tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70480257713491599832024-02-23T21:03:05.451-05:00Beyond the NotesErica Ann Sipeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13526622607656348353noreply@blogger.comBlogger326125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048025771349159983.post-10496333528867617702023-04-20T18:44:00.006-04:002023-04-20T20:30:54.728-04:00The thrill and terror of being Opera Roanoke's rehearsal pianist<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj0tMI_7LgyAjmWy8bwI_M15I4JFmXl4SXLgt8lcy6n5IiCAf9Nw8oUzePHBwf8c2Jkok0VBOAWNL-Gn_PemLqDGzQ01ExdIh74STnPSlxxuGykpkbaj570sdfp6DZa8gouStV3A2NeOicCINk_9XdGShPpRc1ejZURfeHawgEg2Ocuuq8ph63iW4NUKw" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj0tMI_7LgyAjmWy8bwI_M15I4JFmXl4SXLgt8lcy6n5IiCAf9Nw8oUzePHBwf8c2Jkok0VBOAWNL-Gn_PemLqDGzQ01ExdIh74STnPSlxxuGykpkbaj570sdfp6DZa8gouStV3A2NeOicCINk_9XdGShPpRc1ejZURfeHawgEg2Ocuuq8ph63iW4NUKw" width="320" /></a></div><br />I'm sitting here in my home, doing the only thing I can do at the moment - eating a piece of cake accompanied by a glass of white wine at 4pm in the afternoon. </div><div><br /></div><div>I think it's called for. </div><div><br /></div><div>Every so often I'm called upon by our local opera company, <a href="https://operaroanoke.org/">Opera Roanoke</a>, to serve as their rehearsal pianist. I think this is one of those invisible music roles that most people, even many pianists, don't realize even exist. Perhaps that's because it's a role that can literally just last a couple of hours. Or perhaps it's because there simply aren't a lot of us out there willing to do this kind of work. </div><div><br /></div><div>In my opinion it's an example of extreme musicking and it's one that I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with. The work is daunting much of the time, requiring a lot of time to prepare, the experience involves combination of humility and bravery, and often the job doesn't include a performance in front of an audience. On the flip side, I get to work with a brilliant conductor, <a href="https://www.stevenwhiteconductor.com/about">Steven White</a>, and amazing soloists (who are sitting only feet away from me I might add!) I also inevitably end up having my mind changed about more challenging monumental works (shout-out here to Bartók's <i>Bluebeard's Castle </i>and this most recent venture, Britten's <i>War Requiem.) </i>I love being proven wrong about music. It helps me understand that just like with some people, art sometimes needs to be probed, lived with, and given numerous chances, to win me over. </div><div><br /></div><div>So what does being a rehearsal pianist for productions like this entail? </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqAZb5nTbm-DiYguMJlSAHUnlmYAkrnmugib6-6vzjmDje_tEzZKS2CJQcx4myXa061YpmudA0DBXdDif0wd0QdIpjDT5uq9ypaz_Hpp-luAKqWX_eoyZdGd_aduGhWwa4J5Bj7PGxrN1kELDnP1Ti5yM054-VDjIOOHPNriE43sqM-4NOk5rvULZNMw/s570/Britten.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="570" data-original-width="357" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqAZb5nTbm-DiYguMJlSAHUnlmYAkrnmugib6-6vzjmDje_tEzZKS2CJQcx4myXa061YpmudA0DBXdDif0wd0QdIpjDT5uq9ypaz_Hpp-luAKqWX_eoyZdGd_aduGhWwa4J5Bj7PGxrN1kELDnP1Ti5yM054-VDjIOOHPNriE43sqM-4NOk5rvULZNMw/w400-h640/Britten.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />I'm usually given the score, which is a reduction of the orchestra part, reduced down (sort of) to a piano part, a few months in advance so that I can prepare. The reduction is much easier than reading a full orchestra score with all of its many lines of music, one for each instrument; I don't know how many pianists could actually play for a rehearsal off the orchestral score. Much of the reduction is somewhat playable but there are always pages that are quite frankly nightmares. There can be extra lines of music in addition to the left hand and right hand lines, the texture can be really dense, lines can cross and be on top of one another...it's enough to sometimes make my eyes cross or my stomach churn at first (or second, third, etc...) glance. There are often parts in which there's no possible way a pianist could play everything. I would say that much of the time this is the case. Which leads to one of the greatest challenges - deciding what to play and what to leave out. </div><div><br /></div><div>Making this decision means knowing exactly what's going on in the orchestra - knowing which line represents which instrument, knowing whether or not that instrument is heard in that particular spot, and deciding if it's a line that should be played in order to help the soloists pick up their entrance notes or to know when to come in. I do a lot of listening to recordings while following along in the piano reduction. I then make a lot of decisions regarding what I think I should/can play or not play and mark up the score to reduce the temptation to try and do any more than that at rehearsal time.</div><div><br /></div><div>As a rehearsal pianist I am also very careful to understand the meter and to guess as well as I can how the conductor is going to conduct it. When I'm practicing I make it a point to count out loud while playing to ensure that I know exactly what's going on rhythmically. Of course there's no way to accurately predict exactly how the conductor is going to conduct any given spot, but if I understand what's going on and have pictured what the possibilities are it gives me a much better chance to save some time since rehearsal time is very limited. Doing a lot of this rhythmic prep and visualization also makes it more likely that I'll keep one part of my vision glued to the conductor during the rehearsal. Often times, when sections are really challenging note-wise, I ditch worrying about the pitches I'm playing in order to convey rhythm, pulse, and mood. </div><div><br /></div><div>Another goal of mine in this type of work is knowing the piece so well that I can try to mimic as many aspects of the orchestra as I can so that in the rehearsal the conductor and soloists can feel like they're getting a glimpse of what they're going to get with the orchestra. This goes back to listening to recordings over and over again and playing around with different articulation, pedaling, approaches to touch on the keyboard, and dynamics. My goal is to not just sound like I'm playing a Reader's Digest version on the piano.</div><div><br /></div><div>After all the preparation I do, and here I should add that no matter what I do I never feel fully prepared, it's time for a rehearsal with just me and the conductor. Maestro White and I have worked together enough that we both have said we like to have this initial meeting, which is usually a week or so before the soloists' rehearsal. For me it helps me to find out if there are any lines I should be playing rather than leaving out and to be aware of tempos that might be faster than I had anticipated so that I know what final prep I need to do. It's also a really incredible opportunity for me to glean from him what he feels about the piece. I learn so much from seeing what he finds challenging himself and sensing his enthusiasm and love for the music is always infectious. It's often in these one-on-ones that I find myself inescapably falling in love with the music myself. Last but not least, these rehearsals usually have me falling flat on my face at some point. There's nothing quite like doing that in front of a brilliant conductor to help get over nerve and perfection issues. If I can see that he's fine with some of my more colorful note snafus and imperfections, sometimes even laughing about them together, it makes me a little less nervous for what comes next.</div><div><br /></div><div>After final touch-ups on my own we come to the rehearsal with the conductor and soloists. After all that work leading up to this moment, it is often shocking how short these rehearsals can be. Today's rehearsal lasted just about 2 hours. With the most difficult sections, which I've often spent hours and hours of work on, we may only go over it once. Today for instance the most demanding (I think it's pretty insane, really) sections took about 5 minutes of rehearsal time. All of that work...for 5 terrifying/exhilarating minutes!! Sometimes I also get frustrated at not getting second chances to get something tricky right. I frequently find myself wanting another go but it's not about me and my ego or desire to show that I can play a particular passage. We often just move on and that's that. It's good practice for one's psyche. </div><div><br /></div><div>Another aspect I find amusing about these rehearsals is how much focus it takes to get through it with grace. I'm always somewhat torn because here I am in the midst of such amazing musicians, with singers whose voices are phenomenal, yet I'm so focused on the task at hand I'm not really able to take it all in. </div><div><br /></div><div>To be honest, I often walk out of these rehearsals wondering if it's really worth it for me. It's a lot of time, a lot of stress, a lot of pressure...and in the end I never get to perform the work as I've prepared it for these rehearsals. </div><div><br /></div><div>But my goodness, I have to say I do love it too. It makes my heart race, it dumps me into the middle of remarkable music, and it surrounds me with inspiring talent. I also really enjoy watching the soloists and conductor cheer each other on in rehearsal. So often they end up really moving one another with what they can do technically and artistically. To see them react to one another's art and to hear them talk of how much they love the music heightens my love for this type of collaboration and motivates me to keep doing this type of work. And in the end, when I've survived it all, it makes me realize how unbelievable the whole process really is and what we, as pianists, are capable of pulling off.</div><div><br /></div><div>It's also a really good excuse for a piece of cake and glass of wine.</div><div><br /></div><a class="twitter-share-button" data-count="none" data-via="ericasipes" href="http://twitter.com/share">Tweet</a><script src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" type="text/javascript"></script>Erica Ann Sipeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13526622607656348353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048025771349159983.post-32503661487066853202023-01-08T21:44:00.001-05:002023-01-08T21:44:06.892-05:00Approaching practicing and performing from a healthier place<div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="animation-name: none !important; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none !important;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhOPKl7_k2uYOBnPC-NvymtRTJOo2Y5mqYKR9C6Rn9VcJL6ZDivMvqfYql0T6yKB8t358p1cdUEaST0I0N4qKVqMiBskJgw1bew_vfOU0R1fxrLDCySo5JGxzC8Irp9Xmv57Ggc12WF-bIJjCeuVtnLm2JU61M_dvdpFrJs1lZrI7CsIblyfHqbelqSyA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: right;"><img alt="" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhOPKl7_k2uYOBnPC-NvymtRTJOo2Y5mqYKR9C6Rn9VcJL6ZDivMvqfYql0T6yKB8t358p1cdUEaST0I0N4qKVqMiBskJgw1bew_vfOU0R1fxrLDCySo5JGxzC8Irp9Xmv57Ggc12WF-bIJjCeuVtnLm2JU61M_dvdpFrJs1lZrI7CsIblyfHqbelqSyA=w400-h225" width="400" /></a></div>
Learning music is not like learning facts yet I think so often that's how it's approached. In the practice room, you either get it right or you don't get it right. In my experience, that's not a helpful way to evaluate one's practicing. When I learn a piece of <span style="animation-name: none !important; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none !important;"><a style="animation-name: none !important; color: #385898; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none !important;" tabindex="-1"></a></span>music, when I practice, I'm constantly seeking to improve several things. At the top of my list are:</div><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none !important;"><br /></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="animation-name: none !important; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none !important;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Confidence</li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Comfort</li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Character</li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Conviction</li></ul></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="animation-name: none !important; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none !important;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none !important;"><b><i>Confidence:</i></b> I want to keep working at feeling more and more confident about the notes, the rhythms, dynamics, stylistic elements, etc... This one is important to work on from the beginning on working on a piece of music.
</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="animation-name: none !important; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none !important;"><b><i>Comfort: </i></b>Comfort is also really important. I'm constantly evaluating how it feels to play the music. Am I doing anything physically that's creating accents I don't want? Am I doing things that are making it harder to play what I'm supposed to be playing? Is there a different fingering, bowing, place to take a breath, that would make the passage more comfortable physically and/or make it more easy to play musically?
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<i style="font-weight: bold;">Character:</i></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> How clear a character or mood do I have in mind for any given part of the music? How descriptive can my adjectives be for what I want to get across? Do I know what instrument I'd like any given spot to sound like?
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<i style="font-weight: bold;">Conviction:</i></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> This one tends to be more of a focus closer towards performance time and it's a great thing to focus on when doing mental practice. I like to ask myself, "Can I close my eyes away from the instrument and hear exactly how I want the music to go?" If I can successfully do this, I know I'm on the right track!
