Contests, Concerts and Camps - Oh My!

Wrapping up another year

Gardner Piano Studio has had a busy year! From theory exams to piano contests to recitals, our students have been working hard and making exciting musical progress.

Performances

We had one particular busy weekend in June, as the Minnesota Music Teachers Association’s State Honors Concert was held at the Minneapolis Convention Center one day before our Spring Recital!

The Minnesota Music Teachers Association’s Honors Concert is a celebration of state Piano Contest Winners, who perform on a stage of twenty grand pianos with conductor Dr. Josh Bauder. For a young pianist, this event is a rare opportunity to perform in a large ensemble and experience working with a conductor.

Gardner Piano Studio was proud to celebrate our four Piano Contest Winners (and one Alternate!), three of whom performed in the Honors Concert after months of preparation and rehearsals. Congratulations to Claire, Amanda and Maggie on their fantastic performances at the Minneapolis Convention Center!

The day after the Honors Concert, our youth students performed in our annual Spring Piano Recital in the historic Art Gallery of Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church in Minneapolis. We enjoyed a beautiful afternoon of music by Burgmüller, Kabalevsky, Price, Mozart, Beethoven and more.

Congratulations!

As mentioned above, we are so proud of our four students who were State Piano Contest Winners this year. We also had one Alternate and one Finalist among our eight talented students who competed (which is a huge accomplishment in and of itself!). Additionally, two of our students passed the Minnesota Music Teachers Association’s Level 2 Theory & Keyboard Skills Exams with “High Distinction” and “Excellence.”

And one of our adult students prepared an impressive program of music by Bach, Beethoven, Schumann, and Borisova-Ollas for the ABRSM, the exam board of the Royal Schools of Music in the United Kingdom. With this performance, he passed his Grade 5 Exam with Merit!

What Dr. Gardner has been up to

In addition to preparing my students for these events, I was honored to serve as a judge for the St. Paul Piano Teachers Association’s Concerto Competition back in December. I also adjudicated for various levels of the Minnesota Music Teachers Association’s Theory & Keyboard Skills Exams and the fun “Scale Olympics” event at Andersen Piano Studio.

Over in my writing life, I had a lot of fun writing “The Composer” episode of the Wondery Kids & Family podcast Whose Amazing Life? You can listen to that here (and let me know how soon you can guess who the composer is!).

What to do this summer

As always, there are lots of musical events in the Twin Cities this summer! In addition to taking piano lessons, of course (get in touch here!), there are all kinds of fun concerts and musical opportunities to enjoy.

Here are a few that stand out:

• This week on June 21, Schmitt Music in Bloomington is hosting Make Music Day, which is full of sessions for musicians dedicated to everything from yoga to improv to performance anxiety.

• There’s still time to register for She Rock She Rock’s Girls Rock n Roll Retreat Sessions (ages 9-16), which are coming up in July.

• On July 27, the Minnesota Orchestra is hosting their exciting Day of Music, a free event that includes family activities and more.

• My talented composer friend Charlie McCarron is leading this film music camp at FilmNorth in August for students ages 10-13 — no prior composing experience required.

• Throughout the summer, Ordway Inside Out will present free streamed programming in Rice Park (including a recital by pianist Víkingur Ólafsson on June 22!).

Until next time

I hope you can enjoy a wonderful summer of music-making and listening! As always, don’t hesitate to reach out if you or someone you know is interested in piano lessons. Gardner Piano Studio has students of all ages and all levels, and we’d love for you to join us!

Cheers,

Lillie

Gearing Up for 2023-2024

Hello friends!

It’s been a hectic year between producing a teaser video for my educational kids series about women composers and, well, getting married this summer! Our wedding ceremony was a veritable recital of beautiful music by women, performed by two talented friends of mine: pianist Agustin Muriago and violinist Hannah Schendel. Now, I’m looking ahead to the fall and I’m excited to get organized for the next year of piano teaching.

Gardner Piano Studio has also had a busy year. First, four of our students made it all the way through the preliminary and final rounds of the MMTA State Piano Contest. They each performed in the State Honors Concert at the Minneapolis Convention Center in June. It was an exciting night and I had fun volunteering backstage with fellow music teachers. I’m so proud of my students who worked hard to perform in this special event - a couple of them on very short notice!

