cellist Johannes Moser speaks here of these things, including his work with a sports psychologist.
 

9. Lief Ove Andsnes, pianist 

Another installment from Living the Classical Life, this time featuring pianist Leif Ove Andsnes.

10. & 11. Susan Tomes 

Pianist and author Susan Tomes always has wonderful nuggets of insight pertaining to the life of a musician. Here are two of her musings, one on the "mismatch between all the work that goes into preparing for a single concert, and the concert itself which flashes by in a couple of hours," and the other on the peculiar way we determine which tempo is the "right" one. 

12. Another Gem from Gabriela Montero 

I love the audience interaction in this formal classical music setting. Why is it that classical audiences outside the United States seem so much more engaged and invested in this style of music? Do we, as a country, seek to "progress" to our own destruction? Can we look to, and treasure, our past while seeking new ways to create and innovate in the present?

MERRY CHRISTMAS! 

I wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! 
Here's to more music-making in 2023!

This content is from Cori's December 2022 Newsletter. If you would like to receive her newsletters in your inbox, click to subscribe here.

Thanks-Seasoning

I have been woefully absent from this newsletter of late. I haven't forgotten about you - in fact, I think of you often and miss making music with and for you! This fall season has been an incredibly busy, creative one for me, albeit mostly void of music-making. 

While on hiatus from my community choir role and taking a backseat to worship leading at church, I have been navigating the waters of volunteerism at my girls' school and my church's children's ministry. Teaching, organizing, and crafting have been general themes of late, with nursing thrown in every few weeks for good measure! It is wonderful to be more fully a part of my little communities, and with that have come the usual fall colds accompanied by the unusual self-imposed quarantines and cancelling of events. But amidst all the busy and unusual and sometimes stressful turns of events, I have much to be thankful for. 

I am thankful for music, which may go dormant for a season but is always there to return to; for good health; for the blessing of friends and family near and far; for God's faithful provision in all things, especially in uncertain times; and for the gift of His Son, Jesus, who makes possible peace with God and with all men. 

I hope you have a wonderful, reflective, and happy Thanksgiving...with perhaps a little music thrown in your celebrations!

This hymn is sung annually at my girls' school, as we get ready to break for the Thanksgiving holiday. It is increasingly rare to find congregational singing like this, with parts - and descant in the last verse!

Building...Creating 

Reprinted from Keith and Kristyn Getty's "Monday Meditation," 11/22/21 

"For we - even our poets and musicians and inventors - never, in the ultimate sense make. We only build. We always have materials to build from…" 

So wrote C.S. Lewis who after many years of building with words went home to be with the Lord 58 years ago today. Lewis had an otherworldly gift of turning our thinking the right way up; all of life springing from the Creator and from that mountaintop seeing everything else. 

We breathe borrowed air, we make pathways on His land, we live in bodies that are not our own. We are building with blocks already made for us. We shape words that He first spoke to us. We gather notes that echo from His handiwork. We nurture our lives, our families, our friendships, our world in the wisdom of the One who first thought of them. 

Beautifully crafted words helped bring Lewis to Christian faith. On reading George MacDonald’s ‘Phantastes’ he said it helped ‘to convert, even baptize his imagination’. A washed imagination wakens the heart to wonder, to eternity, to a longing for the Lord. In the early 1930s his life had been transformed to worship and serve the Lord. He focused the rest of his time on using his God-given craft to draw people to Christ. 

The hymn ‘This is my Father’s World’ (Maltbie Babcock, 1901) reminds me of Belfast- born C.S. Lewis who has inspired so many of us. His listening ears were opened, He recognized the Lord’s voice and it shaped everything. An ancient music he hadn’t understood. A deeper magic as the Narnia stories tell. At this time of Thanksgiving we are grateful to know it as well and so sing with all creation. This thankfulness helps sow and water our remaining time and everything He has given us to make it known to others. 

This is my Father's world, 
And to my listening ears 
All nature sings, and round me rings 
The music of the spheres… 
This is my Father's world: 
O let me ne'er forget 
That though the wrong seems oft so strong, 
God is the Ruler yet… 
New lyric video to ‘This is my Father’s World’ from ‘Confessio’ album

Around the Web 

A cool new website with access to piano lessons from the world's best pianists. 

Thoughts on being A Self-Coached Musician from the Cross-Eyed Pianist. 

A cool spotlight on a young pianist from Silverdale, WA, on Classical King FM's program, From the Top. (Listen starting at 8:20) 

Upcoming Concerts 

When I start practicing... LOL! 
Would you consider coming to hear some Christmas music? Let me know!