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With all of these points, it's important to note that there's never really any end point for any of them. I can always, ALWAYS get better at them all. My goal when I practice and quite frankly when I perform, is to keep improving each of these. If I've improved one or more aspects in a session, I walk away content. If I've improved one or more aspects in a performance, I also walk away content.</span></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="animation-name: none !important; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none !important;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
To conclude, rarely, if ever, do I not improve some aspect of one of these areas when I practice or perform. Which means I am pretty proud of the work I do. Which means I quite like practicing and performing. It makes me feel good about myself & what I'm capable of. The audience can sense this and I think it makes it much easier for them to relax and enjoy the performance as a result which then feeds my enjoyment of the whole experience. </span></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="animation-name: none !important; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none !important;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div>One positive thing leads to another. I highly recommend it!</div></div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><a class="twitter-share-button" data-count="none" data-via="ericasipes" href="http://twitter.com/share">Tweet</a><script src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" type="text/javascript"></script>Erica Ann Sipeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13526622607656348353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048025771349159983.post-75281849335895116212022-07-01T11:40:00.005-04:002022-07-01T11:58:34.578-04:00Sightreading Reality Check - there's more than meets the eye<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLzpWCjQii7p_xj3PUHLTHiclkGB35nGjoBbaCduJfE5_xd3rVW5L62Wr_zV-su2_d8hvWKIpsfS6fe--opUjHETWYZkBFUZ4hUEG_AjTbWOssFfZyiIZqloBPmbtVOMTXCjp9-1E05RntnhNgLpJN0l5fma2vVPq_gz3sZjkTnKtj9A7bJYKUXvFKOA/s1780/blurmusicnotes.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1780" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLzpWCjQii7p_xj3PUHLTHiclkGB35nGjoBbaCduJfE5_xd3rVW5L62Wr_zV-su2_d8hvWKIpsfS6fe--opUjHETWYZkBFUZ4hUEG_AjTbWOssFfZyiIZqloBPmbtVOMTXCjp9-1E05RntnhNgLpJN0l5fma2vVPq_gz3sZjkTnKtj9A7bJYKUXvFKOA/s320/blurmusicnotes.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />I think about the skill of sightreading music a lot. My pontificating on the topic goes hand in hand with my fascination about the brain and about what we are capable of doing as humans, more specifically as musicians, and even more specifically as pianists. Sightreading is a complex, multi-layered task that involves more than our eyes and hands; just to name a few layers, it involves our ears, imagination, problem solving skills, a kinesthetic sense of the keyboard's topography in relation to our own body, and recall of all that we've experienced at the piano previously. The complexity can often overwhelm me when I'm discussing the topic or coaching someone privately, especially since there seems to be two prevalent views of this skill's acquisition:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>You're either born with the skill or you're not so you shouldn't expect to get better</li><li>You can get better by just doing it </li></ul><div>In my opinion, neither of these are correct. I do think some people are perhaps born with skills that help one be more naturally better readers and I also know from personal experience that having constant exposure, especially early on in one's musical journey, can make skill acquisition happen more naturally and easily. But I also believe that it's possible for anyone to improve their sightreading no matter where they are in their journey but it's not through "just doing it" on a regular basis. Yes we need to practice it consistently but we need to do it with strategies in mind to address the many different skills that go into musically processing and reproducing the clouds of black scratches on the page that manage to represent music and all that it can entail. </div><div><br /></div><div>I've blogged about much of this before so feel free to check out my other posts on the topic. In today's post I want to share two recent videos that further explain my thoughts on the topic and recommendations for how others can work on sightreading themselves. The first video is on the shorter side. For a more extensive discussion, see the second one.</div><div><br /></div><div>This first video clip is from the end of the 100th episode of my <a href="https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-4Ch_3VRHK0FCS-Sqm2kr7sLCByeeu67" target="_blank">Sightreading Maverick</a> show, which I livestream most Sundays at 1pm ET on my YouTube channel. </div></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Huvi9rtNlVc" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">This second video is an interview I did with David Holter who teaches piano in North Carolina. In the past year he started up a Facebook group specifically for pianists who are interested in improving their sightreading skills called the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/pianosightreadingcommunity" target="_blank">Piano Sight Reading Community</a>. It's a wonderfully supportive group that now has over 1700 members - I highly recommend joining whether you're a teacher, student, or amateur. We tease out a lot of different issues over the course of 45 minutes. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EjdStAmaH68" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div>If after watching either or both of these you still have any questions or want to share your own experiences or thoughts, please do feel free to comment here. </div>Erica Ann Sipeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13526622607656348353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048025771349159983.post-10689715359711922702022-06-17T07:27:00.002-04:002022-06-17T07:27:39.910-04:00Playing around with PlayScore 2 - an app for every musician<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgXoR7A62ANUyzjRFOv17PqP95m7Z1arufT-BIfZ6VLKUPGPmpgmGnvQzrhDMqSJtXv-ryEXnnRzfruBTHPKMNjQXpaFj0QxUmoH2L0BoLT2Av1az-HJiv_iPwNubTbOZeV6UJ6qWB-Pmr6oXATrewJY584_DIOW-50VfUnII2R6y_MCW9ZMWlzxf7vRg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="52" data-original-width="250" height="67" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgXoR7A62ANUyzjRFOv17PqP95m7Z1arufT-BIfZ6VLKUPGPmpgmGnvQzrhDMqSJtXv-ryEXnnRzfruBTHPKMNjQXpaFj0QxUmoH2L0BoLT2Av1az-HJiv_iPwNubTbOZeV6UJ6qWB-Pmr6oXATrewJY584_DIOW-50VfUnII2R6y_MCW9ZMWlzxf7vRg=w320-h67" width="320" /></a></div><br />As a professional piano collaborator and accompanist I am very protective of my job. It makes sense then that I would be wary of apps and videos that offer accompaniments for instrumentalists and singers to use in order to learn and practice their music. When I was approached recently by the folks at <a href="https://www.playscore.co/" target="_blank">PlayScore 2</a> about their app, my initial reaction was to politely respond that I don't do reviews on my blog and to leave it at that. But before I responded, I took a few moments to watch one of the videos they had sent along in their email. It had caught my eye because it was titled, "PlayScore 2 for Choir Directors and Singers - Make a Playable Rehearsal Score." <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RzJZ23pdqPo" width="320" youtube-src-id="RzJZ23pdqPo"></iframe></div><br />I had recently had a discussion with a college voice student I accompany about the challenges that she has as the choir director's assistant. To insure that everyone in the choirs has the tools they need to learn their parts, she had been regularly taking the time to record parts and combinations of parts and sending them to the singers. Unfortunately this was a process that was taking a lot of time and energy out of her already busy days as a student. After watching the <a href="https://www.playscore.co/" target="_blank">PlayScore 2</a> video I was excited to check out the app for myself and to see if it was easy and effective enough to use to truly benefit choir directors and their singers.<br /><br />For the past month or so I've been exploring this app from many different angles. It's one that in my mind is a bit like the Swiss Army knife of music apps. It can serve many different purposes in many different situations for many different types of musicians. </div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Are you a choir director, assistant, or choir member?</i></b></div><div>As mentioned earlier in the post and in their video above, you can create practice recordings using any combination of parts, including or excluding any accompaniment parts as well. Email the files to choir members and they can play them back on their own devices within the PlayScore 2 app. Only the person creating the tracks in this instance would need a paid subscription. Singers can open and playback with just the free version. <br /><br /><i style="font-weight: bold;">Is reading music notation or sightreading something you're working on? </i></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgWYRt1EX_uwItsXZw7dG6SG19zwJKnbFST-RSb73XQAM-E97GVQQ9zSFPGT-bP3c5ZIkoR-hy7hI7ykP8XLW9BVS7j_j-6-cEVP6PvtfZajr8FwP7MQz94nSw_93JmEvn4RQtHWPtipYP75ogAGIrds2Qv6IgVvcyahixtS6vTyE3TiipQWngJTjfqDA" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2732" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgWYRt1EX_uwItsXZw7dG6SG19zwJKnbFST-RSb73XQAM-E97GVQQ9zSFPGT-bP3c5ZIkoR-hy7hI7ykP8XLW9BVS7j_j-6-cEVP6PvtfZajr8FwP7MQz94nSw_93JmEvn4RQtHWPtipYP75ogAGIrds2Qv6IgVvcyahixtS6vTyE3TiipQWngJTjfqDA=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></div>Scan the music you want to read in and then use their playback features, which includes a scrolling red vertical bar (see image to the left) and the ability to change tempo, to help you follow along in the score. For sightreading practice, this is one way to encourage you to keep on going when you make a mistake. <br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i style="font-weight: bold;">Would you like to have a way to practice and play with another part?</i><br />Playing with an app is not the same as playing with real musicians but PlayScore 2 can help in the practice room when you are by yourself. During the pandemic, as a piano collaborator at a college, I've been spending hours and hours recording accompaniment tracks for singers and often times I choose a tempo that isn't ultimately what's best for the singer. There can be a lot of wasted time spent re-recording to try to get the "perfect" tempo. With PlayScore 2 they won't necessarily be hearing a real piano while they're practicing, but they will be able to choose a tempo that works for practicing or experiment with different tempos for performance. If a particular key doesn't feel quite right, choosing to transpose the piano part can help find out what key does work. I also love that you can loop tricky measures. <br /><br /></div><div><i style="font-weight: bold;">Do you want to be able to easily import music into notation software so that you can make your own arrangements?</i><br />I play in a trio that is made up of piano, flute, and clarinet. There isn't a lot of music written for this combo so we often have to make our own arrangements. Up until now this has been a painstaking process since I don't have a fancy setup - I've had to hand enter each note into Musescore. I try to take joy in the process but usually I end up pretty tired and frustrated. This past week, with PlayScore 2, I've been able to scan in 2 different pieces which I've then converted into XML files and imported into Musescore. Voilá! Notes are instantly there with dynamics, articulation marks, dynamics...you name it! It's made the process of arranging so much easier. The app works with other music notation software such Dorico and Sibelius.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Do you have a visual impairment?</i></b></div><div>Using the same process mentioned in the previous paragraph, PlayScore 2 allows you to create XML files which can then be imported into braille music notation apps. Or you can use the app to learn the score by ear. <br /><br /><b>Closing thoughts</b></div><div>After using the app for several weeks and talking with the folks at PlayScore 2, it's clear to me that the technology that's used to make this app work the way it does is pretty remarkable and is constantly being improved upon. </div><div><br /></div><div>I've also learned that it is very important when scanning music in to follow their recommendations in order to get the best possible results. You don't need a fancy camera - a good phone is all you really need. They have thorough instructions in the app itself and also on their webpage. They also make it clear that the quality of the original score impacts the end result on the app side of things. At this time the technology can't read hand-written scores or one that use a font that looks handwritten. It also doesn't do well with really old editions. If you get stuck you can also contact them directly. They seem more than happy to help troubleshoot whatever issues you might encounter.</div><div><br /></div><div>And last but not least, the price. You can pay for the app monthly for $5.99 or you can save quite a bit of money, <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">something I'm partial to,</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span>by paying for a year at a time which is $26.99. Either option, but especially the year subscription, seems more than worth it, especially if you can use the app for multiple purposes. Right now the app is available for both <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.organum.playscore" target="_blank">Android</a> and <a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/playscore-2/id1449591118" target="_blank">Apple</a> devices. They are also working on making a PC accessible version. Stay tuned about that! </div><div><br /></div><div>In summary, although I don't regularly agree to write about products on my blog, I wanted to make an exception this time since I found so many great uses for <a href="https://www.playscore.co/" target="_blank">PlayScore 2</a> and have already recommended it to several musicians. Rather than seeing something like this as a threat to my job, I see it as a tool I can use to enhance what I already do as a coach, collaborator, teacher, and performer. </div><div><br />Give it a try and let me know what you think! </div><div><br /></div><a class="twitter-share-button" data-count="none" data-via="ericasipes" href="http://twitter.com/share">Tweet</a><script src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" type="text/javascript"></script>Erica Ann Sipeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13526622607656348353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048025771349159983.post-32297234025365668712022-03-29T07:42:00.000-04:002022-03-29T07:42:27.423-04:00Rediscovering inspiration with a musical mentor<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIFJuL9lO8rig3h5y-ClpKJnMZUImos-rljg1zlXYlOMfxahV9ESd6xLJc2pVcR_9HDA8EXDDmmPid0-9KqjJOWfX3IMKw1GA_8p6Ri8HHa6J2vn4Rr4tjRP8P26M2fKfQg5pEVW52iaVC98oo2sP2m7nltp_w7mJ9f-gwaZodmLZQhlnpbl_r4EETIg/s1080/Untitled design.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIFJuL9lO8rig3h5y-ClpKJnMZUImos-rljg1zlXYlOMfxahV9ESd6xLJc2pVcR_9HDA8EXDDmmPid0-9KqjJOWfX3IMKw1GA_8p6Ri8HHa6J2vn4Rr4tjRP8P26M2fKfQg5pEVW52iaVC98oo2sP2m7nltp_w7mJ9f-gwaZodmLZQhlnpbl_r4EETIg/w320-h320/Untitled design.png" width="320" /></a></div></div><div><span id="docs-internal-guid-08ca204e-7fff-290c-5003-04e4090fa835"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.8; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Music is one of those pursuits that we undertake without necessarily expecting for the journey to end - that's part of what I love about being a musician. But in spite of all of my noble desires to keep improving it can be so difficult to keep the inspiration alive in our own little bubble. To step back and to objectively hear ourselves, to dream and get into our heads what we're capable of, and to push ourselves farther than we imagined possible takes a certain amount of humility and bravery. I've been fortunate over the years to have had several pianist friends for whom I feel comfortable playing and it's a practice I highly recommend. Sometimes it can be good as creatives to push ourselves out of our comfort zone and to get good and truly nervous playing for others before performing in front of more people. It can also be a way of proving to ourselves that we are capable of performing under pressure and that we can learn and grow, just as we did as students. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.8; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Over the past few years I was given a chance to do just that. One day, out of the blue, I received a private message on Twitter from a pianist who I had long considered my Bach hero. He had written to ask if I'd like to start chatting about Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier since he was working through them himself in preparation for an upcoming recording. Needless to say I was a bit surprised because of who I am - a professional pianist, yes, but one without any recordings and without a huge name or career. In spite of my initial surprise about it all, I accepted his invitation, we met for an initial chat, and we haven't stopped talking since. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.8; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I will never forget the first time he asked to hear me play something during one of our conversations. Oh my. I can't adequately describe how nervous I was! But I knew this was a really unique opportunity and that it would be foolish to chicken out. Through our short exchanges of musical ideas, I quickly learned, not to my surprise, what an incredible musician, coach, teacher, and mentor he is. Over the months, those mini-exchanges with him through our video chats evolved into me sending videos of my playing to him in return for feedback. He in turn asked thought-provoking questions, challenged me to truly own my performances and interpretation of any given piece, and helped me to hear subtleties in my playing that may or not reflect what I have going on in my head. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.8; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My musical mentor has also been watching my weekly piano sightreading since I began streaming them at the beginning of the pandemic. At the start of it all I found myself a regular bundle of nerves because he regularly passed on comments to me about very specific things I could do better even in that context. I admit that at first I responded with a bit of a short temper. I felt that because I was sightreading I shouldn’t be expected to play in such a finessed way. I believe I even suggested that perhaps he could sit in the hot seat for one episode if he thought what he was asking for was possible. This mini tantrum on my part led to an interesting discussion and me realizing, after cooling down and a bit more processing, that perhaps it was possible after all. And guess what? It is. My show is now even more of a joy to do because I’m loving the constant challenge to up my game musically every time, whether it’s on my show or out in the real world. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.8; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After two years of being gifted this experience, I now feel like a brand new musician: my practicing is different; my performing is different; every aspect of how I hear music is different and more fine-tuned. My confidence has also increased more than I could have ever imagined. As a teacher, I’ve added even more things to my toolbox to listen for when working with students. More importantly, perhaps, I'm inspired again to keep pushing myself to get even better and I feel like I have the ears and heart to do so. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.8; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For various reasons I’m keeping the identity of my musical mentor mysterious. As evidenced by the current show, “The Masked Singer,” it seems folks like a little intrigue and suspense now and then. Consider this my personal (and much more entertaining) version of the show. And if you're interested or curious to learn more about who he is, let me know. I just may let you in on my little secret.</span></p><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><a class="twitter-share-button" data-count="none" data-via="ericasipes" href="http://twitter.com/share">Tweet</a><script src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" type="text/javascript"></script>Erica Ann Sipeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13526622607656348353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048025771349159983.post-64541557198366159232021-07-29T15:31:00.003-04:002021-07-29T15:55:19.733-04:00Kapwing - the online desktop app that's a lifesaver for musicians<div><p data-pm-slice="1 1 []" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fxL1Xri09kc/YQMAfES5ivI/AAAAAAAADuE/T5cdkB2axjcYTi4vM06vecSHt9485o3pQCLcBGAsYHQ/s330/Screen%2BShot%2B2021-07-29%2Bat%2B3.24.22%2BPM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="84" data-original-width="330" height="81" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fxL1Xri09kc/YQMAfES5ivI/AAAAAAAADuE/T5cdkB2axjcYTi4vM06vecSHt9485o3pQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2021-07-29%2Bat%2B3.24.22%2BPM.png" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p data-pm-slice="1 1 []" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">When Sandra and I started the Piano Music She Wrote project in 2020 we knew that we’d be constantly looking for ways to improve the different aspects of our social media output. It wasn’t long after we launched our <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/pianomusicshewrote">YouTube channel</a> that we noticed that links in our social media posts to videos on our channel often seemed to disappear into a blackhole. Sometimes a preview of the video would appear in the post but more often than not just the link would show. It seemed that there were some posts that hardly anyone clicked on and our videos on YouTube weren’t being viewed as much as we’d hoped they would be.<br /><br />These days, it’s all about the visual. A text-only post is more often than not overlooked. We quickly realized we needed to be presenting and promoting our videos in a different way. Gabriella di Laccio, the founder of the fantastic website, <a href="https://donne-uk.org" target="_blank">Donne - Women in Music</a>, suggested that we post short clips of our videos along with the link to the full video on our YouTube channel. She had found this small addition was crucial in insuring that Donne’s videos were seen by more people. With the frequency and number of videos we post, I wanted to find a way to make these clips that was easy, fast, dependable, and usable by both Sandra and myself. An internet search thankfully led me to <a href="https://www.kapwing.com" target="_blank">Kapwing</a>, an online desktop app that has quickly become one of the most important tools in our toolbox.<br /><br />Besides having an adorable cat icon as their logo, Kapwing is all of those things we were looking for. I now use it on an almost daily basis. Here are some examples of how I’ve used it so far. It’ll give you a taste of how you can use it. </span></p><p style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><strong><em>Basic video clipping and branding for social media<br /></em></strong>To produce our teasers for use on Twitter and Instagram all we have to do is copy the url of our YouTube video into the Kapwing upload page, press return and then presto! We are taken to the editing screen with the video ready to edit. We trim off what we want, add in our logo and then export. From there I usually download the file to my computer but you could also share a link, or share to social media without having to take up space on your computer. These days it takes me about 3-5 minutes from start to finish to prepare one of these clips. Gone are the days of waiting an hour to export a video file! I think it’s important to add here that Kapwing makes it easy to crop any video to work best for any given social media platform and it also works with Canva, which is an online graphics app that I also highly recommend. You can plop you're clip into a graphic post your putting together there and you’ve got something even fancier!
