Kate Moody

Award-winning composer Kate Moody has produced seven CDs of her work,  ranging from solo piano to symphonic pieces. Her “Mystical Romantic”  music is inspired by nature and her studies of spiritual philosophy. She  discovered and continues to develop the Connect & Glow TM energy healing modality, and holds a Master of Spiritual Studies degree  from Emerson Theological Institute.
     Kate studied piano at Sonoma State University with Marilyn Thompson  and composition at New England Conservatory with Robert Ceely. She continues to be actively involved in music education offering piano  lessons, composition instruction, general music studies, and music camps: Create  Your Own Music! is a fun and educational presentation where Kate guides  the group through writing a short piece of music. It works with groups  of people with no musical experience, people with extensive musical  experience, and with mixed groups.

. Kate also  instructs music teachers how to teach basic composition and improvising,  making theory relevant as students use the notes from the scales,  triads and arpeggios they are learning to create music which they then  play and notate. Her instructional book, Playing & Composing Around  the Circle of Fifths, is available at the Sheet Music Plus website.
     Kate's first album, Grateful Heart, enjoyed great success with  international air play on over 200 radio stations. Originally released  on the Frog Rock label, and re-released in Spring, 2005, Grateful Heart  is eleven tracks of contemporary instrumental music featuring piano,  flute, saxophone, guitar, bass and percussion on ten originals and one  arrangement, Vince Guaraldi's  Skating. Kate's recording of her  full-length symphonic work, The Seeker, won Best Instrumental Album  Award at the 2004 Just Plain Folks Music Awards. The symphony is in four  movements: Wake-Up Call, River of Love, Angels & Eskimos, and  Shining Through. The recording, made at Capitol Studios in Hollywood,  features guitarist George Doering on Fantasy for Electric Guitar &  Orchestra. "The performance is thrilling with the calm, deep logic of  soul. This is one of the nicest things I've heard in a long time." -  Steve Goodale, goldrecord.com. Her three albums solo piano albums are Welcome to Piania, inscapes, and Free Spirit. Kate's recording of the Connect & Glow Guided Meditation with Music won "Best Self Help Album" at the 2020 Just  Plain Folks Music Awards. 

 LISTEN All of Kate's recordings can be heard on YouTube, and are available for downloading/streaming at the usual outlets, including iTunes (click here). Kate's personal YouTube channel has an array of music, meditation, and music education videos.
 

RECORDINGS (ASCAP)

2014 Free Spirit, album of original pieces for solo piano. 

2014 Connect & Glow Musical Meditation Best Self Help Album, Just Plain Folks Music Awards. 

2007 inscapes, album of original music for solo piano. 

2002 The Seeker, music for orchestra, Peter Boyer, conductor, Capitol Studios Best Instrumental Album, Just Plain Folks Music Awards. 

2002 Welcome to Piania, album of original music for solo piano. 

1994 Grateful Heart, album of contemporary instrumental music. 

LISTEN LISTEN LISTEN

YouTube

iTunes

COMPOSITIONS 

Print publications available at Sheet Music Plus

Piano 1985 Shana’s Song  I. Meadow II. Mountain  III. Out 

1989 Winthrop Pieces  1. Freely 2. Go 3. Moderato 4. Brisk 

5. Semplice 6. Steady - Adagio 

1992 Still Waters, Here & Now, Wedding Day, A Wish For Holly 1995 Lavender Shadows, Aloha, We Are One In Spirit, Rachael’s Waltz, Tahoe Thoughts, Sigh 

1998 The Way I Feel, A Dozen Roses 

1999 The Light is Born 

2000 Opening 2001 Four Winds 2002 Sparrow, Heart 

2005 Stream, Elegy 

2007 Happy Endings, Flowing, Dusk, Hoku Pa’a, Lama Kuhikuhi, Sweet 

2008 Glory Be 2011 Care 

2014 Row, Row, Row Your Boat (arr.), Chanty 

2015  Everyday Miracles   

Orchestral 1998 The Seeker  I. Wake-up all  II. Angels & Eskimos  III. River of Love  IV. Shining Through 

1999 Fantasy for Electric Guitar & Orchestra 

2000 Malu 2011 Mountain Tapestry  

Instrumental Ensemble 1988 String Trio 1991 Seven Vignettes for Any Old Quartet 

1992 Moonrise Variations, Pt. Lobos - Summer Fog, White Raven, Room 304 

1995 Lavender Blues, Dreams Come True, Diamonds on the Water, Cocoa, Sea Turtle 

1999 Three Interludes 

2007 Friday Nights (cello and piano) I. Fantasy ~ Variation  II. Lament  III. Blessing in Disguise

Choral 1989 Our Father  2000 God Is My Light 

2001 Go Forth!  2004 Be Still  2012 Mist 

2015 Peace Prayer  2018 I Have Overcome the World  

2019 Teach Only Love  2020 God of All Power and Love  

Vocal  1991 Some Favorite Love Poems 1997 Gentle Dreamer 2002 Train 2005 Remember 2006 Song of Kabir 

