This past Friday evening, several fine people were at the Seattle Town Hall for a special Fever musical event: The Best of Bridgerton on Strings. I attended with my daughter, Ruby. We all enjoyed a pleasant hour of music played by the talented and engaging Seattle String Quartet. The stage held a resplendent display of candles and flowers which surrounded the musicians with soft lighting and bathed the audience in a warm glow. The setting perfectly complimented the evening’s repertoire which featured pieces from the three seasons of the Netflix series, Bridgerton. And, oh, aren’t we excited for season 4 which is in the works for a possible release in 2026!
As you may know, gentle readers, the music of Bridgerton is a mixture of covers of contemporary pop songs and original music written by composer Kris Bowers. Inspired by the candlelight Bridgerton concert, I’ve included a piano cover of “Wrecking Ball” from Season Two, Episode 8 which features the love story of Anthony Bridgerton and Kate Sharma – “The Viscount Who Loved Me.”
I am told these string quartet candlelight concerts are available in many large cities, and feature thematic concerts such as the music from Metallica, Taylor Swift, The Beatles, Adele, Fleetwood Mac and more. If you get the chance, I hope you will attend one of these relaxing concerts!
Sincerely, Lady Whistledown
To watch the video of “Wrecking Ball” played by Laura Dean click below.
For online, at-your-own-pace beginning piano instruction, visit me on Teachable. Use the coupon code: HOLIDAY for a 25% discount off of my beginning piano course good through January 1, 2025.
Give the gift of music for the holidays! The piano course makes a great gift!
The following essay recently appeared in the Clarion which is the WSMTA (Washington State Music Teachers) newsletter. I currently serve as the chair of the Independent Music Teachers Forum. One of my duties is writing an article for the Clarion every couple of months. I thought this one might give my readers an insight into the daily life of an independent music teacher.
Back in the early 90’s when I graduated from college, I entertained the thought of becoming a flight attendant. The job appealed to me because it seemed glamorous, interesting, and provided an abundance of travel opportunities. I never became a flight attendant, but I did end up working on cruise ships, which is a story for another time. Along the lines of the flight attendant memory, I’ve been recently thinking about our careers as independent music teachers, and how we might compare a long teaching afternoon to an international or cross-country flight. After all, it takes 6 hours and 15 minutes to fly from New York to London. It takes just over 5 hours to fly from Seattle to Florida. Some of us may spend that amount of time teaching in our studios daily. Let’s consider the parallels of an afternoon of teaching to a long flight.
As teachers, we serve in many roles. We are the ground crew making sure all is well with our instruments and our studio environments. We are also the gate agents , the information desk, the pilot, and the cabin crew all rolled into one. The best that we can hope for is a smooth flight. This would be a teaching day where our students are prepared, they have all their materials with them, they have practiced, they are in good spirits and cooperative, and the schedule runs smoothly from take¬-off (the first lesson of the day) to landing (the last lesson of the day). On some of our musical flights, there is no turbulence, no emergencies, and we thoroughly enjoy a productive and pleasant teaching day – smoothly moving from one student to the next. There is no lost luggage, no one forgets their books at home, no one leaves a coat at the lesson, no one is dissatisfied, and thus, our flight concludes without a hitch.
However, some days the flight is bumpy. The first student may cancel at the last minute with a sore throat, another might forget a critical book, another had no time for practice because of a three-day soccer tournament over the past weekend. Another student may be argumentative and uninterested in anything that we have planned for that day. There might even be an emergency! Just a few weeks ago, a student of mine fainted in my studio because she had absentmindedly not eaten enough that day.
As we go about our days, it’s best to remember that one thing is certain, just as in flying, as in our teaching, there may be bumps in the road, schedule changes, difficult situations, and disappointments. However, there may also be days and days of smooth flights, uplifting interactions, inspired students, agreeable parents, and above all, fabulous music making. The best that we can do is be professional, put on a smile, open that door, welcome our student in, and remember that, in the words of the late Thubten Yeshe, a Tibetan Lama, “If you expect your life to be full of ups and downs, then your mind will be much more peaceful.”
