Healing - Piano Improvisation

I recorded this today as I begin to recover from illness. When I play I feel the energy of music buoy me. I offer this to you as healing for whatever in your own life you hope to mend.

A Measure of Us All

I believe that the "center of gravity" of an entire culture/country can be determined by the treatment received by it most vulnerable citizens--by "the least of us." When people with disabilities are treated inhumanly, the society—in ways that may be less than visible—is stifled. Similarly, when the true, creative human "VOICE" of someone with a disability is allowed to come forth, seen and heard, it ripples through us all and speaks of a NEW POSSIBILITY.

This year at the Oxford Round Table, I'm honored to be speaking about my work with people with disabilities. You can find more info here...

Here's an example of why I'm so excited about this presentation, and the potential that lies in this work!

Holiday Spirit!

My gifted student, Tanny Labshere was born blind. Her reality is darkness. And yet, with the love of her family, the care she receives at Riverbrook Residence for Women in Stockbridge, MA, and through her piano music, she brings light to all who hear her play. Tanny has performed on three occasions for Governor Deval Patrick.

In the spirit of Light and Hope, Tanny and I offer you this duet. We wish you a Wonderful Holiday and a New Year filled with Health and Happiness!

"A Duet is Something You Feel" - A Student Reflects On His Experience

Tyler Henry, my young student, reflects on his experience of playing music in duet at the piano.

"For people who are listening, the first thing I want to say is that (when you perform on the piano), it's not about the attention that you get, it's about playing for the people, for you...A person has different emotions, happy, sad. So, find an emotion that you have now and just start to play..."

Inspiring advice for us all!

"A Bottomless Pit of Flowers"

Maia Vlcek has been working with me for three years. I find myself delighted and inspired in our lessons because I KNOW that, even on days when she arrives from school tired and a little bedraggled, she will come forth with music that is striking, original, beautiful. She never fails. Maia is a wonderful example of the limitless creativity that EACH of us carries. She is simply allowing it to flow forth. We amusingly refer to it as her "bottomless pit of flowers."

This is one of the first duet improvisations we did together--we recorded it three years ago when Maia was eleven. It's gorgeous. I often listen to it when I want to focus or relax.




EVERY individual, in fact, has a bottomless pit of flowers inside of him or her! For each of us, it comes out in a different way. Your task is to determine how you can most easily access that infinite source of creativity inside you. In what way do you most readily express yourself?

Maia is a beautiful and inspiring example of creativity in action.

This duet was recorded yesterday.

"I'm a Piano-ist!"

Rosie Chernila started piano with me when she was five, or maybe four. From the outset, we played improvised duets together. And from the beginning, they were beautiful. She has a delicate touch on the keys, a lovely sense of rhythm and phrasing.

Several months later, she exclaimed, "I've learned all I need to know. I'm a piano-ist!" With that, she decided to stop lessons. I took her declaration as confirmation. I was succeeding. Rosie was in touch with herself - an essential individuality that was being released through her music.

Music--especially when created in duet with another person--bypasses the limitations of language, of age, of physical or even cognitive limitations. I often speak with my philosopher father about the liberating effects of musical duet. When he first saw my duets, he was struck--and continues to be--by the freedom of expression afforded those who sit with me at the piano. We are working outside the traditional parameters of language and musical "narrative." Together with my students we are creating our own own narratives. My dad will be presenting a paper on this topic at Oxford University next summer.

Rosie's resumed her piano lessons. I'm delighted. Look and listen closely and you'll perceive her distinct personality. It's already there, emerging through the music. She's six now. I always feel something between us, a subtle and beautiful connection. Yesterday, we recorded this spontaneous duet.

When the Saints Go Marching In - The Duet Paradigm in Action!

Tanny Labshere is one of my students - a young woman with exceptional musical abilities who was born blind and is also hearing impaired. We began working together four years ago when I started teaching music to Tanny and other women at Riverbrook Residence, New England's oldest and finest facility for women with disabilities.



