Good morning, everyone,
Have you ever told yourself that it was time to do things differently?
But sometimes, the answer does not come as quickly as we would like.
My story tells how I lost the taste for music at some point and the means that allowed me to find it, after encountering many obstacles.
Everyone who knows me well knows how fascinated I am by the world of musical creativity, improvisation and composition. I have been immersed in this world for nearly 20 years now, not only as an improviser and composer, but also as a pedagogue with my clientele of all ages.
How did this whole adventure begin? Very few of you know this.
When I was very young, I composed and improvised all kinds of stories and small musical forms, without knowing what they really represented. When my classical musical studies became more serious and I entered the world of piano competition, I abandoned my creative side in favor of musical performance. I even went so far as to play with the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal at the age of 17, having won the First Prize in the OSM competition.
But something was beginning to take shape inside me: the weight of the stress of the performance, having to prove my worth as a concert pianist as well as the long hours of practice; all these requirements gave me less and less pleasure. Emotional pains resulting in physical injuries appeared at the turn of my twenties, leaving me with no future as a concert pianist.
And when you have music in your soul and you have invested so much in it, the prospect is devastating. I noticed it in several of my colleagues as well.
I still started teaching, because I couldn’t really play. As a young piano teacher, I also stumbled upon my students’ desire to get out of written plays and traditional teaching in general. I found myself off guard and without resources. I myself was unable to sit on the piano and improvise music without a score, which I found terribly frustrating.
It was then that I began to look for avenues to find a new approach that would allow me to make music simply and express myself differently. I joined the organization Music For People, led by internationally renowned cellist David Darling, first in intensive workshops of a weekend, then a week. Love at first sight! I could finally create my music from the inside and it was a revelation for me.
I then embarked on a four-year training course that would allow me, among other things, to lead improvisation workshops, but especially because I had too much pleasure in experimenting with this form of intuitive improvisation that completely transformed me. My fear of making mistakes by improvising has changed by letting go and in full awareness of the present moment. I was able to coax my inner criticism from the perfectionism of the classical world. My sense of rhythm has greatly improved, as has my inner listening.
The joy of making music and my passion for the piano have returned. I play within my physical limits and that’s enough for me, I finally express myself and I feel more alive. When you create your music, you reveal yourself to yourself. Since then, I have created two improvisation discs, published songs and compositions for students.
I was able to witness this same transformation in several of my colleagues in the Music For People program.
My students also benefit from it. In addition to my experience in this program, I have been looking for nearly twenty years for all kinds of ways to approach the piano in a creative, playful and accessible way. I also want my students to be able to know and above all, KEEP the pleasure of making music in their lives.
We should be complete musicians, able to play with or without a written score.
It is this vision that I fervently instil in my piano classes and creative play workshops. I waited a very long time before starting the path of Improvisation, for fear of not being up to the task. I thought I had to attend another “serious” seminar when in reality, what I needed most was more fun in my music and in my life in general.
And you, what do you think dear colleagues, teachers, friends and musicians? Would you like your teaching or musical life to be more alive?
I wish you not to wait as long as I do.
Therefore, in the 3rd week of January 2023, I will launch a brand new 6-month piano improvisation program on the Zoom platform. This program allows you to get out of the written score in a very accessible and progressive way, while improvising freely solo or as a duo, or even with members of your family! For teachers, these tools will allow you to integrate improvisation into all aspects of your teaching.
Most musicians think that it takes long formations or years to improvise freely, trying all kinds of didactic means. What I discovered in return, using tracks and triggers experienced for twenty years, is that improvisation and spontaneous creation can be much more accessible than we think, in the space of a few months. You have to live the music from the inside, with simplicity and authenticity.
The program will be aimed at any pianist with classical training (with a certain basis) or piano teacher, without necessarily having experience in improvisation. This incursion could transform your life, as it did for me!
If you want to discuss it, you can reply to this publication and make an appointment for a discussion on Zoom, it will make me happy!
Creatively yours,
Josée