Aching with Elation

When I rang in the new year in 2012, I set out to start running.  My goal was to be able to run more than 3 miles.  For some reason, at three miles I'd start to feel nauseous and my body would just started breaking down.  So I'd stop. 

On Jan 4th, 2012 I attached my Ipod Nano to my hip, started my "Couch to 5k" podcast and settled in for a 9 week program.  I had my doubts about it from the beginning, but I can say that it actually worked.  Once I was running just over three miles, I wondered if I could run four.  So I ran four.  Then a couple weeks would pass and I wondered if I could run five miles.  So I ran five.  Then one day I logged 8.5 miles and thought I could just keep going.  My neighbor encouraged me to train for a half marathon since I was running long distances already.  So I did.  I had 12 weeks to train.  And on January 6th, 2013 (almost exactly a year after I started the Couch to 5k program) I ran my first half marathon.  13.1 miles.  There were parts that were easy and parts that were so hard I just wanted to quit...  But I didn't.

My body is still feeling the strain as I type this.  And my mind is seeing a correlation between the ups and downs of life.  At about mile 8, it occurred to me how similar long distance running is to being in labor.   During the first 7 miles I thought, "Wow, this is easy and kind of fun!" (early labor).  During the last half my body was screaming, "Make it stop!" (active labor).

Running long distances is very much like navigating long term relationships, specifically the LTR of learning an musical instrument (you knew I had to bring it back to music, right?).  When a student begins piano lessons, I love to see their excitement each week.  It's easy and fun and feels like that first 7 miles.  Then something happens... A thought occurs... "I think I'll skip practicing today because I'm so busy" or "I think I want to try trapeze classes".  It doesn't matter what the thought is, it just matters that it occurs.  It's the same as saying, "I need to NOT do this thing right now because it's causing me discomfort.  And because of this discomfort, I believe I need to do something else."  The unfortunate thing is that if you follow that thought through, it leads to a different path entirely and you end up never getting to mile 13.1 and never crossing the finish line.  

In music, it's hard to say where that finish line is.  Learning music is a life long endeavor.  However, reaching your goal, i.e. learning to read notes easily, playing a challenging classical piece, transposing easily into different keys, feeling comfortable improvising alone or with others, etc. could be the 13.1 mile marker.  And reaching that goal will feel amazing.  Crossing that finish line, gave me a true sense of accomplishment because I didn't give up.  Tears filled my eyes and I was elated and speechless. I had done it.  And now, as the aches and pains subside, I'm thinking about doing it again.  But my goal is to be in even better shape so that miles 8 thru 13 feel a little more enjoyable.  It can only get easier, right?  The same goes with learning the piano.  Once a goal is reached, a new goal emerges and the process continues.  It's not always fun, not always easy, however, so much is gained by just putting one foot in front of the other and not giving up.  

Whatever your goal is, get to it.  January 2013 is a perfect time to start something new or return to something that is important to you.  You can do it.  One step at a time... 

Go with the flow...

Opportunities to just go with the flow surround me.  Daily.  When I play out a future event in my head and notice how precise my need is for things to happen smoothly and neatly, there is usually a little voice that says, "Hmm... that's interesting that YOU see it playing out THAT way." Chuckle.

It doesn't really matter how big or small the event is.  It just matters that it turns out "right".  (That little voice is chuckling again.)

On October 27th, I gathered my musicians together for a performance opportunity at The Gardens in Santa Monica - an assisted living home for the elderly.  It seemed so simple to organize.  I had made a phone call a few weeks prior, set up the hour long time slot, informed and invited my musicians and their families and arrived on the 27th ready to entertain.

"Who are you visiting today?" The lady behind the information counter asked.  As I told her that we were scheduled to play for everyone, she scrambled through her papers to find something that would indicate this to be true.  She didn't find anything.  She did, however, inform me that we were competing with BINGO and that if we really wanted to have an audience we should have been put on the calendar.  Go with the flow.

Though there were only a handful of residents in the lobby, they seemed curious about our visit.  One child started to play and our mini audience came closer and settled in for the entire hour.  One after another the students played 2, 3, 4 songs from their repertoire and once finished they asked if they could go again. We heard blues, classical, contemporary, and lots of sing-a-long songs.  Towards the end, the kids just started lining up to play.  They knew they had a limited amount of time and they wanted to get in as much as possible!  

I had imagined something entirely different for this event, however, I got more than I had expected.  I got to see my students light up at the opportunity to just play and the opportunity to listen to others play.  Will I plan out our next event and expect it to happen as it "should"?  Absolutely.  But I will also go with the flow if it doesn't?  Oh, yes.

Here are some photos from our playing opportunity:

A big THANK YOU to the students and their families who also went with the flow!

Time Travel

Time travel must exist because I feel like I'm being pushed faster and faster into the future...  As I stand at my whiteboard preparing to write notes for the class that just finished, I'm writing 10/22/12.  What?  Wasn't I just writing 9/22/12?  Even 6/22/12 seems like yesterday.