</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZNMioYK6H-E/YQMA4S0OorI/AAAAAAAADuU/ADqo1qWc-ucIG76pW4BlSKDXa5KpODcDgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1638/Screen%2BShot%2B2021-07-29%2Bat%2B1.40.54%2BPM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="1638" height="158" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZNMioYK6H-E/YQMA4S0OorI/AAAAAAAADuU/ADqo1qWc-ucIG76pW4BlSKDXa5KpODcDgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h158/Screen%2BShot%2B2021-07-29%2Bat%2B1.40.54%2BPM.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k7hmiNPezd8/YQMAsOS3VII/AAAAAAAADuQ/ll7C8dG2Av0lAOOJuS6maAB_CSTcB4umACLcBGAsYHQ/s2732/Screen%2BShot%2B2021-07-29%2Bat%2B1.55.07%2BPM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1151" data-original-width="2732" height="169" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k7hmiNPezd8/YQMAsOS3VII/AAAAAAAADuQ/ll7C8dG2Av0lAOOJuS6maAB_CSTcB4umACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h169/Screen%2BShot%2B2021-07-29%2Bat%2B1.55.07%2BPM.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><br /></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">More extensive editing options - combining multiple clips and text</span></span></p><p style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt;">After I had used the platform a bit I started looking into some of their other editing options. My next project was to string together several shorter videos into one longer one, overlaying text on top of the video to clearly label the pieces I was performing. This was also easy to do and the end result was really fantastic. </span></p><p style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt;">Next I tried my hand at making a promo video for my Sightreading Maverick show to post on social media. I added text and images along with the video this time. Again, really straight-forward and I’ve used it every week since. I think it’s been instrumental in spreading the word about my show. People seem more likely to retweet it than had I just posted a text only or a text and image post. </span></p><p style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8GmRs8CiyjA/YQMBQU32X6I/AAAAAAAADuk/Fe3WSmkeImMS1Sx3hbKKJpQAE2OH7TysACLcBGAsYHQ/s2739/Screen%2BShot%2B2021-07-29%2Bat%2B2.13.12%2BPM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1148" data-original-width="2739" height="168" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8GmRs8CiyjA/YQMBQU32X6I/AAAAAAAADuk/Fe3WSmkeImMS1Sx3hbKKJpQAE2OH7TysACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h168/Screen%2BShot%2B2021-07-29%2Bat%2B2.13.12%2BPM.png" width="400" /></a></b></div><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></b><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In conclusion…</span></span></p><p style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt;">Kapwing has been such a lifesaver for us! I’m convinced that the video clips we’ve produced through their app has significantly increased our visibility on social media. It’s easy to use, full of handy tools that enable us to produce high quality output, it can also be used for free, although there are some limitations regarding file size and length of video that you can originally upload into Kapwing. To have more flexibility you can upgrade to a paid level or you can look into their various programs to help out with the cost. From our interactions with them I can assure you there are actual people running the app and they clearly believe in the service they are offering. Yet another reason to support this great app! Don't hesitate to reach out to them.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">You can find their webpage at:</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></p><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><i><a href="https://www.kapwing.com/">https://www.kapwing.com/</a></i></span></span></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></p></div><div><br /></div><a class="twitter-share-button" data-count="none" data-via="ericasipes" href="http://twitter.com/share">Tweet</a><script src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" type="text/javascript"></script>Erica Ann Sipeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13526622607656348353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048025771349159983.post-69915293729875274722021-05-08T09:07:00.010-04:002021-05-08T09:37:11.583-04:00Celebrating one year of my sightreading show!<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dx55Z9_NKZ_3feurLR5udTeB5qy7nFpOz3k8SHPiewfxdF5OiEm1Byah6t9DChttdInxEunzw3kk22R8Ts-nw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>A year ago, in the spring of 2020, as we were all adjusting to being confined to our homes more, I kept trying to figure out how I was going to personally deal with this new scenario, especially since the majority of my income from musical jobs was cut off and I had a lot more free time on my hands. I was also struggling with not getting the regular bursts of adrenalin that come with being a performer and having the interactions with my audience that I so love and feed off of. </div><div><br /></div><div>One of the crazy ideas I came up with was to live-stream myself sightreading piano music for one hour. Why do that, one might ask? My answer? I love sightreading, I'm pretty good at it and I figured I could use this time to explore solo piano repertoire. The only down-side I could think of was that I would be also be setting myself up for falling on my face publicly on a regular basis. But since I have a bit of a reputation for being stubborn and for wanting to be transparent as a musician, I decided the down-side could possibly be turned into an up-side. I wanted other musicians, pianists especially, to discover the joys that can come from being a good sight-reader:</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>moments of struggle can actually be pretty amusing</li><li>we can sightread musically if we approach it with skill and the right mindset</li><li>there's a lot we can learn about ourselves as musicians from doing it on a regular basis</li><li>that there are things we can do as musicians to help ourselves be set up for more success prior to jumping in<br /></li><li>oftentimes what we think was a disaster in the moment really wasn't so bad<br /><br /></li></ul><div><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eIXhV4KNNpM" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>A year after live-streaming the first episode it's safe to say that Sightreading Maverick is now one of the things I look forward to most in my week. I don't have a lot of regular viewers, at least not that I know of, but I have a faithful crew that regularly watches live and chats via messaging during the show. There's also one viewer who routinely watches at night, after the show is done, messaging me his reactions the whole time. That is always hilarious. I also have several who regularly send in requests. I'm very grateful for their suggestions. </div><div><br /></div><div>Every now and then I'll get feedback from people who have watched that they've added pieces to their repertoire that they discovered through the show - that brings me such joy to hear that. At times I sightread works by composers who are friends or acquaintances of mine on Twitter - that's also been wonderfully rewarding. For me that gives me a completely different glimpse into who they are as people, artists, and friends. I should add here that I'm grateful that they've all been willing to let me subject their music to the risks that a part of sight-reading. They too are brave! </div></div><div><br /></div><div>So almost a year later, with 47 episodes in the books, 2 guest appearances (thanks to Tracy Cowden and the Ivory Duo Piano Ensemble), almost 300 different piano pieces sightread, I'm going to keep at it until I run out of music. If you've never watched before, please do check it out and pass on the word about the show. The easiest way to be reminded about it is to <a href="http://youtube.com/c/ericasipes?sub_confirmation=1" target="_blank">subscribe to my YouTube channel</a>. </div><div><br /></div><div>You can also watch episodes whenever you wish. <a href="https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-4Ch_3VRHK0FCS-Sqm2kr7sLCByeeu67" target="_blank">Here's the playlist</a> of everything that's on YouTube.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><a class="twitter-share-button" data-count="none" data-via="ericasipes" href="http://twitter.com/share">Tweet</a><script src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" type="text/javascript"></script>Erica Ann Sipeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13526622607656348353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048025771349159983.post-44486692792925791572021-05-02T07:42:00.001-04:002021-05-02T07:42:17.925-04:00Standing on my soapbox on another blog<div><div class="kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0A_HXdMl8qg/YI6Ptw4sOMI/AAAAAAAADpw/BNTJ-9LGimULvd7bGqYwL721OOw4iNLzQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1568/Screen%2BShot%2B2021-05-02%2Bat%2B7.31.40%2BAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1226" data-original-width="1568" height="313" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0A_HXdMl8qg/YI6Ptw4sOMI/AAAAAAAADpw/BNTJ-9LGimULvd7bGqYwL721OOw4iNLzQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h313/Screen%2BShot%2B2021-05-02%2Bat%2B7.31.40%2BAM.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />A few weeks ago on Twitter I shared a story about an interesting conversation I had with a colleague where I teach. The conversation that ensued after I posted that story was a brief but important one that led to the wonderful composer, piano pedagogue, and writer <span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://melaniespanswick.com/" target="_blank">Melanie Spanswick</a> asking if I'd write up a post based on the topic. How could I say no?</span></div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">The thoughts I wrote about in this blog post, "<a href="https://melaniespanswick.com/2021/05/02/flipping-musical-misperceptions-on-their-heads-erica-sipes/?fbclid=IwAR3p5NJoK1e8WyW-hJWh1AQ5Zgp-Z_3Ys6-pBUTAj5b8BanPfwEvIQPFrqc" target="_blank">Flipping Musical Misperceptions on their Heads</a>," are near and dear to my heart in many ways so please do take a read and contribute your own experiences and thoughts if you wish.</div></div></div><div><br /></div><a class="twitter-share-button" data-count="none" data-via="ericasipes" href="http://twitter.com/share">Tweet</a><script src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" type="text/javascript"></script>Erica Ann Sipeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13526622607656348353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048025771349159983.post-1507143333355768912021-04-21T17:06:00.002-04:002021-04-21T17:09:38.650-04:00Being productive and creative while severely stressed <div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Last week I had one of those days where I felt there were tornado sirens and tornadoes going off in my head. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">It was ceaseless. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">All...day...</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Even practicing the piano, which usually works to refocus me, did nothing for me. In fact, trying to practice brought my frustration to an even more unbearable level since that's usually my safe haven. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">By the end of the day I was frustrated and exhausted from trying to accomplish something...anything.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />The next morning I work up with my head and heart still in a state. I couldn't endure another day like the previous one so I knew I had to do something different. As I was getting breakfast around I was struck with inspiration in the form of a bag of chocolate chips. Yep, chocolate chips. Not fancy ones. Semi-sweet chocolate chips. (Thank goodness I have a family that feels they are a must-have pantry item!)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">I pulled the bag of chocolate chips out, found a small, clear, glass bowl and ceremoniously poured about 25 of them into it. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Then I grabbed a large post-it note and was struck yet again with a bit of inspiration. I am by nature a list person. I have to-do apps on every device, armfuls of notebooks, and an office supply store-worthy stock of sticky notes so I have to-do lists everywhere but this time a different little voice than I'm used to inside my head clearly said</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><blockquote><span style="font-family: verdana;"> <i>"Erica, no to-do list today. What you need is a </i></span><i><b style="font-family: verdana;">possibility list</b><span style="font-family: verdana;">."</span></i></blockquote><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><b><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-XCLOgG2CaGA/YICQl382vRI/AAAAAAAADo8/qe7NS8IOAKEJszRzCmW9ZVyyAlWP_SjoACLcBGAsYHQ/IMG_0837.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="801" data-original-width="1024" height="240" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-XCLOgG2CaGA/YICQl382vRI/AAAAAAAADo8/qe7NS8IOAKEJszRzCmW9ZVyyAlWP_SjoACLcBGAsYHQ/IMG_0837.JPG" width="307" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">A POSSIBILITY LIST?!</span></i></b></div><div><b><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></i></b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Yes, a possibility list. That different little voice went on to explain. </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><blockquote><i>"Maybe the problem with being a busy body and having tons of ideas is that your to-do list will never, ever end. And if you judge the success of your day by whether or not you got through your to-do list you'll only feel like you failed. So write a possibilities list instead and see each one you accomplish as something to celebrate."</i></blockquote><p></p><div style="text-align: left;">My to-do list habit may be fine a lot of the time but perhaps it's not always the ideal motivator. Which is why I decided to listen to that different little voice to try something a bit different and to get myself back on track.
There was one more thing the voice kept telling me. <blockquote><i>"Put blinders on."<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8aQnZ7auYRE/YICSZOGVSYI/AAAAAAAADpI/wbr006LKsXo9kiyiwoJOVnyDFw3rNFwZACLcBGAsYHQ/s500/Blinders.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8aQnZ7auYRE/YICSZOGVSYI/AAAAAAAADpI/wbr006LKsXo9kiyiwoJOVnyDFw3rNFwZACLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h320/Blinders.png" width="320" /></a></div></i></blockquote><p>Usually I'm pretty good about focusing on the task at hand. I also tend to be a multi-tasker even though I realize that's not the ideal way to be. But in my previous day's state, the danger of having too many things on my to-do list and of relying on multi-tasking became painfully obvious. So I decided that during this experiment I was going to go through my day one "possibility" at a time. I would pick one and then put blinders on and focus on that one thing until it was done or until I had done a good amount of work on it and felt comfortable setting it aside. When I had successfully worked on a possibility I celebrated with a chocolate chip. One...chocolate...chip.
I was quite amazed at how well this worked! By the end of the day I felt that I was back on track and that maybe I could even go back to my to-doist self.
