Lang Lang returned to Seattle for a recital of Mozart, Beethoven, Albeniz, Granados, and Liszt on March 20 - it was a sold-out crowd of enthusiastic fans. He received a standing ovation even before playing a note, and a number of young fans were seen with bouquets to offer the superstar pianist. What a program! My favorite was the Beethoven #31, although the whole program was an experience to remember. He played two encores, one from LaLa Land, and the other that was not familiar to me. Comments from our group: “unreal!” “magical", “so expressive”, “consummate musician”, “complete mastery!” “he makes everything look easy”! We were all so inspired, we had to go celebrate with ice cream afterwards!
Music Artistry Program 2026 is Successfully Concluded!
MAP 2026 took place March 11-13, 2026 at St. Martins University. Our two Visiting Artists were Dr. Jensina Oliver and Carissa Pitkin-Cox. Both were wonderful to work with and they had many compliments and great suggestions for each of our students. Congratulations to everyone for preparing so well your 2 memorized pieces!
Dr. Oliver chose Alex and Phoebe as Winners and Landon as Alternate. Carissa Cox selected Shaylan as Winner and Grant as Alternate. Great job on your performances!
MAP concluded with the Recognition Recital, featuring the winners of each studio. This year we had 16 studios and 111 students participating!
Senate Resolution 8698 - Honoring Piano Teachers
Senate Resolution to Recognize the Contribution of Piano Teachers to the Music Education of Washington State.
On February 27, 2026, I participated in the signing of Senate Resolution 8698, honoring the role of piano teachers, brought to the Senate floor by Senator Conway of Tacoma. We were filled with gratitude to meet the Senator and to hear from the other legislators about the benefits of their own piano lessons and those of their families! Here are some photos to enjoy!
Your teacher here with the senator and WSMTA officials at the Capitol!
It has been a successful legislative session for the arts and music education community. All legislators, regardless of their party affiliation, supported the efforts to exempt art and music education, even if they might have voted against the Millionaire Tax bill. (There were also bipartisan contingency plans from both the House (HB 2257) and Senate (SB 6351) to save the arts and music education should the Millionaire Tax bill fail.) Legislative staff also kept eyes out for us. (There are quite a few singers among the legislative staff!)
The full Resolution will be posted here soon!
This is Senator Conway. His mother was a piano teacher for over 50 years, and his son is also. He has fond memories of listening to hours of music lessons during his childhood.
2026 OMTA Baroque Recitals
The Olympia Music Teachers Association hosted the 2026 OMTA Baroque Recitals on the morning Feb. 28. Featuring about 60 young local pianists, they performed compositions from the 17th and 18th centuries from iconic composers such Bach, Handel, Pachelbel, Scarlatti, Praetorius, and Telemann.
Alex performed Handel’s “Harmonious Blacksmith” Air and Variations, a dazzling show of virtuosity.
Rye played Praetorius’s German Dance, a piece composed for harpsichord or organ, demonstrating the terraced dynamics of the Baroque Period.
Landon played the classic Minuet in G from the Anna Magdalena Notebook, and then gave it a twist with a jazz version of the same piece.
Congratulations to all three of you!
Omoshiroi Grand Piano
Have you heard of an OMOSHIROI box? It starts out like a paper cube, and after tearing off each sheet one by one, an intricate scene is revealed. Here is a grand piano version. Check out the delicate lid, stick, music rack, key details, seat and pedals! The sheets you tear off have tiny notes, clef signs and rests!
Olympia Chamber Orchestra Concert - with Phoebe and Moskowski!
What an AWESOME concert on a Sunday afternoon in February! The Olympia Chamber Orchestra performance featured the 2 winners of the OMTA Concerto Competition, including our studio’s own Phoebe, performing Moskowski’s sparkling and celebratory (and very technically demanding) 2nd Piano Concerto in E Major.
Phoebe dazzled the audience with her expressivity, flashing virtuosity and poise. The orchestra, under the direction of Nick Carlson, performed with enthusiasm, and the crowd loved it! What a great way to cap off a busy musical weekend. Phoebe also won the Piano division of Solo & Ensemble the previous day with her Chopin Scherzo No. 3 - Congratulations and congratulations!
Gracie also performed at Solo & Ens and won 2nd Alternate for her flute solo - great job!
Mid-Winter Break Piano Photo
Mid-Winter Break Piano Photo - what did you do over the long weekend? I love this picture of Rye performing in a picturesque town on a very weathered piano!
Piano Pals Revealed
Piano Pals Revealed (aka Cats and Composition!)
Eight new compositions were presented in our Group Performance Class in January. Students have been inspired by each other, and their hard work shone through these amazing pieces and performances! From students who had never composed before, to more seasoned veterans, we were treated to a 7-page Etude, a Romantically-inspired work called “Thing”, some cool Jazz, a Chopin-inspired Waltz, a Shostakovich-influenced work, and songs with titles like “Egg Nogg”, “Among the Trees” and “Canyonlands #1”.