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

Reflecting Light

My dad is a rockhound and silversmith. As his daughter, I have been the happy beneficiary of many of his gifts of handmade earrings, necklaces, and rings. Although he cuts and shapes stones, he does not facet them, which is the process of cutting many sides of a gemstone into a reflective shape, like the diamond in your wedding ring or the gems you see in a royal crown. The facets of such a gemstone – those many surfaces – seem an apt metaphor for my life as a pianist. 

I have many interests besides piano: mothering, crafting, teaching, gardening, cooking, homemaking, entertaining. This has always been the case. I remember attending graduate classes in music and speaking with my professor about career paths, and I mentioned that it was hard for me to choose just one as I wanted to do so many things with my life. She was a little taken aback, and told me that she had only always ever wanted to do one thing: work and perform as an accompanist, or collaborative pianist. In fact, she had known this from the time she was a little girl. In contrast, I’ve always wanted to be involved in teaching [or mothering] children, travel, and music, and so my focus has shifted in various seasons – like the light hitting the facets of a stone, highlighting different points at different times. 

These last few months, and indeed, the last year, the light has hit more on the mothering and housekeeping facets of my life than the music facet (due in part by the restrictions on in-person performances due to COVID-19), and so I find I have less to say in this newsletter than “usual”! But life is no less fulfilling without so much music (although I do miss collaborating in person with others!); it’s just that the light is bouncing off other surfaces right now. 

And so these last two months have been full of birthday celebrations, planting flowers and vegetable seeds and starts, vacationing in Florida, teaching women’s Bible study and Children’s Church classes, enjoying friends, and taking care of every day responsibilities. Last week we had a glorious week full of sunshine and warmer temperatures, and I was reminded of how full my life is and how blessed I am.

Spring Concert: Love and Light

Kirkland Choral Society presents a second virtual concert this season, this time with the theme Love and Light. One of my all-time favorite choral songs is included in the program: Amor De Mi Alma written by Randall Stroope (Listen below!). Our interim music director, Seiko Werts, has put together a wonderful program, even as we recorded singly in our homes again. You can watch the premiere on May 8th at 7:30pm and stream it for the whole month of May. Purchase tickets here.

Around the Web 

Watch a very cool performance of Camille Saint-Saens' "Carnival of the Animals" meant for virtual viewing. Pianists Yuja Wang and David Fung join the Los Angeles Philharmonic to explore composer Camille Saint-Saëns’ colorful creatures, featuring animations, stories from around the world, and Gustavo Dudamel with his son Martín. 

The Cross-Eyed Pianist muses on what musicians have learnt from lockdown. 

Upcoming Concerts 

Spring 2021    KCS virtual choir concert. May 8th @ 7:30pm.

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

Happy New Year! 

I hope this finds you busy with new projects and some fun things to look forward to in 2021! Although circumstances may not have changed much since turning the calendar page, I find it is always good to have some element of "newness" or celebration that our family can enjoy. For me personally, I have been revisiting music scores and trying to decide what direction to take my practicing in the new year. I am also busy preparing to begin a Children's Church program at my church, overseeing its inception and jumping into teaching (One fun element is choosing which music to incorporate into our study of the Attributes of God). We are also planning a fun family vacation in the near future, although we are holding our plans loosely as we learned to do in 2020.  As well, choir starts up again this week, albeit virtually, and we will begin working towards our spring program. I am excited to have some new things to work on! What new plans do you have to look forward to?

The Fugue Metaphor 

Like you, I have been contemplating “the way forward” as we are a country divided. This morning, while working a little on Bach’s Fugue in C Major from the Well-Tempered Clavier, I had some thoughts on this. 

In a fugue, there are multiple individual voices coming together to make a unified whole. Each voice is distinct, having its own register (treble, bass, mid-range) and often, its own way of restating or embellishing the main theme. In order to create an effective performance, the musician must make decisions about which voices to bring out (and when) and which to lessen in submission to, or support of, the one in the lead. 

Bach gave us no dynamic markings, and the period instruments with which he worked had little dynamic range. Because of this, there are always debates about how much to play with dynamics (distinctly contrasting loud and soft, or nuanced?) as well as whether to use pedal or not. While there is room for interpretation, the musician must look for clues from the composer for how it was intended to be played. Sometimes these clues lie within the music, and other times the musician must look to his other works, to the works of his colleagues, and to knowledge of the times in which he wrote, for guidance. 

A good metaphor doesn’t explain itself fully, so I will leave you to your own interpretation. But perhaps you might consider the themes of leading and submission, individuality and conformity, tension and release, in your meditation; as well, the idea of an agreed-upon set of rules (key, time signature, harmonic structure) put in place by the composer, and a nice harmonic resolution that finishes the piece. Might we learn something from the study of Bach? 

