"In My Dreams" - The Experience of Freedom in The Piano Duet Paradigm

This video is a kick-and-a-half...and it's revelatory! It took place in one of my workshops. Mary Cunov was discouraged from playing by her early piano teacher. But Mary's dad was a Dixieland trumpet player. She LOVES Boogie-Woogie.

In improvised duet with me, for the first time she had the opportunity to let herself "go." As we played together, her creativity becomes obvious. Finally, the music that's always been inside of her came out!

WHATEVER your experiences have been--both in music and generally--KNOW that there's a FREE spirit inside you, READY to be released!

The Piano Duet Paradigm - A New Model for Human Relationship

What if there was a doorway into an entirely new kind of human relationship, one in which physical, cognitive, psychological and emotional limitations are transcended; where creativity flourishes; separation dissolves; true equality is achieved; and the outcome far exceeds what either individual could manifest alone?

Over the course of thirty years, I’ve developed an approach to piano duet improvisation that is yielding extraordinary results with people of widely diverse backgrounds. As a result, the remarkable possibility I describe above is becoming an actual reality.

Here are several examples. In the videos below, you’ll observe piano duets with three very different individuals. In each instance, you’ll hear the person create music of striking originality. Both the student and I flourish. I believe this "Duet Paradigm" has profound implications for parents, educators, business leaders, spiritual teachers, professionals, and practitioners in every field.

Duet with Hope Garner
Hope is a 15 year-old girl with Down syndrome. This duet was, for me, a defining moment. As you'll see, Hope created music of disarming beauty. As a result, I found myself bearing witness to a human capacity entirely unfettered by her “disability.” She confirmed that EACH of us must have extraordinary creative abilities, no matter our background.




Duet with Sevyn Smith
Two years ago, I improvised in duet with 2½ year-old Sevyn, the son of Robb and Tiffany Smith. This improvisation models a dynamic relationship between adult and child, one that frees a youngster to become fully him- or herself. Observe how, through the music, I sustain my connection with Sevyn from the outset. When he finally sits with me at the keyboard, you’ll see him respond with a sensitivity and nuance that transcends his age. Ultimately, what transpires could not have been premeditated!




Duet with Pam Parsons Dupuy
Pam had limited background in piano. Yet, if you listen carefully to the beauty of tone and musical phrasing, you’ll hear playing that defies her lack of experience. Fully fledged music was already there inside her, waiting to come forth. She wrote later, “I remember wanting to find the right note, feeling self-conscious, a bit worried about doing it ‘wrong.’ Yet I was soothed by the music, the warmth and encouragement...” The result is stunning.




The Duet Paradigm - A Model of Human Relationship for Our Time
The traditional idea of the piano duet, recast in the 21st century, becomes a model of relationship for our time. As an individual is supported in a dynamic field of trust and exploration, she or he ventures into the unknown, often becoming freed in dramatic ways from physical and/or psycho-emotional conditioning. This can occur with or without the use of music. It arises when someone extends to you presence, trust and unconditional listening. In the space that arises, a person is inspired to let go, to express him or herself in new ways. The unique qualities of individuality are revealed--her or his true "voice." The transforming potential inherent in relationship is realized. People have described this experience as one of "loving remembrance," "of immense joy that washes away residues of pain," "of doubtlessness," of "childlike vulnerability," "where no fear can hold sway."

The next phase of my work involves bringing this miraculous paradigm to individuals and groups throughout the world via the internet. For instance, I have worked with children via SKYPE who are part of the Integral Heart Foundation in Guatemala and the Cakike Music Program in Bogota, Colombia. Many of these children are impoverished and often abused. Other recent in-person and virtual events have taken place with: teen girls in protective custody in Sydney; dozens of primary school children in southern New South Wales, Australia; women of economic privilege who never thought they could improvise; people in recovery from heroin and other addictions; young girls struggling to find a sense of identity; people challenged with every form of developmental and physical disability.

In the three videos above, you witnessed some of the ways individuals have transcended their disability, age, or background through the duet experience. Based on these and dozens of other striking examples, I believe that the liberating power of duet--which can occur in any human relationship--is a catalyst for widespread change, allowing people to rise above the challenges they face and realize their potential, no matter who they are or where they live. In my thirty years of experience, the Duet Paradigm has never failed to activate the glorious creative energy that exists within each and every one of us.

