Episode 4: Sandra Partridge
Sandra Partridge has forged a path for herself with professionalism and artistic sensitivity. Playing music can be fun. It can also involve years of hard work. Traditional music lessons are demanding and very skill-specific, meaning that a lot of time is directed to studying scores and learning how to be detail-oriented when representing historic musical works. What does it really mean to study piano in college? Being accepted to the major involves having a teacher in high school who knows how to coach for a successful audition. Difficult pieces must be selected that display a pianist’s best traits. Once the student is accepted and ideally, granted a scholarship, the reality is that music study demands commitment and total immersion. Hours of daily practice, fast study, memorization, constant technical development, lesson preparation, music theory focus, and comprehensive music classes all day is typical fare. When the piano major graduates, making the shift from solo piano study to making a living playing piano can be jarring and challenging. The soloist mindset, which was so nurtured during the college years often doesn’t immediately translate into serving others.
Turning to the music she loved the most, Sandra found her post-piano major path. Inspired by Charlie Chaplin, she became a dance accompanist, transcribing movie themes and other dramatic music for the classes she accompanied. Striving to understand, support and delight, Sandra also wrote a book to help other pianists discover the musical needs of dancers.
In 2014, she became a comedy improv pianist and plays shows at the Third Coast Comedy Club in Nashville. She shines in this musical comedienne role, using her extensive catalogue of pop culture riffs and extensive musical knowledge. In the silliness of the shows, she has also found her joy and continues to evolve her voice.
Percy Grainger - Country Gardens
Mendelssohn- Piano Trio in d minor, Op. 49 , 1st movement (Zukerman Trio)
Stravinsky - Sonata for 2 Pianos, 2nd movement (Ashkenazy, Gavrilov)
Brahms - Variations on a Theme by Haydn (Lupu, Perahia)
Boston Ballet Center for Dance Education
Michael Pollack: Musical Direction for Improv and Sketch Comedy
Laura Hall: The Improv Comedy Musician: The Ultimate Guide to Playing Music with an Improv Group