Tag: piano lessons

Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo!

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Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo!

You know the scene in Cinderella when the Fairy Godmother waves her wand and transforms a pumpkin into an elegant coach, mice into high-stepping horses, a horse into a coachman, and Cinderella’s tattered dress into a magnificent ball gown? If only bringing our wildest dreams to life were as easy as waving a magic wand.

In reality, manifesting our dreams involves a vision, a plan, and some heavy lifting. We may have magnificent ideas, and many of us have no problem coming up with a step-by-step plan for how we might approach something. But… where  we may fall short is in doing the arduous daily work, believing in ourselves, investing the time and effort, and remaining disciplined enough to carry the dream out of our imaginations and into the real world. There’s no way around it. While the journey can be every bit as thrilling as the finished product, the path sometimes feels like a never-ending grind.

Take Serena Williams, for example. The tennis GOAT said, “Everything requires discipline, hard work and dedication, and, most importantly, self-belief.” Diana Nyad attempted to swim from Cuba to Florida five times over a 35-year span before finally succeeding at the age of 64. Talk about dedication—and the courage to keep believing when the dream still seems impossibly far away!

Through the years, people have often commented that I’m lucky to have a life in music. Indeed, I’m grateful every day for this 30-plus-year career, but luck has had very little to do with sustaining it. There’s daily practice, teaching, playing gigs, traveling,  crafting programs, the never-ending hustle, administrative tasks, professional development, and, more often than not, seven-day workweeks. In other words, this vision of mine—to live a life in music—and the dreams I’ve brought into reality didn’t simply take flight on their own. There has been plenty of blood, sweat, and tears involved, along with faith, resilience, and a little creative magic.

Is it worth it? ABSOLUTELY. 

For another take on the magic of bringing our dreams into the real world, I invite you to follow along with my current project, Piano for the Journey. Each week, I pair a piece of music with one Major Arcana card from the tarot as a way of exploring the universal archetypes, challenges, and possibilities that shape our lives.

You can watch The Magician video here and explore more videos in the series by clicking on the YouTube video below. And if the project speaks to you, please help me sprinkle a little more magic by liking the video and subscribing to the channel.

Quiet Creativity

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“You will never be able to escape from your heart. So it’s better to listen to what it has to say.”
― Paulo Coelho,  The  Alchemist.

I’ve been in a period of quiet creativity: reading, practicing, writing, teaching, performing locally, swimming in Lake Washington, urban hiking, and tackling small house projects. This quiet, reflective season of looking inward while inviting the muse has led to the creation of an exciting solo concert project – Music, Memories, and Motion: A Personal Musical Memoir in Piano, Story, and Audience Choice. The premiere is scheduled for Sunday, November 1, at the Wedgwood Presbyterian Church in Seattle. More information will follow over the next few months.

I hope you’ll join me on the musical journey. Happy summer!

Lake Washington, Magnuson Park early in the morning.

 

Meaningful Musical Experiences

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Host a house concert!

It’s late in the year, and I’m reflecting back on the last several months which have been full of rich musical experiences — attending musical events (such as the Seattle Symphony, WSMTA Convention, Taylor Swift Eras concert), and presenting a load of musical programs (studio recitals, musical author presentations, and playing piano for special events). I also took some lessons over the summer with my dear mentor Dr. Jill Timmons in Oregon who coached me on some “new to me repertoire.” It’s been a very full year of music, once again!

And what about you? Have you been experiencing some rich musical activities that bring you joy, or help you find some peace? I hope so! Below are some ideas for adding some extra musical events into your lives over the next few months!

Reprinted with Permission:  “From Music in the Westward Expansion © 2023 Laura Dean by permission of McFarland
Meaningful Musical Experiences:
Ideas to get you started on your own musical journey

Whether you are a professional musician, a hobbyist, or a music enthusiast, the following ideas are jumping off points for enriching your life with musical activities!