More on The Piano Duet Paradigm...
Jessica’s YouTube Channel, featuring dozens of solo and piano duet videos

"DIFFERENCES IN DUET: Musical Expressions from the Heart with Jessica Roemischer" - The best Multimedia Presentation of Jessica’s work to date, by Debbe Kennedy and the Global Dialogue Center

PERSONAL REINVENTION: Discovering New Pathways to Leadership with Jessica Roemischer Presented by Debbe Kennedy at the Global Dialogue Center

MGMT - A Piano Student Succeeds!

Twenty years ago, Ben Goldwasser, co-founder of the band MGMT, began his musical career at the age of nine in duet with me at the piano. He was one of my early students. Ben's father, David, said that it was the support and creative freedom I gave Ben that helped him gain confidence in his abilities. MGMT has become world-famous and nominated for two Grammys.

I offer this as encouragement to EVERYONE. When the creative spirit is nurtured, recognized and freed, it can lead you to amazing places! Good on 'ya Ben!

Video - Performance for Governor Deval Patrick

Over the past eighteen months, I've had the honor of performing twice with my gifted student, Tanny Labshere, for Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick. I teach Tanny at Riverbrook Residence for Women in Stockbridge, MA. She is truly a success story of the State - in this video I explain why.

For our performances, we have chosen some of our favorite piano duets. The Governor's humanity and warmth have shone through each time we've played for him. I've been struck by that quality and, believing that it makes him worthy of support, I decided to become involved in organizing a fund raising event for his upcoming re-election.

At Suky and Tom Werman's idyllic Stonover Farm Inn in Lenox, MA (where my husband and I were married!), on a sparkling late summer afternoon, we performed our original duet interpretation of "When the Saints Go Marching In." It was a memorable moment!

Music at the Integral Spiritual Experience Conference, 2010

Over the course of thirty years, I've improvised at the piano with hundreds of individuals on four continents—people ranging in age from 4 to 84, as well as those with developmental disabilities such as Down syndrome and autism.

Without fail, everyone who has ever played in duet with me has come forth with music of disarming originality. Time and again, I see people emerge simply and fully as themselves--free, authentic, creative, alive. The music they express reveals the essence of who they are. It is always beautiful and it is always unique.

Thus, in early December, when I discovered an upcoming conference called, "Integral Spiritual Experience: Your Unique Self," I sensed that the event would relate to what I was observing through music. I wrote to conference organizer Nicole Fegley to explain how my teaching and performing would be an apt addition. Although it was just three weeks prior to the event, she created a way for me to be involved. Her receptive and generous response made it possible for me to offer five days of dynamic exploration into the power of music to awaken our deeper humanness.

The Integral Spiritual Experience conference took place at Asilomar Conference Center--a beautiful coastal preserve near Monterey, CA. I braved the -20F below wind chill at Albany, NY airport, gladly boarded the plane and landed (after a couple of stops) in balmy sunshine. The hospitable warmth created a conducive environment for self-actualization and joy.

I learned that the conference was the result of ongoing dialogue between Diane Musho Hamilton, Marc Gafni, Robb Smith, Ken Wilber, and other pioneering Integral thinkers and teachers. It was formulated as a framework for spiritual practice and personal growth in our time of heightened individualism. ("Individualism" refers to the self-aware, self-determining, globally-informed, media-saturated, post-modern consciousness of many of us, as compared with, for example, the tightly circumscribed, clannish, cycle/season-oriented, subsistence lives of serfs in 12th century medieval villages.)

In fact, the whole issue of individualism has been on my mind. Having written a major article about the evolutionary theory of Spiral Dynamics, I recognize what it's taken to get us to this point--the millennia of cultural/consciousness development that's produced our unprecedented psychological and existential freedom. And now, as I improvise with my students at the piano here in the 21st century, it's clear to me that their sense of individuality is a springboard for growth and awakening, rather than an impediment. The capacity to express ourselves freely and openly--and to value our expressivity as significant--makes possible my transformative work in music.

