CREATIVE PLAY IS A HABIT.
It is also the brain's happiest way to learn.
Yet creative play is seldom developed, or even acknowledged,
in music study and practice.
And when we say that we "play" music,
it usually refers to the recitation or recreation of
another person's creative musical thoughts and ideas,
not our own.
And if it is our own music, it often garners much attention, as something unique and unexpected. Considered unusual.
"Wow. I could never do that," people often say.
Weird, right?
Shouldn't it be the other way around?
TO BE FREE TO
explore and express your musical thoughts
and spontaneously make music
with confidence & ease,
without a script,
and also without scrutiny or inner angst,
(or triggering an existential crisis),
you have to practice doing just that.
And the way to "practice" it is—to play.
Freely.
Not to "play music" as mentioned above,
but to actually play—with music.
Play around. Tinker. Try things. Wander off the beaten path.
Get a little lost. At Sea.
Let the curious child, that is your imagination, be your captain.
No agenda. No predetermined destination.
(and you can probably guess what happens in this state of creative drift.
yep—art!
and not just at the piano.)
I need this. Let me in!
So what does that sound like, musically?
Good question.
Maybe melodies don't recur • Or develop • Maybe they just wander off like a curious puppy • Are those even "melodies"?
Maybe chord progressions don't cadence • Or they don't even progress • Maybe they just float along like clouds, indefinitely • Or rather, they might interrupt each other, as if you are turning the dial on a radio from station to station.
Ideas crashing in from out of nowhere like waves
without warning or foreshadowing,
like a sudden tempest at sea
and then they vanish.
Into thin air.
Like a ghost ship. Or a golf ball.
Nonsense. Absurdity.
Is it music?
Or Just Play.
Let me introduce:
the
A 21-day exploration into the playful and inventive mind of
Erik Satie,
and into your own.
For the purpose of radically normalizing
daily creative play and freedom
in your musical life, and in your life life.
And in so doing, SLAY THE JABBERWOCKY of inner criticism, scrutiny, doubt, fear, and any other crippling emotion that dares to try to keep you
(and me and everyone!)
from enjoying free expression and connection
with your creative heart, mind, & soul and your own musical genius.
In mere minutes a day.
It's just play!
A LITTLE BACKSTORY
Why Erik Satie? What are Sports & divertissements?
I ♥️ to talk about this! It's not long; do read!
THE COMPOSER
Erik Satie (1866-1925) was a Parisian composer,
café-cabaret pianist, poet, playwright, artist, essayist and music conservatory drop-out with monastic tendencies, often considered eccentric for having in his possession a total of 100 umbrellas* at the time of his death (and other peculiarities).
Igor Stravinsky called him the oddest man he had ever met.
The word SURREALISM was actually used for the first time in an attempt to describe Satie's ballet score for "Parade!", his collaboration with Picasso and Cocteau.
But musically—Satie simply sought to free himself, and fellow French composers, from the predictability of functional harmony and form ever driving to the same dramatic conclusion, a "payoff", overt romanticism, and the general German grandiosity so looming over the classical music world at that time.
And he did. His acts of defiance: short piano pieces intertwining simplicity, wit, pure imagination and play.
He changed music. Only it took more than half a century for the music world to realize his genius and influence.
THE COMMISSION
In 1914, Satie accepted a commission,
one rejected by Stravinsky, who was insulted by the low fee the commission paid.
Satie also refused the commission at first—stating the pay was far too high—being one so protective of his artistic freedom and experimentation that he adopted a lifelong commitment to poverty, (somewhat inconceivable to us now).
The commission, from a luxury fashion magazine owner, was to compose 20 short, one page piano pieces, each a companion to renowned Illustrator Charles Martin's drawings of the Paris Elite at sporty play, all donned in the latest couture.
Together, Martin's illustrations and Satie's short piano pieces would be published and sold as un livre d’artiste—an artist's book— a type of high-end collectable album popular in early 20th century France, collaboratively pairing artists of different mediums, often poets and painters.
The book was to be called Sports et divertissements (Sports & Pastimes), a then catchphrase in advertising for the emerging travel and leisure industry.
THE CONFLUENCE
of a creative life.
