Today we’d like to introduce you to Vicki King

Hi Vicki, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.

I am a pianist. I fell in love with piano when I was 5 years old. I knew I wanted to teach piano when I was 14 years old. I began teaching the following year and have continued to teach until the present. I’m now 78 years old and still love teaching. My students range in age from 5 years old to 75 years old–from beginning students to very advanced. I never audition students. I only ask that they have an interest in learning to play–no matter what the level. My goal when I was 14 was to teach on the college level. After getting my Master’s degree in piano, I knew I had only begun to learn all there was to my craft. I continued to study–in Europe and in this country. I got my Doctor of Arts in Piano Pedagogy and realized I still needed to keep learning. I still work each day to learn more. I’m proud to say I have made a difference in the lives of many of my students–some of them have gotten doctorates and are passing the knowledge forward that I have given to them.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?

It has not been smooth. I had an emotionally abusive teacher in college who told me to practice 6 hours a day–which I did. However, I later found out that the techniques he had been teaching me were causing pain and injury in my arms. When I went to graduate school, I was told I had too many physical problems to be able to continue and I should go into some other field. I was devastated and had a breakdown. However, with the help of a kind and loving teacher, I was able to begin to heal my injuries to my body and my soul. I owe this teacher SO much and I try to pass her ideas and kindness forward to other students suffering from piano performance injuries, which, unfortunately, is all too common. Because I spent my entire life studying the physical side of piano playing–the natural, effortless side of playing, I have become an expert in the field of piano performance injuries and have been able to make a difference in the lives of many students.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?

I am an expert in the field of piano performance injuries–how to overcome them. I have been able to make a difference in a pianist’s sound within a matter of hours, by helping them be aware of the tensions in their body which translates into their approach to the piano. No tension–beautiful sound. Tension–harsh sound. I have given master classes all over the United States and I work with students away from the piano to help them understand the natural motions of the body that they use each day and utilize these motions into their playing.

Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.

My husband’s dream was to be an opera singer in Germany. We were young teachers in Atlanta and heard about a summer program in Austria that helped young singers get jobs in Germany. I said, “Let’s go for it! We can always come back to Atlanta and teach again. He took a leave of absence from his teaching job, I found homes for my piano students and cats. We sold our home on Friday, had a garage sale on Saturday, and flew to Europe on Sunday with a one-way ticket. We stayed in Germany for 5 years–he sang in opera houses, and I played the piano in opera houses.
Many people live their lives and say, “I wish I had done so-and-so.” We decided to try to do the thing we dreamed about–and it came true. Incidentally, the summer program in Austria where we went as students kept asking us back to be on the faculty. We continued to go for 30 summers, and eventually my husband became the artistic director of the school. We’ve been able to help hundreds of singers fulfill THEIR dreams.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.naturalpianoplaying.com

Image Credits

Picture of VK with a copy of my book, “Adventures of an Old Lady Piano Teacher” (my whole life has been an adventure)

Picture of VK playing the organ in Austria
Picture of VK in “My Fair Lady” in Germany
Picture of VK playing at the Kennedy Center on the First Black Music Colloquium in 1980
Picture of VK with 10 students from Tennessee State University at Beethoven’s grave in Vienna
Picture of VK playing at a church service in Mexico–our common language was music.