- I'm a volunteer pianist dedicated to bringing music to residents of retirement communities, assisted living centers, and memory-care facilities. Stories unfold around me when I play. I tell those stories here.
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Category Archives: Piano performance
Some kind of wonderful
Prodigies—those precocious children who possess musical skills that astound and confound us. Mozart was one. Clara Schumann, too. Today we have Alma Deutscher. Born in England in 2005, Alma is an accomplished violinist, pianist, and composer. Yes, composer. She wrote … Continue reading
Let me call you sweetheart
A few years ago, I wrote a post about some of the distractions I’ve faced as a volunteer pianist: piano dusters, carpet cleaners, table clearers. And cell phones. Always cell phones. But lately I’ve noticed a new category of distractions: … Continue reading
Posted in Aging, Audiences, Music and emotion, Piano performance, Volunteering
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Together we can make such sweet music
Last week my piano duet partner and I started learning one of Antonin Dvořák’s Slavonic Dances. We played it through slowly a couple of times, well under the marked tempo. Tempo de lerno, as I think of it. Then we … Continue reading
I can’t get started with you
“You’re not gonna play that thing are you?” asked an assisted-living resident as I set up my keyboard near her lunch table. I admitted I was planning to do exactly that. She went on to say that she had spent … Continue reading
Posted in Audiences, Music and emotion, Piano performance, Volunteering
Tagged Ted Glinski, The Sun
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Hero in your own hometown
“Caregiver! Caregiver!” Mary Lou called weakly, hoping to get the attention of an aide serving lunch across the room. No luck. I was nearby, playing background music to accompany the meal. I don’t know Mary Lou’s health story, but she … Continue reading
Comes a toothache, see the dentist right away
Can you remember the name of your childhood dentist? Most people can. Mine was Dr. Bigsby. My husband’s was Dr. Mastromatteo (dubbed “Dr. Mashed Potatoes” by a younger sibling). I have a friend who grew up in Milwaukee and went … Continue reading
Feelings, nothing more than feelings
Regular readers of this blog may have noticed that I haven’t been posting as often as usual. That’s because this summer I’m concentrating on another writing project: a children’s biography of pianist Clara Schumann. She was one of the most … Continue reading
Something to remember you by
My Uncle Brian continues to slip away, his brain addled by advancing dementia. You might recall the post I wrote in February about my uncle and his robotic puppy. Brian now lives in a small group home. He likes helping … Continue reading
From the Archives
Yesterday I played Christmas carols for a group at a nursing home. They gathered around the piano to sing along. Between songs, they chatted with me. When I announced I’d be playing “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” Gail lamented, “Yeah, … Continue reading
Posted in Audiences, Piano performance, Volunteering
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Wired for sound
“We had a big-band performance here last night,” Fay told me. “I liked the music, but I was wearing my hearing aid and I had to turn it off.” Betsy chimed in. “I stuffed Kleenex in my ears.” She was … Continue reading
Posted in Aging, Audiences, Piano performance, Volunteering
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Volunteer Pianist 