Here is my unpolished presentation of the work, warts and all. (Perhaps you can consider that as part of the metaphor as well!)

For a wonderfully polished performance, complete with the preceding Prelude, check out Andras Schiff's interpretation here.

The Secret Piano 

I spent much of my Christmas holidays reading, and stumbled on this intriguing book by Zhu Xiao-Mei. She is a Chinese pianist who grew up as Mao came into power. It is a thoughtful, provoking book. Here is a brief description: 

"Zhu Xiao-Mei was born to middle-class parents in post-war China, and her musical proficiency became clear at an early age. Taught to play the piano by her mother, she developed quickly into a prodigy, immersing herself in the work of classical masters like Bach and Brahms. She was just ten years old when she began a rigorous course of study at the Beijing Conservatory, laying the groundwork for what was sure to be an extraordinary career. But in 1966, when Xiao-Mei was seventeen, the Cultural Revolution began, and life as she knew it changed forever. One by one, her family members were scattered, sentenced to prison or labor camps. By 1969, the art schools had closed, and Xiao-Mei was on her way to a work camp in Mongolia, where she would spend the next five years. Life in the camp was nearly unbearable, thanks to horrific living conditions and intensive brainwashing campaigns. Yet through it all Xiao-Mei clung to her passion for music and her sense of humor. And when the Revolution ended, it was the piano that helped her to heal. Heartbreaking and heartwarming, The Secret Piano is the incredible true story of one woman’s survival in the face of unbelievable odds—and in pursuit of a powerful dream."

Around the Web 

Have you heard of the 100 Day Project? If you are in need of some inspiration, this project may jumpstart your creativity. 

More fodder for inspiration, especially if you are a musician seeking music by women composers. 

One hot topic these days is censorship. In the interest of preserving voices of the past, Estonia has a new "banned books" museum. 

Upcoming Concerts 

Spring 2020    KCS virtual choir concert. Date TBA.

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

Making Things 

Hello! The last two months have been busy on the "creative front" for me. Although not exclusively in music, I have been busy making things! Last month my dad and I worked on our annual Advent devotional booklet. He writes the content and I do the graphic design and layout. This is a Christmas gift to our church congregation, and gives people a way to meditate on different aspects of Christmas. This year's booklet has as its theme the signs and symbols of Christmas.  

My girls have likewise been busy crafting, and the four of us worked together to produce a website "market" of our creations! My oldest has taken the bulk of the work of crafting, photographing, writing descriptions, and listing items. It has been a fun learning experience for her. 

Not to neglect music...Just recently I wrapped up a final recording session for our virtual choir's Christmas concert. I am excited to be a part of this beautiful production, recorded in individual members' homes and compiled by my friend and interim music director, Seiko Werts. It will premier on YouTube, and I will give you more information about it soon! 

A Virtual Choir Project 

Last month the choir that I accompany, Kirkland Choral Society, released its first ever virtual choir project. The song is "O Love," composed by Elaine Hagenberg and based on a hymn by George Matheson. I wrote about this piece earlier this year here, as it was a song that we performed live in February. The text and the musical setting complement each other so well, I know you will be moved once again by its beauty.

Around the Web 

Another local choir, Cora Voce, presents a wonderful program of music on YouTube called "Stars Tonight." 

Musicians around the world are grappling with the realities of cancelled concerts and questions about whether to "rethink, reskill, reboot" or just "hang on" until life returns to normal. Susan Tomes ruminates on the age-old question of whether being a musician constitutes a "real" job. 

What do a hammer, a wine glass, and a piano have to do with each other? 

Upcoming Concerts 

December 2020    "At Home with KCS," a virtual Christmas concert. Date TBA.

This content is from Cori's Fall 2020 Newsletter. If you would like to receive Cori's monthly newsletters in your inbox, please 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 Bit of Light

I am enjoying the return of the sun after a week or so of cloudy, smoky skies, especially as we are soon to head into the drizzly, dreary days of fall in the Northwest (but not too soon, I hope!). These are trying times, and yet rather than commenting on current events I thought I would share some lighter news on the creative front! 

Recently I reopened my book of Rachmaninoff preludes and have settled into practicing a few of my favorites. Prelude Opus 23, No. 7 is one of my particular favorites, as it is one I remember my dad practicing in my childhood. I had an "aha" moment the other day when I was watching various YouTube videos of different artists playing it: the opening figure of each measure at the beginning of the piece can be played with the left hand! 