The Fisk Jubilee singers were a group of talented and courageous students from Fisk University of Tennessee, who first toured their musical show across the United States in 1871 while raising money for Fisk University which, at the time, was severely underfunded. I recently saw the world premier of Jubilee presented by the Seattle Opera at the beautiful McCaw Hall. Jubilee was created and directed by Tazewell Thompson with vocal arrangements by Dianne Adams McDowell, and orchestration by Michael Ellis Ingram.
In some 40 spirituals (and one classic aria), the opera tells the story of the often difficult journey of the original Jubilee singers and also highlights their personal victories and struggles. The Seattle Opera program reminds us, “These traditional songs, created, refined, and shared anonymously by enslaved Americans, are the foundation on which all American music has been built.”
The Fisk Jubilee Singers from 1882 photo wiki-media
In particular, I enjoyed the humorous scene and performance of “Ezekiel Saw the Wheel,” the uplifting “There’s a Meetin’ Here Tonight,” and the emotional “Wade in the Water.” If you aren’t able to make it to the Seattle Opera for the production, you can listen to 10 selected pieces on Soundcloud. For a modern recording of the Fisk Jubilee Singers, Celebrating Fisk (The 150th Anniversary Album) is available on Spotify.
Patsy Cline’s Walkin’ After Midnight, coming out on Sept 17, 2024, a bookby Judith A. Proffer with Julie Dick Fudge, and Illustrated by Yoko Matsuoka, celebrates the magical childhood dreams of the legendary country musical artist Patsy Cline. Patsy’s dream world includes daydreams, sleep dreams, and dream walking. This delightful book, beautifully illustrated, includes a white piano, a vintage red radio, a retro soda shop, a charming dog named Pepe, and sweet treats. Throughout the book, Patsy dreams of making it big in country music. The poetic prose and whimsical illustrations made me want to leap into the pages of the book and wander with Patsy through her musical dreamscape.
When I saw the cover of this book, I thought it was going to be a biography of Patsy Cline. However, it is more about dreaming big and following your heart, imagination, and aspirations – wherever it may take you. This tender book, written by Patsy Cline’s daughter, is a delight for Patsy Cline fans as well as all dreamers – both children and adults.
Patsy Cline died in a plane accident in 1963. She remains an indelible influence in country music. Her biggest hit, “Walking After Midnight,” climbed to #2 on Billboard’s country charts in 1957. Her resonant voice and heart felt songs remain relevant in the 21st Century.
We just completed our Spring Recital 2024. This year’s theme was “Rock, Pop, and More!” Most students played piano arrangements of popular songs while some played and sang their pieces! We had songs by Freddie Mercury, The Beatles, Laufey, Olivia Rodrigo, Bruno Mars, Justin Timberlake, Michael Jackson, Cold Play, Brandi Carlile, Randy Newman, Claude Debussy, and of course, Taylor Swift! In all we had 27 performers and about 75 people in the audience. It was a fabulous event! Thanks to Weili Ge who captured this group photo at the end of the recital.
This year marks my 30th anniversary as a private music teacher in Seattle. The time has flown by in a flurry of practice, recitals, concerts, events, laughter, tears, hellos and goodbyes, ups and downs. Mostly, I’m feeling inspired, grateful and humbled by the many students, present and past, who have chosen to play music with me. My hope and dream is another 30 years of music teaching and making my little corner of the world a more joyful place through the magic of music.
I opened the show with a cover of Carole King’s, “So Far Away.” With the excitement of the recital, I didn’t video the performance, instead, I recorded the song today in my studio. Click on the link below to view on YouTube. Thanks for 30 years of music making to my colleagues, family, friends and students!
Trailer for Bring Them Home. (if you aren’t able to play- please click here.)
I recently attended the Seattle International Film Festival where I saw Bring Them Home/ Aiskótáhkapiyaaya, a conservation documentary film about the reestablishment of the American bison, also known as buffalo, on ancestral territory of the Blackfeet nation near Browning, Montana. The film highlights the history of the buffalo, and how the species was nearly wiped out in the 19th century. The film also points to the many ways the history of the buffalo mirrors the epic history of the Blackfeet people, and how the success of the wild herd has, in turn, uplifted the Blackfeet community.