Or maybe I should just stick with the possibilities method/chocolate chip/blinders method? </p><p>It is rather tasty. </p></div></span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><a class="twitter-share-button" data-count="none" data-via="ericasipes" href="http://twitter.com/share">Tweet</a><script src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" type="text/javascript"></script>Erica Ann Sipeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13526622607656348353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048025771349159983.post-17550501124211065562020-12-31T10:16:00.002-05:002020-12-31T10:16:48.993-05:00The Art of Using a Mirror as a Musician<div>I'm sure I'm not alone in this scenario...</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6LG9CZgJelY/X-3fo4qn_EI/AAAAAAAADfg/dQ8_pLLMP0EIhUn6rNI1VZfg4rilrAW1wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/Mirror.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="268" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6LG9CZgJelY/X-3fo4qn_EI/AAAAAAAADfg/dQ8_pLLMP0EIhUn6rNI1VZfg4rilrAW1wCLcBGAsYHQ/w268-h268/Mirror.png" width="268" /></a></div>You're doing your morning routine, sitting in front of a mirror, and all you can manage to see is every pore, every new wrinkle, and those dark spots under your eyes. No matter what product you apply or thing you tweak, all you see is what you don't want to see. At that point, hopefully it dawns on you to do one simple thing...</div><div><br /></div><div>Flip...the...mirror! </div><div><br /></div><div>I think so often, especially when I'm engaged in practicing or performing I forget that many mirrors have two sides. There's one side that does the job of reflecting what is there and there's the other, whose job is to magnify everything, to a slightly absurd degree.</div><div><br /></div><div>There are good uses for both sides, both in everyday life, which I'll leave for someone else to cogitate on, and also in the daily life of the musician. It's usually in the practice room and in lessons where that magnifying side can be useful. It's looking into that side that we can see things we may have not noticed before - the small discrepancies in tempo, the slight unevenness in our fast passages, our tendency to be sharp on a certain note. That side of the mirror provides us with endless things to fix and problems to solve. </div><div><br /></div><div>But staring only into that side can start to play with our minds. It can frustrate us. It can make us question why we even try. It can prevent us from seeing the larger picture. It can sour us from what it is we love. That's why it's imperative that we learn two simple things...</div><div><br /></div><div>When to flip the mirror and when to take the mirror away completely.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm still in the process of learning about these two options myself. Recently I've had a bit of a change of heart about how to deal with my practice room mirror. I used to follow up my high magnification practice sessions with an immediate flip, allowing myself to run through sections I had just micro-practiced to see where things stood. What I'm realizing now is that for me, more often than not, these reflections disappoint me. I want to see immediate results and to know that the hard work is going to pay off. But the fact is, things take time to settle. The brain needs time to let things sort themselves out. Or maybe the issue is that the brain isn't as easily flipped as that mirror is. Now, after a good practice on a section, I'm trying instead to turn off my childish need for instant gratification (that usually isn't gratified), and switching to something else. So far I'm feeling much better about my practice sessions. There's a lot more intrigue when you take away the mirror after a magnified session since you're not quite sure what you're going to find the next time, but is certainly less angst-filled. </div><div><br /></div><div>When do I use the simple reflection side of a mirror? I'm actually struggling to know how to answer that at the moment so perhaps that will need to be in another blog post. What I will say, however, is that I think music-making in general places a mirror in our hands, whether it's in the practice room or on the stage. It's unavoidable. As long as we don't stare too long and hard, and as long as we stick to that side, I think we're more likely to keep smiling as we pursue this art that is a reflection of so much more than just ourselves. </div><div><br /></div><a class="twitter-share-button" data-count="none" data-via="ericasipes" href="http://twitter.com/share">Tweet</a><script src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" type="text/javascript"></script>Erica Ann Sipeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13526622607656348353noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048025771349159983.post-91712549929402048832020-12-10T10:56:00.003-05:002020-12-10T13:25:19.417-05:00My journey down a wonderful rabbit hole - discovering music composed by women<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FcA2iVaNPhc/X9JD0hiBPJI/AAAAAAAADd0/EiD0gRDhgYY64B8an4Pe5D2TcKniz9SXQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/rabbithole.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FcA2iVaNPhc/X9JD0hiBPJI/AAAAAAAADd0/EiD0gRDhgYY64B8an4Pe5D2TcKniz9SXQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/rabbithole.png" /></a></div><br />It all started several years ago, in the summer of 2017. I had been asked by a flute player, Sarah Wardle Jones, if I would play piano for a recital she had put together of music composed by women, a particular interest of hers. I of course said yes, not because of the program itself, but simply because I rarely turn down an opportunity to perform. I very quickly realized after saying yes, much to my puzzlement and embarrassment, that I had never, in my entire schooling and career covering 39 years (!) performed anything written by a woman. I couldn't even name on one hand the names of female composers. Fanny Hensel, Clara Schumann, and Cécile Chaminade. That was it. </div><div><br /></div><div>The recital was a joy. It was refreshing to peer into a world I hadn't previously known and Sarah's enthusiasm for the composers (Anna Bon, Cécile Chaminade, Lili Boulanger, Sofia Gubaidulina, and Jennifer Higdon), was inspiring. I found myself feeling like Alice by the end of the experience, standing at the very top of a very deep but thrilling hole that contains a new musical cornucopia of creativity and expression I had yet to discover. </div><div><br /></div><div>I jumped in. </div><div>I'm still on my long journey down. </div><div>I'm constantly discovering new wonders along the way. </div><div><br /></div><div>At the end of 2018, Sarah and a friend of hers, clarinetist Michelle Smith Johnson, and I put together a fun Halloween concert. I don't believe in that particular performance we performed anything written by a woman, but that project brought the three of us together. Over wine and appetizers one evening we found ourselves chatting about the possibility of forming an ensemble and we all decided that what we wanted was to focus on shining a light on works written by women and commissioning new works. It was shortly thereafter that our trio, at the beginning of 2019, <a href="https://almaensemble.org/" target="_blank">The Alma Ensemble</a>, was born, named in honor of Alma Mahler.</div><div><br /></div><div>Farther down the rabbit hole, at the beginning of 2020, I was thrilled to be able to finally meet in person <a href="https://www.sandramogensen.com/" target="_blank">Sandra Mogensen</a>, a pianist who had long been a friend of mine on Twitter. She was in the United States to present some recitals and presentations to celebrate and announce the release of her first recordings in a series she's doing called "<a href="https://www.sandramogensen.com/womencomposers" target="_blank">En pleine lumière</a>" which features all works composed by women. In talking with her during her visit I think we both realized that we shared many of the same frustrations, especially in terms of finding scores for these composers whose voices really need to be heard. When they can be found they are often significantly more expensive, sometimes prohibitively so. Another point we also found ourselves frustrated by is that many anthologies and method books for pianists just beginning their journey don't feature female composers. At that point in our discussion we started trying to figure out what we could do and it dawned on us that both of us had regularly been looking to the online resource, <a href="https://imslp.org/wiki/Main_Page" target="_blank">IMSLP</a> to find scores. We decided that perhaps we could both comb through the listings and create a shareable spreadsheet that would list all of the piano pieces composed by women on the site. With IMSLP being a free resource, this would ensure that anyone who had access to a computer could also have access to the music that's there. Sandra agreed to start at "A," I started at "Z" working backwards, and we eventually met in the middle. By the summer we had our spreadsheet roughly put together. Part I was complete.</div><div><br /></div><div>Part II of our project started at the end of the summer. We created a YouTube channel, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/pianomusicshewrote" target="_blank">Piano Music, She Wrote</a>, and started posting our own recording of works we've discovered in our IMSLP quest. So far we've faithfully posted 2 every week. We now stand at over 40 videos and have many, many more to go! </div><div><br /></div><div>We now find ourselves in Part III. We set ourselves the goal of releasing our spreadsheet publicly once our YouTube channel reached 300 subscribers. Last weekend our goal was achieved! So now, if people want an easy, quick way to discover the piano pieces written by women that have scores on IMSLP available to download for free, folks can head to our <a href="https://ko-fi.com/s/a43af53f25" target="_blank">Ko-Fi store</a>. We are asking for a minimum donation of $10.00 US to get the url for our spreadsheet. That is to cover the hundreds of hours we've already put into this project and will continue to put into it. This spreadsheet is a living, breathing one. We'll regularly be updating it as new works are added to the score database. We are also donating 10% of every donation back to IMSLP since without them, none of this would have been possible. </div><div><br /></div><div>We've had several people mention that purchasing access to the spreadsheet on behalf of others, like piano students or teachers, would make a great virtual stocking stuffer, holiday gift, or graduation gift and we couldn't agree more. To make that possible, when purchasing access, any quantity can be selected. If people have 10 pianists they'd like to send the url to, they can simply select "10" as the quantity and then voilá, they'll be all set. </div><div><br /></div><div>Here's our video announcement about our spreadsheet in case you want to learn more: </div><div><br /></div><div><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2n8EhI0YMRU" width="560"></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>And here's a shorter, 2 minute version of the same video if you're short on time:</div><div><br /></div><div><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7EIfMjBjeYY" width="560"></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Sandra and I have many more stages forthcoming so stay tuned! We'd also like to start planning a world tour once this pandemic is all said and done so if anyone wants us to come share what we've learned, both through recitals and presentations, let us know! </div><div><br /></div><div>Back to the rabbit hole analogy. I feel like I'm still only a fraction of the way down this hole and I couldn't be more thrilled about that. There is clearly much more to discover. Often I find myself researching one composition and am led to another fantastic one...and then another...and another. It never seems to end. So much music I've never heard, so many composers I've never heard of but should have! Thankfully there are many others out there who are also on this same journey. I encourage anyone else who's interested to join in the fun and to share what you find. Let's get more of this fantastic music accessible and available to all. I think Für Elise and The Happy Farmer would be happy to step aside for a while. </div><div><br /></div><a class="twitter-share-button" data-count="none" data-via="ericasipes" href="http://twitter.com/share">Tweet</a><script src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" type="text/javascript"></script>Erica Ann Sipeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13526622607656348353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048025771349159983.post-48067103391441445462020-08-15T10:20:00.002-04:002020-08-16T09:53:01.196-04:00Accepting and Embracing the Musician That is You<div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AbexxpeOLx0/XzfnHCUpIkI/AAAAAAAADVw/RH8Oa4XhIRUpP9EZr-YEU_oyybNeivwhACLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/AppleOrange.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="328" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AbexxpeOLx0/XzfnHCUpIkI/AAAAAAAADVw/RH8Oa4XhIRUpP9EZr-YEU_oyybNeivwhACLcBGAsYHQ/w328-h328/AppleOrange.png" width="328" /></a></div>I'm always looking to find the silver lining in every situation and these past few months have been no exception. Spending months at home, sharing a room with my piano, has been mostly a joy and a consolation but it's also played a bit of a number on my psyche. Facing an unknown future, especially in regards to my musical pursuits and career, combined with having a lot of time on my hands to pay attention to what other musicians are doing, has been a mind and ego bending experience. At times I've found it inspiring and motivating but at other times it's made me want to throw my hands up in despair and to shout, "What's the point?!" </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">I have a feeling I'm not alone, nor do I think it's something musicians are facing just right now. It's a mind game that we all face at different times, sometimes more frequently than we'd like to admit. It's a human tendency to look around us at others and to compare ourselves and our situations. How do we compare? How do we stack up? Why can't we be more like so-and-so? Will we ever be as good? </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">It can be an exhausting, draining, and self-defeating game that we play. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div>What can we do to get our attention back to the silver lining in all of this? </div><div><br /></div><div>For me the answer begins with realizing that what I am typically doing when evaluating myself is akin to trying to compare apples to oranges. Even restricting my options to considering only apples and oranges is too limiting, in my opinion. All of us put together create the fanciest, most exotic fruit salad you could ever imagine because we all have different natural abilities, skills, talents, preferences, and experiences. <br /><br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>perfect pitch</li><li>photographic memory</li><li>ability to play by ear</li><li>ability to sightread/read music notation</li><li>ability to memorize</li><li>ease of understanding music theory and harmony</li><li>size of our hands/other physical qualities that can aid in playing our instrument</li><li>how old we were when we started taking lessons</li><li>growing up in a household with other musicians in the family</li><li>having the resources to have good instruments to play</li><li>growing up in a city, surrounded by musical opportunities or growing up in a more isolate area</li><li>having connections with the right people at the right time<br /><br /></li></ul><div>Some of the items on this list are things that we simply can't control or change and some are things that we can continue to work on and nurture throughout our lives. But the point is there are so many factors that make us who we are as musicians and it's these differences that make it futile really to judge ourselves against any other musician. If you're an apple, don't look to make yourself into an orange. If you're an orange, don't expect yourself to be an apple. No matter how hard you try, you are what you are. </div><div><br /></div><div>Does that mean you can't work on yourself to make you an even better musician? No! I'm all for regularly challenging and pushing oneself - it can be thrilling, rewarding, and will keep those neurons in your brain healthy and strong. But what I'd say is, please do it within your own skin. You are what you are and that is a gift. </div></div><div><br /></div><div>Embrace it. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><a class="twitter-share-button" data-count="none" data-via="ericasipes" href="http://twitter.com/share">Tweet</a><script src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" type="text/javascript"></script>Erica Ann Sipeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13526622607656348353noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048025771349159983.post-15781545794021578192020-07-24T07:42:00.000-04:002020-07-24T07:42:47.015-04:00Music Sightreading Tips Part II: In the Moment Strategies<br />
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Last week I wrote a post that covered my <a href="https://ericaannsipes.blogspot.com/2020/07/music-sightreading-tips-part-i-how-to.html" target="_blank">top tips for how to prepare oneself before sightreading a piece of music</a>. Today I want to share with you some of the things I think about and do once all that prep work is done and it's time to give it a go. Hang on - sightreading can be a wild, but fun ride!<br />
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<b><i>Tip 1: Selecting a good tempo</i></b><br />
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Finding a good tempo requires a combination of observations that I made in my prep work. First I remind myself of the fastest, most regular note value - usually it's sixteenths (semi-quavers) or eighths (quavers.) Next I hear in my head, or physically play a passage of those faster notes at a tempo that seems appropriate and doable while also bearing in mind the title and/or tempo indication. Once I find one that I think will work I figure out what the pulse is and use that for my tempo. Sometimes, if the piece seems like it might be on the more challenging side, I'll knock the tempo down just a little bit to give myself a little extra breathing room. It's always good to strike a balance between what's indicated and what's realistic in terms of setting me up for success. </blockquote>
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<b><i>Tip 2: Counting out loud as a lead-in</i></b><br />
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Once I've found a good tempo and I'm ready to go I take a good breath in and out, count a measure or two in the tempo and, without a pause, begin the piece. I say, "without a pause" because I've noticed some people will do a count-in measure but then break the pulse momentarily before starting. That defeats the purpose of the count-in measure. For me, those preparatory pulses are to help me get in the groove so that I'm more likely to start playing at the desired tempo. It also gets me in the mindset that it's the pulse's continuity that is the priority. </blockquote>
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<b><i>Tip 3: Prioritizing what's important</i></b><br />
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People often think that the priority when sightreading should be playing all the correct notes. My answer to that is, "No!!!!!!!" My first priority is keeping the pulse and playing rhythmically; second priority is playing as many of the notes on the page as I can musically. That last word, "musically," is really important here. If I can't play all the notes musically, then I don't try to play all the notes. I keep simplifying the music until I can deliver it with some musicality. It's that simple and there's no shame in that. </blockquote>
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<b><i>Tip 4: Look ahead and listen</i></b><br />
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Sightreading is a mix of being in the moment but also looking at and processing what's coming up. How far ahead I look depends on the speed and complexity of the piece. If it's more difficult and/or fast I generally don't look as far ahead. For easier pieces, on the other hand, I try to look as far ahead as I possibly can. For an extra challenge, I also try to listen ahead as well, meaning I try to hear what's coming up so that the aural picture can guide my hands into playing notes that will sound good. This is a skill that usually needs to be practiced and developed over time but it's well worth the challenge. I also try to be actively listening to what's happening in the moment as well so that I can be responding musically to what I'm doing. Amazing isn't it? That we can be looking and hearing ahead while also playing and hearing what's happening in the moment? You can thank an amazing brain for that!</blockquote>
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<b><i>Tip 5: Read by patterns rather than note by note </i></b><br />
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Processing the music by seeing it in patterns makes tip 4 even easier because it's less information for the brain to process. Patterns come in all shapes and sizes. Chord, scales, and arpeggios - these are all examples of patterns that pop up all the time. Then there are more complex ones too. I have a whole dictionary full of patterns I've grown to recognize and that help me read more fluently and musically. This also enables me to be able to read farther ahead in the music. </blockquote>
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<b><i>Tip 6: Take advantage of phrases, cadences, ritards, etc...</i></b><br />
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Whenever I have an excuse, like at the end of a phrase, at big cadences, in spots marked with tenuto marks, or where there are ritards, I make sure I take time to breathe, blink my eyes, give myself a brief pep talk, regroup, or look ahead at what's coming next. Especially in slower pieces, rubato is my friend. As long as I don't add beats that aren't there and the sense of pulse is still there, even if it's stretched and pulled a bit, I feel that's perfectly acceptable. </blockquote>
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<b><i>Tip 7: Keep eyes on the music</i></b><br />
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This is a terrifying concept for a lot of people but it's a really important skill to develop in order to be able to sightread more easily. As much as possible I keep my eyes tracking where I am in the score and a little bit ahead of where I am, as discussed in tip 4. If I break that tracking to look at my hands or the instrument, I more often than not find that I'm lost when I look back up at the score. It takes a moment to reorient myself and feel like I know what I'm doing which jeopardizes my ability to keep the pulse consistent. I've worked with a lot of pianists on sightreading and I can assure you that just about anytime a pianist looks down at the keyboard and then back up at the music, there's a microsecond of two extra that's added into their pulse. That's not fun to listen to and can be an issue if you're sightreading with others.</blockquote>
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<b><i>Tip 8: Sightread with others</i></b><br />
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There is something magical about sightreading with others, especially when there's at least one person in the group who's good at keeping a steady pulse. I also think it makes the experience more enjoyable because I can play off the other person and respond musically rather than having to come up with musical interpretations on the fly all by myself. I can focus instead on successfully reading more notes. </blockquote>
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<b><i>Tip 9: Don't expect perfection and have fun!</i></b><br />
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I already touched on this in tip 3, but I'm going to say it again in hopes that it will really stick. Dropping my desire for perfection is imperative when sightreading, otherwise I am sure to get tense and discouraged which leads to me not having fun. If I'm not having fun, I get even more tense and discouraged which...you get the point. It creates this circle of unpleasantness. With that said, I want to mention that there are days where I am simply not in the optimal frame of mind to sightread. When I find myself in that situation I either try again another time, when I'm in a better headspace, or I purposefully select more straight-forward music that I can sightread more successfully. Those are definitely not times to pull out something that is extra challenging. </blockquote>
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There you have it! Those are my tips. I imagine I left something out. If you think of something to add, please do add it in the comments.<br />
