Personal Overview:
Karen hails from Sacramento, California, and has lived in the Lehigh Valley since 1989. She began taking piano lessons at 8 years old and, growing up in a military family, had the opportunity to continue her musical studies at various places of the country and the world. Growing up, she was constantly surrounded by music and even had an uncle who played first-chair trumpet in the Harry James Orchestra. This fundamental, life-long immersion in song has given her a deep passion for the art of playing – and a deep satisfaction in sharing her knowledge and practice of music with her students.
From those early days of playing piano, Karen expanded her knowledge to the Hammond B-3 Organ, ultimately performing classically on the infamous Morton theater pipe organ in Sacramento. Since those days, she has also learned to play the hammered dulcimer, auto-harp, Irish/bluegrass fiddle, ukulele and various culturally influenced percussion instruments, including the Irish Bodhrán.
She was the musical director for Unity Spiritual Center of Bethlehem 2006-10, and Unity Spiritual Center of Asbury 2010-12. This position required extensive song mining on the internet in order to present music germane to a weekly topic, learning the song based on listening capabilities, charting the compositions for distribution to members of music team and leading rehearsals for the purpose of teaching the songs to the team. Also responsible for teaching vocals parts to accompany the instruments.
Philosophy:
Karen believes it is important to know the instrument and the versatility it possesses in producing everything from the masters of classical to the soulful strains of an improvised jazz piece. With that in mind, she maintains vital communication with each student, gleaning each week a student’s unique interest as the process of growing and expanding musically intensifies.
Approach:
With younger children, Karen takes a playful approach to increase odds that the child does not become bored with rote instruction. With preteens/teens, she is able to speak on a musical level that helps them begin to identify what it is they hope to achieve from a knowledge of music. With explanation of how the fingers “teach” the brain where they want to go and, in turn, the brain reinforces the fingers desired action, preteens/teens seem to understand that “practicing” – the act of brain communicating to fingers – is a vital step to progressing toward mastering the instrument. With this understanding, results are seen quicker and a more lasting relationship with the instrument is achieved. With beginning adults, although concept and vocabulary are more readily accessible, sometimes years of living with adult responsibilities can cloud a free and easy flow of creativity, so it becomes necessary to utilize techniques to help “unearth” a natural propensity for musical expression. And, to the delight of the adult student, it is always found!
Current Activities:
In addition to piano instruction, Karen has become involved in vocal presentation – specifically, jazz singing from the American Songbook. She studied voice/music theory with Dr. Frank DiBussolo, with whom she has performed at several locations in the Lehigh Valley.
Having a professional uncle from the 30s-40s era influenced her passion for the standards, as she grew up learning them all by the time she was in her 20s. Karen can be heard in several venues around town, taking you back to when “love was innocent and new”….. or introducing you to a simpler less complicated perspective of life.