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Dear Guests, Welcome to my blog which I treat like a creative garden where I regularly plant and change this and that be it poetry, philosophy, an Oboe Brilliance lesson, an essay of some kind, or a journal about composing. Visit every Monday for oboe coaching which is also helpful for many melodic instrumentalists. Musically yours, Kathryn
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"How do you compose?" That is the most commonly asked question I hear.
This blog is a window into my creative process and philosophies as a composer and instrumentalist. At times it may contain music, photos, and poetry as well. May you enjoy, return, and benefit!   My Archives  September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009
Music lessons 2010
E.S.S. The love and purpose behind sonic portraits Personal philosophy of life purpose and composing November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 |
Music Lessons 2010: www.kathrynpotter.com 828 242 3765
As a San Francisco Conservatory of Music graduate in composition with a specialty in oboe performance and as a composer, I provide highly original custom lessons to meet and surpass the needs of my students seeking a solid technique with maximum expression through the ancient classical European tradition to ultra modern music. I use multiple intelligence teaching techniques, the best of “old school” and innovative approaches to nurture maximum enjoyment, fulfillment, capability, lifelong love and appreciation of music. I take pride in providing an emotionally delightful, self esteem bolstering, and music for music’s sake environment. I also coach serious competitive musicians in a way that focuses on music and psychological health. As a composer, I compose a custom composition for a student per every documented 100 hours of private practice. When appropriate, I schedule performance opportunities. When appropriate, I organize small ensembles of my students at no extra charge. OBOE LESSONS: day one up to an including virtuosic level. Reed making lessons for advanced students only (both American and European styles) and I sell guaranteed reeds at $30 a pop for students. Superb technique, music theory, solfege, music history, proper stylistic practices for various eras, and artful expression is the curriculum as well as ear training, intonation, and improvising. (I keep alive the teachings of Peter Hertling, Lois Wann, Peter Hedrick, Marc Liefshy and Michael Winfield.) FLUTE: day one up to and including intermediate level. Superb technique, music theory, music history, solfege, proper stylistic practices for various eras, and artful expression is the curriculum as well as ear training, intonation, and improvising. PIANO/COMPOSITION: day one up to intermediate level of piano playing. (Up to and including Bach Inventions and Debussy’s Arabesque.) Superb technique, music theory, music history, proper stylistic practices for various eras, and artful expression is the curriculum as well as ear training, solfege, dictation, and improvising when desired. I teach piano on my 2003 Yamaha Clavinova which is a high quality digital piano that provides many excellent teaching benefits – for lessons up to the intermediate level of playing– that an acoustic piano does not. Musically yours, Kathryn
Dear Guests,
E.S.S.= Electronic Sounds Sculptures Whether dolce, fiery, poetic, contrapuntal, peaceful, adventurous, tonal, atonal, melodic, meditative, trance inducing, and/or a blooming new sonic adventure, any of my electronic sounds sculptures are passionately, skillfully, and poetically crafted. Allow me to share my world with you. You can buy a subscription to receive all the latest creations in your email box as they are created and/or gift a friend with a subscription buy going to the music page and buying "A Day in Winter" for only $25. You can expect to receive over 2 dozen throughout 2010. Musically yours, Kathryn
Dear Guests,
As I've mentioned, my purpose as a composer is to celebrate, relish, and cherish our life. I choose to do this with music because I so completely and deeply my sonic playground! It is an instant gateway to the emotional and intellectual realms. One way to relish our One life is to open our minds and hearts to cherish the lives of other people in addition to our own individual one - which can be easier said than done! One way to do this from my perspective is to create sonic portraits which illuminate the breadth, depth, and mystery of an individual. Some may preach and strive to "Love thy neighbor as thyself" (as I do) or perhaps just desire to be loved, respected, or simply not killed, stopped, or impeded by other people who do not think and/or believe the same exact way. As the Smoking Man in the "X files" once said, "You may have reason to kill, but you have no right." Violence of any nature due to intolerance can stop once individual at a time. It is an intellectual decision to choose to not inflict or perpetrate intolerance towards others. People who inflict intolerant violence towards others are fearful or wounded. They need patience, role models, nurturing, healing and help. Responding thoughtfully rather than reacting out of fear is the way out of the viscious cycle of intolerance. I will not rest until intellectual, emotional, verbal, legal, and physical violence towards others, because they