If you haven't ever tried to play the piece, I will try to describe the opening: it is this swirling, continuous motion grouping of sixteenth notes that are played at an ungodly speed while left and right hands alternately play octaves. You actually would do well if you had three hands to play this piece! However, with only two, you have to get creative. This YouTube tutorial was mind-blowing for me. If you take the first grouping of notes with your left hand, you can avoid some awkward fingering crossings with your right, and make life much easier for yourself. (Why did I not try this sooner?!) 

Perhaps I get too used to looking at things one way. My creative problem solving is not boundless, although I have a lot of tools in my toolbox from various teachers over the years. I still find I need the insight of others to point out things I didn't see before. 

Not to get too philosophical, but isn't that a great lesson for life? We do need each other, and considering another approach to a problem that we hadn't thought of before can be quite beneficial. What a great gift we have been given in the medium of music, where we can come together to create and learn from each other, and enjoy the process! 

Video Below: I am still searching for my favorite interpretation of this piece. Pletnev's performance is very good!

Exploring Rachmaninoff More 

I had another realization while practicing the Rachmaninoff Prelude mentioned above. Watch my short video to see what Rachmaninoff might have in common with the Latin Jazz composers!

To compare the two pieces, listen now to Piazolla's "Libertango," performed at one of our own Indie Musikhaus concerts a few years ago. Click here and scroll about halfway down the page to hear Eric Verlinde and Ricardo Guity master the montuno!

Around the Web 

The beloved John Rutter, choral composer and conductor, gives insight into his musical career. His advice to aspiring musicians: "Be very, very good at what you do if you possibly can. Work harder and more perseveringly than anyone round you. Prepare thoroughly. If you are a performer, try to be true to the composer’s vision; if you are a composer, be true to yourself. If you have a spark of something, it will communicate, regardless of style." 

Along those lines, concert pianist Richard Goode and writer Frances Wilson urge us to "Play what you play best!"

Upcoming Concerts 

December 2020    "At Home with KCS," a virtual Christmas concert. Date TBA.

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

Lemonade from Lemons 

A big THANK YOU to all who joined us for the premiere of "God Bless America," our first ever Indie Musikhaus virtual concert! We had over 50 people join us for the premiere, and the YouTube video has been viewed over 300 times. Imagine trying to fit you all into my living room...! What strange times we live in, and how grateful I am for opportunities to connect and make music even from a distance. If you missed it, you can still catch the performance here through Summer 2021. 

Of course this fall will look quite different for the arts. I have enjoyed seeing the creativity of many musicians via the Internet this summer. It is not ideal, and even feels a bit "fake" at times, like we are trying to make the best lemonade with pretty sour lemons! Maybe you have been invited to be a part of a virtual music-making experience and have not taken the plunge yet because of the strangeness of the times. Let me encourage you! 

Technology, recording, working remotely - none of these things will ever replace the very real collaboration of musicians working together in the same room. Let's not pretend that they do. However, it is a viable way to make music together. Studio recording musicians have known this for years, and have the advantage of having already worked through the discomforts of playing to a microphone, listening to musicians through headphones, and trying to communicate through a digital medium (as opposed to a live audience). I think it is important for more of us to explore this concept. 

When Seiko Werts and I began talking about our "God Bless America" concert, I had spent the previous two and a half months in lockdown, trying to virtually "school" my kids and feeling anything but inspired and creative. June came along, and as things began to open up again, (and as we closed the books on a strange school year), I felt the need to take on a musical project. Nothing seemed more fitting than the spirituals for the season, and so Seiko and I put together a program of songs that pointed to hope in the midst of hardship. We recorded ourselves individually many times, and there was a lot of back and forth as we traded music files and Face-Timed each other. I had Seiko sing over the phone while I watched my music so I could mark my score to make room for more nuanced breathing and rubato. It was difficult, not ideal, and certainly less than amazing to watch myself on video and hear imperfections! But, it was so soul-satisfying to work on a musical project again, with a "concert date" on the calendar, and it forced me to work hard and steadily through the challenges. 

I can't tell you how weirdly amazing it was to watch the final video of us finally performing "together." It was almost as good as being together in person. Not the same, but a very good second. If you have a chance to collaborate musically this fall with a friend or two or a hundred (!), please try. It will stretch you musically and personally, connect you with other musicians, and will be an encouragement to both your colleagues and your audience. You will be so glad you did! 

Around the Web 

Pianist Simone Dinnerstein describes a bit of her pandemic experience. I can relate to her feeling that "lockdown did not make me feel creative or productive." However, she still managed to create beautiful music from her Brooklyn living room, recorded on her new album, "A Character of Quiet." 