We also had a wonderful end of year studio recital at the new Schmitt Music Auditorium in Bloomington. Students performed works by Marianne Martinez, Germaine Tailleferre, Beethoven, Melody Bober, C. P. E. Bach, Carl Czerny and more.

Accepting new students!

Next up is getting ready for fall scheduling, performance opportunities and repertoire planning. I’m also excited to serve as a judge for the SPPTA Concerto Competition this December and to continue adjudicating for MTNA’s ongoing eFestival.

Finally, I’m happy to say that after a long waitlist period, Gardner Piano Studio is currently accepting new students. Please get in touch soon if you’re interested in setting up lessons for the fall session. (You can do this through the contact form.) Lessons are available at various lengths and for students at all ages and levels, both in-person and on Zoom.

Enjoy these final weeks of summer, and happy practicing!

Lillie

Summer, Finally

My goodness, how is it already August? I hope you’ve been enjoying your summer. I was lucky enough to do some traveling last month, and it’s been wonderful to see some students in-person again at our new home studio spot!

Back in June, students played a terrific studio recital on Zoom, and we’ve been having fun working on new repertoire since then. A few students even participated in last month’s Intermezzo Musicianship Festival, where they learned about music history, theory, and composition.

While the pandemic still lingers, it’s great to see some of the music world opening up. Tonight, for example, there will be an outdoor concert by the Bloomington Symphony Orchestra at Normandale Lake Bandshell. One of my favorite places in St. Paul, the Schubert Club Music Museum, opened back up to the public this summer. And local cultural institutions like the Minnesota Orchestra and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra have announced exciting programs for the 2021-2022 season. I can’t urge you enough to support these places and get your ears on some beautiful live music!

In the virtual realm, I’m excited to dig into some of the music of Amy Beach with friend and fellow pianist Margarita Rovenskaya live on Instagram next week. Follow Margarita’s page and tune in at 1:00 p.m. central time for our chat about feminism in Amy Beach’s music and life (and, yes, there will be some performance, too!).

Fall Session Lessons

The current plan is continue with offering both in-person and virtual options for fall lessons, but patience is appreciated as we take this lingering pandemic one day at a time. I’ll be reaching out to students and families in the next week or two with details about Fall Session registration and scheduling.

There is currently a waitlist for Fall Session, so please be in touch with me as soon as possible if you’d like to get on the list. And don’t forget to follow Gardner Piano Studio on Facebook for musical resources, updates, and fun!

Wishing you a restful and rejuvenating August as we gear up for another academic year. (And if you’re already feeling rested and rejuvenated, August is the perfect time to practice, practice, practice!)

Yours in music,

Lillie

Q&A with Albert

Hello, friends!

It’s finally getting warmer in St. Paul and our Spring Recital (and a casual Performance Salon for adult students!) is already coming up next month. With students selecting their performance pieces and all of us looking forward to summer and post-pandemic lessons, I thought we’d celebrate with some piano learning advice from Albert. Albert has been studying piano for over three years. He’s currently working on Friedrich Burgmüller’s Angels’ Voices and the Super Mario Bros. Theme by Koji Kondo—and he composes his own music, too!

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Q: What’s your favorite part of learning how to play piano?

A: Well, the end result is always good. When you start, you can barely play whatever song you want to learn (unless it’s something really basic and you’re not new) but in what seems like no time, all of the sudden you just can play the song and it sounds good when you perform it.

Q: What do you think the hardest part of playing piano is?

A: For me, it’s when I make mistakes. Sometimes the pieces are just really tough and it feels like I never get it right. But, some advice to you all: you shouldn’t give up because eventually you’re going to get it. And—let me tell you—you’re going to make mistakes. It’s a guarantee. But just keep at it. You’ll get it eventually.

Q: Do you have any other advice for someone who might be starting piano lessons?

A: Even I tend to break this rule, but go slow. And also, if you’re the one picking the music, don’t pick something that’s too hard.

Q: You like to compose your own music, too. What do you like about composing?

A: I like how when you compose, you can create wonderful pieces of music out of nothing except your imagination. When I compose music, I don’t really like to write it down, I just kind of like to play. Usually I have a theme or a story in my head to start—like one of my old pieces has a volcano theme:

Q: Do you have advice for someone who might be nervous to perform for the first time?

A: Practice the piece beforehand so your hands really know what to do. And also, it helps to just know the piece. If you can play it by heart without any music, you probably have it down. Try to perform in front of parents or friends. Although that might not be possible here during the pandemic, but you can perform for parents. And then when it finally comes time to play, don’t think about the fact that there are at least fifty people watching you. Just think about the music, and envelope yourself in the music. I’m not sure I can tell you about a time that I was nervous because performing in front of others kind of comes naturally to me.

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Knowing your music really well before performances, learning to be okay with mistakes, and taking it slow are excellent pieces of advice. Want to join us this summer? Fill out the Contact Form and get the ball rolling on piano lessons!

Happy practicing (and performing, and composing),

Lillie

Zooming Through 2020

That’s right - piano lessons are still online! I’m so grateful to my diligent students and their supportive parents for making online lessons work so well. Fall lessons - which you can now sign up for! - will remain virtual for the time being. These will begin after Labor Day and go until our Winter Recital on December 13th.

But before we talk about winter, let’s reflect on how amazing this summer has been! Students performed in their very first virtual Zoom recital back in June. We heard works by Chopin, Khachaturian, Liebermann, Bach, and many others - including some fun pieces like Koji Kondo’s theme to Super Mario World and Sharon Kaplan’s “Baby Dinosaur with an Attitude” duet. In July, two students performed works by Florence Price and John Williams in the St. Paul Piano Teachers Association’s “Americana” recital, and back in the spring, four students participated in the Minnesota Music Teachers Association’s first virtual State Piano Contest. All of them made it to the final round and two were even declared winners. Bravi, tutti!

Most importantly, I’m so inspired by all of my students for their flexibility, work ethic, and much appreciated humor (“Isn’t ‘etude’ what you call a horrible attitude?”) during this trying year. I can’t wait to resume lessons in-person when the time comes, but for now I’m so glad we’re able to connect virtually and keep our music education going strong. (Ava Gardner has been pretty happy - if confused - to meet everyone, too.)

Practice, practice, and take care of yourselves!

Lillie

Piano Lessons Are Now Online

Piano in a Pandemic?

Due to the spread of COVID-19, Gardner Piano Studio has switched to online piano lessons for the foreseeable future. I am grateful for the flexibility of all students and families during this uncertain time. It is so important that we stay connected to our music learning - as well as to each other - while we wait for this situation to pass.

The good news? Online lessons have already been an invaluable experience! Students and myself have had to deepen our creative thinking skills, explore new ways of piano learning, become better listeners, practice flexibility, and take greater responsibility for our music learning at home. Even though I hope we can resume in-person lessons as soon as possible (I miss you all!), it is clear after only a few days that online lessons are an option we’ll be eagerly bringing into the post-pandemic future.

Virtual Piano Lesson Tips

Here are some tips for students switching over to online lessons for the first time:

1. It's best to use a laptop due to the larger screen and ability to angle the camera, but iPads/tablets and even smartphones work just fine.

2. Not sure where to put your device? Simply setting it on a nearby piece of furniture or on an end table or shelf (maybe on top of a few books for height) will do the trick. Be sure to angle the camera of your device so that it captures the student and the full piano keyboard.

3. I will be adjusting to the change from in-person lessons by including more supplementary learning materials (including reference recordings for practicing, dictation, listening, and/or music theory homework) and emailed follow-up notes with practicing assignments for each lesson.

4. Have fun!

FLEX FRIDAYS for New Students!

Due to these strange times of social distancing, for the next three weeks (from March 20th to April 3rd) Gardner Piano Studio is offering FLEX FRIDAY online lessons to new students from the comfort of your own home. These are 20-minute piano lessons offered to all ages and all levels located anywhere in the world.

Flex Friday lessons will be scheduled on Fridays with a pay-what-you-can format to help families and adult students stay active with music learning at home.

Send me a message through the contact form or email lillie@gardnerpianostudio.com for more details. Let’s respond to these trying times by making some music!

Finally…

I hope that everyone is staying safe and well, and that this trying period brings us all into a deeper connection with our personal values and natural creativity.

So, practice, practice, practice - and don’t forget to wash your hands!

Happy music-making,

Lillie

Gardner Piano Studio has a New Home!

Greetings!

