Wishing You A Creative 2013!

Years ago, a student family invited me to a Lorie Line Concert. They were shocked that I had never heard of her before.

I attended with some curiosity, not knowing what to expect. Keep in mind, this was soon after graduating with an MA in piano performance and pedagogy with a limited scope of musical styles all from dead composers. Writing a thesis and preparing a recital had put me in a "serious music" zone for years and I assumed that this was the way it would stay.

How surprised I was when Lorie came out in THE most elegant dress I had ever seen on a pianist. She opened the show with a stately, original piece. Throughout her performance, she had a pleasant appearance on her face and often glanced towards the audience to make sure we were enjoying ourselves. And of course, we were.

Looking back, that was a pivotal moment in my music life. Seeing how much fun she and her chamber orchestra were having made me wish for that myself. Since then, I've purchased many of her books--most of them feature arrangements of holiday tunes. While playing her pieces, it was easy to unlock her arranging secrets. Nothing motivates me more than seeing what others do and wanting to do the same--intrinsic motivation. So I began creating my own arrangements, and even original compositions. There are now countless other LIVING composers that inspire me to do the same.

This year, I was looking for a prelude based on "Go Tell it On the Mountain" for an upcoming church service. I recalled an archived arrangement I made back in 2003 (inspired by Line's style) and decided to pull it out. Below is a video of me playing the piece in my "it's-not-all--black-and-white" attire. :-)

http://youtu.be/ZJVE1Hslgi8

As I venture into a partnership with Bradley Sowash called Creative Keys,  and we embark on the Eye Ear Revolution for 2013 (stay tuned for more details), it is our mission to inspire creativity. I hope to re-ignite this creative spark I discovered years ago and resolve to create myself ,and inspire creativity in my students even more than before.

HOWEVER, I'd love to hear your story. Where are you on your creative path? Which direction will you take this year? Please share your experience on how you caught the contagious creative bug or how you intend to come down with a serious case of it this year.

II III II III II III II

Thank you to all who have stopped by for a visit here at 88pianokeys.me.

I look forward to spending 2013 with you here as well as at 88CreativeKeys.com

Merry Christmas and Happy 2013!

May Creativity become Contagious.

II III II III II III II

Click here to sign up for the 88pianokeys.me newsletter.