don't think or believe the way others think they ought to think, continues. We are all human, we have a right to our own perspective, our own thoughts, our own beliefs, and our own lives violence free from the intellectual tyranny etc of others. We have no right to impede or damage others because we fail to love them, or respect their right to think and believe as they wish or don't wish. From my perspective, which I share with you for your consideration, and because I feel that it is my job to share my point of view, is that a healthy society has healthy boundaries. For example, it is fine and beautiful for two adult women to be in a mutually concenting romantic relationship. It is not fine or beautiful for them to be denied rights by the law, or to experience any form of intolerance or violence as is too often experienced due to other people having arrogant perspectives. For that matter and side note. ERA Is it too much to wonder why women in the US don't even have equal rights yet? Life is full of mystery. Frankly I'm not surprised. The U.S. is controled by corporate interests, not the interests of the individual citizens who have a right to clean air and water above and beyond the polluting enterprises which deny us a healthy planet or ecological balance. Hmmm, why do I even bother? Anyway. "Portrait of a Lesbian" is in rondo form in order to illuminate and celebrate the various facets I adore within several lesbian women I have the pleasure of knowing. Perhaps you'll recognize fabulous ingrediants yourself! I hope you will join me in my devotion to mutually respect our brothers and sisters we co habitate with on this planet, including the intolerant ones. Not everyone thinks like you either. It's a two way street. I think we have much to learn from everyone, and much to intrinsically adore in ALL. Musically yours, Kathryn
Dear Guests,
My personal philosophy in life, simply put, is that our only duty is to relish our life. I use the word, our, singularly as individuals, and collectively as in the one life we all share ourselves. My personal purpose in composing, simply put, is to relish our lives through sounds. Music is a celebration of the myriad of what can be felt, experienced, reached, and expressed through sounds. Much can be accomplished and achieved through music. New sonic worlds can be discovered, rich emotional landscapes can be explored and enjoyed. New emotional states can be experienced. Sorrow can be transformed into delicious joy. A human body can be healed, an emotional body can be healed, an altered state of consciousness achieved, an ecstatic spiritual high shared, myriad of mysteries delved into and more. How can music do all of this? How does music affect us emotionally, physically, mentally, socially, spiritually? Quite a subject. I compose because I've been hearing music in my head as long as I can remember. Before I started grammar school, I realized that I hear music in my imagination and other people can't hear it unless I share it. At a young age, I decided to learn the language of music in order to share the sounds I imagine and hear internally. This desire to share grew into a need and an addiction to create music. Now it is a joy I choose to share as my favorite way to relish my life and to hopefully uplift the lives of others while I'm at it. I compose because it's interesting and fun. I compose because I love the positive effects great music has on the people who play it. Countless hours of human life have been spent learning the masterworks by Bach and other great composers. Hours enriching lives through music. So, I continue to weave sounds, ideas, feelings. I ask myself, "What music lasts the test of time and why?" The music which continues to be enjoyed for generations share similar traits. They are emotionally and mentally liberating. My desire is to create music which is emotionally and mentally liberating. Great music doesn't require a Doctorate in musical theory to fall in love. Beethoven's 9th - for example - speaks to people who feel. Beethoven's 9th speaks to people who ponder the depths of musical design. I strongly believe that music has a strong influence on society and that society has a strong influence on music. As a woman in the US, I find capitalism dominating the arts a very challenging stage in which to create deep, liberating, sincere music to uplift and expand the boundaries of music, on the one hand. On the other hand, I cherrish the theory of artistic and spiritual freedom allowed in our culture. As an oboist carrying the torch of tradition into the now and into the future, I am passionate about my "Oboe Brilliance" work. Composing solo and duet music for oboists of all skill levels is some of my most important work. Right now, Dec 2009, I'm busy composing "Now Point" a 10 minute ballet for full orchestra. This is serious fun, and I hope it is enjoyed in significant ways. At the very least, it is exalting for me to imagine and commit to the page, but I hope that more fun comes of it. I will be submitting the piece for review in February. Anyone wishing me to compose a work for an individual instrumentalist (or vocalist) or ensemble is welcome to commission me to do so. Anyone wishing to help me publish Oboe Brilliance or help it get destributed is welcome to contact me. All the best and musically yours, Kathryn |
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