Look for the Silver Lining

This is not one of my standard piano/voice teacher posts.

It’s been a really tough couple of weeks, and to be entirely honest… the tough part isn’t going to let up for a while. But that’s life. And that’s ok.

(And it’s also not ok. It just depends on the moment…)

We must learn to play the cards that we are dealt, right? Something like that. Or maybe something more like this…

Music consists of both consonance and dissonance.

If you’ve ever performed a particularly dissonant piece or song, you’ll understand what I mean when I say this:

“It’s not enough to just play the pretty notes.

Sometimes you have to embrace the icky notes too.”

Learning to embrace and make the most out of dissonance is an important part of becoming a good musician, and it’s something that I strive to teach all of my students.

Dissonance and tension keep the music moving forward. Without these things, consonance loses it’s “super power” of resolution… and music would be rather boring.

I’m pretty sure there’s a life lesson here. One that I’m really trying to learn:

The tough stuff teaches us to keep moving forward.  

Recently I wrote an article about some of the “tough stuff” I’ve encountered as a piano teacher. Look for the Silver Lining is the story about what happened when one of my favorite students almost quit piano lessons.

Spoiler alert: This story makes an unexpected twist. If you’ve ever wanted to learn about making a music video, this story and my how-to article will help you get started.

You can find Look for the Silver Lining in this month’s issue of The Piano Bench Mag. It’s a great resource for teachers – inspiring articles, app reviews, how-tos, and even a monthly recipe.

Huge thanks to Karen Gibson for asking me to “think outside the box” for this article, and for giving me the opportunity to share my story. Without a doubt, this is my favorite article that I’ve ever written.  I hope your readers enjoy it.

Hope you all enjoyed today’s strange post.

Thanks for reading.

Just keep swimming.

Just keep playing…

Just keep breathing.

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