The cats got into the action as well - Luna joined in the music theory, taking in the key signatures (literally). Ollie did his part to make the Piano Pal cover sheets to look “weathered”!
Alex and Chloe featured in Piano Guild Notes, Winter 2026 edition!
Two of our students were featured in Piano Guild Notes, Winter 2026 edition - the internationally distributed magazine for the American College of Musicians/National Guild. Read all about them below! Alex was recognized for successfully presenting 5 National Level programs with high marks. Chloe received her High School Diploma and Paderewski Gold Medal for more than 10 National Level programs. In addition, she is also the recipient of one of the Top 5 scores in the country, and will receive an additional scholarship. Congrats to Alex and Chloe!
Seong-Jin Cho Piano Recital @ Benaroya
On a Tuesday night, an excited crowd gathered to experience the piano recital of Seong-Jin Cho, one of the great pianists of our time. Sold out weeks ago, it was hosted by the Seattle Symphony at Benaroya Hall, and a night to remember!
Cho started the program with the shimmering notes of Liszt’s Les jeux d’eaux a la Villa d’Este - what a treat to hear his sparkling fingers play with such delicacy, nuance and power! Beethoven’s nature-inspired Pastoral Sonata (B’s middle period) followed, and then Bartok’s “Out of Doors” practically burst us all out of our seats. After a short intermission, Cho performed Chopin’s 14 Waltzes with exquisite grace, style and more than an abundance of technique. The crowd jumped to their feet with wild applause! He played two encores - Schumann’s Traumerei and then after much applause and bowing, a final Chopin Waltz. After several returns to the stage, he reluctantly and with a bit of humor, closed the piano lid and walked off into the night. A great evening of music!
And of course, we can’t forget other important details - a delicious meal at Wild Ginger, and ice cream at Salt ‘n Straw afterwards (pear and blue cheese, anyone?!)
Stonewell Senior Recitals & Winter Break
Stonewell Senior Recitals: Dec 12 and 15 - the seniors thank you for bringing in some wonderful holiday cheer!
Winter Break is coming up! Dec. 22-Jan 9. Don’t forget about our Piano Pal compositions! They will be presented at the Jan 27 Group Lessons.
Stonewell served our students some delicious truffles, hot cocoa and cookies before and after their performances - a sweet touch to the recitals!
Winter Break is coming up! Dec. 22-Jan 9. Don’t forget about our Piano Pal compositions! They will be presented at the Jan 27 Group Lessons
Barnes & Noble Play-a-Thon
Barnes & Noble Play-a-Thon 2025!
Concerto Competition 2025 results - WELL DONE!
The 26th Annual OMTA Concerto Competition concluded on November 22 with a full Saturday of beautiful concerto repertoire! Nearly 30 local students took part in the 5 Divisions: Elementary, Intermediate A, Intermediate B, Advanced A (Baroque/Classical) and Advanced B (Romantic/Contemporary). Wonderful performances by all! Students clearly worked very hard to prepare and perform so well.
Every student from our studio received an honor from our judges - WELL DONE!
SAVE THE DATE! Phoebe will perform Moskowski with the Olympia Chamber Orchestra on Feb. 22, 2:30pm.
Intermediate B: Landon - Asch Concertino (3rd Prize); Grant - Blues Concerto (Hon. Mention)
Advanced A: Alex - Hummel Concerto in G (Hon. Mention)
Advanced B: Phoebe - Moskowski Concerto in E (1st Prize - will perform with orchestra in Feb); Gracie - Shostakovich Concerto No. 2 (Hon. Mention)
November Updates
Happy November! The Fall Quarter has zipped by - on top of lessons, we've already had our first Performance Class where everyone performed a piece, and 2 Master Class/Lesson opportunities. Students have all been practicing and making amazing progress! Here are some upcoming events for the last couple months of 2025.
1. Saturday, November 8 @ 3:30pm: Autumn Recital @ Sunbreak Church - see website for more details. Free and open to the public.
2. Tuesday, Nov. 11, 1-2pm: 2nd Group Performance Class for all students! Since this is Veterans Day/No School day, our class will be earlier in the day. Secret Piano Pal (aka annual Composition project) will be introduced. This is time of year to get the creative juices flowing - I love to see what amazing songs these students create!
3. Sunday, Nov. 16 @ 1:15pm: CONCERTO RECITAL! Concertos are a big project in the fall that students have been diligently working on. They are sounding AMAZING! This recital is a chance to hear all of our students at one time - at the competition, they will be in different divisions throughout the day. Feel free to bring a snack to share, invite family and friends, and enjoy an hour of beautiful concerto repertoire.
