I just wanted to let you know that I am offering a fantastic discount on my albums from now until the end of 2009. They make terrific Christmas gifts and stocking stuffers! Buy 2 or more cds, and they are $9.99 each. And for kicks, Key of Sea is one sale for $9.99 each even if you buy just one. Don’t say I didn’t love you this year! 
Click here to visit my Music Store. Happy Holidays!
Just a quick note to let you know that I’ve just added two new pieces of sheetmusic for sale on my website. “Will’s Song”, and “Suite Dreams” are available now via digital download (PDF file), and “Pure” will also be up in a few days as well. Click here to visit my Sheet Music page. Happy playing!
Thanks!
- J
I just uploaded my latest project, “Toccata and Fugue“, as it is called right now. I just wanted to share a little bit about this song and how it came about.
First, for those who just listened to my ‘Lullaby Album’, you should know this piece is of a completely different callibur or style. If you have a sub-woofer on your computer speaker system, you may want to turn it down a bit because the song has a lot of bass to it. It’s quite “boomy”.
I love, love, love Classical music. And I especially love to tweak it. Which results in much of my music being of a “Classical Crossover” genre in nature.
“Toccata and Fugue” is based off of J.S. Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, BWV 565. (Bach wrote 2 Toccata and Fugues in Dm, but the one I am referring to is BWV 565). This piece is a very well known organ solo, and over the years it has traditionally been used around Halloween time because of it’s thematic elements and somewhat frightening minor chords that can rumble an entire concert hall.
You can view/listen to the traditional version here in this youtube video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FXoyr_FyFw
I have been quite familiar with this piece for several years as my college symphony orchestra performed it for a Halloween concert one year. It is one of those pieces that gets into your head and kind of haunts you.
About a year ago, I was in my home music studio and started fiddling around with this piece on my keyboard. I started adding more instrumentals to it and came up with a very cool 1 minute clip of some ideas. Well, and then, the piece got brushed aside as the muse left, and I didn’t work on it again for a long time.
About two months ago, I decided that I really wanted to finish my rendition of this song. So I opened up the file that I started over a year ago and listened to it. Then I sat down at my piano and started writing parts out.
As with a lot of pieces that I write, I started going off on some solo-esque cadenzas on the piano (in other words, tangents) and made the piece completely un-listenable to anyone but myself. Well, because I really enjoy Classical music for that very reason. You can do things like that. However, that is also why a lot of people today find it hard to follow Classical music and understand it.
So I re-worked this song and reworked it to make it appeal to a broader audience. I think I ended up with 7 or 8 different drafts. Each time, refining it, simplifying it, and structuring it.
In the end, I ended up with a song that is about 30% Bach, and 70% Jennifer Thomas. You will hear what I mean in a second once you hit the play button.
I was fortunate to work with a couple of great musicians on this piece. Glen Gabriel from Sweden formulated most of the beats and effects, and Adam Amos of the UK also did some of the beats and effects. Zak Dewey of Seattle did the mixing and mastering, and I did everything else – the piano, orchestration, and the kitchen sink.
Thanks for taking the time to listen to my late project – hope it doesn’t disappoint. And for reals, turn down that subwoofer. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
- Jennifer
Here it is the URL where you can go take a listen to my new song, “Toccata and Fugue”:
http://www.ourstage.com/tracks/JRCTUOULEGFQ-toccata-and-fugue
Or you can hit play here:
I have the pleasure of dipping my feet into two different worlds of music on a daily basis: The world of teaching, and the world of performing & recording.It is within the latter, the world of performing and recording, where I have the opportunity to meet many other artists in the entertainment business who do the same thing as I: Compose music, record it, distribute it, and perform it.
You might be very surprised to hear though, how great the percentage is of performing artists out there who a) have never had any formal music training, and b) do not read music.
This is where you come in as an educated music teacher.
The selling of original sheet music is a nice source of income for recording artists – both independent and record label alike. Though, for non-music-reading independent musicians who do not have someone to automatically transcribe for them (as most record label artists have), they end up hiring a transcriptionist to produce their sheet music.
I personally know many artists who pay anywhere between $50 – $200 to transcribe a song, or between $25 – $50 for someone to proofread transcriptions (meaning they do their best to transcribe it on their own, and then pay a professional to look it over for mistakes).
With the economic downturn this past year in the United States, there are many people who are either searching for jobs, or are simply looking for additional ways to make supplemental income. For you music teachers who have knowledge and experience in notation, offering transcription services is one way that you can earn supplemental income. In fact, many transcriptionists are actually music teachers.
