A Crybaby's Pro-Arts Manifesto

Call me sensitive, but I often cry in the presence of a moving musical phrase, at the height of a crescendo, or when I witness rare talent in a young person.  Yeah, I'm a crybaby.  I wear my heart on my sleeve.  This week was full of such moments.

First, I watched a dancer perform a solo contemporary dance routine for a ballet class I was accompanying.  While I can't be certain, I suspect she choreographed it herself, to music she chose. As the electric guitar wailed, this girl was putting out everything that she had to give.  There was no holding back, and it was obviously her passion.  Her skill was second to none, but it was her feeling and passion that moved me.  The expression on her face told me that this was who she was.

Dance meant everything to her; it was her mode of being -- her life.  

I had to cry.  I couldn't help it.  At the same time, I felt embarrassed or ashamed for doing so.  But should I feel embarrassed for putting my feelings out in the open?  Isn't that the point of art?  To swell our emotions and bring joy to our hearts?  Honestly, I think our society is emotionally repressed.  That's why I feel guilty for opening my tear ducts in public.  I really think I should be Italian.

Today I heard my twelve-year old composition student play and sing a song that she wrote...her first song with words.  I had just started her on accompanying techniques; how to play while you sing.  I figured I was planting a seed for songwriting, but I had no idea that such a vigorous sprout would burst forth from that seed.  I was pretty sure her skill at composition and her skill at singing could be artfully joined.  The previous week, I had started her on a song I was pretty sure she knew -- "Say Something," by Great Big World. Sure enough, she had it on her iPod.  It's an emotional ballad that relies on simple chord-pulsing for accompaniment, allowing the singer to focus on her singing and not a difficult piano part.  So after playing and singing that all week, she decided to write a song last night. This was not an assignment that I gave her.

It was something she WAS INSPIRED TO DO - OF HER OWN ACCORD.  Of course, I DEMANDED to hear it!  

As she played and sang her very first original song with words, I began to cry.  I think her mom was crying too.  We couldn't help it.  On her very first effort, it was creatively harmonized, the lyrics were moving and clever, the accompaniment was imaginative, and the delivery was sincere and pure.  She wasn't trying to please anyone or meet a standard; she was just sharing her unique creative genius and her heart, something the school system rarely asks of its pupils.

Her achievement came not from following orders, but from doing what she enjoyed, and working hard at it -- because she WANTED TO.  

There were most certainly technical things to tweak, but I couldn't believe my ears; the raw talent and creativity that I heard.  Not all children/ musicians have the gift of crafting an original song that is dripping with soul, or do they?  Perhaps we are so busy suppressing their imaginations in order to meet standards. Why is it that more of my past piano students composed than most of my colleagues' students combined?  Is it because their method book told them to?  No.  Is it because my own identity as a composer inspired them to try it?  To realize it was possible?  Did my confidence as a creative artist somehow free them to explore composition?  I think so!  If teachers can't inspire, can they really expect their students to soar, just by directing and controlling?  Absolutely not!

Creative genius, whether it's dance, writing, or music, is a rare gift to those who have the privilege of being on the receiving end.  I think of what a sad world it would be without artists like this to help us feel and see life in new and beautiful ways.  And they want to cut arts budgets out of school; as if children are only supposed to be data processing machines!

Data in, data out.

Is that what we have boiled our youth down to?  No wonder -- the suicide rate nowadays.

                  We care about the numbers more than children's hearts.

My mother, a fourth grade teacher, is complaining about all the data she has to submit to the school system lately.  It's all about the data, the test scores, the graduation rates, and the college admissions. It's all one big driving force designed to produce obedient, tax-paying citizens and a thriving economy full of revenue-generating workers whose taxes can pay for the overgrown and flawed school system.  Ok, a necessary evil, perhaps, to keeping our economy afloat, but still...a vicious cycle.

But what if we cared enough to ask our children about their feelings and interests, rather than pressing them through an education factory that expects perfect well-roundedness out of every student?  What if we asked them which disciplines they would like to focus on, and gave them even more arts?  

Might we find that greater academic effort and success is a natural byproduct of emotionally healthy kids who have more say over what they study, and more artistic outlets?

What of children's emotions anyway?  Are they unimportant? How often do we ask children to write in a journal about how they feel today?  And they refuse to put drama classes in our county's middle schools because - - why???   I know I am in the presence of excellent public schools, being in Loudoun County, Virginia, but what about all the caged hearts and suppressed artists?