Satie busily set to work, crafting miniature piano vignettes, some no longer than 15 seconds in length. Satie sprinkled sparse, playful prose throughout the score providing poetic narration and dialogue as the carefree characters engage in their leisurely amusements.
The confines of the commission and Martin's charming illustrations created a fertile playground for Satie's imagination, agile compositional skills, and quick wit.
In addition to the 20 pieces, Satie added a preface and a prelude, in the form of an "unappetizing" chorale—a little jab on his part at the high brow music elite he was often at odds with.
Satie also beautifully notated the score for each piece in calligraphy, eliminating bar lines and key/time signatures for a simpler aesthetic, making the scores themselves works of exquisite visual art as well.
Sports et divertissements is now revered as Satie's most characteristic masterpiece—a confluence of his skills, talents, artistic aesthetic and ideals, imagination, quirks, eccentricities, wit, joy, and childlike wonder.
And now, a playground for us!
And so, fellow musicians, educators, parents,
childfree cat ladies,
in this performance-driven culture we live in, that lives in us,
where music making continues to be predominantly
a spectator sport,
and, in turn, we routinely dismiss or diminish most of our creative musical impulses as
nothing...as silly, childlike, unoriginal, pointless, unmonetizable, or not a "productive use of time".
I believe
we need more Satie.
And I suggest that we all adopt him.
As our collective creative Grandfather.
So when the voices of past teachers, parents, faux friends*, former colleagues, and anyone else living in your head suddenly has a big, loud opinion when you start to open up inside to a creative dream, musical or otherwise,
they'll have to contend with SATIE.
Your
INNER SATIE,
who— through all their banal and apocalyptic noise—whispers clear and true—
Tu es une étoile brillante qui chante, ma chère. Fais ta magie.*
It is with the belief that
tiny acts of daily creativity and play
should occur so frequently that they seem absolutely ordinary in
our musical lives, our homes, every childhood, and every adulthood
that I have created
OVERVIEW
HOW IT WORKS
Each day of this 21-day creative frenzy—
we will travel inside one of
Satie's 21 Sports & Divertissements.
(In what order? Not the one you may be used to. It will be a surprise-revealed daily!)
Musical elements Satie used to musically illustrate each sport's story on the piano become sparks, improvisational prompts,
to explore and tinker with
on the piano—
a call to play, creatively.
And finally—a daily commission,
to create, playfully.
swiftly • decisively • freely • joyfully
All within a mere 20 minutes daily.
(seriously, that is all you will need, but it's okay if you don't want to stop!)
Create what?
Your daily musical story, of course!
"Wow. I could never do that,"
you may be thinking.
I assure you that you can.
You'll be amazed.
Through guided exploration of music and creative play,
your imagination and curiosity will emerge.
It's just what happens.
And at whatever age or level of musicianship
you are currently at.
This is for everyone.
Here's
HERE IS THE ACTUAL
DAILY HABIT & PLAN
"An artist must regulate his life. Here is a time-table of my daily acts..."
Satie began a humorous writing once with this austere opening, and then went on to recount a silly and impossible day.
In the SATIE SPORTS CAMP, we will not be following his "routine" (which people have actually done and chronicled on youtube, although—as with most things—he never meant it to be taken LITERALLY).
Instead, we will employ the LAMP method.
LAMP is an approach for learning music through listening and understanding, and we will use it for exploring and creating music with each of the Sports pieces.
At MIDNIGHT
the DAILY SPORT SELECTION & LISTENING GUIDE for the day is revealed.
Each morning, listen to the piece several times until it opens up in your mind. Try to imagine the story Satie is telling musically about the Sport/Pastime.
WHEN YOU LISTEN TO MUSIC
and automatically understand it harmonically & rhythmically, this skill is called Audiation.
In Satie's pieces, the usual suspects we listen for in music are just not there (V-I cadences, for example). Instead, we will listen SATIE-centric details.
AT NOON
The DAILY SPORT STUDY SCORE is revealed, which provides a visual map of Satie's imaginative storytelling on the piano and how he simultaneously develops and pokes fun at the personalities of the fashionistas in the drawings with his sparse text narrations and dialogues.