4. Saturday, Nov. 22, all day @ Gospel Outreach Church: OMTA Concerto Competition. Students in Elementary, Intermediate A & B, and Advanced A & B will perform in separate divisions throughout the day. Best wishes to our wonderful students! Free and open to the public.
5. No Lessons Thanksgiving Week - Happy Thanksgiving!
6. Saturday, Dec. 6 @ Barnes & Noble: Annual Holiday Play-a-thon! Keep in mind that this event is just a week after Thanksgiving, so make sure to budget your practice time!
It's been a great first quarter with these delightful young pianists!
So proud of Rye (Burgmuller Arabesque) and Alex (Debussy Arabesque #1) who performed for the community at the Autumn Festival Recital - beautiful!
Concerto Recital - students performed concerti by Moskowski, Hummel, Shostakovich, Anna Asch and Rocherolle, plus bonus pieces by Burgmuller and Haydn. What an amazing recital!
Bonus Photo! Pierre Laurent Aimard came to Seattle to perform the complete Well-Tempered Clavier Book 2, truly an historic work of art, and an historic concert. So great to catch up with Chloe who is enjoying her first year at UW as a music major!
Master Lessons with Art Peterson!
Master Lessons with Art Peterson, took place on Saturday, October 25. Students not only heard many useful tips for technique, but also stories about Stephen Hough, Rachmaninoff, Hoffman, Eugene Ormandy, and other famous musicians of the past!
Here are some of Mr. Peterson’s “Pro Tips”:
Practice ideas:
do LH alone, and exaggerate movements, lift fingers high!
Play in different octaves
Play one hand legato and the other staccato/accented
Practice without pedal
Play SLOWLY with metronome
Play with shoes on, so you can get the feel of the pedal
Backwards practice, start from the end.
Practice with rhythms, but SUPER exaggerate the dots
In unison passages, try crossing hands!
Block intervals
Engage your brain by:
looking at your LH while playing
Play LH while closing right eye; then play RH while closing left eye.
Use fingerings wisely - check if it’s working or not.
Gracie trying the “cross-hand” technique on a difficult technical passage!
Alexander Malofeev plays Rachmaninoff's Variations on a Theme by Paganini
19th Fryderyk Chopin Competition: October 2-23!
One of the most prestigious piano competitions in the world is happening this month, right now, in Warsaw, Poland! Begun in 1927, the International Fryderyk Chopin Competition, now in it's 19th iteration, features some of the greatest young pianists around the globe. Contestants play only music of the beloved and peerless Chopin. The preliminary round accepts 160 pianists. Starting Oct. 2, this number is whittled down to about 80, and then 40, and so on. The winner will be declared the 3rd week of October!
Immense careers have been launched through this “Olympics” of a piano competition. Maurizio Pollini, Martha Argerich, Dang Thai Son, SeongJin Cho, Garrick Ohlson, Krystian Zimmerman, Yulianna Adeevna, and Bruce Liu are some of winners who are recognized as some of the greatest pianists of all time. Vladimir Ashkenazy and Mitsuko Uchida won 2nd prizes! Who will be the next winner?
You can watch it happening right here: https://www.chopincompetition.pl/en
Vespers Recital
You’re invited to a Vespers Recital, featuring your teacher with some friends (violin, trombone, tenor) on Sunday @5pm! We will be playing Classical and Sacred music, including Bach's Toccata and Fugue in Dm, Beethoven's Spring Sonata, Franck’s Panis Angelicus, and other well-known hymns and tunes.
Dr Thomas Otten Masterclass and Workshop
October 4, 2025 @ Westminster Presbyterian Church
The Olympia Music Teachers Association invited well-known pianist and pedagogue, Dr. Thomas Otten, for a day-long workshop about “How do I get my student to sound artistic?” Dr. Otten studied with Nelita True and John Perry, both giants in the piano world, and he communicated many helpful and practical tips to reveal and coax ARTISTRY from our students. It was inspiring to the teachers!
The workshop was followed by Masterclasses for both Intermediate and Advanced young pianists. Alexander, Landon, and Shaylan were able to participate in this event - good job to all! Demanding and direct, yet encouraging and positive, Dr. Otten demonstrated an approach uncompromisingly dedicated to helping students play more musically and artistically (“which is the whole point of music”)!
First Group Lessons of Fall!
Happy October, everyone! Students have been practicing diligently this fall, and Group Performances Classes are an opportunity to share what we've been working on. There are no Regular Lessons this week unless previously arranged. Please bring your music and be ready to perform a piece for your fellow young pianists.
Our Group Lessons:
1. develop performance skills!
2. bolster management of performance stress!
3. hone good listening skills!
4. give exposure to more piano music!
5. develop a community of young pianists!
6. are full of supportive and empathetic listeners!
7. enhance theory and history knowledge through games!
8. and more!!