Years ago, even before I was consciously aware of it, I set out on a path to bring forth through music sublime beauty in myself and others. I was trained in the finest European tradition, in a lineage that links directly to the great masters of the Western world--Chopin, Liszt and Beethoven. During the pre-conference teachers' meeting Marc and Diane described the characteristics of the "Unique Self." It was a "dharma" or spiritual teaching that mirrored the insights I've gained from decades of music study, performance and teaching.

"It's like you're a snake-charmer, calling out the inner dimensions of anyone who sits with you at the piano," Andre Schugt, one of the participants, said to me. It's true! Using an innovative approach to duet improvisation, I create a dynamic field of trust and doubtlessness. As each person places his or her hands on the keys, any pretense or self-consciousness falls away as unique combinations of notes, gestures, and rhythms arise.

The music takes wing through never-before-heard melodies that inspire all who are present. Without exception, what emerges is of real beauty. The universal and the personal become One. People describe their experience of improvising as one of "loving remembrance," "of immense joy that washes away residues of pain," "of doubtlessness," of "childlike vulnerability," "where no fear can have sway."

At the Integral Spiritual Experience conference, I had the opportunity to conduct a children's class, as well as two improvisation sessions for adults. The many responses confirmed music's transformative power. Katherine Konner, whose video is below, later reflected: "While I was improvising, my left hand literally froze like a claw. This reminds me of contractions that occur in my life. Sometimes I just find myself stuck... so in a way, improvising with you was like finding grace. It was a way of getting myself unstuck. You helped me reconnect myself to my own beat."

The Integral Spiritual Conference proved to be a potent context for my work. Improvising with so many thoughtful, committed individuals in an atmosphere of self-discovery demonstrated music's power to release the inmost self, allowing us to see that in essence we are creative and free. Indeed, this is the catalytic recognition I'm endeavoring to bring to the world!

These videos of piano duet improvisations from the ISE conference reveal the inherently unique and beautifully creative self that resides in each of us, no matter our age!

Improvisation with Katherine Konner



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Improvisation with Akiva Davis,the 18 month-old son of Rabbi Avram and Laura Davis. Akiva is the youngest child with whom I've improvised. I let the duet unfold spontaneously, taking my cues from him. In mirroring his musical gestures, I support him. This approach, in general, is vital for child development and growth. And as you'll see, the result is delightful and surprising!



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Improvisation with Sevyn Smith,the 2 ½ year old son of Robb and Tiffany Smith. I created music that expressed Sevyn's energy and I kept going with it regardless of what was happening. Suddenly he joins me and begins playing with striking maturity. His energy channels itself into wonderful music!



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Improvisation with Parker Tucker, a 9 year-old girl. Parker always wanted to improvise at the piano and felt thwarted by conventional piano lessons. The minute I met her, I knew her creative spirit was there waiting, ready to be released. I was right! Her improvisations were beautiful and more: she helped by improvising with me in trios with Akiva and Sevyn, encouraging them, placing their fingers on the keys. At the final event of the conference, she and I performed for the 500+ participants. Thanks to Parker, I brought Akiva and Sevyn on stage to join us for what would be a memorable performance.



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Improvisation with Pam Parsons Dupuy In this video you'll hear my instructions to Pam - these are the guidelines I often give to people when they first sit with me at the piano. The result is stunning. You'll hear Pam's beautiful tone and feel her absorption. I then speak about how we can produce resonant tone at the piano, which is the essence of transcendent music. Pam certainly illustrates it!



For more information or to schedule a performance or workshop,
Please visit: www.pianobeautiful.com
or email: jessica@pianobeautiful.com

"The Light of Beauty Exists Inside Every Human Being!"

A Music Workshop at Integral New York, November 2009

Over the past twenty-eight years, I have taught piano to hundreds of students. And yet, what probably comes to mind when you think of “piano lessons,” has little to do with what happens for people when they sit with me at the keyboard.

Imagine yourself discovering that you can create music of disarming beauty—even if you have little or no musical background. Imagine finding a confidence through music that defies any preconceptions you may have about yourself or life. Imagine watching another individual transform before your eyes as original piano music emerges spontaneously from her fingertips. Imagine experiencing reality in a new way as a result of music, where limitation and fear are replaced by positivity and Love.

