Piano

Other than playing the trombone briefly in the middle school band at Greensboro Academy, piano is the only instrument I play. I have taken lessons since about the age of 7, until middle school when my lovely old piano instructor died of cancer. I again took lessons all through middle school from a different teacher; however, I stopped with lessons after freshman year of high school. I still love to play, and I really enjoy learning new pieces, sometimes ones that my mom used to play when she was a young girl. Here is a compilation of the newer pieces I have spent time learning and practicing, and a brief passage on what each means to me:

Classical Pieces:

Clair de Lune by Claude Debussy, arranged by John W. Schaum
The Clair de Lune is characterized by a deep poignancy and a dramatic tone shift. Debussy seems to be constantly toying with the dissonance, stretching it to new levels, and finally resolving it with a lovely and tinkling major C chord at the end. One of the main struggles of learning this piece was the tricky left hand fingering, and the dynamics of the left hand accompanying, but not overpowering, the right hand melody. The Clair de Lune evokes memories of middle school, when emotions were perhaps the most intense. There was intense longing, sometimes anger, sadness, but in those days, pretty much everything ended in a nice happy C major for me!

Sonata No. 14, "Moonlight" by Ludwig van Beethoven
Although The "Moonlight" Sonata is perhaps my only other piece of classical music that carries as much weight and recognition in the name as the Clair de Lune, is reminds me of a completely different time in my life. I only learned this piece my during the end of my junior year, and therefore it carries a completely different context for me. Unfortunately its beautiful measured pace, grieving sounds, and story telling chord progression remind me of my first breakup, which most definitely does not deserve to be associated with this achingly beautiful piece. The most difficult thing in learning this piece is the way the double and triple sharps were written. Instead of writing C, the music reads B#. This notation does help display the progression of the sounds, but made it tricky to read the music.

Sonatina
One of the most peppy and upbeat songs I have played in my entire lifetime, with some fantastic and rapid right hand solos! Like the Claire de Lune, it is marked by two major phases of the song with are completely unique but somehow so artfully intertwined. The major key in the song reminds me of a very young child, who bumbles along and makes all sorts of mistakes, but somehow is always in a happy mood.

Contemporary Pieces:

River Flows in You by Yiruma
This non-classical piece could not be more representative of the Contemporary Pieces I've learned! My brother heard this song on Pandora originally and told me it was his favorite song on the piano, so, I decided to learn it! My stubborn will and determination in learning a song I had only heard and desired to play is characteristic of the rest of the non-Classical pieces. River Flows in You reminds me that music is a universal language, and that insisting on being yourself regardless of acceptance or not is an invaluable lesson. The quirky and somewhat dissonant chord that closes out the piece leaves me without a sense of closure, reminding me that "the end" never really goes as planned, and ends up being more of a "?" than a "."

I and Love and You by the Avett Brothers
Sweet songs like this one make piano playing much more of a social event. This song includes lyrics, and since I couldn't find perfect, free, sheet music for this one, it turns into more of a simple chord progression accompanied by vocals. This song, with its message of packing up and leaving a city, reminds me of my imminent departure from Greensboro. Hopefully "I and Love and You" won't become so hard for me to say like it did in the song!

To the Sky by Dirk Massen
To the Sky by Dirk Massen is definitely one of the most moody and foreboding pieces I have learned this year. Lots of Dirk Massen's pieces sound very similar, with hyper similar dramatic moods. It reminds me that no matter how complicated a song can sound, it can actually be very simple to play. For me, this song reemphasized the crucial role dynamics and artistic expression play in a performance. Everything from the way the performer moves the pedal with her foot, or rolls her wrist when finishing a song is part of the artistic expression.

Mama's Arms by Joshua Kadison
A heartbreaking and emotional piece by Joshua Kadison, one of my childhood artist, tells the story of a boy and his brother losing their mom at a young age. Kadison embellishes all his live performances with notes so syncopated, I wonder how he ever managed to transcribe them into a book of music. I managed to simplify the piece to its core components, and somehow I think it heightens the raw emotions of the lyrics when the actual piano is distilled into its vital elements. It makes my sister cry whenever she hears it, and reminds me of how my dad must feel about his mother's death. My heart breaks for him and his siblings.

Skinny Love by Birdy (original by Bon Iver)
The original Skinny Love by Bon Iver is criminally overlooked. However, it is such a different work of art that I hardly would have realized that Birdy's version was simply a recreation of the original. Birdy's Skinny Love points out an important facet of contemporary music. Originality is something incredibly hard to achieve since everyone seems to have "already done" everything. The originality Birdy manages to attain despite the fact that Skinny Love already existed as a song amazes me! I believe that true creativity can just as easily be a completely new take on something that already exists, not just purely in "things that haven't been done."

The IB Learner Outcome best represented by my Piano-playing is:

• Developing new skills: As with new challenges, new skills may be shown in activities that the student has not previously undertaken, or in increased expertise in an established area.

Total Creative Time: 40 hours