Why?
Because we as music teachers are great at reading music, are keenly aware of mistakes when we hear or see one (in music), and need I mention that we also know our theory.
How Can You Get Started in Sheet Music Transcription?
• Having knowledge and skill in notation is key here. But also having the ability to hear a song and write it down is also very essential. In other words, to learn music by ear. Most artists who hire out a transcriptionist only have their recordings to offer as a means of getting the music down onto paper. So you would need to feel comfortable listening to someone’s song and figuring it out from there. Some however, are able to provide you with a midi file that you can pull directly up into a notation software program and edit from there. Which brings me to my next point…
• You will need a reliable notation software program. Two of the most commonly used programs are Finale, and Sibelius. For the full versions, these run between $530 to $600, but you can purchase scaled down versions for less.
Sibelius has a freeware program called Scorch, which I wouldn’t even consider a notation program at all – as it merely only has the capability of displaying music, playing music (through a midi file), and transposing music to a different key .
Aside from these two mainstream notation software programs, you can Google “Free Notation Software” and find an array of various freewares that could work for you, or at least to practice on.
• Finally, you will need to get the word out that you are available. This is a day and age of social networking – use it to your advantage. Use Facebook, Twitter, etc. Create a blog or website. Perhaps offering a special discount or even offering your services for free initially, to attract customers and to build your clientele. Broaden your network by seeking out independent artists and “friending” them.
There are so many possibilities with this and it really is a skill that is in need. Not only does it benefit you for financial reasons (and to keep your skills brushed up), but it also greatly benefits the artist who needs your services.
It is yet another way for an educated musican to make use of their valuable skills.
Jennifer appears monthly as a contributing author for The Music Teacher’s Helper website and blog.
You may have heard me vaguely mention my next album idea Portraits here and there. I am officially announcing it’s existence, and that I am going to be working on this project for the next year, with a tentative release sometime towards the end of 2010.
To give a little glimpse inside the idea behind this project…
I come from a family of passionate artists. Not just in music, but also in art. My dad, Ron Southworth, is a talented photographer. Over the past several years, he and my mom have taken countless trips to various parts of the Northwest to take photos of the beautiful landscape. It started out as just a hobby, and has turned into a side career for him as his photographs have developed a small fanbase (a.k.a. pieces of fine art that sell between $250 – $500 per print). He is also a member of the Camano Island Art Guild, which is neat because the island has been a flocking spot for artists for years and you have to be invited to be a member, after in depth screening of your work.
The thing that makes his photography unique is that what you see is what he truly saw through his lense. In a world of digital art, Photoshop, and other ways to manipulate photos these days, my dad’s art stands unique in that he rarely, if ever, uses such manipulation in his photos. The skies are that beautiful pink color because he knows how to use his camera equipment to capture it. The colors are that vibrant for the same reason.
So back to Portraits, having seen the beautiful pieces of art that my Dad had been creating over the past few years sparked an idea in my head about a year ago. I had been toying around with the idea of doing an album that was story-based. Meaning, I wanted to find an original story and score it with music. However, as I continued to research stories and ideas, I kept coming back to these photos of my dad’s. They were a story in themselves; an artistic journey around the Northwest landscape.
I got out my little notebook (my brainstorming book), and jotted down several locations and iconic images of Washington (and some of Oregon). For example, lighthouses, beaches, mountains, waterfalls, cities, etc. I started to take one idea at a time and think of what would it sound like if it were music? In a sense, I suppose you could say that I started to score a soundtrack for each of the images/locations.
And this is where the idea began for Portraits.
This album project is not only exciting for me because of the originality of it, but also because this is my home. I grew up here in the Northwest, so to score a soundtrack for the landscape is very personal to me. I have so many memories of climbing stairs up to the top of a lighthouse, playing on the beaches and catching little crabs, hiking the majestic mountains, seeing beautiful sunsets over the ocean…
My dad is on board with the project and will be continuing to capture images to be used for the music. This will be a more expensive project than I have ever done before though. For one, the time and travel involved. Two, because visual stimulation is key here (equal to the audio stimulation), I want to create a very moving and complimentary CD booklet with full color pages of each of the photography works. We are also thinking of doing an companion book of my dad’s photography, possibly a coffee table book.
Thirdly, because the music for this project is going to be of a cinematic quality. Oh the ideas that I have for this. 
I am going to be on the lookout for talent to collaborate with me on beat work; someone who is a wiz at producing beats of the down-tempo quality (think Enigma, Delerium, Paul Schwartz, etc.).