2013 The Stream of Life, Walter Halsey David Triptych: Mariposas, The Butterfly, The Iguana 

2015  The Golden Age, I Am the Song In My Heart  

2020 The Beauty of the Islands, Spirit Is Absolute (Ernest Holmes)

PIANO ARRANGEMENTS Ave Maria (Bach-Gounod), Happy Birthday (walking bass), Holy Manna, Make Me a Channel of Your Peace (Sebastian Temple), O  Master, Let Me Walk With Thee, Wade in the Water, What Wondrous Love Is This

As a composer, when I began teaching I naturally incorporated teaching scales and chords, and then used the scales and chords to create music with my students. This approach, combined with standard note-reading and performance, offers students the full benefits of a traditional music education plus a thorough and extensive immersion in the language of music through creating music and performing their creations - on their own with guidance from their teacher, as well as in groups. Keys are learned around the circle of fifths; students understand theory with more depth when they use the notes from the scales and triads they are learning to create music which they then play and notate. With this method anyone, even people with no musical background, can write music. I have presented creative workshops to various groups, from prisoners to arts non-profits, and trained other music teachers how to teach composition.*

At Creative Musical Arts, students have a combination of private instruction and group classes. Private lessons in their instrument include the following areas of focus: performance (learning and polishing pieces), technique (developing control and agility), and music theory (the language of music) through creative work (improvisation and composition, including notation). Students of all instruments learn enough keyboard skills to play one-octave scales and basic chord progressions, which helps them understand intervals, harmonic relationships, etc. In regular group classes, students create music together as a group, and can bring pieces which they have written on their own (with guidance from their teacher). These pieces are custom-made, so students of all levels can play in the same group. For instance, a beginning cellist can play a simple quarter note bass line, while a more advanced flutist plays a melody with sixteenth notes. Vocal music/setting text can be included. Students are exposed to a wide range of instruments, learning about ranges, timbres, the effects of different arrangements. This teamwork has many benefits, including enhanced brain development, along with emotional attunement. As students advance they also explore chamber music from the repertoire. Music games, movement, and active listening** are also incorporated.

We welcome children and adult students of all levels and abilities. Our goal is to support the unique spark in each individual while helping to develop his or her knowledge and enhancing their appreciation of music.

Areas of focus are performance (learning and polishing pieces), technique (developing finger control and agility), and music theory (the language of music) through creative work (improvisation and composition, including notation).

Students learn scales, chord progressions and arpeggios and create and play music in all of the major and minor keys. Classical repertoire is emphasized, with some pop and jazzish/boogie-type pieces included. At Creative Musical Arts, we encourage students to bring music of interest - please ask about playing music of any style!

Practice is essential to making progress. Because of the nature of brain function, a regular daily practice routine is much more effective than one cramming session the day before the lesson.

An assignment book with written practice instructions is provided; the assignment book should be brought to every lesson. Parents: You can support your child's progress by checking up on their practice assignment and by participating in active listening (see below). Each day, before, during and/or after practice, go over the list of tasks on their current assignment. Ask to hear the student play one or two items and follow with some encouraging comments and/or questions.

 Rhythm, which is primarily learned by counting, is just as important as notes in music. The counting of a piece should be worked on from the very beginning of learning a  piece. 

**Active listening is an important element of music studies. Live concerts are best, but sitting still and doing nothing else while listening to recorded music is great, too. Is the music loud? Soft? What are the instruments? String instruments? Percussion? Instruments the player blows through? Tap your foot or sway your body to the beat. Is it fast? Slow? Are the notes high? Low? What is the articulation (how the music “speaks”): are the notes played staccato (detached) or legato (connected) or a combination of legato and staccato? How does the music make you feel (happy, grumpy, excited, sleepy...)? Do you like it? Why or why not?
 

~ Kate

 “You found the love of music in a child and helped it grow like a garden flower. Your patience and skill have nurtured his hidden talent that we enjoy in every incredible performance. His family and friends are forever in your debt, knowing the future is bright and melodious. You are forever in his heart as a teacher and a friend, giving him a tremendous gift he will have always...”

"Thank you for being my piano teacher. I like you because you are funny and you are fun to be with. I like how you teach me because you always push me until I get it right. You are a great teacher. Love, A."

“We can’t thank you enough for all of your wonderful, dedicated work with Sean. He’s done so well learning to play, & enjoy playing, piano - all because of you!”

    

Tracked down on facebook: “I still play piano, for myself. I am so thankful that I took lessons from you as a child. Those memories are priceless! You were a great teacher, Kate. I hope to find a teacher for my baby someday that could compare to you. You were more than just a piano teacher to my family and I. We talk about you often!”

    "Dear Kate, Thank you for teaching me so much about piano. I love to play and I hope that I play like you some day. You are the greatest piano teacher in the world!!!!!"

   "Terrific job! You have a great talent for bringing out our daughters' innate talent. I had never seen them perform with such enthusiasm and skill."