The film, narrated by Academy Award-nominated Blackfeet/Nez Perce actor Lily Gladstone, was co-directed by Blackfeet siblings Ivan and Ivy MacDonald along with Daniel Glick. The musical soundtrack includes traditional singing, rapping, and contemporary arrangements mixing indigenous singing with modern orchestral accompaniment. I especially enjoyed the inspiring stories of the Blackfeet people who worked on the project, along with the magnificent cinematography of the buffalo roaming, and sometimes, galloping along the Rocky Mountain front. What a thrill! The area showcased in the film is about 70 miles northwest of Choteau, Montana, where I am from.
If you get a chance to see this movie, I wonder if you’ll shed a tear, as I did, when you watch the buffalo thunder toward the wide open space when they are released into the wilds of Montana under the big Montana sky at the end of the film. For more information bout the film here click here.
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Official Cast C 1987-1988 photo, taken in Tucson, Arizona before the start of our tour. I’m second row- 5th from the right with spiky hair and a hot pink shirt. Got to love the 80s!
Today’s blog post contains a bit of nostalgia, thus the Up with People Cast C photo from 1987. If you’ve known me for a while, you may know that upon graduating from high school in Choteau, Montana, and prior to attending the University of Montana, I spent one year traveling as a student with the international educational program, Up With People. Created in the 60s, Up With People is still around today. By the way, contrary to some preconceived notions, UWP is NOT a religious group.
This is the letter of reference that we each received upon completion of our year in 1988. (this gives an overview of the year.)
During the year, our cast of 100 students along with about 20 staff members gathered in Tucson for five weeks to learn the show and the ins and outs of life on the road. (Back in the day, there were five casts touring to different parts of the world all at the same time.) After our staging and orientation, we took to the road in two tour buses, a couple of small vans, and a semi truck (filled with our set, lights, instruments and costumes.) Our first leg of travel took us through middle America before making our way to the east coast of the U.S. and then into Canada. In Canada, our tour stopped in large cities and small towns throughout Quebec and Ontario where we played in a LOT of hockey stadiums. During the second half of the year, we headed to Europe where we toured in Italy, Germany, Belgium, Holland, and Switzerland. At each of our tour stops, we set up the stage, performed our musical show, and engaged in community service such as performing in hospitals, prisons, and retirement homes. Wherever we went, we stayed with host families. In all, I stayed with over 50 host families.
To say the least, this was a life changing experience for this once 18 year old naive girl from rural Montana. Sure, I remember the amazing places we traveled to, the host families, and the show. I remember what a thrill it was performing in front of audiences in the U.S., Canada, and Europe. But, nothing compares to the lasting friendships we forged during that year of touring, performing, laughing, crying, singing, dancing, and making our way through a year on the road including the challenges, the highs, and the lows. Those friendships endure to this day.
This brings me to Sarasota, Florida, where I recently traveled to during Spring Break for a mini cast reunion with Frank, Cary, Manon, Holly, Kate, Bruce, Geert, and his husband, Ray. Ray didn’t travel with Up With People, but with his dancing skills, he should have! Whenever I reunite with cast members from the road, it feels as if I just saw them yesterday. This last trip was no exception. During the three days we were together, we danced, sang, walked, biked, experienced the solar eclipse, went boating, prepared meals and ate together, went to a drumming event on the beach, went to a musical fund raiser for an arts building in need of repair, visited the Selby Gardens, toured the art museum at The Ringling Estate, and much more. I hadn’t seen many of my friends for some 20 years, as I have been busy raising my now 22 year old daughter, Ruby. However, when I saw them on this trip, our friendships picked right back up where we had left off.
Thank you to Geert and Ray who hosted us and who made our reunion and time in Sarasota so special.
On the beach for an evening drumming and dancing party in Siesta Key (Geert, Laura, Cary, Ray, Frank, Manon- and one photo bomber behind Geert)
Boat ride around Siesta Key with our gang!
Ringling Mansion with Laura and Geert Selby Gardens
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Okanogan County in North Central Washington state, is the largest county in the state and reaches north to the Canadian border. The county seat is Okanogan, while the biggest town is Omak. On a recent musical adventure, I visited the town of Tonasket as a visiting artist for the Washington State Music Association (WSMTA).
