BY MICHAELA O'DONNELL
ISSUE NO. 43 | SEPTEMBER 2022
Modern Day Musings
While it often flies under the radar in more current music circles, classical music is the foundation that the popular music of today has been built on. It is so integral to the music that we all know and love that it even has a whole month dedicated to it!
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If you haven’t already guessed, September is Classical Music Month and we are excited to spread the love for classical. For this month’s newsletter, we asked our local classical expert and piano coach, Deb Hedley, to give us a deeper look into classical music and what it means to her. We all know composers like Mozart and Beethoven, but those of us who are not fully immersed in the world of classical music are missing out on a myriad of other classical pieces that can truly inspire us as musicians. In contrast to more contemporary music that is often chord based, classical is very technical, making it a lot harder to play and often more interesting or intriguing . This obviously depends on the specific song, but it generally makes both learning and teaching a lot more fun for anyone
September Is Classical Music Month!
who is looking for a challenge! Deb is a perfect example of this, and considers classical her specialty. Even though Deb didn’t know September was Classical Music Month, she is definitely happy about it! It is her favorite to both play and teach, and has always been a special part of her life. She was first introduced to classical music through her father’s deep appreciation for it, and she continues to spread that appreciation in her lessons. Deb is excited by the endless possibilities of classical music, and it brings her so much joy to open that door for her students too. Two of Deb’s favorite things about classical are the challenge of playing it and the history. “Composers like Beethoven and Mozart lived over 200 years ago, yet we still hold and treasure their music to this day, all over the world.” While all music has its own history to admire, Deb is drawn to classical music in particular because she loves how it can connect people all over the world, and of all different ages. “You can play Beethoven’s Fur Elise to a five year old and a 50 year old and they would both know the piece… It is one of the few genres that can do that.”
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While classical may not seem as popular these days, it is still alive and well among young musicians. We even have local competitions dedicated entirely to classical, such as the 21st Annual Chopin Piano Competition happening right here in the Capital Region! On September 17th in Latham, NY, an elite group of 25-30 young pianists will compete for a prestigious title and prize, including one of Deb’s own piano students from MDM. This competition, sponsored by The Capital District Council For Young Musicians, gives serious students the opportunity to showcase their skills for a panel of accomplished judges and play on a Steinway Concert Grand piano. Best of luck to everyone competing! For anyone who wants to dive deeper in to classical music, Deb suggests starting by listening to classical music as much as possible. From there, decide what you like; figure out what inspires you most, what moves you, and what you want to play. Are you interested in learning more about classical and how it fits in to your world of music? Ask your coach to work on a classical piece next in your lessons!
For this month’s Coach Spotlight, we wanted to learn even more about our piano coach, Deb Hedley, and the journey that cultivated her love for classical music. Although Deb is now an incredibly talented and advanced pianist, her music journey actually started with playing flute in 3rd grade. This was a whole year before she began her first piano lessons, but learning how to read treble clef and understanding the general idea of playing an instrument made starting piano a lot easier. She continued with flute all through high school where she played in the wind ensemble and participated in several NYSSMA festivals. While she loved flute, Deb has always gravitated more towards piano, which she started playing at age 8. As Deb explained, “There is something so special about piano. You can sit down for hours and play and completely lose yourself in the music.” One of her earliest memories of playing the piano was her grandmother teaching her a couple tricks on her upright piano. She even taught Deb how to play her first C scale before she started lessons! As she advanced as a pianist, Deb’s competitive nature and perfectionism were two key factors that kept her motivated and on track. In middle and high school, Deb spent much of her time in the band room or practice rooms, where she would watch and listen to her peers playing the piano. Deb remembers thinking, “Hey, I can do that too,” and subsequently practicing religiously until she could also play whichever song or piece she heard them playing. The practice really paid off, in more ways than one! Deb currently plays piano every single day for at least 1-2 hours, sometimes up to 3 hours or more on a good day.
