I took classical piano lessons from age 7 to 16. I loved the piano. But I frequently ditched my scales and arpeggios in favour of the sheet music for Chariots of Fire and Easy Piano Hits From The 70's. I tried to pick out tunes by ear and was thrilled when a choral teacher taught me the power of I-IV-V for basic accompaniment. I tortured my family with improvised "fishpond" music throughout most of high school.
I never excelled in classical music - primarily because I didn't work at it. I hated recitals and exams; I got horribly nervous and made mistakes. Once my life became filled with the visual arts (which you can edit as much as you like before sharing), I tucked my piano playing away into a private practice.
I have recently started to re-think how I hear myself on the piano, thanks in large part to Jacob Collier, a most freeing musician. He has given me permission to enjoy mistakes. He is helping me re-hear what I improvise not as music, but as lines, shapes, volumes, expressive movements - and poetry. And as I record myself for the first time - I realize that I can save, trim, or delete the results - so I do have some control over what goes out into the world. Beyond this, I know almost nothing about audio recording. What's here is what I choose to share with you. "Mistakes" and clunking pedal included.
Poem 1 Pete and the Coyote. April 5, 2025
Poem 2 Unrecovering Awkward Person. April 7, 2025
Poem 3 Für Unease. April 7, 2025
Poem 4 Walk with me? April 8, 2025
Poem 5 Slipping Memory. April 9, 2025
Poem 6 Gone. April 10, 2025
Poem 7 Scattered Flax. April 10, 2025
Chant - Women's Showers, Kinesiology Department, CSULB. April 11, 2025
Poem 8 Noticing. April 12, 2025
Poem 9 Pretending to be an entertainer without worrying about the notes. April 13, 2025.
Poem 10 Gratitude. April 20, 2025