{"id":6366,"date":"2021-12-15T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-12-15T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/?p=6366"},"modified":"2023-01-09T15:48:28","modified_gmt":"2023-01-09T23:48:28","slug":"victoria-theodore-podcast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/victoria-theodore-podcast\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Love Practicing With Victoria Theodore (Pianote Podcast #19)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>If you haven\u2019t heard of Victoria Theodore, you will soon!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The world-class pianist, who has shared the stage with Stevie Wonder and Beyonc\u00e9, will be teaching our long-awaited classical piano learning path.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Victoria has had an intense time of filming lessons (like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/easy-on-me\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">this<\/a>) with us, but we\u2019re SUPER excited and fortunate to have her join us on this episode of the Pianote podcast.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Victoria has accomplished <em>so much <\/em>(as a performer, as a composer, and even as a computer scientist) and her secret? Well, it\u2019s practice&#8230;and <em>loving<\/em> it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>How can someone love practicing?! Read on and find out!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<span class=\"blue-text-block\"><h2 class=\"has-text-align-center\" style=\"font-size:22px\"><strong>Never Miss an Interview<\/strong> \ud83c\udf99\ufe0f<\/h2><p class=\"has-text-align-center\">Get exclusive access to world-class pianists and what makes them tick. Subscribe to <em>The Note<\/em> today.<\/p><iframe class=\"email-form-include\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/weeklyemail\" frameborder=\"none\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"talent-hard-work-from-day-1\"><strong>Talent + Hard Work From Day 1<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>In some ways, Victoria Theodore&#8217;s story is what happens when you take a natural inclination for music and combine it with a robust work ethic that\u2019s grounded in passion, not rote learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t remember <em>not <\/em>playing piano,\u201d says Victoria. Her mother tells a story of her being obsessed with a toy piano from age two. Victoria also came from a musical family; her father \u2014 a computer engineer \u2014 was an amateur pianist, drummer, singer, and composer.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Victoria would recreate theme songs and commercial jingles she heard on TV. But she didn\u2019t get formal piano lessons until she was twelve years old.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>How she got started with formal lessons is a fascinating story. Victoria\u2019s cousin was the one taking lessons, but she didn\u2019t like it (she preferred singing). And when her cousin left her piano books on the piano, Victoria would come along and look through them. She learned how to read sheet music this way, which got the attention of her grandfather, who quickly enrolled her in lessons.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2021\/Victoria%20Theodore\/victoria%202.jpg\" alt=\"Victoria Theodore (woman with curly updo hair with red flower) playing and singing at a keyboard looking at camera with microphone pointed at face.\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>It so happened that Victoria\u2019s grandparents lived next to Laura Tomb Scott, one of the first African-American piano teachers in the San Francisco Bay Area. She had taught Victoria\u2019s father when he was a kid and was already in her 80s when Victoria became her student.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-style-default is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Try to use [practice] as a tool to understand and to develop your muscles, not just because someone tells you to do it.<\/p>\n<cite>Victoria Theodore<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"victoria-theodore-and-the-true-meaning-of-practice\"><strong>Victoria Theodore and the True Meaning of Practice<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>From her first lesson, Victoria fell in love with \u201cgorgeous\u201d classical music.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Piano was a constant throughout Victoria\u2019s school years. In fact, she practiced so much that the adults in her life had to remind her to stop and go to bed! By the time she was studying at the Oberlin Conservatory, Victoria was practicing 7-8 hours a day on top of her schoolwork.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2021\/Victoria%20Theodore\/victoria%201.jpg\" alt=\"Victoria Theodore (woman with curly hair in lacey top) sitting next to piano with one hand on music stand facing camera.\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"passion-practice-must-have-1\">Passion (Practice Must-Have #1)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>So how did she do it? Doesn\u2019t practice, well&#8230;suck? Victoria doesn\u2019t think so. She has always loved practicing and she has always had a passion for the piano. There was a point when she had to choose between pursuing dance or piano. Victoria chose piano, but she still gets a good dance in, and being embodied in music is a big part of her ethos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"mindset-practice-must-have-2\"><meta charset=\"utf-8\">Mindset (Practice Must-Have #2)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>The second thing that helped was having good mentors. Victoria credits her work ethic to teachers who explained to her that practice wasn\u2019t about mindlessly forcing yourself to do something over and over. Instead, practice time is an opportunity to connect with and understand the music better. And like an athlete training for the Olympics, practice also lets Victoria embody herself in the music and develop muscle memory.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-style-default is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>If it\u2019s classical or pop it doesn\u2019t matter I\u2019m gonna be groovin\u2019!<\/p>\n<cite>Victoria Theodore<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"interiority-practice-must-have-3\">Interiority (Practice Must-Have #3)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Finally, Victoria has an uncanny ability to stay zen when she makes a mistake at the piano. She credits her yoga and meditation practice for this, which has taught her the value of \u201cgoing interior.\u201d All she does is take a breath and allow her mind to clear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2021\/Victoria%20Theodore\/victoria%203.jpg\" alt=\"Victoria Theodore (woman in red dress) behind digital grand piano with open lid in studio with double bass and violin case.\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>This isn\u2019t always easy, but she recalls hearing the advice of a monk who likened moments of interiority to passing clouds. Good clouds and bad clouds come and go, but you don\u2019t judge them. Just let them float by. Victoria finds this helps her as a \u201crecovering perfectionist\u201d to \u201cget past errors and get right into expression.