She’ll set up her portable keyboard for a “fun, one-woman show,” sharing the music she wrote, which she describes as “surprising.”
“It’s stuff you’ve never heard before. It takes twists and turns that came from my eclectic brain.”
This was a life work for her, Balter said.
She wrote, recorded and produced the CD herself, and said all the pieces are emotional, “cinematic” solos that will make you feel something when you play them.
Balter envisioned the artwork for the cover, then worked with graphic artist Laurie Dworsky to bring her vision to fruition. The photo of the piano in the gushing water tells the story and sets the tone, she said.
“It’s exotic and eclectic because you don’t expect to see a piano there. That’s pretty much what the music is — surprising, and you can listen to it every day.”
As a teacher, Balter knows the importance of practicing, which she does every day, as well as the value of studying.
“Studying and teaching piano is a lifelong thing. There’s an entire universe of stuff I haven’t gotten into,” she said.
As a teacher, Balter always assumes responsibility for whether or not a student is learning, a quality she said distinguishes the good teachers from the bad.
“You have to totally, totally care. Whatever talent the person has, it’s the job of the teacher to get to that,” Balter said. “You need to be persistent, and try whatever works to penetrate the brick,” Balter said.
She said she won’t let students off the hook, coming at the lessons from every angle — the 11th dimension if she has to — refusing to let someone not get it.
