Creating community at the piano: this is the fifth and final post in my series on core principles that lie at the heart of my philosophy of teaching and drive everything I do as a musician.
So far, I’ve discussed developing ease, improving your listening skills, playing expressively, and cultivating enjoyment at the piano.
Today’s post is about Creating COMMUNITY.
Watch the video!
Creating Community as Pianist
Creating Community is probably the most important of all of my core principles, because in life, we don’t exist in a vacuum. We are part of various communities: whether it be a family, a group of friends, a church, a school, a job, even a town or city. You’re probably a member of many different communities.
At the end of the day, music is all about communication, inter-connectedness, and community.
Community plays an essential role in my life as a musician. I’m still friends with musicians I met decades ago. In fact, one of the things that got me through the worst of the pandemic was having weekly Zoom conversations with a core group of friends who are professional musicians I have known since graduate school.
Many of the musicians I know play a role in my professional experiences and opportunities.
These are my communities – what are yours?
I teach at a university, where I’m part of a community of musicians and artists in other fields. In the summers I teach at a summer camp where I’m part of a different, but overlapping, community of artists. Both of those communities enrich my own life as a musician, and also inspire me as a teacher.
As a teacher, I create a community among my students and I enjoy participating in their musical, personal and professional development. Also, some of my students continue to be part of my life even after they graduate and stop studying with me.
Your communities will shift and change as you move through different stages of your life. When you’re a student, you’ll be part of different groups than when you’re a professional musician, and they’ll support you in different ways.
Find community in the PAST, the PRESENT and the FUTURE.
We don’t need to be physically present with other people in order to feel community with them. I like to think about community on a continuum of the past, the present and the future.
Past: tradition and history
Playing the piano is something that’s part of a long tradition. As a pianist yourself, you are carrying on hundreds of years of tradition, and many pianists have come before you.
You can connect with this history (and, therefore, create community) by learning about pianists and teachers of past eras, becoming familiar with piano works by composers from previous centuries, and learning about the fascinating history of the piano as an instrument.
This can also research musicians who have been sidelined by history. You can listen to old recordings, read letters written by composers, and listen to keyboard music played on historic instruments. All of this will help connect you with community that arises from being part of a tradition.
Present: what is happening now
There are many ways to connect with piano-playing as it exists in the world today. Besides playing the piano yourself, you can attend concerts or watch videos of current pianists, and learn about living composers writing music today.
Future: nurturing the next generation
Looking ahead to the future: as someone who is part of a tradition, you can always help people even younger than yourself who are interested in the piano. You can play for them, teach them how to play the piano, take them to interesting concerts, listen to them perform, and encourage them on their own musical journey.
Why pianists especially need to create community
Unlike an orchestral or band instrument, and also unlike voice, where people can sing in a choir in addition to singing solos, playing the piano can be a somewhat solitary experience. I’ve found that it’s important to seek out community, because it’s entirely possible to get absorbed in playing solo piano music and start to feel isolated.
How to create community
Here is a list of different ways it’s possible to find community as a pianist. Not everything on the list will apply to you, but there will probably be at least a couple of things I mention here that you can do to create community for yourself. And there are as many ways to be a part of a community as there are people – so I’m sure you can find additional ideas I don’t even talk about here.
As a pianist, what communities are you part of? Leave your answer in the comments!
• Performing
Some of my students love to practice and learn, but don’t enjoy performing as much. But if you enjoy it, performing is an essential community-builder. Find an appreciative audience and share your music with them.
• Taking lessons from a teacher
Not all students of the piano have teachers, but I do recommend it if possible. A good teacher can help you make progress more quickly than you will on your own, and you can meet other piano students through your teacher.
Often, a teacher will have recitals or other events for their students to play in and hear each other. In my studio, for example, we have weekly studio classes where my piano students come together and play for each other, and we have two studio recitals a year. This is essential to creating a sense of support and community among my students.
• Going to summer music camps, masterclasses, or festivals
Taking time out of the summer and going to a camp, residential masterclass, or festival is a great way to find community as a pianist. You’ll meet people with similar interests and get to know them, both personally and through your playing.
The atmosphere at a summer program tends to be pretty intense, and therefore connections you make at them often last for many years. These programs usually cost tuition, but I always recommend that students apply anyway even if it seems expensive, because there is often financial aid and scholarship funding available, and you never know what’s available for you until you apply.
• Participating in online communities
There are a lot of online groups for piano and pianists, and you can plug into community by joining some of them and meeting folks.
• Getting involved in adult amateur piano groups and competitions
For adult amateur pianists, many communities exist, online and in person at the local level. This is an opportunity to play for each other and help each other grow.
• Joining music teacher organizations
If you’re a piano teacher, joining music teacher organizations is a great way to find community. I would suggest MTNA as well as looking for local music teacher groups. Here in Indianapolis, for example, we have piano teacher organizations that have monthly programming for members and also recitals and scholarship auditions for their students. This is the case in many other cities as well.
• Going to concerts
Attending live classical, jazz, blues or other music concerts is a great way to find community, and also support your local arts scene. I still remember some concerts I attended years ago, because there is just something about this kind of event that is much more memorable than watching an online video or listening to a recording by yourself.
If you go to concerts a lot in your hometown, you might start to see some of the same people at them, and perceive that you are part of a local community of music lovers.
• Playing chamber music
This is my favorite kind of music-making. Playing chamber music with other musicians is a way to create a musical experience where each musician in the group contributes.
• Playing piano duets
Playing piano duets is a lot of fun. This is a music-making tradition that goes back centuries and is a great way to connect with other people.
I used to play piano duets with my mother and with my teacher. But as I grew older, I played duets with friends, fellow students, and fellow faculty.
• Collaborating with a singer or choir
This is also a rewarding way to plug into community. I started accompanying choirs all the way back in 5th grade, and it was always fun for me. It also helps improve your sightreading skills.
• Playing in jazz combos
A significant number of my high school and college students come to me with jazz experience – if you’re interested in jazz and your school has a jazz band, that’s often a great way to get started, even if you are new to jazz.
• Working with living composers.
I’ve played many works by living composers, including world premieres, and it’s incredibly satisfying to play something by a living, breathing human being.
When you play a piece by a composer you know, you can have a dialogue with them and get immediate feedback on your interpretative ideas. Also, once you’ve played a piece by a composer you have met in person, you’ve planted the seeds for an ongoing relationship as you each continue your own musical journeys. Maybe they’ll even write a piece for you!
Conclusion
Community is at the heart of my philosophy of teaching, and where I get so much fulfillment every day as I interact with musicians from the past, present and future. Let me know in the comments below what I left off this list. Tell me what communities you are part of, and how YOU create community as a pianist!