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When it comes to zen, Victoria is inspired by master pianists like <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/B3r4EgwLqMM\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Arthur Rubenstein<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/uUTFVNAa2_E\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Martha Argerich<\/a> who can sit at a piano \u201clike they\u2019re sitting at a lunch table just talking to a friend.\u201d That\u2019s the result of practice, she says, and that\u2019s her goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"a-career-among-the-greats\"><strong>A Career Among the Greats<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Victoria didn\u2019t start her music career right after school. In fact, there were 7.5 years where she didn\u2019t play piano in public at all.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:33.33%\">\n<p>With a dad who worked at IBM, computer programming had been a significant part of her life since she was eleven. So, although she studied piano, music, and computer music in university, Victoria worked for several years as an engineer at Apple and as a computer consultant and database designer in New York City.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:66.66%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Victoria Theodore on Beyonce and Stevie Wonder | How I Got the Gig | Season 2 Episode 2\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/18UjRyJZAL8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Victoria Theodore on performing with Beyonc\u00e9.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Victoria initially chose a career in computers because making ends meet as a musician is difficult. But working tech made her \u201cmiserable\u201d and \u201cfully depressed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So she shipped her piano from California to New York. Then, after falling in love with music for a second time, she decided to pursue it full-time and moved back to California.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"stevie-wonder-and-beyonce\">Stevie Wonder and Beyonc\u00e9<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:66.66%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Behind the Scenes with Victoria Theodore\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/mdK4BuYQO5U?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Victoria Theodore on <em>The Arsenio Hall Show<\/em>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:33.33%\">\n<p>In California, people still remembered Victoria from her child prodigy days. She busied herself by teaching forty students and taking gigs with orchestras, theatre companies, jazz clubs, schools, and churches. A skilled pianist who was the \u201clocal mercenary musician,\u201d she even became an emergency pianist of sorts, filling in for other pianists at a moment\u2019s notice because she can sight-read so well.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>A few years after moving back to California, Victoria got a big break touring with Stevie Wonder and toured with the legend for 7.5 years. She recalls Stevie as having a \u201cstunning\u201d and \u201cout of this world\u201d work ethic despite his success. He brings a keyboard everywhere and every day, she says, and no matter what, he\u2019ll practice playing and singing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After touring with Stevie Wonder, Victoria\u2019s career kept shooting up. She played for the 2013 revival of the Arsenio Hall Show, which unfortunately got cancelled after eight months. Still, this was an opportunity for her to play with more big names and totally fangirl over Prince.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then, Victoria toured with Beyonc\u00e9, whom she <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/18UjRyJZAL8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">describes<\/a> as \u201csuperlative\u201d with a \u201cdedication to excellence.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2021\/Victoria%20Theodore\/victoria%204.jpg\" alt=\"(Photo from behind) Victoria Theodore (woman with curly hair and red shirt) playing piano and singing next to Lisa Witt (woman with short platinum hair and black shirt).\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"musicals-and-more\">Musicals and More<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Victoria has since been music director for a Donna Summers musical. She also played keyboard for Lin-Manual Miranda\u2019s directorial debut <em>Tick, Tick&#8230;Boom!&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In her free time, Victoria is writing a musical about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2014\/04\/09\/298760473\/denied-a-stage-she-sang-for-a-nation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Marian Anderson<\/a>, another one of her heroes and the first Black woman to sing opera at the Met. She also has a band (<a href=\"https:\/\/enspiritsmusic.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">EnSpirits<\/a>) with Dave Tweedy, playing a mish-mash genre she describes as \u201calternative RnB jazz.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Indeed, genre is not a factor for Victoria. She\u2019s versatile, loves all colors of music, and can dance to anything (even classical!).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote\"><blockquote><p>People tell me all the time, \u201cYou\u2019re so happy, you\u2019re so happy!\u201d That\u2019s cultivated. It\u2019s a choice that I make to pursue that satisfaction and joy in who I am and where I am regardless.<\/p><cite>Victoria Theodore with <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/mdK4BuYQO5U\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">yamaha<\/a><\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"music-is-for-everyone\"><strong>\u201cMusic is for everyone\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Not everyone can or should pursue music professionally. But that doesn\u2019t mean amateur musicians can\u2019t get the full benefits of playing. \u201cMusic there for everyone to&nbsp;enjoy,\u201d says Victoria, \u201cand it doesn\u2019t matter if you\u2019re at a beginner level or at an advanced level.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Victoria\u2019s advice is to \u201cjust try it every day, even if it\u2019s five minutes\u201d because \u201ceven five minutes is going to give you something. And don\u2019t put any pressure on yourself; just enjoy it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Oh, and make sure to dance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<iframe class=\"email-form-include-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/weekly-email\" frameborder=\"none\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Professional stage pianist Victoria Theodore, who has performed with Stevie Wonder and Beyonc\u00e9, explains how to love practice.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":39,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1108],"tags":[1069],"class_list":["post-6366","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-musicianship","tag-gsotp"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6366","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/39"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6366"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6366\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10424,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6366\/revisions\/10424"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6366"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6366"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6366"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}