Laura, Evelyn Sheller and Roz NauLaura, Lois Rhoads, and Lydia ThompsonLaura, Lois Roads, and Violet Thompson
After a short flight from Seattle to Wenatchee, I drove for 2.5 hours on US-97N to Tonasket. Along the way, I enjoyed the scenery and stopped for a snack at SweetRiver Bakery, a cute bakery and coffee shop in the town of Pateros. Upon arrival in Tonasket, I met the trio of teachers of the Okanogan Chapter of WSMTA (Roz Nau, Lois Rhoads, and Joan Smith), listened to some fine pianists in a recital competition, enjoyed a pot luck, and gave a musical presentation on my book, Music in the Westward Expansion.
The next day, I listened to, wrote comments for, and worked at the piano with twenty-three students who each played two prepared pieces. (We had a delicious lunch at Joyful Thai in Tonasket.) I enjoyed meeting the engaging teachers, spending time in the beautiful piano studio of Roz Nau, and working with the students. By the way, Evelyn Sheller won the recital competition and will be performing at the WSTMA conference at Gonzaga University in June. Lydia Thompson it the alternate, and Violet Thompson received an honorable mention.
Laura and Susan Graves
As a bonus, I met Joe’s cousin (Joe is my better half), Susan Graves. The delightful Susan lives near Omak, and she was already acquainted with the music teachers in the area. I had heard a great deal about her prior to our meeting, including her legendary sewing and design skills that she puts to use for local productions. Susan joined us for the student recital, potluck, and the Westward Expansion program.
Okanogan County not only has a vibrant piano scene with the three dynamic teachers and motivated students, but there is also an orchestra and chorus. Community arts organizations also host several visiting arts groups and soloists throughout the year.
This was my first time to the Okanogan Valley. Beautiful features of the area include the Columbia River, snow capped mountains, and apple orchards dotting the landscape.I stayed at the newly remodeled and very comfortable Omak Peppertree Inn. The trip is a reminder of just how big and beautiful the state of Washington is and also how dedicated professionals enliven the community with their talent, energy, and engaging arts education offerings. For more about arts in the Okanogan area, visit:
It’s Music Artistry season in Washington State. What is that, you ask? Throughout the month of March, Washington State Music Teacher Chapters invite visiting artists to their neck of the woods to listen to students, write comments, and work with each student for a few minutes on two pieces that the teachers and students have painstakingly prepared for performance. (Phew!) A visiting artist may be at a location from one day to one week. Sometimes these locations are private studios, but most often times, they are in churches, as some churches have wonderful grand pianos – perfect for such an event.
I have been on both sides of the Music Artistry Program (MAP), my students annually play in the Seattle Music Teacher Chapter’s MAP, and I have been a visiting artist myself for the past four years. In that time, I’ve worked with students in the Snohomish, Olympia, Edmonds, and most recently, The Kitsap Peninsula. At the end of the month, I’ll be flying to Wenatchee, renting a car, and then driving north to visit the Okanogan Chapter in the north eastern part of Washington state.
As a visiting artists, some things that we watch for in performances are stage presence, posture at the piano, hand position, and ease of movement while playing. We listen for beautiful phrasing, smooth legato passages, crisp staccatos, and expressive playing that uses a wide variety of dynamics. We check that the performer accurately interprets the score including rhythm, tempo, notes, fingerings, clean passages, and articulations. We listen for beautiful tone production and balance between the hands. Is the melody coming through over the accompaniment? Do the phrases end gracefully? Does the music breathe? Does the student understand and express the mood of the pieces?
Here’s a video of an early intermediate piece demonstrating attention to details as indicted in the score. This piece, “Fantasie,” by George Philipp Telemann, is an early intermediate piece from the Baroque Era, it is found in The Festival Collection, Book 3, edited by Helen Marlais.
If you are interested in learning the piano in a traditional style, that is learning: how to play musically with ease, how to read a musical score, how to practice a piece, and how to add all of the details that will make your music sing, consider taking my online, on-demand piano course. Visit my teachable page for sample lessons and for a complete outline of the course.
Commuting from Seattle to the Kitsap Peninsula by ferry. I boarded the Seattle/Bainbridge ferry with my beloved electric Nissan Leaf. I spent an afternoon teaching near Poulsbo and drove south on the Kitsap Peninsula to Bremerton where I spent the night, recharged the Leaf, taught the next day, and then took the Bremerton/Seattle ferry home. It was a musical adventure in my own back yard. In all, I worked with about 25 students and 5 teachers.A typical set up at a Music Artistry event. This was at a Methodist Church in Bremerton. The piano was a beautiful, older model Steinway.
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