Deb currently plays piano every single day for at least 1-2 hours, sometimes up to 3 hours or more on a good day. This doesn’t even include the time spent playing and teaching her students at MDM! We have been so lucky to have Deb on the team for the past 3 years or so, and the energy she brings to piano lessons can be felt throughout the building. While chatting about her position at MDM, Deb gave us some insight in to her favorite things about teaching: “I love it. I love working with so many different students; it never gets boring! It is so much fun teaching the younger students their first notes - guiding them and helping grow their passion for music. But I love when I get an advanced student and we can work on a challenging piece of repertoire together! I love watching students progress and master something new. It is so cool to be on the other side of things now. I am so lucky to do what I do for a living.” Deb also plays for her church, Northway Church, and is looking forward to the huge Christmas production they put on every holiday season. For anyone who is not familiar with Northway’s Christmas production, it is truly spectacular! Every year, Deb has the opportunity to play a gorgeous 9-foot Steinway Concert Grand piano that is brought in for the production. They also showcase a Christmas song or two, typically “Christmas Eve Sarajevo (Carol of the Bells)” or “Wizards in Winter” (Trans-Siberian Orchestra), giving Deb the chance to play some of her favorites on the Steinway. Needless to say, the holiday season is Deb’s favorite time of year! While Deb loves both playing with a band and playing solo, she prefers playing with a band like she does at Northway. She is always gets really excited when she has the chance to play with others! Deb described piano as “a very lonely instrument,” but when she is playing with a band, she loves “being with others and having a chance to share that passion on stage.” Deb also said that she “love(s) the adrenaline you get from playing live.” There is a rush that you get from playing in front of a live audience, and whatever happens, happens. For those of you who follow Deb on social media (which we recommend doing if you don’t already!) you have probably also seen the recordings that she regularly posts of herself playing. In contrast to playing live, recording these videos for Instagram or YouTube puts a lot less pressure on Deb. “I can just hit re-record if I make a mistake. When you play live you can’t do that… you get one shot.” Even though she is usually by herself when recording, filming these videos allows her to reach a wider audience and share her talent with people who may not be able to see her perform live. As Deb put it: “It is fun, but it is different.” To wrap up our chat, Deb shared some advice for her students and aspiring performers: “Work hard. There is always someone out there who is better than you. If you want to perform and stand out as a musician, you need to put the time in. Work harder than anyone else around you and you will be noticed.” We are so happy to have Deb as part of the MDM team, and I know her students would say the same. Make sure to say hi next time you see her in the halls of MDM, and go check out her awesome videos @debhedleypiano to get a better look at the talent that she shares with her students every day!
M: Which upcoming gig(s) are you most looking forward to and why? D: I have a monthly gig called “Psykick Dancehall” the first Saturday of every month at a little bar called Pint Sized in Saratoga from 8pm-12am. It’s a lot of fun DJing a mix of Soul, Reggae and even a little early Punk and Rock n roll. I think we can all assume that David is very involved in music outside of MDM, but that is not the only thing! He is also a loving husband and father and tries to spend as much time as possible with his wife and son when he is not at MDM. David’s shared that “I can say without a doubt I would not be where I am today without their love and support!” They have supported David in innumerable ways over the recent months as he took on this new role at MDM, and they were even a part of the MDM family long before that! David’s son was a member of our Little Rockers program for a number of sessions before testing out private lessons where he caught on to everything very quickly. Even back then, David and his family were thrilled to be a part of MDM, and the experience also gave David a look at what things are like from the student perspective. Now that his son is a little bit more mature at age 7, he plans to start private piano lessons in the fall! David’s son loves playing piano in his room and we can’t wait to see where he goes in his private lessons. He also takes after his dad and started his own record collection, which he spends much of his time listening to. David is so proud, and we can tell that music definitely does run in the family! We are all so excited to have David on board, are are looking forward to many great years to come. There are so many possible directions for the future of MDM, but we know that no matter what, that direction will be up!
David's Corner
september CALENDAR
1 to 30 - Classical Music Month 2 - Local Songwriter Round! Featuring TT Garza (Tony), The Strand Theater in Hudson Falls, 7pm 3 - MDM CLOSED for Labor Day Weekend 3 - Psykick Dancehall (David), Vinyl Only DJ set of Reggae, Punk and 60’s Junk w/ Selector David Suede, Pint Sized in Saratoga, 8pm-12am, 21+ 4 - MDM CLOSED for Labor Day Weekend 4 - Under the Den (Ben), Bebob’s Backyard BBQ in Lake George, 8-11pm 5- Labor Day (MDM CLOSED) 9 - Ben Solo Gig, Katie O’Byrnes in Schenectady, 7-10pm 10 - Ben Duo with Gianna Robustiano, Nashville of Saratoga, 5-8pm 11 - Ben Solo Gig, Bound by Fate Brewing in Schuylerville, 3-6pm 12 - Open Mic Night, Caffe Lena in Saratoga, 6:30-10pm 16 - Tony with Mia Scirocco, River’s Casino in Schenectady, 6-9pm 17 - 21st Annual Chopin Piano Competition, Latham, 9am 17 - Rock School 101 Band Show Dress Rehearsals AT MDM, 11am-4:30pm 17 - Under the Den (Ben), Hudson Brewery, 7-10pm 18 - Rock School 101 Band Show, Wicked in Clifton Park, 12-3:30pm 19 - Open Mic Night, Caffe Lena in Saratoga, 6:30-10pm 22 - Ben Solo Gig, 151 in Schenectady, 7-10pm 23 - Vagabond (Tony), Martels in Colonie, 6-9pm 23 - Ben Solo Gig, Spa City Tap and Barrel in Saratoga, 6:30-9:30pm 26 - Open Mic Night, Caffe Lena in Saratoga, 6:30-10pm
A new school year is right around the corner and the lesson spots are filling up fast. If you haven’t re-enrolled, now is the time to do so! Also, we have our Rock School 101 Show happening on Sunday, September 18th from 12-3:30pm at Wicked in Clifton Park. We look forward to seeing you all! This year is going to rock!
A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR OUR NEW STUDENTS in august!
Alessandra L Owen D Ian H Achyuth B James W Julianna D Kylyn P Thomas H Arthur D Izaiah I Noah M Jackson C Aaron V Daniel R Jenna K Sophia S Keegan B Jonathan H Susan B Brian W Bianca D Benjamin N Henry N Michelle M Brady S
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