Singing in School

Tomoko knows the power of singing, and how it relates to the piano. 

Tomoko recalls her own history of singing in school when she started in elementary school during World War II. The Japanese government knew the power of sung words, and required singing in school starting with the earliest grades. The government would take well-known melodies and have nationalistic lyrics put to them for the children to sing.

In Tomoko’s high school Ferris, everyone was expected to sing. They sang European classical music, including religious songs, since Ferris was founded by the Dutch Reformed Church. Tomoko also accompanied the school’s singers. 

Tomoko attended the Tokyo Cathedral near the University of Tokyo where she majored in piano.  There Father Henri taught Gregorian chant, and Tomoko and other students would go to the church to hear and learn this music genre. 

At the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Tomoko’s composition teacher encouraged students to explore their own styles. This support led Tomoko, who was a voice minor, to have several opportunities to perform her many haiku compositions. She continues, “There were so many talented teachers; they were very open-minded and welcoming.”

Tomoko sometimes has her students sing along with playing the piano as a way to help with phrasing and interpretation. In fact, when students learn a song, Tomoko has them start by understanding the words.

Today, as Tomoko teaches piano, she sometimes has her students sing along with playing the piano as a way to help with phrasing and interpretation. In fact, when students learn a song, Tomoko has them start by understanding the words. Tomoko knows that the power of words is made stronger by music. 

Begin with Music

It’s the beginning of the year, and music is a great way to start the year. 

Music can be a lifelong joy. And that joy can begin early in life. Tomoko knows.

Her father had played the violin in his youth, and her mother sang hymns as she cleaned the house. Her family had a record player, and listened to classical music. Tomoko liked listening to music on the radio too. 

Singing songs was part of the Japanese educational curriculum when Tomoko was growing up. There were textbooks all public and private schools had with songs for schoolchildren for each elementary grade. The government wanted to make sure everyone had a music education. Tomoko recalls: “When I was in grades 7-12 at Ferris Academy we had mass every morning and had to sing, of course. I enjoyed the singing, and all the students knew how to sing well.”

It’s never to early to begin the love of music in a child. Mothers and fathers can sing to their babies. Lullabies are very soothing, but folk songs and even modern songs can be pleasant to hear; the main point is for the singer to enjoy sharing the song. There are many nursery songs that children can learn, and when the family sings together it is special. Tomoko says, “It’s a good way to communicate.”  

Play music in the home, be it on the radio, on a DVD, or on the computer. Music is not only an esthetic experience; it is also educational. Listening to music helps children learn the concept of rhythm, which helps them learn language too.  Having a musical instrument is wonderful because children can see how music can be created, and explore the instrument’s physicality. Music and science go hand in hard. 

There are so many ways to bring music and harmony into people’s lives. Begin now!

Franz Schubert and Tomoko

Franz Schubert holds a special place in Tomoko’s musical heart. She performed his piano quintet opus 114 in A major, “Die Forelle/The Trout”, in Los Angeles, two months before her daughter’s birth. And she played it at her January 2017 concert. Schubert was also the first composer she played in the United States as a duet.

Even earlier, Tomoko remembers attending a concert of the famous Bohemian pianist Rudolph Serkin, who was touring Japan in the 1950s. Tomoko bought a ticket in the cheapest seating section. Listening to him play Schubert's Fantasy for Piano Opus 15, Tomoko found herself crying nonstop for the first time at a concert; she felt, "This is what an artist is supposed to do." She thought that his performance was perfect, not just a technical feat. "It was the most gorgeous feeling in the world," she remembered. She also remarked, "My tear was like a diamond: a symbol of the most valuable and authentic emotion."

The emotion Tomoko felt is not surprising since Schubert was one of the first Romantics. Tomoko noted his spontaneity: “For him, beauty came first.” She also noted: “Schubert never had a theory lesson. For him music was freedom.”

Schubert was also a singer. Tomoko knows that Franz Schubert was recognized for his vocal talent as a youth, and caught the attention of Salieri, who became his most influential teacher. Schubert’s singing sensitivity led to his composing songs specifically for the voice of a young soprano he met. 

In the final analysis, Tomoko says: “I like Schubert. He is peaceful, and his quality of tone is memorable.”