The Teachers Gift

http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_13904610

When I first walked into MacPhail Center for the Arts in downtown Minneapolis I felt awkward and a little unsure and excited. It was the late 1980's. I had called MacPhail and talked with the intake person to see if there was someone that could help me continue studying piano. I explained that I had studied since I was 6 and studied through college. I was looking for someone to help me keep playing but most important I wanted someone who could help me keep learning. I was given a name of a teacher who interviewed me and so I "auditioned" for him - Gary Sipes.

He was a tall thin man, with high cheek bones, lanky but a fine build and fine taste - in music, in teaching, in his life partner and in his clothes - understated and always proper and oh yes he had incredible hands.

He had a corner office on the second floor. As you walked through the main hallway there were parents waiting for children sitting outside studios, and you could hear muffled sounds of vocalists warming up, flutes or drums, or violins - or whatever else you can imagine. Then you would reach the end of the hall and take a left. He had the back studio in the corner.

When I walked into Gary's studio I felt like I walked into a Salvador Dali painting. I mean it in a good way though - like you walked through the door to his office and stepped off into a different world that didn't need any support from the real world. His studio was littered with scented candles and incense. The pianos in his studio - both Steinway grand pianos were set perpendicular. He had music everywhere, some stacked nicely in hand made mini chests of drawers and some stacked next to his piano bench and some stacked in the corner. There were always a couple of big green plants. The ceilings were high and the windows were big and tall. He had windows all along the outside corner. He would often sneak a cigarette between lessons. There was no smoking allowed in the building hence the candles and incense. It always made me smile a bit. Sure I know smoking was terrible for his health, but he he had tried so many times to quit. He would complain about getting caught smoking and starting a fire in the dumpster outside and below his studio. There was something in his rebellious nature that was charming. He had a wonderful sense of humor. Frankly, they just couldn't stop him - he was fairly unstoppable. And - I adored him for it.

I studied twice with Gary. The first time I worked my way through the fundamentals of all the scales multiple octaves, major, minor, octaves, 2 against 3, right had staccato left hand legato, left hand loud-right hand soft, in thirds, sixths - AND I learned about Rachmaninoff and Mozart and Chopin and pushed a foray into Debussy and Prokofiev. I was a much better piano player than I had been. I was sharper, more confident and more educated.

The second time I studied with Gary I learned about Chopin and Liszt and the English Suites - Bach, and some very fun Czech duets. Gary was very proper on process and very glib in his humor. He did not mince words and I trusted his music sense like no one I studied with before. I never worried about his critique - I just foraged more into the music because when I got it, when I really learned it, when I knew each measure and each note in each measure and how important each note was or not important - when I had all this and Gary might say very nonchalantly - I can tell you have practiced or that was very nice - it was like I imagine winning a Grammy award might feel like. But the best part was that I could hear it myself, he taught me to see music and play music and hear music.

Gary wasn't just any teacher. He taught gifted students who went on to Julliard and Oberlin. He also taught adult students like me. He loved music and piano. He would share tapes and ideas with me and I imagine with all his students. He would hold practice recitals in his studio for us. His students won things and he won awards for his teaching. He played for me and with me. He helped my Mom and I play a duet one year. 50 years after she studied at MacPhail she came down and he talked us through music together and we played on the same stage together.

Here are some things Gary said to me that took me to the next level -

- I heard a piece today and I just thought about you and I am wondering if you like it and might want to play it

- I can't wait to hear what you will do with this piece

- You must be pretty proud of yourself.

Piano gave me a lot of things in life - and Gary made those things grow about ten fold. He helped me learn how to learn about music, he gave me confidence. He taught me how to stand up after performing and bow. He taught how to move my fingers. He was always at the back of the auditorium when you finished playing at a recital. He introduced me to people that worked all day and wanted to play piano. He listened when I played and sometimes it was painful for him and he would tell me that and he would also tell me when it was wonderful. What can I say about that ? except thank you for the gift of music my fine teacher - thank you Gary -