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Happy sightreading everyone!<br />
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<i>If you would like a downloadable PDF of this sightreading prep tips sheet, please check out my <a href="http://patreon.com/EricaSipes" target="_blank">Patreon site</a>. For only $3 a month you can have access to downloadables such as this one. For $10 or more a month you'll have access to all the downloadables I post, including practice tips. You'll also be helping to support me in my quest to make practicing more accessible, interesting, and effective for everyone! </i><br />
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<a class="twitter-share-button" data-count="none" data-via="ericasipes" href="http://twitter.com/share">Tweet</a><script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" type="text/javascript"></script>Erica Ann Sipeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13526622607656348353noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048025771349159983.post-26111796983101332422020-07-17T08:00:00.000-04:002020-07-23T16:48:38.893-04:00Music Sightreading Tips Part I: How to Prep<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Sightreading music is one of the most daunting and mysterious tasks for a lot of musicians. It's really no wonder when you think about all that's involved. There's a lot of information to process in order to bring what's on the page into reality, especially in a way that is palatable to receive. There are pitches and rhythm of course but there's all the other information on the page that we need to process in order to make the performance musical, or at least remotely musical. And then there's our constant quest for "perfection," whatever that is, which really has no place when one is sightreading (that's your first important tip!) <br />
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Every Sunday during the past few months, I've spent an hour livestreaming myself sightreading in a show I call "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-4Ch_3VRHK0FCS-Sqm2kr7sLCByeeu67" target="_blank">Sightreading Maverick</a>." Friends on social media send me requests of music in the public domain that they've found on the fabulous internet resourse, <a href="https://imslp.org/wiki/Main_Page" target="_blank">IMSLP</a>, and I read through them one at a time. Since sightreading is an activity I have always enjoyed - I consider it the musical equivalent of extreme sports - risk filled, adrenaline pumping, and energizing - I've loved just about every moment. I've also discovered a lot of new-to-me composers who write fabulous music and I've even had a few composers bravely send their own compositions my way to appear on the show. <br />
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During Sightreading Maverick, before I begin to play each piece, I narrate what I'm looking for in the music to make sure I'm somewhat ready and not caught off guard. I thought it would be helpful to share my process and tips with everyone in two blog posts so that others might get curious enough to try their own sightreading game. This first post covers the things I look for and ask myself before I play a note. The second one, coming next week, will cover some tips for when you are in the process of sightreading.<br />
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All of these questions and tips do take time to process but with practice it does become easier. My hope is that you'll also find that the prep work will make sightreading much more satisfying and successful. And please feel free to leave your own suggestions as a comment below the post.<br />
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<i><b>Question 1: How long is the piece?</b></i><br />
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This may seem silly, but I find it's helpful to know how long the piece is so that I can pace myself. If it's a really short piece, I know that even if I get flustered somewhere in the middle, it won't be very long before it's over and I can breathe again. If it's longer, I know that in this preparatory stage I'm going to want to find places to breathe, blink my eyes, and regroup.</blockquote>
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<b><i>Question 2: What is the title of the piece? </i></b><br />
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This might also seem trivial but titles can often give you a lot of information that you can use to your advantage. Pieces with titles like "Elegy," "Nocturne," or "Reverie" are my favorite because I know that I'll be able to take a slower tempo and use more rubato. Pieces with titles like "Tarentella," "Etude," "Toccata," or "Theme and Variations" immediately put me in the frame of mind that I'm going to need to carefully and thoughtfully choose a tempo to avoid trainwrecks and tears. I should also note that in general, if I have a choice, playing one of these more challenging ones is reserved for days when I'm feeling brave and on top of my game. </blockquote>
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<b><i>Question 3: What is the piece's tempo indication and does it change?</i></b><br />
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Most people check out the initial tempo indication which is a good thing. It's important to get an idea of what the composer wants and what was intended. Often the tempo will change though so it's important to keep flipping and scanning the pages visually to find those instances. If there's a faster section in the middle, I usually take a moment to tell myself that when I get there I might want to pick a conservative tempo. If there's a section that's slower, I rejoice and take note that when I get there that will be a really good place to breathe, blink, listen, and enjoy a bit more.</blockquote>
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<b><i>Question 4: What is the key signature? Major or minor? Does it change sometime during the piece? </i></b><br />
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Always good to know the key, and especially whether or it's major or minor. It'll help you set up your ear to have the right expectation. Especially for younger pianists, playing a scale in the key of the piece can also be helpful to get it in one's ear and to get the feel of the key in one's hands. It's also good to know if and when the key changes and what it changes to. If it's a particularly challenging key, I like to see if the tempo also changes at the same time. If it happens to change to a slower tempo, hooray! That means I have more time to settle comfortably into the new key. If it changes to a faster tempo I remind myself that I better try and stay calm when I get there and to choose a conservative tempo. </blockquote>
<b><i>Question 5: What are the different note values involved and in particular, what is the fastest? </i></b><br />
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Answering this question is instrumental in me choosing a good tempo. It also can help set up a rhythmic framework for what to expect. I typically start with finding the fastest note value used consistently. Usually this will be the sixteenth note (semi-quaver) or eighth note (quaver). I will then count a measure out loud and clap through the different main note values that are used, starting with the main note value (usually a quarter note/crochet) that equals the beat and then subdividing for a measure at a time until I get to the fastest note value. While doing this, I'm very conscious of how the subdivisions sound and feel, especially in relation to the beat so that I can call on the sound and sensation of them while sightreading. </blockquote>
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<b><i>Question 6: Are there difficult rhythms or passages that leap off the page?</i></b><br />
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If I see a rhythm that looks particularly complicated I take a moment to see if I can make sense of it quickly. If I don't have time to properly analyze it I try to make sure I can see where the beats are so that I can come up with a strategy for how I'm going to try and pull it off.</blockquote>
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If there's a passage with a lot of accidentals I try and ascertain if they're there because it's a chromatic passage or if it's because there really is a key change but the composer chose not to change the actual key signature. Often times that's the case and noting it is enough to allow me to breathe more easily and not freak out quite as much. If it is a really chromatic passage I tell myself that some interesting things might happen and that my goal will be to keep the pulse and make it through. </blockquote>
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If there's a a passage with a lot of notes that intimidate me, or a cadenza-like passage with lots and lots of tiny notes that don't seem to stop, I look for patterns. Almost always they are there to be found; arpeggios, scalar motives, or other types of motives. Finding these can help structure the section so that I have some sort of guide to improvise around since in those types of passages, being note perfect is not the goal. It's more important instead to get the gist across without a lot of fuss and stress. Easier said than done, I realize. </blockquote>
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<b><i>Question 7: Are there any repeats?</i></b><br />
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There are two reasons why I like to look out for these. Repeats can be handy because they can give me an opportunity to give a section another go. Of course I can also choose to ignore them when things aren't going as well. There are first and second repeats, da capos or dal segnos where you return either to the beginning of the piece or to a specific sign, and there are also codas. If I'm not aware of these before I start they really can cause a lot of stress, especially if I'm sightreading with someone else. It's always good to know the general roadmap. </blockquote>
So there are my tips for you! Happy sightreading and come back next week to get some tips on how to approach sightreading once you've started playing!<br />
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<b><i>To read part II in this series, <a href="https://ericaannsipes.blogspot.com/2020/07/music-sightreading-tips-part-ii-in.html" target="_blank">click here</a>!</i></b><br />
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<i>If you would like a downloadable PDF of this sightreading prep tips sheet, please check out my <a href="http://patreon.com/EricaSipes" target="_blank">Patreon site</a>. For only $3 a month you can have access to downloadables such as this one. For $10 or more a month you'll have access to all the downloadables I post, including practice tips. You'll also be helping to support me in my quest to make practicing more accessible, interesting, and effective for everyone! </i></blockquote>
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<a class="twitter-share-button" data-count="none" data-via="ericasipes" href="http://twitter.com/share">Tweet</a><script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" type="text/javascript"></script>Erica Ann Sipeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13526622607656348353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048025771349159983.post-52098038497993024552020-07-07T10:49:00.000-04:002020-07-07T10:56:59.899-04:00New YouTube series - Bach in 5 Minutes! <iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5PHWFOi3N4g" width="560"></iframe><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 1rem; white-space: pre-line;">Video editing has always intimidated me but I've been determined, especially after putting up my <a href="http://patreon.com/EricaSipes" target="_blank">Patreon page</a>, to start working on doing more of them. Here's the first hopefully of many.
</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 1rem; white-space: pre-line;">
A Bach friend of mine recently recommended I take a break from Book II of Bach's Well-Tempered Klavier to learn Book I. I was hesitant at first but after reading through it I realized that for the most part, it's a breath of fresh air compared to the second book. So I thought, why not try to learn them as quickly as possible? I most likely will regret those words but I do always like a good challenge. </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 1rem; white-space: pre-line;">So I'm going to try to spend as little as possible time learning as many as I can, relying on my typical pattern-hunting and analysis method, then spending around 5 minutes walking through each one, one at a time, and then recording a "first performance" of them.
My goals for the project are: </span><span style="font-size: 1rem; white-space: pre-line;"> </span><br />
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<ul style="margin: 0px;">
<li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 1rem;">Learn the Preludes and Fugues in Book I quickly</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Help folks see what I mean by learning music via pattern hunting and analysis</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Show how fun, musical, and rewarding it can be to learn music in this way</span></li>
</ul>
<div style="font-size: 1rem; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">We'll see what happens! Enjoy!! </span></div>
</div>
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<br />
<a class="twitter-share-button" data-count="none" data-via="ericasipes" href="http://twitter.com/share">Tweet</a><script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" type="text/javascript"></script>Erica Ann Sipeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13526622607656348353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048025771349159983.post-27794047205641563132020-06-29T15:11:00.000-04:002020-06-29T15:14:18.417-04:00At a fork in the road<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mEV3DnsgcFY/XvovzP7l-pI/AAAAAAAADSU/TLX2N0Ah8xA7w4rEa2p-NuPRUGHTseL_QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Crossroads.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mEV3DnsgcFY/XvovzP7l-pI/AAAAAAAADSU/TLX2N0Ah8xA7w4rEa2p-NuPRUGHTseL_QCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Crossroads.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
I find myself at a fork in the road yet again, as are so many others. But in all honesty, I'm actually excited about the possibilities, especially with what I'm announcing today, because in doing this I am pushing myself way past my comfort zone, which is not something I tend to do. <br />
<br />
In the past few weeks, as I've been grappling with what comes next for me as a musician, or maybe as someone returning to the non-artist workforce, I've had several quotes visit me that are all pointing me towards one path.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Do one thing every day that scares you" - Mary Schmich </blockquote>
I'm doing that. <br />
<br />
For quite a while now I've toyed around with the idea of creating a Patreon site for myself. What is Patreon? Patreon is a web platform that enables creative people to ask their fans for help and support so that they can continue doing what they do. People interested in supporting an artist can sign up to donate an amount every month and in return, based on which tier is signed up for, patrons get access to various perks.<br />
<br />
<br />
So why is this so scary? To answer that, let me share the second quote that has graciously visited me this week by way of the beautiful, poignant story, <u><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Boy-Mole-Fox-Horse/dp/0062976583" target="_blank">The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse</a></u>, written by Charlie Mackesy. (I highly, highly recommend everyone have a copy on their coffee table, especially right now during this crazy time.)<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"What is the bravest thing you've ever said?" asked the boy.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Help." said the horse.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Asking for help isn't giving up," said the horse. "It's refusing to give up."</blockquote>
Most people who know me already know that I am incredibly passionate about music, and more specifically about the art of learning music in a way that fosters success, pride, joy, and the desire to share music with others. About 7 or 8 years ago I started my practice coaching business, <a href="http://beyondthenotescoaching.com/" target="_blank">Beyond the Notes</a>, because of this passion. I've had some clients and have presented many workshops to both teachers and students, and each time has been received with a lot of positive feedback but honestly it's been difficult - I simply haven't had enough work come my way. I've spent many a sleepless night trying to figure out what's standing in my way. I've made some changes, I've consulted with a lot of people, and I continue to try new things but one of the most difficult hurdles to overcome has to do, I believe, with people being embarrassed to ask for help - and that's challenging. I also think a lot of teachers also don't know quite what to make of me - to some I seem to be a threat. I am not planning on abandoning my business - I will continue to work on making it a success, but in the meantime, Patreon is, I'm hoping, a solution to keep me from having to ditch it all to get another "regular" job.<br />
<br />
So why Patreon?<br />
<br />
People come to me all the time on social media for help. It it crystal clear to me that for whatever reason, that is a safer place for them to ask me questions about practicing, performance anxiety, sightreading, and anything else that I regularly talk about. And social media is, for me, an excellent place to teach in way that impacts a lot of people all at once. I regularly livestream my daily practice to hundreds of people every day in addition to also livestreaming sightreading sessions. In both I discuss a lot of why I do what I do so that it's a learning experience for anyone watching. Often times questions arise from viewers that lead to discussions that end up pulling in many others. It's a dynamic, exciting, informative, and more importantly, a safe place to learn, which is why I love it. I also regularly post motivational quotes and tips on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. I'd love to also return to writing more blog posts and to post shorter instructional videos but all of this takes a lot of time - time that I'm not currently getting paid for.<br />
<br />
During all this time at home I've been continuing to do all this same work but because of the current situation I'm not making any money through freelancing; that all came to a halt several months ago and gigs are regularly getting wiped off my calendar. We are thankfully doing fine, but I'm feeling more and more like something needs to change. I feel guilty putting so much time into what I consider my "mission-oriented" work when I'm not bringing home a paycheck. That's why I'm asking for help. I'm asking for support and for cheerleaders who understand what it is I do to stand up and to say, "Yes! Keep doing what you're doing! We see the value in it!"<br />
<br />
So if you're at all interested, please head on over to my Patreon site:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.patreon.com/EricaSipes">https://www.patreon.com/EricaSipes</a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9KzRn9Fy6Wk/Xvo7Ya6prSI/AAAAAAAADSk/LGa5njypVzk6dF2lBnmDwnURg2EW0SgYgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-06-29%2Bat%2B3.04.44%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="739" data-original-width="1600" height="183" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9KzRn9Fy6Wk/Xvo7Ya6prSI/AAAAAAAADSk/LGa5njypVzk6dF2lBnmDwnURg2EW0SgYgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-06-29%2Bat%2B3.04.44%2BPM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Take a look around and let me know if you have any questions.<br />
<br />
And thanks for reading if you made it this far. Stay safe, everyone!<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
</blockquote>
<a class="twitter-share-button" data-count="none" data-via="ericasipes" href="http://twitter.com/share">Tweet</a><script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" type="text/javascript"></script>Erica Ann Sipeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13526622607656348353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048025771349159983.post-1853026318681277062019-09-07T15:24:00.000-04:002019-09-07T15:59:04.875-04:00Looking to puzzles to learn how to piece together music<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XCzJ0lyk5J4/XXQBgPdkciI/AAAAAAAADEE/tTihzdeDdnoEgihWEQKbgk5Xq6Adj9FJgCLcBGAs/s1600/musicinpuzzlepiece.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XCzJ0lyk5J4/XXQBgPdkciI/AAAAAAAADEE/tTihzdeDdnoEgihWEQKbgk5Xq6Adj9FJgCLcBGAs/s320/musicinpuzzlepiece.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Have you ever tried to put a jigsaw puzzle together with the
pieces turned upside down? My guess is your answer is something along the lines
of, “No, why on Earth would I do that?” </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Good response. Why would anyone even think to do that? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Perhaps it’s to make a really important point?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Many musicians, especially young musicians, read music in a
way that’s similar to trying to put a puzzle together upside down. It doesn’t
matter if they’re sight-reading or if they’ve been working at a piece for
weeks, many view the music in a way that in my opinion severely limits the ease
at which they can process the music and inhibits their ability to interpret it
in a musical way. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Let’s go back to looking at puzzles. If you happen to have a
puzzle lying around, pull it out and give my challenge a try. Turn all the
pieces over so all the backs of the pieces are what you’re looking at it and see how you fare. What do you have at your disposal to figure out which
pieces go together? All you have to go on is whether the piece is an edge piece
of an inner piece what type of connectors the pieces have – let’s say they’re
usually innies and outies, or female and male. (I won’t go into the details of
which are which. If you’re reading this blog I’m pretty sure you can figure it
out.) That’s really not a lot to go on so in order to put together the puzzle
we end up having to resort to a lot of trial and error. And if you’re not good
at finding a method to keep track of what combinations you’ve already tried
this process can be very time consuming, uninspiring, frustrating, and
downright painful. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Not much fun, right? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">All right, so let’s flip those pieces back over and try
again. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Ahhhh…now we have more to go on! We’ve got the shapes of the
puzzle pieces, the colors and patterns, and knowledge of what the puzzle’s
picture as a whole will be. With all these extra clues we get more strategies
to use too. You can put the edge together first, using color, pattern, and
shape to help; you can focus on trying to find pieces that create specific
items in the picture; you can put together pieces that all have a similar
graphic pattern or color. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Strategies bring successes…</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Success brings a completed puzzle…</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">A completed puzzle brings a sense of accomplishment…</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Now we’re having fun and wanting to do another someday. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">How we process notes on a page of music is similar to how we
process puzzle pieces. If we see all those notes as individual notes that are
differentiated only by specific letter names it’s like looking at those puzzle
pieces turned upside down. The end result is that it’s much more difficult to
see how the pieces relate to one another and work together to create a larger
picture, or part of a picture. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">If instead we look for patterns in our music, if we
consistently look for interesting clues, we’ll find that music learning is not
only easier, but also more musical because those same patterns and clues can naturally
lead us into the world of musical interpretation. Each time I look at a puzzle
piece, whether it’s an actual puzzle or to a piece of music, I see new clues,
new patterns, or new colors. With each new discovery comes a burst of
excitement and inspiration. And as pieces start to fit together my
understanding of what I’m creating becomes clearer, making me even more
motivated to complete the puzzle and to share the bigger picture with others.
