Check Out Elizabeth Swift’s Story

Today, we’d like to introduce you to Elizabeth Swift.

Hi Elizabeth, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers? 
I was lucky enough to find my heart in music at a young age. Music, whether it was listening to, dancing to, or experiencing the magic in creating it with others, was enmeshed in me as far back as I have memories. It was really the culture of our family. I have memories of being a preschooler and dancing with my dad to Barry Manilow on old vinyl records or sitting on his knee as he jostled me around to Aaron Copland’s “Billy the Kid.” I spent countless Christmas Eves, witnessing my mom pouring herself into conducting her high school choirs at church. I sat in the squeaky-chaired auditoriums, watching many musicals where my siblings were on stage. Concerts, musicals, lessons, rehearsals, choirs, bands, and orchestras were just part of our weekly routine as a family. 

When it came to creating my own music, I was never fully committed to it growing up. I guess you’d say I was talented at a few things: I studied cello and piano and sang in every choir possible. I did some piano competitions through the years and did fine, but there were no thousands of cash prizes pouring in. I was good with kids, so it was a natural fit to start teaching piano to some neighbors when I was about 13 years old. Then, when I learned to drive, I started branching out and doing pretty well for myself by teaching in students’ homes. I didn’t see that as a life goal attained at the time. It was something I was good at; there was a demand for it, and that was where it ended in my mind. When it came time to look at the next steps after high school, there just wasn’t anything else I was passionate enough about to imagine doing every day, so I pursued a degree in piano performance and music education at the University of Cincinnati-College Conservatory of Music. 

Once I arrived at UC, there was really no looking back. I had found my people, my purpose, and my peace. It was tough at times, but I blossomed there and didn’t wonder again if I was missing a better path. Although I was trained to teach in the classroom as well as the private studio through my double major, I always enjoyed the one-on-one connection that comes from private lessons. In the Cincinnati area I taught piano in college classrooms and practice rooms, church choir rooms, high school band rooms, client’s homes, and then finally set up my dream studio in my home in northern Cincinnati. Here, I’ve been able, along with my husband, to raise four pretty spectacular children and still teach as much or as little as life would allow. It’s been an ultimately flexible and supremely satisfying career. 

I’m finding joy in connecting with other teachers, musicians, and just humans in general. I’m enjoying learning new skills and developing a second rewarding career as a composer. 

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Making a life around a creative passion can feel challenging at times. It’s hard to measure success. It’s easy to feel someone else has more to offer. There were years where scheduling lessons around baby schedules and adolescent activities felt overwhelming. There are months when you feel that to your students’ families, soccer practice is more important than piano practice. 

And then there are always personal struggles. I had a cancer diagnosis in January of 2021. Test results, doctor visits, surgery, and treatment had to be my focus for a few months. While that was one of the toughest, most raw times in my life, it was also one of the most beautiful periods of my life. It brought to the surface so much appreciation for my precious students and for the ability to express my feelings through my art of composing, and it offered an opportunity to gain a new perspective on the “second half” of my life. 

Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
At this point in my life, I’m refocusing the style of my piano studio to meet today’s students where they are. This results in a more organic piano lesson that is really student-guided, whether the student realizes it or not. Each lesson from student to student can look totally different. And even lessons with a given student from week to week can be quite diverse. For example, if one of my sweet junior high-aged students didn’t have time to practice between lessons, I may do a guided improvisation project! I’ll google a Monet painting for inspiration, tap a spinner app that determines what key we’ll be improvising in, and we’ll roll a die to determine the meter. When my student begins to create, I may notice that my student has just unknowingly played a series of Major 7th chords during his improv. So, I can lead my student to the realization that that’s what he did, and then we could spend the rest of our time together drawing different types of 7th chords on the whiteboard and sounding them out on the piano. This style of teaching is so rewarding for me as a teacher, and it allows for a natural progression of concepts, making memorable connections for my students. 

In 2017 I began realizing my passion through composing piano music that helps students connect to their instrument with repertoire that is meaningful to them. Although my favorite and beloved inspirations are my own piano students, when I compose, I am often inspired by nature, travel, art, and poetry. I love bringing visual images or ineffable experiences to life in a musical way. Of my over 100 piano compositions, many might make you cry. Some might inspire you to learn more about the traditional dances of Spain or the spiritual ways of the indigenous people. I have devoted an entire collection of 11 pieces to the most beautiful US National Parks we’ve experienced as a family, which might just get you shopping for some camping gear and getting out there! Other exciting books of note are two beautiful and exciting collections of video game-style music called Saga Land and Saga Land 2. My most recent collection explores the different music modes, each one paying homage to a ferocious monster, a fabulous goddess, or a terrifying god of Greek mythology. 

I hope that my compositions foster a connection between the music, the player, and the listener. I think this feeling of connection is what has led my compositions to reach a wide customer base, with my music being purchased, enjoyed, and shared all over the world. I’m honored that piano pedagogues like Australia-based Tim Topham and Ireland-based Nicola Cantan are including my music in their wildly popular projects for piano teachers. In the U.S., my composition entitled “Snow Star” is featured in the 2020-2024 bulletin for NFMC (National Federation of Music Clubs), and my piano solo “Nothing Gold Can Stay” written for my father as he passed away, received second place in the Biennial Composition Contest sponsored by NLAPW (National League of American Pen Women). 

Elizabeth is actively involved in her local music teaching organizations, currently serving on the leadership boards of both KTA (Keyboard Teachers Association) and OMTA-SW (Ohio Music Teachers Association-Southwest). She is a Nationally Certified Teacher of Music (NCTM) through MTNA (Music Teachers National Association), a member of ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers), and an award-winning composer and member of NLAPW (National League of American Pen Women). 

Elizabeth is available for commissions, and occasionally has an opening in her piano studio if you’d like to reach out! 

How do you think about luck?
I think of luck as a coincidence, and I believe there is a good bit of that going on in the universe. But more than that, I believe that God lights my path; I just have to remember to look. When I look upward and inward, greater things seem to line up for me and for those around me. Another force at work in my life is other humans. The connections I have with wonderful people are life-giving to me and, in tough times, my motivation to keep moving forward. 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://melodypayne.com/shop/elizabethswiftpiano/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melodypaynepiano/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elizabethswiftcomposer
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCL7MpRqFv1LGqnFc6PyDpqg
• Other: https://a.co/d/byUBOh6