One of my favorite pieces, Faure's "Pie Jesu," was recorded remotely this summer by Brass Band Northwest. 

Ah, the days before social distancing! Eight pianists, four pianos, and a whole lot of notes here in an inspiring performance of Rossini’s William Tell Overture from the Verbier Festival in 2018. Can you name any of these famous pianists?! 

Upcoming Concerts 

December 2020  TBA! A virtual holiday concert with Kirkland Choral Society

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

God Bless America 

Next Sunday, July 19th, at 3:00 pm, is our "God Bless America" virtual concert! Seiko and I have been having so much fun putting this together. The spirituals are such a wonderful reminder of hope in dark times - we think they will be an encouragement to you. I hope you are looking forward to joining us. More information will be coming this week on how to tune in! Here is our full program: 

Over My Head, I Hear Music in the Air, arranged by Uzee Brown, Jr. 

​Variations on a Shaker Melody from Appalachian Spring by Aaron Copland, arranged by Bennett Lerner 

​Sieben Variationen uber das Volkslied, "God Save the King" by Ludwig van Beethoven 

Steal Away to Heaven, arranged by Mark Hayes 

At the River, adapted by Aaron Copland 

​Summer Time from "Porgy and Bess" by George Gershwin, arranged by Beryl Rubinstein 

​Ain't-a That Good News! arranged by Uzee Brown, Jr. 

Artist Spotlight: Kathleen Battle 

One of the songs on our concert, "Over My Head I hear Music in the Air," is featured on this album featuring Kathleen Battle. Although we will be presenting a different arrangement, this one is worth your time to listen. In fact, the whole album is one of my favorites of all time. It showcases Battle's amazing range and beautiful, pure sound, and the selection of songs is quite lovely. Incidentally, her accompanist, Margo Garrett, is my link to any sort of "claim to fame"! When in high school, I competed in an accompanists' competition at Arizona State University and in addition to getting to be coached by her, I won the Margo Garrett award for "Most Promising Accompanist"!

Around the Web 

Musings on Recordings. This seems especially appropriate as we venture into a new season of recordings, many taped live, ranging from cell phone captures to home studio set-ups to professional recording and editing collaborations. How has technology changed our expectations of artists? 

Upcoming Concerts 

Sunday, July 19th, 3pm  "God Bless America," a virtual Indie Musikhaus concert in your living room!

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

Forward Motion

Happy Summer! The weight of virtual homeschooling has been lifted (for now) and we have been loving the sunshine, as well as some recovered freedom of movement as our county entered Phase 2: salons opened, in-person gymnastics classes re-started, and we have been meeting friends at the beach and enjoying backyard barbecues. As well, new projects are in the works. My girls are selling at a local Farmer's Market and have been busy crafting jewelry, soap, and stuffed animals. I am excited to announce a new project of my own as well! 

In just a few weeks, I will be hosting the very first virtual Indie Musikhaus house concert...in YOUR living room! My good friend Seiko Werts graciously agreed to collaborate with me, and we have an exciting program planned for you. On Sunday, July 19th, at 3:00 pm, we will present "God Bless America," a collection of spirituals and other songs celebrating the faith and hope upon which America was founded. Even Beethoven makes an appearance with his variations on "God Save the King," the melody of which you will recognize as the familiar "My Country 'Tis of Thee." There will be singing, some solo piano pieces, and even a dueling piano selection! 

Please mark your calendars and be on the lookout for more information (in the next newsletter) about how to RSVP and get the link to the concert. We hope you can join us! Seiko and I can't wait to share this beautiful music with you. We think it will encourage you and lift your spirits! 

At the River 

Earlier this month, I sent Seiko a video of me playing Aaron Copland's arrangement of "At the River" and asked if she would sing "with" me. She decided to play along, and this video was created! Think of it as a sneak preview of our upcoming "God Bless America" concert!

Around the Web 

Can't get enough of "God Save the King/Queen"? Here are several variations on the theme, including some by Charles Ives and Franz Liszt. 

An interesting interview with pianist Andrew Armstrong, discussing his part in Seattle Chamber Music Society's Virtual Summer Festival and the role of technology in these times. 

More livestreams! Have you been following the performances at London's Wigmore Hall? Here is one by pianist Stephen Hough. 

Who says classical pianists can't think on their feet? Brazilian pianist Eliane Rodrigues has pedal trouble during a live performance and literally takes the performance below the stage! 

Last, but not least, a wonderful "tiny desk concert" from pianist Lara Downes during the lockdown. 

Upcoming Concerts 

Sunday, July 19th, 3pm  "God Bless America," a virtual Indie Musikhaus concert in your living room!

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