So there you have it. The ideas and story behind my upcoming album Portraits.
I am still in full marketing/promoting mode for The Lullaby Album right now, but since the production stage of that album is finished I can at least begin composing/producing the music for Portraits while simultaneously promoting the lullabies. I do have my husband and little one though, who are my first priority. So the music for Portraits will be written with no deadlines or pressure. This project is a pleasure for me and I feel that I really want to give it my utmost quality and talent.
In other words, it will be done when it is done – without compromising family time or quality of music.
How can YOU help? By simply helping me spread the word about my music. Help me get the word out. I have video promos on youtube that you can post on your blogs. Give my cds Key of Sea and The Lullaby Album as gifts for Christmas this year. Come babysit Preston for me so I can work on my music.
LOL okay I was really just kidding about that last part.
Please visit www.RonSouthworth.com to see more of this beautiful photography.
I was so incredibly touched by this story. It is not often that you get to see children like this.
6-year old Emily Bear has wowed audiences from the White House to her own house. Playing the piano since age 3, Emily also composes her own music. Has WGN-TV discovered the next Mozart?
Here is a link to the interview that my mom and I just did with Kathy Parsons from MainlyPiano.com. Kathy is a well-known reviewer of piano music and used to be a writer for Solo Piano Publications before she branched off and started her own site. Everyone knows Kathy
There are lots of fun photos, and insider info Enjoy! Oh and let me know your thoughts too.
http://www.mainlypiano.com/Interviews/Southworth_Thomas_09.html
Link to original article: http://eastoregonian.com/main.asp?SectionID=13&SubSectionID=48&ArticleID=98149
Mother-daughter team create lullaby album
By KATHY ANEY
The East Oregonian
When Jennifer Thomas’ newborn son refused to fall asleep at night, she got an inspiration.
Thomas, a pianist and composer, set little Preston in a baby swing and started playing sweet lullabies on her piano. The baby melted into slumber as quickly as if Mr. Sandman himself had made a house call.
The result of Thomas’ revelation is “The Lullaby Album,” created by Thomas and her mother, Carolyn Southworth, and personally tested by Preston. The music is relaxing enough to soothe not only infants, but stressed and frazzled adults.
Southworth, who grew up in Pendleton and now lives in Camano Island, Wash., said her daughter was at her wit’s end with Preston.
“The little stinker would not go to sleep,” she said, laughing. “He was traumatized.”
Once Preston started getting his sleep, Thomas mulled over the idea of creating a collection of traditional and original lullabies to help other parents lull their babies into dreamland. She asked her mom to compose some of the songs and play on the two-CD album with her.
“I didn’t have to think about it for more than two seconds,” Southworth said.
The women, both talented pianists, violinists and composers, released solo albums prior to “The Lullaby Album.” Southworth debuted with “The End of Day,” while Thomas released an album called “Key of Sea.”
Southworth, who started playing violin and piano at the age of five, is an alumnus of the Pendleton School District’s strings program.
“I was one of the original kids under Shirlene McMichael,” Southworth said.
McMichael taught in the ’60s when Pendleton served as Suzuki’s first American pilot program for a method of teaching stringed instruments that involves immersion and memorizing by rote. Though the method was wildly popular in Japan, it didn’t reach the United States until school board member Betty Feves talked the board into giving it a try.
Southworth, daughter of Dr. Derrell and Thelma Lindsay, also took private violin and piano lessons.
“I will always be grateful to the many wonderful teachers that I had in Pendleton, such as Shirlene McMichael, Rob and Barbara Roy, Betty Feves, Mabel Gerards and Betty White,” said Southworth. “Those people made a huge impact on my life,”
She discovered music theory in Roy’s classroom. The lessons took so well that, later, at Brigham Young University, she “sat there twiddling my thumbs for two years” in the school’s required music theory classes.
While Southworth taught all four of her children to play piano, the lessons caught fire only in Jennifer, who seemed to spend every spare moment practicing.
“She practiced all hours,” Southworth said. “I actually had to say, ‘Jenny, stop practicing.’”
Her drive paid off. She’s won numerous competitions and Thomas’ music caught the ear of independent filmmakers and has been heard on NBC’s Universal Sports network.
With the lullaby project, mother and daughter divided the composing and orchestration almost down the middle. The women collaborated from afar, since Thomas lives an hour-and-a-half down the road in Fall City, Wash.
One of Southworth’s compositions is “Unseen Angel,” inspired by a friend who suffered from multiple organ failure and seemed past hope when she revived.