I think I assumed that having kids would make things slow down a bit.  It's the repetitive everyday tasks like washing breakfast off their faces, getting them dressed, teeth brushed, shoes on...  the long and sometimes drawn out bed time routine... the baths that cause raisin-ization.   Even these everyday things don't do anything to slow it all down.  Monday quickly turns to Friday which quickly turns back into Monday again...  We all know that time flies when you're having fun so taking more time off, going on trips, having adventures will not stretch each minute a little more than last.  

I think I just need to get better at appreciating each moment as it's happening.  Often I feel rushed to get to the next moment.  And there are so many things that have to happen in any given moment (household tasks, children's needs, preparing for a lesson, teaching a lesson, emails, etc.) that the day just flies by.  Appreciating the moments...  whatever they are... when and wherever they are...  be present...  now.

Swallowed by a lion...

I'm not a group person.  I think I work well in groups, but I typically like doing things by myself.  The piano, often thought of as an instrument for one,  fits with my personality well.  Fortunately, I'm also a person who likes to challenge myself in new ways, look outside the box and test things out.  What if piano could be explored in a group setting?  This is the question I asked myself almost six years ago.  And the answer that came to me was through a Google search:  Simply Music.  Since beginning my Simply Music journey, I've explored this area of group learning and what it's done is made me more curious about group creating.  What would the experience of creating piano music in a group be like?

Over the weekend, I had the pleasure of introducing eight of my students to composing in a group.  This is how it went:  We started with deciding on a who, what and where for our story.  A free flow of ideas emerged as the kids came up with the name for our character, what he does, what he wants and where he is.  From there we established a beginning, middle and an end.  Each student contributed an idea and within five minutes we had our simple story on the board.  

One of the students got to be the storyteller and he told the story completely giving us all a clear picture of who "Ike" was and what he was doing.  We took it to the piano and each student "told" his/her part of the story by finding notes to express the mood or the action.  For our group performance, two students sat at the piano, one stood as the storyteller and the others played a drum or a shaker.  Plenty of drama, silliness and lots of laughter:)

With the framework in place, I chose two leaders who then picked their groups.  With pen and paper they drafted their own stories.  There were students who had an endless supply of ideas.  "And then Bob got swallowed by a lion...  but... but...  the lion couldn't digest him!  And then..."  Others listened to the one with all the ideas and would offer "Yeah!  A lion!  And he got a stomach ache!"  And others sat in their group, listening but were noticeably nervous about sharing an idea.  

When it came time to put the music and the drums with the story, they all got involved.  Lots of decisions to be made:  which part of the story needs a loud drum beat or a tinkling of the keys, does the storyteller speak while the music is happening or does he wait?  As the group, they took their roles and contributions and put them together to make it work.  

At the end of the hour, each group performed for each other.  Their stories were so completely different!  There were lions eating people in one and diamond thieves in the other.  I looked around and saw bright eyes and smiling faces.  It was clear they had enjoyed being the audience just as much as they enjoyed being the performers.  And it was also clear that collaborating with others in a creative space encourages listening... which encourages new ideas... which encourages action... which makes for a really fun time!

What's Your Story?

Butterflies... trees... wind... ladybugs and frogs...  The combination of these can make a pretty terrific story.  Today was my first opportunity to introduce parents to the Play A Story program designed for 4 to 6 year olds.  What a treat it was!  

To give the parents a taste of what their children would experience, we explored our musicality through improvisation and play.  My favorite part of this introductory session was having a parent at the piano expressing herself through the piano while I read a story about the zephyr wind and its movement through the forest.  This parent had never had piano lessons before.  She placed her hands on the keys and let the story move her all over the notes.  And it sounded so lovely!  When the story ended, she gently took her hands off the keys and with a big smile on her face said, "That was amazing!"  

Music and story allow our focus to rest on a single moment in time.  Now.  And the feeling that comes from creating in the moment is like none other.  Bravo parents!  

The Play A Story classes will begin the first week of October!

Are there any 4 to 6 year olds in your world who would love to learn how to express themselves through music?  

Check out:  http://www.simplymusic.com/PlayaStory to find a teacher in your area!  and

http://www.rhythmnyou.com to learn more about my studio!

Lovely Surprises Along the Way...

As a human, I make assumptions about people.  As a teacher, I make assumptions about students and parents.  And I'm thankful for those moments when my assumptions (good or bad) are proved wrong because it's a reminder that I don't know everything.  There's something liberating in knowing that. 

When I get calls from excited parents about piano lessons for their 2, 3, 4 or 5 yr old, I take a deep breath and listen to everything they want to tell me about their little virtuoso.  But in the end, I make other recommendations.  Though Mozart was a gifted composer at the age of 4, I believed that HE was the exception to the rule.  And my "rule" had always been to begin teaching students somewhere around 6 1/2 years old or 7.  

Well, wouldn't you know it, someone had to prove me wrong.  Nancy Leung came to lessons for a Workshop I offered through Living Social.  She took her materials home and her little guy, Connor, started learning the songs on his own.  He was 5 years old at the time.  Connor is one of those little "Mozarts" who seems to eat music.  

Here's what Connor's up to now...

Since Connor began taking lessons, more little tikes have come into my studio and surprised me with their capabilities.  More to share on that soon...