In my workshops—which consist of solo piano performances, improvised duets with members of the audience, meditation, lecture, dialogue, and videos of great musicians—participants experience all of the above and more.

I am simply transmitting to others what music means to me. From the time I was quite young, improvising endlessly on the blues, or learning by ear my favorite James Taylor chord progression, or playing the most sublime Mozart composition, gave me solace amidst tumultuous circumstances. I was blessed that my family had a beautiful Steinway grand—the same instrument on which I now teach my students. Without fail, each time I would sit at the piano, music magically transmuted the effect of whatever was occurring around me. It made me whole.

In November, I conducted an interactive workshop in New York City sponsored by the Integral New York/Ken Wilber Meet-up Group. This particular event was created in collaboration with music educator, Lesley Stoller, who does groundbreaking work at the Queens Children’s Psychiatric Hospital. During the course of the evening, two participants, Susan Babcock and Jackie Sabin, improvised in duet with me. Although Susan had extensive formal training on piano and harpsichord, she believed herself incapable of improvising her own music. Jackie’s musical background was limited, consisting of trumpet studies in middle school. Despite their trepidation, both took the risk and sat down with me at the keyboard.

As you’ll see in this video, the experience awakened each woman to her inherent musical ability!



Indeed, my workshops are intended to effect deep and lasting transformation. Susan later wrote to me, “The most amazing thing happened last night. I practiced some of my classical piano pieces for over three hours and at the end, I decided to go for it. Improvise. Jessica, it was no more ‘accomplished’ than what I did with you in the workshop. But, like that session, it set my heart free. I didn't do it ‘well.’ I did it. Your workshop has burst a dam that’s been constricting me in my musical and personal expression for my whole life, ever since I learned how to be self-conscious. It’s like you’re saying to all the dark cynics in the world, 'Look at this!! The light of beauty exists inside every single human being!!'”

“A creativity I thought belonged only to talented artists”

Barbara Larisch of Integral New York
describes her experience improvising at the piano

Improvising with people of all ages and backgrounds is one of the most exciting dimensions of my work. When someone first sits with me at the piano, I begin by playing an evenly rhythmic, harmonically pleasing accompaniment in the bass (on the white notes, key of C). At a certain point, I ask the individual to improvise a melody in the treble (also on the white notes). Inevitably, he or she begins to explore, to venture out, experiment and expand, inspired by the sounds emerging from their own fingers and mine.

Barbara Larisch, who helped promote my recent events for the Integral New York/Ken Wilber Meet-up Group, took the leap and improvised with me during my first iNYC event in June, 2009. Her thoughtful reflections beautifully articulate the experience many have:

“When I was invited to play an improvised duet, I was at first very reluctant. I never thought of myself as musically inclined and I felt self-conscious about my lack of ability. But when I sat down at the keyboard and tentatively placed my fingers on the keys, as Jessica suggested, I felt my awareness of the room slowly slipping away.

"At first, all of my attention was focused on the mechanics of playing and I tried hard to integrate my rudimentary notes with the beautiful sounds that were arising from Jessica’s playing. It was a very cognitive and kinesthetic experience, very much like learning how to balance on a two-wheeled bicycle for the first time. Jessica’s presence was always with me, though. Her fingers were dancing across the keyboard and I discovered that the more I let go of my fears, the more playful our music became. Her voice was there in the background, coaxing me to let myself relax into the experience. My whole body started to release its tension and I realized that I was enjoying the dance that was unfolding. Each moment thereafter became an opportunity to be playful and creative and I found myself taking more and more risk.

“Then the quality of my listening began to change. I found myself responding musically to the notes that she was playing. We were having a conversation without words. But I knew that a language was being spoken because I became aware of shifts in mood, as the notes grew stronger and more playful, and then little by little, slower and softer. I became aware that I was co-creating these beautiful sounds with Jessica and I sometimes felt like we took turns playing the lead, like two dancers do, wordlessly and without any communication. The joy I discovered in expressing myself musically awakened a creativity in me that I thought belonged only to talented artists. But now I see that the impulse to create lies deep inside each one of us.”

This video from my Integral New York workshop, June 2009, shows Barbara improvising for the first time: