How Your Piano Playing Connects You to Others!

Do you ever think about the positive things that playing the piano has brought into your life? 

We will spend part of our time this year looking at the different benefits that playing the piano brings to us physically, intellectually, emotionally and even spiritually. 

One of the perhaps less obvious benefits is the 'connectivity' that piano playing brings into our lives. It certainly connects us more to ourselves in emotional and intellectual ways. This connectivity doesn't just surround us though...

Picture in your mind music as energy, just for a moment. 

Notes, rhythm, and tempo all serve to organize this energy into a language that we can learn and communicate through. These things organize the energy...they don't keep it still or stifle it. They actually allow it to go further out...beyond ourselves.  We become the vehicle for that energy at that point. 

When we reach a certain point in our playing we are ready to become this vehicle in a sense, and we can start reaching outside of ourselves to share our music with and for others. 

Well, OK...so what would this look like in real time? What are some of the ways that pianists can start playing their piano for and with others? 

Let's look at a few examples for each category to give you some good ideas to start with. 

To play FOR others you could:

• Offer to play as an accompanist for teachers of other instruments such as violin, cello, flute, etc. 
• Offer to play at your local senior or retirement centers for events that they have. 
• Offer to play for funerals in your town. 
• Offer to play for community organization events, such as service clubs and/or nonprofits.
• Sit down and start playing the next time you're at a party just to add some fun. 

To play WITH others you could:

• Set up a recital or casual group activity with other students in your studio.
• Put an add in the paper or answer one that is looking for a keyboard player with a band. 
• See if you can play with the Worship Team at your local church.
• Go out about town to look for other musicians that know how to improvise and see if they'll let you sit in with them. 

These are just a few ways that you can start reaching out with your piano playing...I'm sure you can think of more especially in regards to your specific community and location. Please share any ideas that you have in the comments section for everyone to benefit from!

In the evolution of learning to play the piano, this next step is sort of the natural way that things progress. It's interesting in the way that it shows us that music isn't meant to be put in a closet or hidden away, and for us to grow as musicians we need to give away what we have received and mastered. It is planted in us and goes through this first "growing stage" and then we plant it in the world around us so it can go through the next "growing stage". 

Stay Tuned to PianoLessonsOnTheWeb.com to learn much more and achieve your dream of playing the piano!