My relationship with Tanny has progressed and deepened over the years. You can hear it in this improvisation. Something is happening through the medium of music. A CONNECTION. It's unpremeditated. We're each creating music individually and yet we're also TOGETHER.

Listen for what's beneath the music--the relationship between us. You're seeing and hearing two individuals who are independent, free, and inspired, and who are also collaborating creatively in response to each other. This dimension of relatedness is there, between everyone. You can sense it in your interactions. It's subtle. I suggest this: really listen to another person at the same time that you're listening to and expressing yourself, risking, stepping into the unknown. That's what we are doing here. THAT is duet!

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

Opening Pathways of Communication

This morning in my music class at Riverbrook Residence for women with disabilities, I improvised in piano duet with a young woman who is almost completely deaf.

Despite her disability, I was amazed to see her fingers on the keyboard, lithe, confident. She could FEEL the rhythms I was creating and SEE my hands moving as I played an accompaniment in the bass. She joined me, producing simple lyrical sounds in the treble. In the last note, we were completely together. The music that had emerged was beautiful. She turned to me with a HUGE smile. My heart melted! And I thought--there are are SO MANY MORE channels of communication open BETWEEN us than we think! Such subtle and accessible pathways that allow us to collaborate and communicate!

Here in My Heart - A Story of Music, Faith and Love

The following article was printed in The Advocate, North Adams, MA - October 19, 2011



Over the past 30 years, as a musician, composer and teacher, I have taught piano to hundreds of students of every age and background. 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 that defies any preconceptions you may have about yourself or life. Imagine experiencing reality in a new way as a result of creating music together with another person, where limitation and fear are replaced by positivity and love.

From the outset, I was drawn to playing in duet with my students, and I developed a unique approach to piano duet improvisation. The result is that a person with no musical background or "ability," and even with a disability, is able to create beautiful, original music. In the process, I've been transformed, finding a deep faith in life and in our innate human capacities that often extend far beyond what we (or others) may have imagined.

Here's one inspiring example: Stephen Lepotakis has studied with me for two years. Stephen was diagnosed with autism early in his life. His mother, Sheila, explained how the first clue was in his verbal expression, which stopped developing at 18 months. Stephen is now 22. In our lessons,he communicates more through music than through language. Sheila has said, "If we could put to music everything he needs to learn, he would absorb it all quickly. He would surpass so many of his deficiencies."

Stephen enjoys my Steinway grand, which gives him 88 keys, as compared to his small, electronic keyboard at home. At his lesson, he glides his hands up and down the piano in long glissandos and gleefully plays fast sequences of notes in the bass. It's those exuberant, percussive sounds that lead his mother, Sheila, to lovingly refer to him as "her little Chopin."

Stephen loves music and numbers and telling time. Appropriately, among his favorite songs is the Chicago classic "Does Anyone Really Know What Time It Is." As he performs this song in duet with me, he will look at his watch in the midst of it and call out the time: "3:42 p.m.!"

Another song Stephen loves is the Chicago hit "Here in My Heart." The theme of that song perfectly expresses the effect my working with Stephen and my other students has had on me. Sheila and her husband, Neil, were advised early on that they should resist changing their lives to accommodate their son's, and yet their love for Stephen comes from a place that's deep and natural. I've been inspired and touched by this wonderful family.

Stephen expresses through music some of what he can't convey through language. He has a wonderful sense of rhythm and is capable of subtlety and nuance. I only need to give simple suggestions and he's right there with me. It truly is a collaboration. Stephen and I performed at the 2009 Jolly Jaunt fundraiser, for which he received the "Most Spirited" Award. We chose our duet version of "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is" to play for 350 people at the Community Resources for People with Autism fundraiser in 2011, receiving a standing ovation.

My work with Stephen and all of my students has been a revelation. It has allowed me to recast the traditional piano duet into a model that can be applied to any human relationship -- at home, school and work. The elements are unconditional listening and presence, faith in another's potential, a spirit of exploration, trust that an extraordinary outcome is possible and curiosity to see what happens. In day-to-day interactions, when you create these conditions for another person, or you are blessed to be given them, joy, creativity and love will flow forth.