What happens to kids when we care more about data than hearts?  What happens when the classes are so large that the kids rarely get one-on-one instruction?  Do kids fall through the cracks?  Do loners get ignored or shunned?  Do pent-up emotions take their toll when there is no outlet through artistic expression? Do kids decide to check out of life because they are just a nameless number, and no one cares?

No one took their own life while I was in high school.  And now, it seems like there is at least one teen suicide in my town every year.  I know there are far more attempted suicides that are not completed.  Is it because we're not tending to these children's emotions?

Ten Reasons The Wedding Pianist Should Charge Higher Rates

I play all types of gigs, from background music to front-and-center stage events.  Here's why I feel that weddings should be more expensive than receptions and parties:

1. Every note counts.  Yes, there is little room for glaring mistakes in a wedding ceremony, and you don't want to spoil someone's big day with a sloppy delivery.  This means more outside practice time so that you can deliver an outstanding performance on the big day. 
2. All ears are on you.  Wedding music is not background music in a noisy bar.  It is front-and-center stage music.  All ears are on you, and this means that there is more pressure is on the pianist to deliver a superior product.  Mistakes are less noticeable in noisy party gigs. 
3. Extra practice needed.  For wedding ceremonies, the pianist will have to be thorough in her preparation and meticulous in her execution.  Oftentimes the client has specific song requests that must be practiced thoroughly, or even new pieces that must be learned.  I would never have to put in this preparation time for receptions or parties, since I play mostly popular music from fake books and memory at these events.  Plus, my repertoire is already set and mastered.
4. Extra organization needed. First, the pianist must coordinate with the client on the program of music.  Though I try to make this easy by preparing sample program mp3s for the client, clients often have special requests, or make changes as the wedding gets closer.  This takes time.  Time is money.  As the wedding gets closer, the pianist must make copies if needed and organize all of her music in a binder or iPad.    I also have to minimize page  turns, make notes in my music (like what chord starts the next page), and make sure all pieces are in the right order.  In addition to my seven prelude pieces, I have to have 3 - 5 backup songs ready to account for unforeseen delays in the ceremony, which happen more often than not.
5. Extra time needed for administrative tasks.  When you are running your own wedding business, you are doing all the administrative work that an agency might normally do, such as contract preparation, responding to client e-mails, billing, collecting deposits that clients often forget to pay, making sure the piano has been tuned, and collecting the final balance before it's too late and the bride forgets to bring your check to the wedding.
6. Attending the Rehearsal.  I always include one rehearsal in my fee.  I think things go more smoothly if the pianist is able to attend the wedding rehearsal, but not all clients choose to have me there. 
7. Coordinating with the Wedding Coordinator/ Officiant/ Venue.   I always like to touch base with these three contacts before the event and make sure my questions are answered.  For instance:  Is the piano tuned?  What is my cue for the bridal processional?  What is my cue to start the recessional?  Where will the piano be (will I be able to see the bride/groom)?  All these questions must be answered and I do the legwork for the client.  That is extra time spent, and time is money!
8. Weddings are a performance, not background music.  Enough said!   
9. Classical is harder and requires more formal training.  Most weddings are going to involve  large amount of classical music, and classical is just more difficult than popular music for most pianists.  Once again, there's less room for mistakes and improvisation.  While I can sit down and play three hours of popular music in an improvisatory style, classical is just harder to excecute flawlessly, without a lot of outside preparation. 
10. You may have to bring your own piano.  Maybe the piano at the venue is terrible.  Or maybe it's outdoors.  The pianist's own equipment (often including keyboard, amp, cables, and piano bench) must be loaded four times total:  into the car, out of the car and into the venue, back into the car, and back out of the car when the pianist gets back home.  This adds about two extra hours to the gig, not to mention the hassle your pianist is going through in order for you to have beautiful piano music.

That said, I enjoy playing weddings and making someone's day special.  But all this outside work should be accounted for in the price.  Explain this to your wedding client when you quote your rate.  I will make you look more experienced and thorough, as if you've been doing this a long time.  They will understand that your thoroughness makes you a cut above the rest, and are more likely to trust you, even though you might be more expensive than Joe Average pianist or some high school student. 

Jennifer Warren-Baker plays weddings and events in the Washington, DC metro area and is available to travel up to 3,000 miles for events.  She has played events at prestigious DC area venues such as the Organization of American States, The George Washington Masonic National Memorial, and the five-star Salamander Resort and Spa, where she was the resident lobby pianist for most of their inaugural year. For more information on her services, visit her website at www.musicbyjennifer.net, or e-mail info@musicbyjennifer.net.

