Piano Lessons in Renton, WA

Instruments: Piano Voice Keyboard

Does music run in your family? Tell us a little about your musical family members.
Yes, my parents both play the piano and organ and love to sing. My father also played trumpet in his youth and my mother played French Horn and euphonium. My brothers play the organ and string and electric bass, and my two sons play violin and guitar. My husband is a good choral singer.

If you weren't a musician what do you think you'd be doing instead?
I might be a holistic medical doctor. I actually became certified as a medical assistant while I was also an undergraduate music student. I decided not to go to medical school because I knew I would not be able to dedicate enough time to music if I did that. Now, I am no longer interested in medical school, but I think I would also have liked to be a park ranger. I also enjoy writing - creative and non-fiction.

If you have a Music Degree, what is it in (Performance, Education, Musicology, Theory, Composition, etc) and why did you choose that degree?
I chose performance degrees (Bachelor of Music, Master of Music, Doctor of Musical Arts, Graduate Artist Diploma) because I was chiefly interested in diving deeply into performance.

What is your dream piece to perform and why?
For voice, I would love to perform the role of Solveig in Grieg's Peer Gynt. On piano, there are so many things I love - the Bach concertos are a favorite, as well as the Mendelssohn G minor concerto.

What does a normal practice session look like for you?
On piano, I begin with improvising, then play through a section, then narrow down to concentrate on details. I have to remind myself to take breaks. I find that frequent shorter sessions (30 minutes to an hour) are much more effective than marathon sessions. In voice, I restrict the length of a practice session to 45 minutes. I begin with stretching, exercises to help me find my vocal balance, and then focus on a specific section of a piece and concentrate on different aspects of that section - ease, evenness, text, acting, etc.

What advice do you have about practicing effectively?
Schedule regular practice times, but also allow yourself to practice spontaneously. Spend a few minutes relaxing and/or improvising before you begin. Practice in short, regular sessions, and take breaks if doing longer sessions. Throughout your practicing, refresh your posture and stretch. Breathe. Your practice goals will differ depending on where you are in a piece of music. Sometimes you will need to practice small section; don't just run through a piece over and over again or you will 'program in' errors. Let yourself do a runthrough at the end of your sessions if you want; otherwise save run-throughs for after you have mastered technical difficulties. When you get close to a performance, imagine you are playing for an audience. Always encourage yourself. When you make errors, just let it register without being hard on yourself. Then calmly try again. Repetition is your friend if you take time to reflect between repetitions. There is so much more to say about practicing - I need to write a book about it!

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