It’s fun. It’s interesting. It’s creative. It’s one of the many reasons why I love learning music. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Now I have to take a moment to admit that sometimes puzzling
can be a struggle, usually because of the puzzle itself. I will never forget
the day my dear husband, early in our marriage, brought one home that made me
quickly want to embrace gardening instead. It was a puzzle of hundreds, maybe
thousands of penguins standing on an iceberg in a snowstorm. It was basically like trying to do one of those upside-down puzzles although at least I
did have more than one color to go on – I had two: black and white. If I
wasn’t such a stubborn person I would have given up early in the game but
instead I decided to approach it like I do music. I tackled it in small chunks
of time and started looking for as many clues as I could. I quickly came to
realize that the puzzle wasn’t just black and white; it actually had many shades of both
of those colors. As soon as I realized that, it became much easier to finish it. That’s not to say it was as fun as other puzzles I’ve done but still,
it got done and in and I learned something in the process. That’s what
mattered. Thankfully most of the puzzles and music I learn are not penguins standing on icebergs but are instead endlessly
exciting and interesting. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">On an ending note, a plug for my favorite puzzle-making
company of all time - <a href="https://www.libertypuzzles.com/" target="_blank">Liberty Puzzles</a>.</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gZaHoongEAs/XXQC34WhoVI/AAAAAAAADEg/BKHTMM5Sxmw4pRAOXnB7o_eQ5hxougBmwCEwYBhgL/s1600/Puzzlepieces.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="918" data-original-width="1600" height="182" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gZaHoongEAs/XXQC34WhoVI/AAAAAAAADEg/BKHTMM5Sxmw4pRAOXnB7o_eQ5hxougBmwCEwYBhgL/s320/Puzzlepieces.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Examples of their whimsy pieces</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Made out of thick laser-cut plywood in
beautiful Boulder, Colorado, their puzzles are the most exquisite, delightful puzzles you
will ever put together. They are also unique in that their piece shapes are not
like the ones in your grandmother’s puzzles. In fact with Liberty Puzzles it’s
pretty rare to be able to distinguish edge pieces from inner pieces – they are
all completely unique. To add to the fun they include what are known as whimsy
pieces which are pieces in the shape of something – a person, bird, dragon…it
makes putting together these puzzles a different kind of challenge but one that
is well worth it! </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--GRpGhB-VqY/XXQC2PcZwgI/AAAAAAAADEc/v9pny4E9-_wBM8Rcw8nneqfBfBbl-q-DACEwYBhgL/s1600/Dragonpuzzle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1318" data-original-width="1600" height="328" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--GRpGhB-VqY/XXQC2PcZwgI/AAAAAAAADEc/v9pny4E9-_wBM8Rcw8nneqfBfBbl-q-DACEwYBhgL/s400/Dragonpuzzle.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The most recent Liberty puzzle I completed. So much cool detail! </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">With that little infomercial over, (not paid for by the
company but out of my deep respect for them) happy puzzling, everyone! Whether
it’s a jigsaw puzzle or a musical one, remember to keep looking and use your
eyeballs and your brain. The big picture is sure to come together more easily
that way! </span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br />
<a class="twitter-share-button" data-count="none" data-via="ericasipes" href="http://twitter.com/share">Tweet</a><script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" type="text/javascript"></script>Erica Ann Sipeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13526622607656348353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048025771349159983.post-22891083401008383232019-07-25T22:07:00.002-04:002019-08-06T07:26:18.998-04:00A gathering of musical minds!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tFc6xuCWxV4/XUljut1FU4I/AAAAAAAADCw/5KWf-8hkHuYMdUxsgjYfYopTomLZFyCwQCLcBGAs/s1600/Brainmusic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="724" data-original-width="663" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tFc6xuCWxV4/XUljut1FU4I/AAAAAAAADCw/5KWf-8hkHuYMdUxsgjYfYopTomLZFyCwQCLcBGAs/s200/Brainmusic.jpg" width="183" /></a></div>
I get a lot of interesting emails thanks to this blog. Most of them are not ones I end up responding to. Fortunately a few months ago I got one that did very much interest me. It was a request from the website <a href="http://www.sheetmusicnow.com/">www.sheetmusicnow.com</a> to contribute a tip about musical success for an infographic they were wanting to put together for their website and social media accounts. Of course coming up with just one was painful so I ended up sending them a handful to choose from. (Honestly I don't know why I like Twitter so much since I obviously have a difficult time editing my brain.)<br />
<br />
They sent me the final result today and I couldn't be more honored. I hope you enjoy these nuggets of wisdom from these other musicians, some of whom I know but most are new for me to discover too. <a href="https://www.sheetmusicnow.com/blogs/news/8-tips-on-how-to-achieve-musical-success?fbclid=IwAR1thrycoPkukXqDGVdYPrO2T0RcUCtYBLVrAFcnwpxKSDfnE2qSjY6AN6A">Click here</a> to see it.<br />
<br />
And if you're curious about the other tips I sent them that they didn't use, here they are...<br />
<ul>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;">Constantly check in to see who you are as a person and as an artist. What you find is what you should share, in the music you perform, with your colleagues, with your audience. Also be open and eager to learning about your colleagues and their music. It is through people and connections that you’ll find success and happiness.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;">You will excel as a human and as a musician if you learn the art of giving yourself objective, constructive feedback on a regular basis. Constantly check the language you use with yourself with the goal to use the same language on yourself that you’d use with someone else.</li>
</ul>
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<a class="twitter-share-button" data-count="none" data-via="ericasipes" href="http://twitter.com/share">Tweet</a><script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" type="text/javascript"></script>Erica Ann Sipeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13526622607656348353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048025771349159983.post-86899893808910148282019-05-07T16:48:00.003-04:002019-05-08T07:36:11.863-04:00The Art of Practice Performing: bringing performing into the practice room<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lhgwaa1bmJY/XNHu8LtPWwI/AAAAAAAAC_4/psxP_aAeXfYI0CEVtx84tuiEyAAKvbtDACEwYBhgL/s1600/stagefright.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="423" data-original-width="283" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lhgwaa1bmJY/XNHu8LtPWwI/AAAAAAAAC_4/psxP_aAeXfYI0CEVtx84tuiEyAAKvbtDACEwYBhgL/s320/stagefright.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>
I don't really know where I got the idea to start making practice performing a part of my regular routine but it's now something I rely upon all the time and that I attribute to my comfort on the stage.<br />
<br />
Let's start with what practice performing is to me.<br />
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Practice performing is a time in my practice sessions when I take off my practice hat and pretend like I am on stage performing in front of an audience - no stopping and no negative verbal commentary, with a focus on delivering a performance full of musicality. Those are the basic facets.<br />
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Practice performing can be done at any point after I've learned the notes of a particular section, movement, or piece and when I can play it at a tempo that is somewhere in the ballpark of where I'd ultimately like to perform it. <br />
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What are the benefits of practice performing?<br />
<ul>
<li>Because I set the goal for myself not to stop no matter what and to say not-so-nice things to myself out loud during practice performing stints, it's great practice for when I actually do perform. It takes practice to know what to do instead. If I really do a number on a passage and my brain starts dishing out lines like, "you should have practiced more" or "you're not ready" I purposefully play a more productive, objective mental tape that I've prescribed like, "Keep singing" or "where do I want to go with this phrase?" Doing this in the practice room on a regular basis makes it much more likely that in performance I'll choose more positive tapes and have a healthier attitude.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>It's a good assessment tool throughout the later stages of learning a piece. So often it can feel like I'm never going to get it up to speed, or that a difficult passage won't ever be comfortable. When I push myself past my comfort zone by asking myself to practice perform I often surprise myself in a good way. I realize that I can, in fact, make it through with some amount of grace and musicality in spite of missed notes or improvised passages. That's an encouraging thing and worth a lot in terms of getting me back to the practice room, especially when I'm at that frustrating plateau stage.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Practice performing gives me a chance to switch from leaning on the analytical, left side of the brain (I like to think of it as the nerdy side), to the more creative right side. In the process of learning music and during most types of practicing the left side is what I strive to be in touch with a majority of the time. That's the side of the brain that helps solve problems and analyze the music. But that's also the side that I'd rather not have come to the party when I walk on stage. It's the right side of the brain that brings music to life, that brings creativity and imagination to a performance. When it comes time to perform and nerves kick in, guess which side likes to present itself more? Yup, the nerdy, analytical side. That's why I invite my creative side into the picture on a regular basis during these practice performing stints. It makes it more likely that I'll be able to find it when I want it at performance time.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Often when I do practice performing I record myself so that I can listen back, not to listen for all the tiny mistakes or to allow for those annoying negative tapes to start playing, but rather to listen as if I'm an audience member. Does the music have a natural flow? Does it have a good sense of architecture about it? Are there highs and lows? Does the phrasing sound natural? Sometimes in listening back I hear hidden melodic lines I hadn't noticed before or I'm moved by a harmony that I hadn't yet noticed. It's a way to encourage constructive feedback rather than self-defeating criticism. Self-defeating criticism will cripple a performance and can be felt by the audience. Constructive feedback will allow a performance to go on successfully and in a way that can be enjoyable, even for the performer. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>When I know that I'm going to do a practice performance of something later on in a practice session it makes it much easier for me to focus on the disciplined work and problem solving that needs to happen beforehand. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Practice performing helps me to fall in love with the music all over again. It also helps me get back in touch with why I study music and why I perform for others. I remember that it's not about all the individual notes being the right place at the right time, it's about the music behind those notes. </li>
</ul>
<div>
Is practice performing fun? I think at first most musicians would answer with an emphatic "no!"; we would rather not think about performing since it's often fraught with a lot of anxiety. But just as we have to practice our music on a regular basis, I believe performing also needs to be practiced, with or without an audience. So next time you're in the practice room, take off that practice room hat and step onto the stage for a moment. You never know - you might find that performing can be pretty fun, especially when it's just for yourself and your imaginary audience. </div>
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<a class="twitter-share-button" data-count="none" data-via="ericasipes" href="http://twitter.com/share">Tweet</a><script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" type="text/javascript"></script>Erica Ann Sipeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13526622607656348353noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048025771349159983.post-76583104067486637792019-04-23T15:14:00.000-04:002019-04-23T15:15:08.171-04:00Guest Post by Nathan Holder: Social Music Anxiety<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6uDnmiUa5xI/XL9j08MX84I/AAAAAAAAC_Q/KX_S-0i65CYxnWTBzhr4oIx-YVk1BkyXwCLcBGAs/s1600/Iwishididntquit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="313" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6uDnmiUa5xI/XL9j08MX84I/AAAAAAAAC_Q/KX_S-0i65CYxnWTBzhr4oIx-YVk1BkyXwCLcBGAs/s320/Iwishididntquit.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<i>A word from Erica first and then we'll get to Nathan's wise words: I met Nathan through an email he sent me about a book he's written, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Wish-Didnt-Quit-Music-Lessons/dp/1999753003" style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: underline;">I Wish I Didn't Quit</a>. I rarely respond to these emails but when I looked into his book and his background I was intrigued. I read through his book and found that he has a fresh way of looking at the purpose of private music instruction and how we can use views such as his to increase the chances that young musicians will stick with music lessons for a longer period of time. After passing on my responses to his book to Nathan and having a bit of an email chat, he asked if I'd be interested in having him write a post to be shared on my blog. I liked his topic since I'm a bit of a Twitter junkie and because I really appreciate what he has to say, so without further ado here's his post! Enjoy. And then "go be you" as he says. </i><br />
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<span class="m_-7524822242490364387gmail-s1" style="font-kerning: none;">I’ve just finished practising some chromatic patterns that are really challenging me, but I’m glad that I’m finally getting to grips with them. That last hour of practice has just flown by and it’s getting late so I decide to stop for the evening. Almost as subconsciously, I reach for my phone and immediately open Instagram. I hardly have to look at my phone to access any social media apps these days; if only my fingers could navigate scales and arpeggios in the same way!<br />I scroll down and I see that one of my friends has posted a video of them playing their piano. I unmute the video and smile. The smile quickly turns into a look of bewilderment.</span></div>
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3,049 views. </div>
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He only posted this video a couple of hours ago. I click on his username and let out a slightly audible gasp.</div>
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7209 followers! When did that happen?</div>
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<span class="m_-7524822242490364387gmail-s1" style="font-kerning: none;">I keep scrolling and see a great professional shot of another musician friend taken at one of her recent concerts.</span></div>
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<span class="m_-7524822242490364387gmail-s1" style="font-kerning: none;">492 likes. 16 comments.</span></div>
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<span class="m_-7524822242490364387gmail-s1" style="font-kerning: none;">A few profiles later and another friend of mine has posted a picture of himself in LA, about to perform at an international festival.</span></div>
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<span class="m_-7524822242490364387gmail-s1" style="font-kerning: none;">883 likes. 27 comments.</span></div>
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<span class="m_-7524822242490364387gmail-s1" style="font-kerning: none;">I check the last picture I posted of myself. </span></div>
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<span class="m_-7524822242490364387gmail-s1" style="font-kerning: none;">85 likes. 2 comments. 1 is spam.</span></div>
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<span class="m_-7524822242490364387gmail-s1" style="font-kerning: none;">I turn my phone over in disgust. When will I get more followers? When will my videos get more comments and views? When will I get that endorsement deal? Am I not good enough? Not good looking enough? Not friends with the right people? Wrong instrument? Maybe I should just give up.</span></div>
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<span class="m_-7524822242490364387gmail-s1" style="font-kerning: none;">It’s so easy to look at Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms and instantly compare ourselves to other people. Those who appear to be consistently on tour, consistently gigging, consistently uploading pictures in great venues with great artists. They get their random musings retweeted, funny videos shared and seem to be supported by many organisations.</span></div>
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<span class="m_-7524822242490364387gmail-s1" style="font-kerning: none;">If those things aren’t happening for you, it’s easy to feel that these posts are taunting you, reminding you of all the things you don’t have. The awards you didn't win. The artists you could have performed with. If only you had paid more attention in music classes. If only you were a different gender. If only the clothes you wore were more revealing…</span></div>
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<span class="m_-7524822242490364387gmail-s1" style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="m_-7524822242490364387gmail-s1" style="font-kerning: none;">I think it’s important that we talk about how social media affects us as musicians. Seeing what other musicians post can stop us from sharing moments from our own musical journeys, only because we feel that our pictures or videos don’t look or sound as good as other people’s. It’s important to remember that there will always be people interested in what you do and who you are, on or off social media. Just imagine if Miles Davis had seen a post from Dizzy Gillespie and decided to never record an album? Or if Adele decided that Aretha Franklin’s music and legacy meant that no-one would care about what she had to say through her music?<span class="m_-7524822242490364387gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="m_-7524822242490364387gmail-s1" style="font-kerning: none;">The fact is, we often have no idea about what goes on behind the scenes in other people’s lives. We have to be careful not to see other people's posts and use that to start telling ourselves how talentless, unattractive or boring we think we are. You are as unique and special in your own right just like they are. Like Jill Scott once said of Erykah Badu, <i>‘We all have our own thing, that’s the magic. Everybody comes with their own sense of strength and their own Queendom. Mine could never compare to her’s, and her’s could never compare to mine’.</i> Even though someone else may have a larger following, more gigs or an endorsement, it doesn’t mean that you never will. It doesn't mean that the person is deliriously happy with their lives or even that their sense of self-worth is dependent on the likes they receive either. Their journey is their journey. Yours is yours. Express yourself knowing, as the jazz standard says, <i>There Will Never Be Another You.</i></span></div>
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<span class="m_-7524822242490364387gmail-s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><i></i></span><br /></div>
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<span class="m_-7524822242490364387gmail-s1" style="font-kerning: none;">It’s also important to remember that you are not just a musician! You may be a brother, sister, aunty, parent, bookworm, gamer, writer or a foodie! Being a musician is only a percentage of the things you <i><b>do</b></i>, and is in no way an indication of who you <i><b>are</b></i> as a person. </span>People will rarely share every aspect of themselves online and if you try to compare your whole self to the small percentage that others share about themselves, no wonder you can end up feeling as though you aren’t enough. As much as you can, try to separate what you do from who you are, even if it means spending less time looking at what others care about, and spending more time on what you care about.</div>