Hands-on Music Making Experiences in the Home and Community:
• Attend sing-alongs or hire a musician (a guitarist, or a pianist) for a casual sing-along with friends, neighbors, and family. Pass out song sheets to attendees.
• Dance! Dance in the home, take lessons, attend community dances. Dancing is usually accompanied by either live or recorded music.
• Give the gift of music: tickets to musical events, music lessons, sheet music, a gift card to your favorite music store, or a musical instrument (a harmonica, ukulele, recorder, or small percussion instruments are inexpensive choices).
• Hire a musician or an ensemble to provide background music for family gatherings, outdoor events, or special celebrations. If cost is an issue, considering hiring local high school or college students who are in the early stages of their performance careers.
• Host a house concert––invite a local musician or ensemble into your home to give a concert for family and friends. The audience usually pitches in to cover the musician’s fee. For more information, check out the following organizations that organize house concerts such as:
Concerts in Your Homes
Undiscovered Music
Listening Room Network
• Keep a collection of percussion instruments handy for impromptu drumming sessions with family and friends. Percussion instruments and kits are readily available at your local music store, or online. You can also make your own with buckets, empty containers filled with rice, or other repurposed items.
• Listen to music on LP records, CDs, or online platforms such as You Tube, Apple Music or Spotify.
• Listen to NPR music broadcasts which feature a variety of musical styles such as: Tiny Desk Concerts, American Routes, Alt.Latino, Mountain Stage, All Songs Considered, World Cafe, Thistle and Shamrock, and Jazz Night in America. Check your local NPR station for programming details.
• Join a community band, orchestra, ukulele ensemble, guitar group, or other instrumental groups.
• Join a choir. Many community and church choirs don’t require an audition.
• Learn to play an instrument It’s never too late! If you want to learn an instrument, take private or group music lessons. Teachers are out there, to find one, inquire at local music store, or music school. You may also contact your local branch of MTNA (Music Teachers National Association). Many community colleges and community centers offer private and group instruction. If you are a “do-it-yourself” kind of learner, utilize online prerecorded lessons that you work through at your own pace. (Stay tuned! I am launching an on-demand piano course for adult beginners on January 1st of 2024. More information to follow in the following weeks!)

Attend Musical events in Your Community. Once you start looking, you will that find live music opportunities are abundant in your community, many of them with free access.
• colleges and universities
• art fairs
• breweries
• churches
• community centers
• coffee shops
• farmers markets
• high schools
• house concerts
• libraries
• local choirs, bands, orchestras concerts
• museums
• musicals
• music and cultural festivals
• open mic nights
• opera
• recitals
• street fairs
• summer outdoor musical events
• symphony
• wineries

A Look Back, A Look Forward

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A couple of weeks ago, I attended the Washington State Music Teachers Conference at Sun Mountain Lodge near Winthrop, Washington. The lodge, surrounded by rolling hills and hiking trails, also provides a 360-degree view of the Methow Valley and distant mountains. Attending the conference were some 140 members of the Washington State Music Teachers Association. Our days were filled with inspiring conference sessions (presented by members of WSMTA, including yours truly), and our evenings were spent attending exquisite concerts. Joe, my better half, traveled with me to the lodge and spent his time finding and photographing colorful birds. He features his best images on his weekly bird blog, Short & Tweet Bird Reports (you can find the Sun Mountain Lodge posts here and here). In all, it was a terrific working get-away with time to hike, relax, and reflect on the past year.

Laura at Sun Mountain Lodge (photo by Joe Sweeney)

It’s been a little over a year since the publication of my book, Music in the Westward Expansion: Songs of Heart and Place on the American Frontier. Over the past year, I presented 13 concerts featuring live music and narrative pulled from the pages of the book. Venues included book stores, historical museums, schools, retirement communities, and assisted living facilities. All the while, I maintained my private studio teaching, played extra gigs here and there, and adjudicated for the Washington State Music Artistry Program in Everett and Edmonds. It’s been quite a year of sharing music and stories, and interacting with enthusiastic audiences. Thanks to all of you who have purchased the book, attended events, and cheered me on through this past year.