CREATIVELY
With DAILY SPORT SPARKS—melodic snippets, rhythmic play, ideas, patterns, sound effects and other elements Satie wove throughout each piece to depict the sport or pastime— you can:
PLAY AROUND on the piano. Experiment, mix up, expand & improvise with them,
and then...
TIME TO CREATE. PLAYFULLY.
You will receive a commission each day, à la Satie, with clear, yet clever, directions to follow,
as you imagine and then create your own micro-story on piano,
and any spontaneous artwork and text as your muse (or inner Satie) inspires you to.
You don't have to notate your stories, just a quick recording on your phone is great. Just to capture it.
The creative and time limitations of the daily commission will help you:
-
make quick artistic decisions
-
build confidence in your musical ideas
-
trust your first instincts
-
enjoy a more spontaneously creative life
and decimate perfectionism as
THERE JUST ISN'T TIME FOR THAT.
Tomorrow is a new day—swiftly approaching--with new music | art | poetry to make!
And then, at the end of these 3 weeks—
you will have a creative collection of your own,
the fruits of your daily habit...
Your Own
Livre d’artiste
You can hide it all away to rediscover another day, like unsent love letters or postcards.
You can notate your pieces out if you like.
You can share it.
You can use it as a sketchbook for other pieces of music and art you make later.
As you wish.
Sign Me Up!
Hi, I'm Hollie!
I am une Americaine not quite in Paris.
Although most people first discover Satie and his music through the Gymnopèdies or Gnossiennes, for me it was actually Sports et divertissements, and not a recording—but a live performance I attended on a whim. My mind exploded with the harmonies, quick key changes, and imaginative wit.
As a university student, who had just defied my piano professor's stern & dire warnings by changing my major course of study from classical piano to music composition, I had no idea the solidarity I would feel, years later, with that quirky composer and artist who said yes to a commission in 1914, which in turn, drew me to him. I was hooked.
In my three decades teaching language, piano and music composition, working as a both a classical & cabaret/pop band pianist, and composing and tinkering with music incessantly, I believe providing children, and ourselves, with the space, time and exuberant support to develop a vibrant, creative life of musical fluency and inner freedom is a mandate, an imperative.
Whether you have played music your whole life, or have just discovered that you can, you are meant to express your original thoughts musically as you are meant to do so with words. This is what music is made for.
And I can't wait to explore, nerd out about, and create with Satie's Sports et divertissements with you!
xo, Hollie
Hollie is an absolute genius with all ages.
She understands deeply pedagogy, technique, theory, child development, art, craft, discipline and fun.
She mixes all these elements together into an experience that
draws forth pure magic.
CHELSEA SMOCK
QUESTIONS?
I've never created music before--I'm not sure if I can. How will I know?
My piano skills have been neglected, or nonexistent. What level of proficiency do I need?
What ages is this class for? Is it for children or adults, or both?
I don't read music notation. Do I need to in order to follow this program?
Do we need to understand music theory to follow along with this program?
Galerie de citations
My only rule is to surprise myself, to do the opposite of what I did yesterday.
ERIK SATIE
Louis would sit at the piano for several hours a day tinkering with
how different notes and chords sounded.
It wasn’t long before we traded our old piano for a better one because his playing was quickly becoming the soundtrack of our family’s life, and the quality of his creations were outpacing the quality of his instrument.
Because of Hollie, Louis will grow up not only knowing how to play music, but what it looks like to be a creator and a lover of music for the rest of his life.
SARAH TEALE
SAN MARCOS, TEXAS
To finish a work? To finish a picture? What nonsense! To finish it means to be through with it, to kill it, to rid it of its soul, to give it its final blow... the coup de grâce for the painter as well as for the picture.
ERIK SATIE
I met Hollie when she joined my band Future Clouds and Radar in 2006.
Straight away, she set the standard for what I wanted
henceforth in collaborators.
Her knowledge of music is surpassed only by her enthusiasm for it.
I doubt I’ve met anyone in my life who loves music more--or is more the committed to sharing it.
ROBERT HARRISON
SONGWRITER/PERFORMER/PRODUCER | COTTON MATHER | FUTURE CLOUDS AND RADAR
Keep It Short.*
ERIK SATIE
*If you read all of this, you know I find this one, the only, bit of advice Satie gave composers almost impossible to adhere to.
Thank you for reading my page.
—H