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<span class="m_-7524822242490364387gmail-s1" style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="m_-7524822242490364387gmail-s1" style="font-kerning: none;">If you feel any of the emotions I’ve written about in this post, don’t keep it to yourself. Talk to the people around you and I’m sure you’ll be surprised at how many people have had similar thoughts to you. If you need to take a break from Instagram or Twitter then do it - it’ll be waiting for you when you get back. As much as I think (and know) that social media can be a powerful tool to help you learn and grow, it’s increasingly important to understand how you feel in relation to it. No matter what, don’t let other people’s pictures or videos stop you from sharing your practising, your gigs or your music.</span></div>
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<span class="m_-7524822242490364387gmail-s1" style="font-kerning: none;">You never know who you might inspire.</span></div>
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<span class="m_-7524822242490364387gmail-s1" style="font-kerning: none;">And I guarantee there is someone looking at your profile who wishes they could be like you!<br /><br />So be you.</span></div>
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<i>Be sure to visit <a href="https://www.iwishididntquit.com/">Nathan's webpage</a> where he regularly publishes informative posts and podcasts. You can also follow him on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/IWishIDidntQuit/">Facebook</a>, and <a href="https://twitter.com/iwishididntquit">Twitter</a>.</i><br />
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<a class="twitter-share-button" data-count="none" data-via="ericasipes" href="http://twitter.com/share">Tweet</a><script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" type="text/javascript"></script>Erica Ann Sipeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13526622607656348353noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048025771349159983.post-12253367403627649502018-09-10T20:05:00.001-04:002018-09-10T20:05:14.445-04:00Practicing and performing when faced with a migraine<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hgtpXf9rbCk/W5cD07UdeHI/AAAAAAAAC5s/37IZRS3RGkIrXJ9hZmppJMYlWHqQ6KYSgCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/discouragedstatue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hgtpXf9rbCk/W5cD07UdeHI/AAAAAAAAC5s/37IZRS3RGkIrXJ9hZmppJMYlWHqQ6KYSgCK4BGAYYCw/s320/discouragedstatue.jpg" width="320" /></a>Practicing and performing music has many challenges. With migraines, they are magnified. As with any job, when coming face to face with yet another one, I am also faced with the question, "How am I going to get done what I need to get done?"<br />
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I know I am not alone. Every day I find musicians on Twitter that are asking this same question so I thought I would spend a few minutes sharing my experience in the hope that it will help others in the same boat feel a little less alone and a little more understood.<br />
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For me there is a difference between how I deal with practicing and performing when I'm dealing with a migraine. With performing I feel there aren't really many options since it's very difficult to cancel a performance, especially when it involves other musicians. But there some things I keep in mind.<br />
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<ul>
<li>I lower my expectations. My goal is simply to get through the performance as gracefully as possible. More often than not I lose the ability to sing along with the music and to immerse myself in musical intention so I've come to accept in situations like this that I may have to perform in a way that isn't as musically satisfying to me. Very often it feels like it's truly an act of survival and I have to trust that my years and years of being musical and my musical training show through in spite of what's going on (or not going on) in my head.</li>
<li>I count on adrenaline helping me out. While I'm playing music, my migraine usually fades into the background slightly so I try to stay positive and look forward to a little relief while I'm playing.</li>
<li>If I'm performing by myself I very intentionally take the edge off all the tempos that I can. When I'm experiencing a migraine my brain has a very difficult time working as quickly as it usually does. There is also less coordination between my brain and my body so having a little extra time to let my brain reset or catch up with itself can be beneficial. </li>
<li>I actively remind myself to breathe whenever I can - before I start playing, in between phrases, during rests, and right before difficult sections. It can be so tempting when I'm in pain to hold my breath, as if that will get me through the situation faster. Unfortunately that's not very helpful and tends to make matters worse. </li>
<li>I'm intentional about keeping my eyes relaxed and I try not to focus on reading the notes on the page quite as much. Staring and not blinking can make my migraine worse. </li>
<li>Along with the previous point, I rely more on my memory of how it physically feels to play the music. This keeps my brain from getting too busy and stressed which definitely doesn't help the pounding in my head.</li>
</ul>
<div>
When it comes to practicing, there's a lot more flexibility. A lot of my friends on Twitter mentioned that they rarely practice when impaired. That's understandable and perfectly acceptable since most of us end up having to spend much of our time hiding under a blanket in a dark room without any sound, doing nothing except waiting for the migraine to decide to take a hike. If I'm fortunate enough to have a low to mid-grade episode, however, I do try to practice a little bit, especially if I'm getting ready for a performance. I use the same tips listed and very intentionally choose modes of practicing where speed and perfection are not the focus. I also do a lot of practicing with my eyes closed since that helps with the sensitivity to light, and I keep the volume either at piano or pianissimo. Doing both of these things are good for practice sessions when I'm feeling good but I find them especially helpful during these times. And more often than not these exercises end up deepening my interpretation of the music and improving my ease of movement. I guess that's a positive aspect of having migraines. I may as well make lemonade from lemons, right?</div>
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To all my fellow sufferers out there, I'm so sorry you're dealing with them too! Go easy on yourself. And if you manage to get through a performance or to eke out a somewhat decent practice session, no matter how short, know that you are a superhero in my books. Pat yourself on the back gently and then hide back under your covers and rest knowing that you are amazing.</div>
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Feel free to leave your own thoughts and suggestions based on your experiences in the comments. And if someone has a foolproof cure for migraines, do let us know. </div>
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If you want to read more about my personal experiences with migraines and searching out solutions for myself, here are two more that I've written:</div>
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<a href="http://ericaannsipes.blogspot.com/2012/08/mired-in-migraines.html">Mired in Migraines</a></div>
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<a href="http://ericaannsipes.blogspot.com/2012/11/thankful-for-my-migraine.html">Thankful for my migraine?!</a></div>
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<a class="twitter-share-button" data-count="none" data-via="ericasipes" href="http://twitter.com/share">Tweet</a><script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" type="text/javascript"></script>Erica Ann Sipeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13526622607656348353noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048025771349159983.post-49146719904155742062018-08-08T19:56:00.001-04:002018-08-11T21:36:13.347-04:00The Well-Tempered Pianist: exploring a pianist's life through music<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9disaN8LPAg/W2uBNzegDWI/AAAAAAAAC40/2GbdCmhcrHwca8hVyLDD3-Hmi08Ig66eACLcBGAs/s1600/Poster.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1238" data-original-width="1600" height="247" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9disaN8LPAg/W2uBNzegDWI/AAAAAAAAC40/2GbdCmhcrHwca8hVyLDD3-Hmi08Ig66eACLcBGAs/s320/Poster.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">A few years ago, at the age of 40, I found myself struggling to "make it" as a professional musician. I seem to have always found distractions in my life to keep me from whole-heartedly pursuing what it is I truly love the most so this wasn't a complete change or anything, but that didn't make my mid-life crisis any easier to deal with.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">After school, I got married. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">After getting married I was a music-minister's wife and my role was by my husband's side (at least that was my excuse.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">After he left church work and was pursuing his doctorate I had to bring home a salary to support us.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">After he got his first teaching job at a university, I got pregnant.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">You get the picture.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">When our daughter got to be old enough, I dropped the mom excuse and earnestly attempted to piece together a musical career, through collaborative work, teaching at a local university, and then as a practice coach. Nothing really worked out for various reasons. Door after door closed. I took at it as personal rejection when in reality, I think it had more to do with me always finding excuses to not keep at it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Then I hit 40. I felt utterly disappointed in myself. Music is my passion. Music is my religion. Music is quite simply me and I had let it slip out of my hands.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">A few years before I had told myself that someday I wanted to have learned all 24 preludes and fugues from Bach's second book of the Well-Tempered Clavier. I dreamed of being able to sit down and play through all 24. That would be my all I would need to die happy and feeling like I had done something. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">It took a while, a couple of years I believe, but I did just that. I got them all learned. But then that wasn't enough. I decided I wanted to perform them all. But who wants to sit and listen to all 24 at one sitting? Or two sittings? That's when my Well-Tempered Pianist series popped into my mind. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I decided that I would put together 6 recitals. Each one would feature 4 preludes and fugues and I would intersperse among them pieces that meant something to me from throughout my musical life, The series would be my musical autobiography. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm now near the end of my second presentation of the entire series and I am so very thankful that I've been able to do this and that people have received it with such interest, acceptance, and excitement. In between pieces I've been taking a few moments to walk the audience through my life and to connect the music I'm performing with the most significant points in my timeline. That too has been enlightening to me although I have to admit sometimes it's been a bit distracting to talk about an aspect of my life that meant a lot to me and then have to perform. I often find my mind and heart dwelling on what I just talked about and see the colors and sounds I normally associate with a given piece of music change into something I've never quite considered. In spite of some surprises in that way, it's been incredibly rewarding, especially since the audience has been receiving it so well too. Each recital finds me talking with audience members for quite some time afterwards, answering questions, hearing their own stories...it's been a tangibly reciprocal series of events. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">As for my mid-life crisis, I'm still in the middle of it. The recital series didn't fix that little problem. But it did remind me that even though I may not be able to support myself as a professional musician, I am a pianist with a very musical soul and people want to hear me and hear the music I have to offer them. That is enough for me...for now.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I highly recommend musicians do something like this if they think it might be of interest to them. So often I think we don't think the audiences want to know about who we are; that we are there to serve the music and that is all. What I'm finding, however, is that at least in this part of the country, in this atmosphere and culture, the personal aspect is appealing as well and encourages more of a conversation between performer and audience. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">For those of you who might find it interesting, here is a listing of what has been on each program. Please excuse any discrepancies in formatting.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Recital I: At the very beginning</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Prelude and Fugue in C major</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Beethoven's Für Elise</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Clementi Sonatina in D major</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Prelude and Fugue in C minor</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Bartók Sonatina</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Prelude and Fugue in C# major</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Mozart Sonata in C major, KV 545</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Prelude and Fugue in C# minor</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Selections from Schumann's "Scenes from Childhood"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Recital II: A musical life in San Francisco</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Prelude and Fugue in D major</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Chopin Fantasie-Impromptu, Op. 66</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Opening to the slow movement of Ravel's G major piano concerto</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Prelude and Fugue in D minor</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Dvorák's Slavonic Dances, numbers 1 & 2 from Op. 48 (sightread at performance on purpose)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Prelude and Fugue in E flat major</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The Swan from Saint-Saën's "Carnival of the Animals" (I used to play cello too)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Prelude and Fugue in D# minor</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Selections from Debussy's "Children's Corner"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Recital III: College living</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Prelude and Fugue in E major</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Debussy's L'isle joyeuse</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Prelude and Fugue in E minor</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Hwaen Ch'uqi's Souvenir </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Prelude and Fugue in F major</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Rachmaninoff's Prelude in B minor, Op. 32, no. 10</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Prelude and Fugue in F minor</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Selections from Satie's "Sports et divertissements"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Recital IV: From the Golden Gate to the Alps </b>(about my months working as a restaurant pianist)</span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Debussy's 1st Arabesque</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Prelude and Fugue in F# major</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Bill Evans' Waltz for Debby</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Prelude and Fugue in F# minor</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Beryl Rubinstein's concert transcription of "Summertime" from Porgy and Bess</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Prelude and Fugue in G major</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">September Song from Knickerbocker Holiday (performed with my husband, baritone Tadd Sipes)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I Got Plenty O' Nuttin' from Porgy and Bess</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Johanna from Sweeney Todd </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Prelude and Fugue in G minor</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Recital V: Marriage, becoming a mom, and more</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Prelude and Fugue in A flat major</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Ravel's Jeux d'eau</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Prelude and Fugue in G# minor</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Finzi's Eclogue (performed with organ instead of string orchestra)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Prelude and Fugue in A major</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Gounod's "O divine redeemer" (performed with a student I collaborated with and taught)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Sorenson's "In this hour"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Prelude and Fugue in A minor</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Radnich's arrangement of "Hedwig's Theme" from Harry Potter</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Recital VI: Looking ahead</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Prelude and Fugue in B flat major</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Selections from Schubert's "Wintereisse" (performed with my husband, baritone Tadd Sipes)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Prelude and Fugue in B flat minor</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Tiersen's "A song from another summer" from the movie Amelie</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Prelude and Fugue in B major</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Pärt's Für Alina</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Prelude and Fugue in B minor</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Hough's transcription of "My Favorite Things" from the Sound of Music</span><br />
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<br />Erica Ann Sipeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13526622607656348353noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048025771349159983.post-38550153869597311882016-08-15T21:26:00.001-04:002021-10-29T07:45:02.008-04:00From the kitchen to the stage: the importance of trusting oneselfToday I realized that great cooks and musicians have something in a common - they have learned to let go and to trust their senses. They have learned that interpreting great dishes or musical compositions goes beyond technique and mere re-creation into a realm that incorporates their own experiences, whims, and moods, blending them seamlessly with where their audiences are, even if their audiences don't even know themselves where they are or where they want to be taken.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0mQeghMj5Vg/V7JocpvuFqI/AAAAAAAACjA/IHN0wE31Ujw0rg9b_EFoKQMqAHKrfmeHgCLcB/s1600/Spices%2Bheart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0mQeghMj5Vg/V7JocpvuFqI/AAAAAAAACjA/IHN0wE31Ujw0rg9b_EFoKQMqAHKrfmeHgCLcB/s400/Spices%2Bheart.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
These ideas have been floating around in my head for a while now but they seem to have all collided while I was watching a movie from a few years back called "<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1153053/fullcredits?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm">Today's Special</a>." It's a fun, romantic, heart-warming foodie movie about a young sous-chef that has worked for years in a restaurant in New York City. When a promotion doesn't come his way and he confronts the executive chef for an explanation, he receives an honest but painful evaluation - he doesn't have the passion, vision, daring, and creativity that it takes to be the soul behind a restaurant. <br />
<br />
This news comes as a blow of course, and launches Samir, the main character, into a fairly predictable journey of introspection. He ends up reluctantly helping out his father in the family's Indian restaurant that has been struggling to survive. Having abandoned Indian cooking since he was a boy, Samir does everything to keep the restaurant alive except plan and prepare the dishes himself - he hires a taxi driver he had serendipitously met instead. This taxi driver, Akbar, is a big of a magical character. During the resurrection of the restaurant, he teaches Samir some very important lessons about cooking which I also want to translate for musicians for the remainder of this blog post. In one scene Akbar turns the kitchen over to Samir, encouraging him to try his own hand at combining traditional Indian spices in order to create a "perfect" masala. Samir looked bewildered and disturbed since there were no measuring implements or recipes anywhere in sight. With Akbar's encouragement and repeated philosophy that one just needs to use one's head, heart, and stomach, Samir gives it a try - a dash of this, a gentle pouring of that, and so on. In the end, is it "right?" Akbar doesn't seem to savor the results but he approaches the moment as any good teacher should. He admits that it doesn't seem quite right while at the same time affirming that what Samir has done was good anyway. The lesson was not about "right" or "perfect," it was about letting go, listening, smelling, feeling, and creating.<br />