I am so excited to share that Gardner Piano Studio is now located above Wells Pianos at 408 Snelling Avenue near Randolph Avenue in St. Paul. This new spot is easily accessible from I-35E and I-94, is equipped with a parking lot and a waiting area, and is even right next to Spyhouse Coffee if parents (or a certain oat-milk-latte-loving piano teacher…) need a caffeine boost.

A very big thank you to Patty Voje - my mother - who has generously shared her space with us since I began teaching in St. Paul in 2017. I know that parents will miss the Garden-of-Eden patio and that students will miss the snoring bulldogs and extravagant holiday decorations - not to mention spotting the changing paintings in the living-room-turned-art-gallery by our artist hostess. But don’t worry, you can still see the painting parade here, and maybe a bulldog or two will grace our next piano recital?

I’ve also updated this very website with more information about how lessons work, a clickable gallery, and even a brand new resources page that I hope will be helpful for students and parents alike. Did you know, for example, that there are so many free concerts in the Twin Cities for kids? Or that early music lessons boost brain development? Or that a piano is made up of thousands of parts? Check it out!

My student roster for Fall Session is already getting full, full, full, but there’s still room for more. You can contact me through this website or directly at lillie@gardnerpianostudio.com for information about lessons, rates, and scheduling for the 2019-2020 school year.

I am so looking forward to working with everyone in our new spot!

Happy music-making,

Lillie

P.S. It’s not too late to join the program or the audience for our summer patio recital next Saturday, August 10th at 3:00 p.m. at Red Balloon Bookshop! I’ve had lots of fun playing this year’s Bob Dylan piano for Red Balloon’s Piano Storytimes this summer:

Year in Review!

Happy holidays!

I hope everyone is having a restful holiday break and a peaceful start to the new year. I have been reflecting on 2018, which was my first full year of teaching piano in St. Paul after nearly a decade of teaching on the east coast. At the start of the year, Gardner Piano Studio had just 10 students. Now we have 19 students who make up about half of my overall teaching schedule — busy, busy! And GPS students have had a busy year, too! Many of them participated in the MMTA Piano Contest in January, the BAMTA Piano Festival in March, the MTNA eFestival, our Spring and Winter Studio Recitals at the gorgeous St. John the Evangelist Episcopal Church in St. Paul, and our fun summer patio recital at Red Balloon Bookshop. Students of all levels have performed a variety of works by Gurlitt, Czerny, Kabalevsky, Chopin, Shostakovich, Beethoven, and more.

In 2019, we are looking forward to our next studio recital on June 9th in the Thelma Hunter Recital Room at the Landmark Center, more piano competitions and festival dates in the region, as well as a casual recital for our adult students — stay tuned!

We are currently in the middle of Winter Session, Spring Session will begin on March 11th, and the flexible Summer Session will begin on June 18th. New students can step in at any time. I hope you’ll join us in our next year of music-making, whether it is through signing up for lessons, attending concerts, or offering crucial practicing support at home.

Warmest wishes for the new year, and, of course, happy practicing!

Yours in music,

Lillie

Pianos on Parade at Red Balloon Bookshop!

A big congratulations to our small group of students who braved the August heat to perform on the Red Balloon Bookshop patio last weekend! We heard everything from The Beatles to Beethoven, and students did a great job performing for their friends, families, and even sidewalk passersby in this fun summer concert. The beautifully painted piano we performed on is part of the Pianos on Parade program run by Keys 4/4 Kids. Keys 4/4 Kids is a wonderful organization that sells used pianos and donates pianos to low-income families, schools, churches, and community centers. We were thrilled to be involved with Pianos on Parade, which is all about bringing artistic and emotional connections to the community. 

Check out more of our photos below, and don't forget: registration for Fall Session piano lessons is now open!

Yours in music,

Lillie

Hello, Summer!

Okay, it's not quite summer yet, but the sun is finally shining and the snow has melted! We officially kicked off spring session lessons this week, which will take us through the end of June. Students are happy to be practicing new repertoire after our beautiful Spring Recital on Sunday, April 22nd at St. John the Evangelist Episcopal Church in Saint Paul.

Some of our students have been especially busy this year, with one making it to the final round and then being chosen as an alternate in the Minnesota Music Teachers Association State Piano Contest, and others receiving ratings of "Excellent" and "Superior" in the National Federation of Music Clubs Piano Solo Festival in Burnsville. Bravi, tutti!