Oh, sweet reflection...

The year is more than half over and I'm sitting here thinking about the first 7 months...  reflection...  And instead of listing all the things I've accomplished in that period of time and also the things that I had hoped to accomplish, I think I'll just take the time to say thank you. 


To my family:


Thank you, hubby, for your ever consistent love for me and our girls.  For your unwavering support of all the "things" I want to do and be.  I know I keep you on your toes...


Thank you, sweet Ava, for being a little girl that I love to be with.  For your charm, humor and grace.  You are truly mommy's angel.


Thank you, darling Dakota, for being the perfect addition to our family.  For your laughter, your playful growl and your strength and determination.  You are an unstoppable being who, thankfully, is full of light and love.


To my other family:


Thank you, Simply Music, for being a company that is comprised of conscious beings who believe in what you're doing.  And in turn, make the rest of us believers as well.


Thank you, students, for being willing to learn and grow, not only your musicality, but also your character.  You all continue to amaze me with your commitment to this journey and your honesty with the ups and downs of this long-term relationship.


Thank you, parents, for your support of the program, my studio and the tasks at hand.  It is your "vision" of seeing your child become musically self-expressed that is crucial.  Thank you for that.


I could go on and on...  Thank you to all my close friends who have introduced/re-introduced me to things like the WiSpa, new wines, dancing to Latin music, playing the guitar, new ice cream shops, jogging, boogie boarding, eating greener, living greener, and the list goes on...  It's been a good year so far.  A great year, in fact.  And I get five more months to make it even better.

Aging melodically...

When an adult calls about piano lessons, they are quick to tell me their age.  I guess this is kind of a disclaimer or something on their part.  "Please don't expect much from me because I'm old."  I usually let them know that my oldest student is 89 years old and he plays beautifully.


Age is a funny thing.  It's a number and it only means what we want it to mean.  I've met many elderly folks who just seem old.  They're often grumpy, impatient and simply unhappy.  And then there are those rare ones who, though, the lines on their face and the shuffle in their step tell a story of a life long lived, there is a brightness in their eyes and a gentleness in their soul that sings an ageless song.  This describes my John.



I recently posted a blog about John (teacher's pet) and wanted to post something again in celebration of his 100th lesson.  John comes weekly and in our lessons together we always end up playing duets together.  We just can't help it.  He is a "tinkerer" at the piano and can play some very remarkable, melancholy melodies.  


Here we are playing together for his 100th lesson.  Enjoy!

Don't just perspire this summer... be inspired!

One week into my two week "stay-cation".   Pool, beach, bbq, friends... and last night, fireworks.  It's been a great summer so far.


Aside from the non-work activities, I've also taken some time to organize my summer schedule, talk to prospective students, play the piano and the guitar and will hopefully, complete the training for Play-A-Story before summer's end.


It feels great to be doing other things. Gives my brain a break and helps me come back to center.  One of the areas I want to dive more deeply into is composition.  And with many students taking a break this summer, I'll have more time to focus on playing and composing.  My declaration:  by September 1st, I'll have written two songs, one for each instrument (guitar and piano).  I will let you know how that's going in a few weeks!


Here's a great video of two kids who not only play beautifully, but are also amazing composers.  Anna shares a bit of Bach and her brother, Lukas, a sweet little song by Neil Moore.  Anna finishes up with a brilliant combination of the two.  


Enjoy!

12 Things That Make My Job Better Than Yours

Next week we'll be finishing our school session.  Then taking a break for a couple weeks and in mid July we'll be moving on to our summer session of lessons and workshops.  Lots of really wonderful things happened this year.  In fact, there are 12 things that just make my job better than yours...  :)


(1)  many new students have come as a result of parents talking about the program and students playing for their friends - thank you for this!


(2)  referrals are the best and I've been able to discontinue all paid advertising.  Yay!


(3)  the new students and parents that have come in are exactly what I want to attract;  they get the program, appreciate the musical progress and love making music together!


(4)  the 32 day challenge and the 100 day challenge got us all practicing more and it connected the students to each other


(5)  moving the furniture out and around the studio, painting, and getting new pieces has made the space even better


(6)  I've pushed through my own mental barriers around teaching the higher levels (reading notes and so on) and as a result...


(7)  teaching my upper level students has given me a new appreciation for Neil and his brilliance


(8)  and it's made me very proud of my students and what they're able to play and create at the piano


(9)  pushed through another mental barrier around learning other instruments;  taking up the guitar is shifting my relationship with music and it's opened up a new avenue of expression


(10)  exploring the world of blogging has been fun because I get to showcase my students;  the videos and interviews have been a great way to connect with students and parents on a different level - thank you for participating and allowing me to video you!!


(11)  playing the piano has been more fun for me this year;  coming from a traditional background, I have hidden hang-ups that many people don't know about;  many of these hang-ups have been almost completely silenced due to me playing more with my students.  


(12)  and the last thing I'll share is that because I'm able to teach this amazing program to amazing people and can do that from my home, I'm able to be with my two girls.  This is a major blessing for our family!


Looking forward to some fun in the sun this summer!  And to exploring this awesome musical journey we're on!