<br />
I am convinced that even beginning students should be given plenty of opportunities to let go and to experience music making and learning in a way that involves more of their senses. I believe that we teach musicians to rely too much on reading every note on the page, note-by-note-by-note. We don't teach how to read music as a language. Similarly we teach students to read every indication on the page and to follow them without necessarily knowing why they are there. As a result, students don't feel that they have the tools they need to make music on their own. If someone handed them a piece of music without any fingering, pedal marks, bowings, etc...my guess it they would feel just as bewildered and disturbed as Samir was in the movie without recipes or measuring implements. <br />
<br />
As I have mentioned on my blog and on my Facebook page, I don't consider myself a teacher even though I spend most of my waking moments thinking about the process or learning. At the moment I have one adult student who I consider my guinea pig for all of my philosophies and strange notions and oddly enough, at her lesson this morning, long before I watched this movie, we had a series of very similar moments to the movie scene I described above. In the past few weeks at our lessons I have increased the amount of times I intentionally pull the music away from my student and ask her to narrate to me what's going on the music and what her understanding of the music means to her. Today we did even more of that. I had her re-create several passages to the best of her ability based on her narrative, without the music anywhere in sight. She kept asking to see the music but for the most part I kept saying, "Say what you know and we'll go from there." I certainly didn't expect "perfection" but what I did want to encourage was thoughtfulness and complete engagement and she accomplished what I was after brilliantly. This type of work terrified, and probably really annoyed her, but as the music has gotten more and more complicated and she has still managed to work out how to accomplish what I'm asking for, she has gotten more and more confident. She has also started making more decision of her own regarding musicality, pedaling, and the like because she understands the tools and the techniques. For me it is thrilling to see how much she can process with just a little help and guidance from me and it leaves me speechless when I see how surprised she is by her own ability to comprehend music as a language after only one year of lessons. She does not need to keep looking at all those notes and scribbles on the page. She can see it as a language and use her head, heart, and not necessarily her stomach, but her ears to guide her music-making. At today's lesson she had several moments where she seemed genuinely shocked by how easy it was to play the music by letting go and thinking of the music as a language. But this takes trust and I believe we need to practice trusting ourselves at our instruments.<br />
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Which leads me to the title of the movie and one of my favorite things about it. As many restaurants do, the Indian restaurant in the movie has a sign that hangs in the window to list the daily special. One day when Samir comes to work he sees that Akbar has listed this instead of an actual dish...<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><i><span style="font-size: x-large;">Trust me</span></i></b></blockquote>
Exactly. Trust me - trust you. It takes courage but trust me, there is incredible growth and creativity that comes from letting go and trusting all your senses - not just your eyeballs. Speak the language of music, not just notes. It's worth it. <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><i><span style="font-size: large;">Trust me.</span></i></b></blockquote>
You will hear more, feel more, love more...and so will your audience.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><i>Trust me.</i></b></blockquote>
<br />
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<a class="twitter-share-button" data-count="none" data-via="ericasipes" href="http://twitter.com/share">Tweet</a><script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" type="text/javascript"></script>Erica Ann Sipeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13526622607656348353noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048025771349159983.post-10748748483541208742016-08-01T20:11:00.003-04:002022-02-19T09:52:47.169-05:00Lesson learned while trying not to be a piano diva<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>pia.no di.va</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="hvr" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; line-height: 19.5px;">Pianist</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; line-height: 19.5px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; line-height: 19.5px;"></span><span class="hvr" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; line-height: 19.5px;">who</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; line-height: 19.5px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; line-height: 19.5px;"></span><span class="hvr" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; line-height: 19.5px;">demands</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; line-height: 19.5px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; line-height: 19.5px;"></span><span class="hvr" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; line-height: 19.5px;">that</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; line-height: 19.5px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; line-height: 19.5px;"></span><span class="hvr" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; line-height: 19.5px;">attention</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; line-height: 19.5px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; line-height: 19.5px;"></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; line-height: 19.5px;">be</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; line-height: 19.5px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; line-height: 19.5px;"></span><span class="hvr" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; line-height: 19.5px;">paid</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; line-height: 19.5px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; line-height: 19.5px;"></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; line-height: 19.5px;">to</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; line-height: 19.5px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; line-height: 19.5px;"></span><span class="hvr" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; line-height: 19.5px;">his</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; line-height: 19.5px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; line-height: 19.5px;"></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; line-height: 19.5px;">or</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; line-height: 19.5px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; line-height: 19.5px;"></span><span class="hvr" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; line-height: 19.5px;">her</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; line-height: 19.5px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; line-height: 19.5px;"></span><span class="hvr" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; line-height: 19.5px;">needs,</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; line-height: 19.5px;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; line-height: 19.5px;"></span><span class="hvr" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; line-height: 19.5px;">especially</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 19.5px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 19.5px;"></span><span class="hvr" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 19.5px;">without</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 19.5px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 19.5px;"></span><span class="hvr" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 19.5px;">regard</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 19.5px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 19.5px;"></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 19.5px;">to</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 19.5px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 19.5px;"></span><span class="hvr" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 19.5px;">anyone</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 19.5px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 19.5px;"></span><span class="hvr" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 19.5px;">else's </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 19.5px;"></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 19.5px;"></span><span class="hvr" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 19.5px;">needs</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 19.5px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 19.5px;"></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 19.5px;">or</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 19.5px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 19.5px;"></span><span class="hvr" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 19.5px;">feelings.</span><br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ea2hvwOIx6s/V5_kVb1KUhI/AAAAAAAACiY/XebgushTXZwt3brdwzXBhsL-Jqz35K28wCLcB/s1600/Pianodiva.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ea2hvwOIx6s/V5_kVb1KUhI/AAAAAAAACiY/XebgushTXZwt3brdwzXBhsL-Jqz35K28wCLcB/s400/Pianodiva.jpg" width="268" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="hvr" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; line-height: 19.5px;">Perhaps it's silly of me, but I actually work pretty hard to <i style="font-weight: bold;">not</i> be a piano diva. I have many reasons for this but in all honesty, my biggest motivation behind my efforts is that I actually kind of enjoy the odd challenges and obstacles that arise when I'm not very piano diva-ee. I've played on tons of out of tune pianos, of course; electric keyboards have been a frequent instrument at my disposal; poorly regulated pianos are really quite amusing and are a good test of one's short-term memory (which key was it that sticks out?) But sometimes my attitude has ended me in situations that haven't been quite as fun - Puccini arias on a small electric keyboard that didn't have a sustain pedal; playing the organ part of the Faure Requiem with a professional orchestra on a very good electric keyboard/organ, but one without a sustain pedal available and not with the full range of keys; a severely out of tune piano that also had several missing black keys...that last one was at a jail which made the experience even more noteworthy (pun completely intended.)</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #404040;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.5px;">A few weeks ago I was asked last minute, by a friend with whom I haven't played with in a while, if there was any chance I could fly out to Lake Tahoe to play a cello recital with her full of repertoire that I absolutely adore. Of course I had to say yes! I love, love, love pinch-hitting...almost as much as I love trying not to be a piano diva. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #404040;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.5px;">As I was preparing to fly out there, the cellist asked if it would be all right with me if we just rehearsed at her house the night I arrived - that she'd have a good keyboard available to use. I think you can guess my answer.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #404040;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.5px;">When I got there, we rehearsed using the keyboard. Not that I'm being a piano diva here, but this was an older keyboard that was touch sensitive, but not in the way that keyboards today are touch sensitive. But it didn't really bug me. Remember, I enjoy little challenges like this. I was pretty quick to discover that it all had to do with the speed at which I pressed down the keys. The faster I pressed down, the louder it was. The trick was to play a fast passage quietly. Try that sometime! It really is quite fun!</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #404040;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.5px;">At the end of the evening my friend asked what I wanted to do the next day (the day before the performance). Did I want to drive all the way to Tahoe, about an hour away, to rehearse in the church on the piano or should we just continue to rehearse at her place. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #404040;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.5px;">Can you guess my response?</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #404040;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.5px;">The day of the performance she asked when I thought we should get to the church. In my non-piano diva fashion I said, "If we get there an hour-and-a-half or so before that should be fine. After all, I didn't want to get in the way of any church activities that might be going on.</span></span><br />
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We get to the church and as I'm warming up I notice a couple of keys sticking. Not just sort of sticking. Seriously sticking. Non-piano diva Erica thought, "No problem, I can deal with this...maybe." We rehearsed just a tiny bit and pretty quickly realized that my attitude was not a good thing in this situation. I immediately switched gears and did the first thing I could think of...call my piano technician...from Virginia...who was at that moment driving to New York City. After trying a couple of tactics he gave me, I thought we had fixed the situation so I ended our conversation and went backstage to get ready.<br />
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Recital started with Prokofiev's Cello Sonata...for the first page or so, no sticking notes...brilliant! Then it started...again...and the number of rebellious notes seemed to grow quite rapidly and with most notes sticking for about 10 seconds each time...if not longer. I did a lot of lifting-back-up-the keys when I could, edited some of the music when I could...I also kept pushing back on the keys in between movements to try and get the keys farther away from the board that is in front of the keyboard. It was all pretty "interesting".<br />
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Second piece was Arvo Pärt's "Spiegal am Spiegal" - 10 minutes of exquisite minimalist beauty. While the cellist was talking to the audience about the piece (fortunately that took a few minutes), I made a few more attempts at pushing back on the action, I glanced up at the music and at that moment it dawned on me how many notes in the music where ones that were notes that were sticking. At that moment, I have to admit I started to sweat. But I was determined to make it work and to make it work in such a way that the audience wouldn't be distracted by what was, or wasn't happening at the keyboard. <br />
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Thankfully, the Pärt is slow.<br />
Thankfully, it is meditative.<br />
Thankfully, there aren't a lot of notes to play and the left hand has LOTS of time to serve as the key picker-upper.<br />
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Believe it or not, we made it. How well did it come across? I have absolutely no idea. What I do know is that the minute they stopped clapping I was back on the phone with my technician, asking him for reassurance that if I took the piano apart and removed that wood strip in front of the keys, that the action wouldn't drop out of the bottom of the piano. He said it would be fine, gave me some pointers so that I didn't accidentally rip off key tops, and within minutes, we were all set. No more sticking keys. <br />
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Phew! That is a long story! But here's what I learned and want to pass on to other pianists...<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><i><span style="font-size: large;">It's ok to not want to be a piano diva but it's wise not to take that too far. </span></i></b> </blockquote>
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Needless to say, I just had a solo piano performance this past week and you better believe I made a point of going several days early to try out the piano! <br />
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And no...sticking...keys!<br />
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One more thing...Andy Lyford, our amazing piano technician, I owe you a lot of cookies! Or whatever you want!! I owe you!!!<br />
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<a class="twitter-share-button" data-count="none" data-via="ericasipes" href="http://twitter.com/share">Tweet</a><script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" type="text/javascript"></script>Erica Ann Sipeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13526622607656348353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048025771349159983.post-5041200790542225242016-05-28T20:43:00.002-04:002016-05-28T20:43:50.339-04:00Finding my roots in new soil<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2GWkSQXND2g/V0o3VUkbHVI/AAAAAAAAChM/jAc4w1k5aic0sybhFEE8s_uLmi91N1XeACLcB/s1600/New%2Blife.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2GWkSQXND2g/V0o3VUkbHVI/AAAAAAAAChM/jAc4w1k5aic0sybhFEE8s_uLmi91N1XeACLcB/s320/New%2Blife.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
The last few years have been interesting. I have gone from both my husband and I teaching in universities and performing to both of us moving out of academia, relocating to a new town, and taking up a job in a completely different field. For the past two years I have been working in retail in toy stores, most recently as a manager of a new one. I decided to put aside my music for an indeterminate time to give my ailing elbows a much needed break and to give myself the space I needed to revisit how I approach the piano, hopefully opting for a more healthy one. I had also put aside this blog and my practice coaching business because I wasn't convinced that I was being effective in what I was trying to do: I didn't necessarily know if people wanted to hear what I had to say; my website for my business wasn't getting enough traffic in spite of trying to do what I thought was necessary - SEO optimization, use of ideal tags, and other factors I really don't understand; I wasn't getting any new practice coaching clients; I wasn't getting very much feedback after delivering my talks on practicing and learning music. In short, I felt like I had reached the end of a road. <br />
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I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason so in spite of the challenges and insecurities I've faced these past few years, I have always had a sense that music and my research on and passion for the process of reading and learning music was simply in hibernation mode. In spite of my silence, I can assure you that my mind still manages to stay in high gear most of the time. One of Rainer Maria Rilke's lines from his <u>Letters to a Young Poet</u> come to my mind at this point...<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Have patience with everything that remains unsolved in your heart. Try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books written in a foreign language. Do not now look for the answers... At present you need to live the question. Perhaps you will gradually, without even noticing it, find yourself experiencing the answer, some distant day.</blockquote>
That's where I am right now, friends. I am living the question. I am living in the moment. I am living. And in this new place where I find myself, a place without any clear future, I am realizing that I don't necessarily care whether or not I am a "professional" musician. <b><i>I am a musician and I am me. </i></b>That is, at least for right now, enough for me. <br />
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I am back to practicing and learning new music.<br />
I am back to performing again and have set up 6 recitals over the 2016-2017 year that will enable me to perform all 24 preludes and fugues in Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier, a project I started many, many years ago. <br />
I am back to playing music with others and with such great joy and excitement!<br />
I am still working in a toy store but also hoping to write again and to teach anyone who would be interested in finding out the way I perceive of music. <br />
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I am, in other words, being me once again, only in a different type of soil, with new roots, a new environment, and lots of fresh air.<br />
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Not a bad place in which to find myself.<br />
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<a class="twitter-share-button" data-count="none" data-via="ericasipes" href="http://twitter.com/share">Tweet</a><script src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" type="text/javascript"></script>Erica Ann Sipeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13526622607656348353noreply@blogger.com6