Summer session lessons (July and August) are coming up soon and can be scheduled on a flexible basis to accommodate busy summer schedules. We still have plenty of room for new students and there are both in-studio and in-home lesson options available. Tell your friends!

Happy music-making,

Lillie

Happy New Year!

It seems crazy that fall session lessons are already over and that 2017 is wrapping up. We had a lovely winter recital at the Landmark Center earlier this month - a first performance experience for everyone! Students performed some holiday tunes in addition to their regular repertoire, and they all played so well in the beautiful Thelma Hunter Recital Room.

An added bonus was the post-recital hands-on exploration of the Schubert Club Museum's historic pianos and harpsichords. Definitely worth checking out next time you're in downtown Saint Paul!

Our 14-week winter session will begin on January 8th and continue through April, and it's going to be a busy one. Students will be participating in the Minnesota Music Teachers Association's Piano Contest in January and the National Federation of Music Clubs Festival in March - all before our next studio recital in April. Happy practicing to everyone!

Yours in music and happy holidays,

Lillie

Piano Q&A with Madelyn and Miles

Happy Autumn! The air is crisp, school has started, and Halloween stickers have already crept into the sticker jar. To add to the excitement, beginner students Madelyn and Miles have just kicked off the fall session with their tenth (!) week of piano lessons. To celebrate, they graciously agreed to answer a few questions about their experience so far:

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Q: What is your favorite thing about piano?

Miles: The Recital Book, because I like homework.

Madelyn: I like knowing how to play an instrument. It's really cool telling people that you can play an instrument and other people saying, "Oh, I really wish I could! I'm really excited! Maybe I'll take lessons too!"

Q: If someone were to start taking lessons, do you have any advice for them?

Madelyn: Practice - oh my gosh - practice a song like six times a day.

Q: How much do you practice right now?

Madelyn: Like a lot of times a day.

Miles: I pretty much practice three times a day.

Q: What is something that is hard about piano?

Madelyn: Probably getting used to it with your hands. They don't want to do it but then you have to do it. Like: there was that one song. I couldn't get it right. I knew it, but my fingers wanted to do something else, and it was just so hard.

Miles: Rhythm is hard.

Madelyn: Yes, rhythm is hard.

Q: Are you excited about performing eventually?

Madelyn and Miles: Yes!

Madelyn: I'm also kind of nervous. Everybody makes a little bit of mistakes.

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Speaking of feeling nervous, our very first Winter Recital will be on Sunday, December 17th at the Landmark Center in downtown Saint Paul. In the meantime, fall session is underway. We're a quickly growing studio but there is still plenty of space for new students. If you'd like to learn more or register for lessons, you can use the contact page or connect on our new Facebook page by clicking the icon below. We'd love for you to join us!

Happy practicing,

Lillie

Hello, Saint Paul!

Greetings! Welcome to this brand spankin' new website! After years of scrambling to teach piano lessons all over New York City and then some time doing the same in Connecticut (although admittedly a more low-key scramble after Manhattan subway life), I am so excited to be back in my hometown of Saint Paul to open the piano teaching studio I've been dreaming about (and studying very hard for). I know from firsthand experience that the opportunities available to young musicians in the Twin Cities are endless, and I'm so looking forward to exploring them with my own students as they journey through the magical world of classical music. (Plus, the writer in me could not be more inspired that the F. Scott Fitzgerald House is just around the corner.)

There are still some logistics to finalize, like putting the finishing touches on the studio policies and getting my beloved baby grand tuned and attended to, but summer session lessons are set to begin next week. These lessons will be on a flexible week-by-week basis to account for busy and sometimes unpredictable summer schedules. The more official 14-week fall session will begin on Tuesday, September 5th, and will be followed by our first Winter Recital in December.

Please contact the studio today if you have any questions or are interested in registering for lessons. Lessons truly are for all ages and levels - my students range from ages 2 to 90! If you want to learn, I am eager to help.

2017 Spring Recital at Storrs Congregational Church

While excited about this new venture, I am also very dearly missing all of my Connecticut students, who performed beautifully in our Spring Recital only last month - works by Burgmüller, Czerny, Wanhal, Beethoven, and Chopin among others. There are some more photos from our recent activities in the Gallery. I am thinking of them often and wishing them all the best!

Yours in music,

Lillie