Semester One of 2019-2020 Academic Year is Launched!

We are once again back in the studio, busy getting used to a new schedule, new music, and some new methods. It's always fun this time of year for me to hear the great menu of holiday songs that are in the preparation stage for our Christmas Piano Party on Saturday, December 7 at the home of my friend Holly.

Our Christmas Piano Party is a special event that started four years ago after the death of my boss at Starbucks.  He had just retired after more than 27 years at the company, and was looking forward to completing his training to become a Life Coach.  He loved people, and he loved music, and he was a pivotal person in my life during the decade I spent at the company.  These annual celebrations at his home pay homage to his life and his work with people, and it is so wonderful that his wife is willing to share their beautiful home with all of us.

I am enjoying the stories from my students about their Summer Adventures!  Many of them traveled abroad, and had the chance to play pianos during their trips, and see European wonders such as art and pipe organs in cathedrals.  Many of them participated in the Pianos in the Park event here in Seattle, and got to play pianos in public places.  It's always fun to expand your knowledge of playing different instruments.

Happy Fall!  We are welcoming 8 new students this semester, so I am looking forward to getting to know them and sharing their Piano Story!

Ross 

Nathaniel Hawthorne's Piano--Salem, MA

In 1668, merchant and ship-owner John Turner built a house on Salem Harbor that was destined to become one of America’s most beloved historic homes. Designated a National Historic Landmark District in 2007, The House of the Seven Gables is best known today as the setting of world-renowned American author Nathaniel Hawthorne’s 1851 novel. 

There is a pianoforte in the parlor, where its rich rosewood and mahogany construction attracts comments and questions from visitors to The House of the Seven Gables.  Its forty ivory keys are fewer than those of a modern piano and, though the sound of the instrument is louder than that of the earlier harpsichords, it is not as loud as a modern piano.  In the 1820’s, Alphaeus Babcock, at the time working in Boston, made this particular pianoforte.


In the parlor of The House of the Seven Gables is a portrait of Susanna Ingersoll, former owner of the house and cousin to Nathaniel Hawthorne.  Contrary to her traditional reputation as a recluse, friends reported that she was lively and social. We know from Hawthorne’s letters that she met with him and others to play whist. She was also very musical. She loved to sing and play the pianoforte and to entertain friends and guests.  According to contemporary newspaper accounts, Susanna gave a “Garden Party” for naval heroes of the War of 1812.  --From the "House of the Seven Gables" website.

My piano student Dale sent me the picture below from Salem yesterday.  She is visiting family in New England, and was thrilled to see the piano from The House of the Seven Gables.  

Beautiful rosewood and mahogany case on this pianoforte

The Vulnerabiity of a Musician

I recently listened to Brene Brown's 2012 TED Talk, "Listening to Shame".  Ms. Brown is a research professor who spent 10 years researching vulnerability, courage, authenticity, and shame.  She poses the following questions:

1)  How do we embrace our vulnerabilities and imperfections so we can live an authentic life?

2)  How do we get the compassion and connection we need to realize that we are enough as we are?

As a teacher of musicians in all states of development, wouldn't YOU want to know the answers to these questions before you share your ideas with your students?

Most people think of musicians (especially famous ones) as invincible--after all, they engage in highly complex, technical and artistic activity that requires physical and mental agility and concentration!  Whew--think about it!  Doesn't your favorite musician make his/her craft look effortless, inspiring, and beautiful?  They offer their music to us as a gift.  I'll never forget seeing Elvis Presley in person in Seattle in 1970.  When he performed, he was giving everything he had for each word and note he sang.

Being a performer, we must realize that making ourselves vulnerable is part of our profession.  By performing for even one person, we choose to put ourselves "out there", and hold our music up for scrutiny, praise and criticism.

Vulnerability develops at an early age, even before we  are aware of our own identity.  The early years of musical training can be difficult, with strict and critical teachers, competition, hours of practice, and a sense of being isolated and alone.  Even admitting that we are emotionally vulnerable could be taken as a weakness or a lack of talent.

Surprisingly, though, vulnerability makes us better musicians.  Without our sensitivity, we would not be able to create and play music with meaning.  We could not play music that creates unspoken communication between you and the audience.  And finally, being vulnerable prevents our ego from getting in the way of our creativity.

NOTE:  If you'd like to seen an excellent example of the most passionate and vulnerable piano performer I know, watch a Keith Jarrett video and feel the emotion that he conveys with every note.  It's a moving experience.

