Music That Moves Me

My life isn't all books and writing. My Fall piano recital is this weekend, and here's what I'm playing!

I’m divided when it comes to expressing my art. Maybe it’s because I’m a Gemini. Or not.

Maybe it’s because I’ve been playing the piano since the age of three. Music is a second language to me. If you think that means I’m a prodigy, think again. I was taught to read dots on the page. Improvisation was never part of my repertoire. Until Berklee College of Music.

That’s when I discovered Jazz.

My musical life is like chapters ripped from genre fiction. Early on, I had my Classical era. As a Young Adult, I was exposed to jazz. But I longed to play Popular music, and for a few years, I was in a band. (Thriller.) I even wrote some songs. (Horror.) When I settled down, I tried Engineering. I had a recording studio in my home. Think of it as the Editing side of a #writerslife.

Jazz, I found very difficult. By the time I was exposed to it, it was so engrained in my brain and body that music was meant to be played exactly as it is on the page, that I had a difficult time adapting. So much later, I returned to my roots. Classical is my favorite because of its unpredictable nature, complicated rhythms and mysterious chord structures.

However, as a piano teacher, I want my students to experience it all.

I’ve peen teaching piano now for 20 (Really? Twenty?) years. The majority of my students are school age kids who don’t know what music they like. Most are to young to know that music expresses all ranges of emotions. Most have never listened to Classical or Jazz. I know! But we live in Wisconsin and it’s hard to find a good jazz radio station around here unless you subscribe to satellite radio. And you won’t find many musicians playing it live in many bars. Tell me if I’m wrong, Madisonians. Where can I find a good live jazz band?

So this season I chose Jazz as our recital theme. Did you know that jazz is still a pretty young genre, having evolved only about 150 years ago. It was the inspiration for early rock and roll. Precursors to jazz were African slave chants, American hymns and gospel music. The syncopated rhythms in jazz came out of rag time piano music which was distinguished by a steady beat in the left hand counterpointed with an off-rhythm melody. Ragtime was often transposed to other instruments and the term is said to come from the words ragged time.

This weekend my students will be playing songs by Sam Holland, Henri Mancini, and Ray Henderson. As a teacher and pianist, I love the Martha Meier Jazz books. Meier was an internationally recognized composer and musician who wrote for Alfred’s publishing. We’re playing her “Clarinet Blues,” “Hallelujah,” and “Red Rose Rendezvous.”

I’m playing the Gershwin Prelude No. 1. I’m also playing one of my mom’s favorites, one that has taken me years to memorize because it always reminded me of her, a little piece by Marvin Hamlisch, “Solace.” If you can tell me the name of the movie that featured that song (without looking it up!) I’ll send you a free eBook of your choice, Best Kept Secrets or The Cliff Diver. The first person to put it in the chat wins!