Music Tells the Story – 2023

Conversely, what music do you think of when you see this picture? Debussy? Albeniz? Gershwin? Price? Bach? Mozart? Bartok? Yi? What story goes with the music?

Congratulations to four of my students who participated in the GCMTA “Music Tells the Story” recital held at Christ Episcopal Church, Columbia, Maryland on January 30th, at 12:30 pm.

What is the story you wish to convey to your audience as they listen to you perform your piece? As a musician, each piece you play conveys a personal story to you, and you in turn can convey that to your audience through technique and expressiveness, AND with words!

What story will you share for your performance piece? Notice how dynamics, phrasing, harmony, and melody help “tell the story.”

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!

Our HOLIDAY MUSIC 2022 MP4 file is ready! Click below to hear many lovely holiday songs performed by students in The Donnelly Music Studio, and pieces also performed by Ms. Donnelly. TECHNICAL NOTE: There is a delay on the first two slides (only the first two slides) that I have not been able to resolve, and there are a few ‘too hot’ mics, but we will work on resolving those technical problems in upcoming blog posts and recordings. You can set the slider to 1:22 to move past the delays and begin the slideshow. ENJOY!!!

Discovering Music by Indigenous Composers

I recently attended an MTNA webinar introducing Indigenous composers, presented by Diné composer and pianist, Connor Chee. The presentation was a sampler of the many Indigenous composer works that are available for piano pedagogy and performance, as well as works for ensemble, instrumentals, carrillons, electro-acoustic, and film scores. Utilizing the information from the webinar, I have selected a few youtube performances below and also provide a link to a website that may be used for information on Indigenous composers covering many different musical genres.

The diverse sounds and stories, their meaning as indicated by Indigenous composers and performers who can relate the particular pieces to their tribal traditions, and their overall value for performance practice and development of technique will render a very positive addition to a studio recital repertoire. Enjoy your review of the selections below.

Connor Chee, Diné pianist and composer, performing “Navajo Vocable for Piano No. 9“, “Sheep“, which has a clever video, and “Female Rain.”

Beverly McKiver, originally from Ontario, Canada, is a a member of the Lac Seul First Nation in Treaty Three. She teachers, performs, and composes music that combines Indigenous and Western Classical sounds and ideas. Her “Canadian Emblem Series” is a set of pieces dedicated to the flowers that represent each of the 10 provinces and 3 territories in Canada today. In this performance we hear “Mayflower” (Nova Scotia), “Lady Slipper” (Prince Edward Island), “Trillium” (Ontario), “Blue Flag Iris” (Quebec), and “Mountain Avens” (Northwest Territories).

Other artists you may wish to explore include: Melody McKiver, Jerod Tate, Jacqueline Wilson, Renata Yazzie, Louis Ballard, Raven Chacon, Dawn Avery, and Brent Michael Davis – for starters! For more information see: http://www.renatayazzie.com/north-american-indigenous-music-resources

MasterClass for Teenage Pianists with Robert Henry “Piano Playing Tips Every Highschooler Should Know” (June 2020)

Six Part Presentation with pianist Robert Henry. I recently attended an MTNA Robert Henry MasterClass Webinar for teachers. His clarity, wealth of knowledge, enthusiasm for both performing and teaching, and the opportunity to learn are not to be missed! I found this youtube after a Google search, and it is amazing; it is for students and well-done. (Individual students in my studio will receive recommendations on parts of the youtube to review.)

  1. Posture, Movement, and Keybedding 2:06
  2. Warm ups and Scales 13:09
  3. Rhythm, Harmony, Pedaling, Phrasing, and Rubato 18:16
  4. Voicing 42:50
  5. Trills 46:46
  6. Practicing 52:59

Shared below is a list of books and a few sayings from the MTNA Robert Henry Webinar for teachers (April 2022).

  1. Effortless Mastery: Liberating the Master Musician Within by Kenny Werner
  2. With Your Own Two Hands: Self-Discovery Through Music by Seymour Bernstein
  3. Tao of Jeet Kune Do by Bruce Lee

“The outstanding characteristic of an expert athlete is his ease of movement, even during maximal effort. The novice is characterised by his tenseness, wasted motion, and extra effort.”

BRUCE LEE

“Winners don’t just learn the fundamentals, they master them.”

MICHAEL JORDAN

“Your beliefs become your thoughts,

Your thoughts become your words,

Your words become your actions,

Your actions become your habits,

Your habits become your values,

Your values become your destiny.”

MAHATMA GHANDI