Welcome to KeyAction Summer/Fall 2001

Melody Bober and Clavinova Make A Dynamic Duo for FJH Music Library

Pianist Melody Bober is renowned for her challenging, beautiful original compositions as well as arrangements for educational and sacred purposes. She has composed and arranged more than 300 pieces, and is affiliated with a number of well-known music publishers. For the past five years, she has written for FJH Music, one of the nation's best-selling and most exciting educational piano catalogs, and she has extensive input into FJH's newly established sacred music library. Bober composes exclusively for FJH on her Clavinova CVP94 digital piano, purchased two years ago from Schmitt Music in Fargo, ND.

"When I taught in public school, they had an electronic keyboard," she laughs. "I was classically trained, but never thought about owning one for myself. Then, five years ago when I started playing with my church ensemble, they had a Yamaha Clavinova digital piano, and I was forced into learning to play on it. I absolutely fell in love with it, and really enjoyed experimenting with all the different sounds."

She uses her CVP94 for a multitude of purposes, not the least of which is inspiration. "When I want to develop a piece in a certain setting – for instance, if I have a romantic theme in mind – the different sounds like brass or harp get into my head and make the tune come out much more easily," she explains. "It really brings music to life for me."

Her Yamaha CVP94 inspires her 50 students, too. "The younger ones really benefit from the Follow Lights™ feature, and all my students are using it to prepare their pieces for our first Clavinova Festival this fall," she says.

Bober's students also used her CVP94 last year to make Christmas presents for their parents. "They chose recital pieces, other favorites, and holiday tunes, then created backgrounds and made a tape," she says. "It went over so well, I think we'll do it every year," she adds. "It allows the student and parents to monitor progress – and what an awesome gift as well!"

Bober herself is "awesome," says Lori Frazer, National Clavinova Festival Coordinator. "She's a well-respected composer among music teachers, as well as among those in the sacred music field. It's wonderful to know she'll be creating her special music for FJH on a Clavinova."

Frazer uses Bober's compositions and duets – including Summer Samba, Agent X, and Rodeo Days – for Clavinova Festival Teacher Training Seminars. "I was first introduced to Melody's great compositions through the Clavinova Festival. The kids really love her music," Frazer adds.

"My Clavinova offers some of its greatest advantages when I'm composing duets," adds Bober. "It's great to be able to record tracks for one set of hands, and then experiment with the other. And with the disks, I can capture anything, even fragments that I like but am not ready to develop yet. It's like a sketchpad for me."

Bober played a Clavinova whenever possible on her workshop tour of the southeastern U.S. last summer. Visit www.fjhmusic.com for her clinic schedule.

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