“She literally died – her husband worked on her, giving her CPR, for two hours,” Southworth said. “She was blessed from the other side. The doctors were shocked. She’s perfect today.”
Emmy Award-winning pianist Jace Vek orchestrated the song and Grammy Award winner Paul Speer engineered and mixed the album. The album contains vocals by Jillian Goldin and Lori Cunningham.
The two discs have identical song lists. The first is piano with orchestra and the second contains piano solos. The second CD is aimed at children and is “Preston-approved.”
I have been thinking lately about how I have evolved as a composer. My own story of how I started to write music is definitely not as accomplished or impressive as many of the great composers out there who have spent their entire lives emerged in the art.
Instead, I’ve spent most of my life as a performer, until about 5 years ago when I stumbled across the desire to compose. I then was able to unlock this ability within myself that I had never known was even there.
While for many years I absolutely enjoyed the thrill of performing and the feeling of accomplishment it gave me, I have never known the excitement that I feel when I have creation stirring inside of me than I do when I am composing music. To know that I am about to create something that no one else has ever heard or seen, and that there are no rules involved – it is my own creation and I am the master of it – is really an incredible realization.
While I have only been composing for these past 5 years, I have noticed my own short story of evolution in the process…
When I first started embarking on the journey of discovering my own voice as a composer, I would spend a lot of time at the piano improvising my songs. These songs usually only came about by way of “fiddling around” at the keys and seeing what worked and what did not. When I stumbled upon something that had a sense of finality, I would write it down on manuscript paper.
I started out with one keyboard, an audio cable, and a computer.
Over the past few years, my studio has grown as well as my methods and ideas as a music creator. The best part however, is that I’ve been able to tune into, what I feel, is the most effective and efficient way for me to compose music: Using my head.
It doesn’t involve a piano, or sheet music, or a computer even. It takes a quiet atmosphere, some solitude, and time when I know I can just…be.
Lately, the best place for this has been in the evenings when I am putting my little one down to sleep for the night. We go into his nursury, turn the lights out, and I rock him to sleep. The process usually starts out with several rounds of me singing “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” to him, but eventually when those little eyes close and I feel that he has drifted off…I will just sit there and keep rocking him while my mind drifts off into the world of musical creation.
I can actually hear the sound of the piano in my mind, as I rehearse my latest creation. I will start the song from the beginning and play it in my head to review it, noticing any parts where I feel may need changes. I can back it up, play a section again, tweak notes and rehearse it some more. I will also start adding orchestration to it, beats, and other effects.
I find that composing in my head is much more useful and effective than composing at my piano, simply because in my head I hear the end product. I also sometimes feel as though I’m listening to my music from a more objective point of view than when I am playing it at the piano.
The only hard part of this process, is when I do sit down to record, is how I can successfully translate what I heard in my head into actual audible sounds. It takes a lot of do-overs and patience to get it just right.
For example, my most recent composition project has been my own rendition of Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor. I have been working on this song quite a lot over the past month, and am currently working on the 7th draft.
The other night, as I was sitting in the rocking chair rocking Preston to sleep and composing in my head, I rehearsed a section of the song where I had written a grandioso chord, then arpeggiated run in triplets from the top of the keyboard down to nearly the bottom. It occured to me that while the fanfare of this “cadenza” fulfilled my own desire to let everyone and their dog know of my skills (lol), it did not fit the song. So I stopped, backed it up, and tried it without the run and instead added some sonic space, wherein the next measure came back in with grandure, not in skill, but because of the layers and the suspense that was added with the spacing. However within that short measure of space, I heard effects of reverb in a rhythmic broken pattern.
Now how in the heck does one translate that into actual music that others can hear? Well, step by step.
The first thing I did, was lay Preston in his crib. The second thing I did was get up and go to my studio and re-record that section so that it was not forgotten. What it lead to, was 3 more hours of spontanious creation wherein I was able to finish, what I like to call the “bone structure” of the song. In other words, the piano score.
Tonight, I’ll head-compose out some of the orchestration.
I’m finding this method to be much more condusive to my true inner voice as an artist. I am requiring my equipment and sounds to create what is inside of me, instead of me trying to get my compositions to work with what sounds I have. I also find that it is a more natural way of composing, because in the end, the music comes out sounding like it was meant to sound like and not be bound by finger improvisations on the piano.
I am also of the impression that our minds have such capacity for greatness, that if you rehearse your art or skill in your head you will only fulfill it in the flesh.
The sound quality is much better if you watch it in High Definition, just FYI.
