Life in San Rafael

For over thirty years Tomoko has resided in San Rafael, California, the county seat of Marin County just north of San Francisco. Tomoko enjoys driving into the City for her teaching time, but she also appreciates returning to the lush scenery near home.

The town itself has a much longer history. Originally inhabited by the Coast Miwok, Spaniards built a mission here in 1817. Now the town boasts more than 70,000 residents, and has a strong entertainment industry and technology presence: LucasArts, Comcast, Autodesk, and several electronic gaming companies. Tomoko recorded her piano performances at the Lucas studio.

Geographically, San Rafael resembles a microcosm of habitats: marshland and estuary to forests and hills, the latter feature separating the more industrial southern part of town from the more suburban-looking northern part where Tomoko lives. Several parks dot the town. Climate-wise, San Rafael enjoys Mediterranean weather. Tomoko enjoys gardening in this climate, especially as she has a special affinity to nature.

Tomoko also used to drive through San Rafael west to San Domenico School where she taught piano for several years, and would drive north from San Rafael to Sonoma’s Redwood Empire Ice Arena (owned by cartoonist Charles Schulz) to take her daughter for ice skating lessons. Her husband Desy also used to work as a medical doctor in San Rafael as well.

Saint Rafael was named after the Catholic saint, patron of good health and travelers. He is an appropriate figure for Tomoko who has certainly traveled many roads in her life and continues to have a healthy life.

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Hardship and Heart

Tomoko understands hardship, and she knows that it can help one personally and professionally.

As a child in war-worn Japan, Tomoko experienced shortages of food and other supplies. Neighbors sold their organ to Tomoko’s family because of financial constraints, which led Tomoko and her brother eventually to become professional musicians. She remembers her high school teachers promising her and other students chocolate in order to motivate them to memorize music.

When Tomoko arrived in the United States, her English wasn’t very good, so she had to learn the nuances of the language to get around. To a large extent, she had to make it on her own; she built on her experience to give piano lessons to help pay tuition and daily expenses. Tomoko’s hardships have helped her build resilience and inner strength.

Tomoko’s family has also experienced hardships. Tomoko’s husband Desy also experienced hardships. He was a professor who fled Hungary under Communist rule. When he arrived in San Francisco he had so little money that he had to sleep in the park. Their daughter Beata had to make sacrifices for her skating, traveling a distance to practice at the rink sometimes before the sun came up. Both husband and daughter have gone on to successful and fulfilling careers.

Having dealt with hardships, Tomoko knows how to encourages her piano students who themselves experience hardships. When parents do not support their children’s playing, Tomoko encourages her students to keep up their hope. When a piece challenges a student, Tomoko helps them take one step at a time to overcome the musical obstacles.

Tomoko philosophizes: “When you have hardship, you understand more.”  She continues, “Then I tell my students that everything is possible.” Tomoko should know.

Driving Down Memory Lane

Tomoko likes to drive, and as she drives to the Conservatory, it is like driving through her own local history.

She starts from her woodsy neighborhood in Terra Linda, a comfortable suburb in Marin County. The weekends are her busy teaching days, which is a benefit since the weekday traffic going towards The City can be daunting. 

Driving south on Highway 101, Tomoko quickly enters the city limits of San Rafael, the largest town in the county. Were she to go right se would eventually pass near the Branson School, where her daughter graduated, and then onto San Anselmo up Butterfield Road to San Domenico School, nestled in a hilly cul-de-sac. Thereshe taught piano for over ten years.

The next towns south are Corte Mader, Greenbrae and Larkspur. Just to the right of the freeway is Gold’s Gym, which used to be a skating rink – where Tomoko took her daughter for her first skating lessons.

Then Tomoko crosses the Golden Gate Bridge. Were she to turn right, she would head to the Richmond District where she lived when she first came to the States. Were she to continue straight onto 19^th Avenue, she would arrive at the old site of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. She started her studies there in 1962, and began teaching for the Conservatory three years later. Tomoko recalls the Mission-style building, and can almost hear the blend of instruments wafting through the halls.

Instead, Tomoko turns left, and drives down Van Ness to San Francisco’s cultural center with its museums, main library, and concert venues. The Conservatory moved to that part of town, partly because it had outgrown its old facility but also to be closer to the musical heart of the city. The Conservatory is now close to the San Francisco Symphony. Tomoko remembers when she entered the symphony’s music competition at a student, getting to the building by bus in the rain. Despite the physical discomfort, she won the piano performance award, and was invited to perform with the symphony.

Tomoko drives to the parking lot across the street from the Conservatory, and thinks about continuing to drive. To the east is the way to Berkeley, where her daughter trained for the Olympics. To the south is the South Bay peninsula, where she has performed in several locations.  And, of course, SFO is off the freeway: the portal where Tomoko arrived from Japan, and from where she has traveled, particularly to Europe.

Each day’s drive is a little memory, which brings a smile to Tomoko’s face.

The Dance of Music

When Tomoko was a child, she saw her mother dance to music as she worked around the home. She remembers dancing at a party with a Hungarian young man, who would become her husband. And Tomoko has watched her own daughter dance to music as she skates during practice and in the Olympic ring. In short, dance and music have always played an important role in Tomoko’s musical life.

Tomoko notes how Bartok’s compositions often built on folk music, particularly Rumanian folk dances. Chopin and Liszt also used folk dance tunes. The communal spirit of dance responds to the spirit of the music. “Music and dance are natural parts of human community celebrations such as weddings.”

Performance involves the whole body, much like dance, asserts Tomoko. “The music starts from the heart and comes out through the fingers.” She continues, “Like the neck in singing, the wrist is very important; the fingers follow the wrist action.” Of course, performance requires high eye-hand coordination. The whole body needs to be in a good position ergonomically to play optimally.

In addition, dance, like piano performance, involves practice and discipline. “Look at Dancing with the Stars.” They spend hours and days training and practicing so that it looks natural and easy when they perform on TV.”

Dance and music combine artistry and discipline. Both build upon pattern, yet offer variations. Both come from the heart and express individuality. And both bring people together. You can hear Tomoko’s piano performances that can make your heart dance – at http://www.tomokohagiwara.com/recordings.html

Love of Music, Love of Family

You don’t have to be a performer to love music and to be impacted by it. Tomoko’s family is a great example of that.

Tomoko’s mother loved to move to music as she worked around the house. She and her husband loved music enough to obtain a pipe organ from the neighbors so Tomoko and her sibling could learn to play. Tomoko’s older brother was an inspiration for her; as a little girl she would follow him to piano lessons. He chose music as his career, as did she.

While visiting Europe for the first time in the late 1960s, Tomoko attended a Hungarian dance part. There she saw “the most handsome boy from East Germany.” She noted, “He was a good dancer, but I could not dance.” Two years later, Tomoko saw him again, and invited him to a recital. In 1970 they got married in Salzberg.

Tomoko’s daughter Beata also loves music, dancing to it – on skates. Tomoko started her daughter skating at a very early age, mainly for exercise and recreation. However, Beata came to love skating so much that she has pursued it as a vocation, and performed in the Olympics. She also married her dancing partner.

“Every family can enjoy music, listening to the radio, watching TV and films.” Tomoko thinks that music as a family affair. “Families can also create music together with their voice as well as with instruments.” They can now also go online.

You can sample Tomoko’s musical performance at http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/TomokoHagiwara