Music: Better Than Shrinks and Pills!

Music is Therapy

There is no question.  When I improvise or compose at the piano, it is an intensely therapeutic activity.  The deepest truths of my psyche are poured out into sound.  Whatever emotion I am feeling is intensified by my music.  My soul can breathe and feel, and I get it out of my system. Expressing pent-up feelings through music can bring on an oppressive melancholy, or sometimes it can catapult one into the blissful stratosphere of the emotional spectrum.  But I do know that releasing these emotions into an art form (even dancing, acting, or painting), eventually makes me feel better and return to relative normalcy.  It is necessary tool for me, to work through difficulties in life.  So why is it that schools want to cut arts programs?  What about emotional intelligence and the emotional health of students?  Isn't that important to preventing more Columbines? (more on this later)

But Is Sad Music Healthy for Us?

Sometimes, as we listen to a tragic piece like Chopin's Prelude in E Minor (Op. 28, No. 4), we hear loss, death, pain, and tribulation.  Yet we recognize such masterpieces as the most beautiful music.  Why is sad music beautiful?  Is it healthy for us to dwell in sad music?  That is a very good question.  I think sad music helps us to process negative emotions and to release them through catharsis.  Sad music captures the depth of the human experience, which includes loss and death.  But perhaps most importantly, sad music helps us grieve.

A visual artist told me one of my compositions helped him to grieve the loss of his music teacher.  He found it on Soundcloud and played it over and over, saying it really helped him to cope with the loss.  It's no surprise to me that the piece he listened to was composed during one of my deepest depressions.  He was so moved by it that he drove down from NY state to hear me play.  On this visit, he felt moved to give me one of his hand-pulled lithographs.  The lithograph was a stipple drawing of Thelonius Monk at the piano, one of the greatest improvisers of the twentieth century.  It was a very valuable piece of artwork, and I was deeply touched by this gesture.  I was more struck, however, by the impact my emotional low had on this stranger.  Had I not fallen into a depression, this piece would never have been born, and I would not have ministered to this man's heart.

Mood Disorders are Good for Art

Many artists, musicians, composers, poets, actors, leaders, writers, and visionaries experience mood disorders.  Yet our world is a brighter place for their contributions.  Take Robin Williams, for example.  In the midst of a depressive funk, I may resent my mood swings, but I also realize that my best work comes from the extremes of the emotional spectrum.  I would never medicate, and thereby dull the peaks and valleys that produce my best creative work.  This is just who I am.  I accept it and find tools like exercise and low sugar intake to prevent dangerously wild extremes.  But I struggle with the ups and downs of life just like anyone.  My mood fluctuations may be more pronounced, but I am human, just like everyone else.  I use music rather than drugs or alcohol to deal with the ups and downs, and it helps.    

A Midnight Orchestral Idea

I compose because I HAVE TO. Every new song I create is like falling in love. I fall in love over and over, with each new song I create. There is no better way to describe it. It is the best feeling in the world. I'm not trying to be famous or get rich. Writing music is not about appearances or pleasing people (yeah, I was tired and it was late). I'm not trying to copy someone or be the next greatest hit. I just do what I HAVE TO DO. I am blessed by those people in my life who understand the obsessive fervor that overtakes me when I am creating. This intense episode may be winding down, but I am still sailing on the waves of high emotion. It takes an understanding family to ride the waves with me, for the weeks when I am so inspired and productive that I can hardly eat, sleep, or function. So excuse the many video posts, or enjoy their truth. It's my truth, my musical journey. I'm not drunk or under the influence of anything but life. My life is ever richer and deeper for the music I create. I actually can't believe how beautiful and deep life is. There are times when I have tried to say "maybe I'm not really meant to be a musician," but it seems an inescapable part of my identity. This is what I often find myself doing late at night. I will have to use some better recording equipment next time. 

Moved to Tears - A Moving Improvisation at Julia's Lesson

Download My Parallel Sixth Exercise

Because I know you need another exercise to hone your virtuosic piano skills... (download is available below)





Parallel Sixths Exercise
www.freethepiano.com



PARALLEL SIXTHS -

 

They separate the men from the boys, the women from the girls, and the pros from the amateurs.
 