Pianos In the Park--Seattle

2019 was a great year for the Pianos In the Park project in Seattle and outlying areas!  The event launched August 1, and ended on August 18.

Before our summer break, each of my students received a worksheet on which to record the pianos they checked out and played.  Each piano had been painted by teams of artists, and they had lovely colored murals on them.  This event is so much fun because it allows piano-lovers to try out many different pianos, build confidence for performing, and spread the joy of creating live music for others to enjoy!

My students come across pianos all over the country and the world during their vacations.  One of my students found a little piano bar in the Caribbean last year, and enjoyed playing a few of the pieces she had learned.  They invited her back this year during her November vacation, and she has been working SO hard this whole year to have a couple of pieces ready to dazzle her audience!  What a great incentive for an early intermediate pianist!

One of my newest students found a piano at the airport in Paris, France, and stopped briefly to play it.  It's the first of my piano pictures below.

Remember:  there can NEVER be too many pianos in the world, and they are all waiting for you to introduce yourselves to them.

Paris Airport--Thanks, Deborah!

Old Piano at Molbak's Nursery in Woodinville, WA

One of my piano associates from the Snohomish Music Teachers Association

Even the dogs enjoyed the event!

Summer Learning Opportunities

Did you know that your piano teacher is committed to keeping up with new tech and teaching trends?  Did you know that she is a "lifelong learner"?  I love new information, psychological studies, innovative ways of approaching music, and new ways I can make music a larger part of my life.

One of my favorite webinars taught us how to maintain and update our websites.  It's the single most effective way to reach new customers, and to keep current and former students in touch with music trends and their past cohort group members.

As a result of this webinar, I added my business to "Google My Business" as another way of highlight my unique offerings.  My website will continue to evolve over time, so check into it from time to time.

maltbypianostudio.com

The First Day of August 2019

Ah, August!  This seems to be the time that summer truly arrives here in the Pacific Northwest, and I'm ready to spend this month preparing myself and the studio for Semester One of the 2019-2020 academic year.  I've had the opportunity during the month of July to rest, read, take classes, and re-imagine the studio.  The piano and harpsichord tuner comes this month to get the instruments ready, and I'm already planning our Christmas Piano Party on December 7 and our Spring Recital on May 16, 2020.  Lots of things to be excited about!

In Seattle, August is the month for the Pianos In The Park event.  Many artists have spent weeks painting and decorating the pianos that have been donated for this event.  Watch your news sources for the piano near you, and give public performing a try this year!

My students are enjoying their two months off from piano studies, and are vacationing and taking the time to do the things they love (besides music!).  I can't wait to hear their stories when the studio opens on Tuesday, September 10!

Here's to an August full of live music, visiting with friends and family, and lots of sunshine!

Spring Piano Recital 2019

Well, we had our recital a little earlier than normal this year, on April 27.  We were back at the Kirkland Woman's Club this year, and our recital theme was "Music and Chocolate"!  We had a huge chocolate buffet after the event, and it was a fun time of meeting and getting to know our audience members made up of friends and families of students.

Lovely classical pieces mingled with popular songs this year, making for a nice variety of music for our audience.

Thank you all!

Holiday Piano Party 2018

Time for our Holiday Piano Party again!  Thanks to Holly for hosting our recital again.  We had a lot of new students this year who enjoyed Holly's lovely and elegant Edmonds home, and her wonderful Music Room, complete with a Boston piano and Christmas decorations.

Spring Recital 2018

This year we had a NEW VENUE!  I was very lucky to book the lovely Kirkland Woman's Club in downtown Kirkland.  It's a beautiful place with a 1902 Steinway concert grand piano for you to play.  The auditorium seats 100 guests, and we have grown to need a larger place for our recitals.

Many months of preparation go into these performances, and it's always a time to look back on with pride and accomplishment.  We also have an awards ceremony, where you receive a recital certificate and a piano trophy.

Thank you for all of the students and audience members (90 of them) who made this event such an enjoyable experience!

Piano Party 2017 in Edmonds

My friend Holly offered up her lovely Edmonds home to us this year as the venue for our studio Holiday Piano Party!  This event is for students and ONE GUEST ONLY, and it's a wonderful way to kick off the holiday season, and perfect your pieces of music for your friends and family.  It's a small group in an intimate setting, and Holly's music room is painted a lovely shade of "Eggplant", and has an impressive Boston baby grand piano.  This is one of our most enjoyable times together each year, and we leave this event ready to launch the holidays.

Our holiday selections are chosen over the summer so the students will be ready to share their music the first week of December.