There’s a new project on the horizon! I’ve been working with my beloved mentor and teacher, Jill Timmons, on repertoire for a new 2024 performance program. Practice sessions of late consist of “new to me” music from John Philippe Rameau, Joseph Haydn, Amy Beach, Charles Wakefield Cadman, George Gershwin and Dave Brubeck. Luscious!

I’m also starting to build an online beginning piano course for busy adult students; the course design allows students to move through the curriculum on their own timeline. Stay tuned for more about this exciting project, and please, let me know if something like this interests you! Have you always wanted to learn to play the piano? Are you curious?

“Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music.” -Sergei Rachmaninov

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A Teaching Philosophy

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I’m working on a certification through MTNA (Music Teachers National Association).  This is a long and challenging process, but a very good one that forces me to examine my teaching, my methods, my raison d’être.  After teaching for 20 years, here is my evolved teaching philosophy crafted over the past few months.  (this relates specifically to piano lessons).  In the words of Sergi Rachmaninoff, Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music. 

Summer time and the liven' is pretty!

Summer time and the livin’ is pretty!

My goal as a music educator is to foster a lifelong passion for music and the arts. My role includes mentoring and collaborating with students as they navigate their individual music paths. Music is a language and it is my job to teach students to read, write and express themselves artistically in this language. I tailor the curriculum and lessons to accommodate each student’s learning style. More about specific activities for different learning styles can be found below. Many of my students study with me from the early elementary years through their senior year in high school.

I use an array of materials in the studio including a variety of method books. (Piano Adventures, Succeeding at the Piano, and Faber and Faber.) As students progress, we move away from the method books as repertoire is drawn from a variety of composers such as Bach, Beethoven, Haydn, Kabalevsky, Mozart, Chopin, Brahms, Beach, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Bartok, Gershwin, Copland, Ponce, Nazareth, and Turina, to name a few.

While working with traditional repertoire, it is also my job to teach music lessons relevant to the lives and interests of my students. For example, one of my students loves playing video game music. As it turns out, video game music was the hook I needed to push him into the next level of music reading which, in turn, renewed his interest in learning traditional repertoire.

Piano lessons in the Lauramusic Studio are offered year round for ages 4 years old-adults. Lessons include technique (scales, arpeggios, chords, technical exercises), music reading, and exposure to a variety of classic piano repertoire (baroque, classical, romantic, and modern eras). We also explore folk songs, blues, lead sheets, jazz, and popular music. Our recitals reflect this diverse repertoire, for example, the winter recital features traditional concert pieces. In the spring, our recital revolves around a specific themes such as the Beatles, jazz standards, movie music, and rock ballads. During the summer, each student composes a piece of music and learns to notate their music using computer software (SongWriter by Finale).

Assignments and practice recommendations are recorded in the students’ music binders. Assignments also indicated (by post-it notes) in the students’ music books. Students are required to practice and come prepared for their lessons with books and materials in hand. Students should practice five days per week from 15 minutes a day for my very young beginners to 1 hour or more per day for my advanced students.

A typical 45 minute lesson includes the following activities:

  • Body-mind warm-up and focus exercises
  • Technical exercises and scales
  • Review of last week’s assignment
  • Introduction of new material
  • Listening to a recording or a mini music history lesson
  • As time permits: a mini concert, duet playing, improvisation, composing, games, rhythm instrument playing

Examples of music lesson activities to accommodate different learning styles:

Auditory learner activities may include digital piano with playback recording, CD listening corner (with a variety of CDs including classical music, world music, folk songs, jazz and blues), browsing websites with a listening focus including King FM’s, Explore Music.

Kinesthetic learners, enjoy the Brain Dance (a movement curriculum developed by Ann Green Gilbert), rhythm instruments, experiential games played on the floor such as the magnetic white board, music card games, and digital piano that allows students to change the sound with the turn of a knob.

For visual learner, I rely on books about music history, colorful flash cards, card games, worksheets, You Tube links to great piano performances, and games on the websites such as, Color in My Piano and Piano Morning.