If you're not there yet, you might want to try my very romantic parallel sixths exercise.  I created this exercise for a composition student who is trying to fill his tool box with more tricks.  He wanted to bump up his skill level and add depth to the RH melody.  He had seen me spontaneously weaving sixths underneath the melody line while interpreting a lead sheet, and wanted to know how I did that.  It is something I hardly even think about anymore; it happens with such ease.  I even know intuitively when to substitute a fifth for a sixth (there are certain times the sixth doesn't work musically). 

So why are parallel sixths so important in piano?  First of all, they sound amazing.  That's why romantic and impressionist composers like Chopin and Debussy used them with such zeal.  A sixth is rich and deep; much more so than a third.  Thirds are weaker to me, even though it is the same pitch as the sixth, projected in the opposite direction.  They just don't have the sonorous punch and chime of a sixth.  Sixths are bold, dramatic, and romantic.  They also leverage your showmanship if you can spontaneously craft a seamless string of parallel sixths in your right hand (much more virtuosic than a monophonic, single-note melody line)!  So I would advise every pianist to get fluent in parallel sixths in all the keys, and to memorize the proper legato fingering.  I guarantee that mastery of this exercise will improve your classical chops and get you ready for more nocturnes.  It will also fill your composing toolbox with a new trick!  I use parallel sixths in jazz and lead-sheet interpretation.

Of course, I needed the left hand to have something equally meaty to chew on in this exercise, so I threw in a filled-out arpeggio pattern in the left.  It compliments the RH sixths nicely, and would be a likely choice to use if I were interpreting a lead-sheet or composing in romantic style. 

Enjoy!  Don't forget break it down into hands separate at first, and make sure you do the right fingering.

***This exercise is a free download for now.  It is not for sale or distribution, but may be used for personal or teaching purposes. ***

PARALLEL SIXTHS TRAINING

 

(Click the link above to download and print the sheet music for this exercise.)



A Dead MIDI Cable is No Excuse!

Yesterday my MIDI cable died.  It just stopped working.  When I awoke at 6am to write out my newest compostion, my trusty equipment was shot.  I troubleshot every possiblility to diagnose the problem (reversed IN-OUT config, unplugged, re-plugged, re-opened software after cable attached, switched pianos, etc), and determined that the cable was indeed kaput.  Since I need my MIDI cable for quickly scribing the notes into the computer (via hyperscribe in Finale software), it seriously hinders my data input without the cable. 

What's a composer to do without her MIDI cable in 2014?  I could have walked away from the computer and folded laundry.  I could have run to the music store to get one, but music stores aren't open at 6am on Sunday mornings.  So I decided to quit making excuses and use this handicap as an opportunity to learn a new skill.  There are, indeed, a couple of ways to enter notes without a MIDI cable.  One is simple entry, a method that uses tedious mouse-clicking.  And there's speedy entry, a method I had yet to really learn. 

Within Finale, I had been relying on combination of hyperscribe, cut-and-paste, transpose, and simple entry to quickly scribe my scores, but I had been avoiding speedy entry.  My hybrid method worked very well, and was pretty efficient.  But an orchestrator colleague I know only uses speedy entry in Finale (absolutely no hyperscribe).  It is a typing-based entry method in Finale, and there's a learning curve involved.  But once you learn it, it's like touch-typing on the computer...you become very, very fast.  Some people swear by it, so I decided that my lack of a MIDI cable set up the perfect scenario to learn a new skill.

I delved into the online manual and googled for answers to my questions.  I learned that 4 stands for eighth note, 5 for quarter, and 6 for half.  See, I'm not looking them up on the chart and I already have this memorized.  I learned that you can navigate from one beat to the next with the arrow keys, and that you can use the + symbol to raise a note a half-step, and the minus symbol to lower it.   I did get a little frustrated when I went to enter three and four-note chords.  I realized that, once again, I kind of need MIDI input via a MIDI controller/piano-- that is, if I want to be fast!  I also reached a roadblock when I tried to enter triplets via speedy entry.  It appears some MIDI input is necessary for this as well.  So, given that my music has a lot of chords and triplets,  I decided to abandon speedy entry for the moment and will re-explore this method once I get a new MIDI cable. 

Bottom line - I started mastering a new skill this morning, and I will build on my new knowledge later.

But wait!  I had nothing to show for my work this morning; no notes input, no score produced.  I decided not to make excuses, so I spent the extra time needed to simple-entry my notes, a tedious process, but with cut-and-paste and transpose, the process is a little faster.  And I have the start of "Moving On".