Jane Buttars seeks to heal those who have been wounded musically. Her class, "Music From the Inside" helps those whose belief in their musical abilities has been bruised.
By: Susan Van Dongen
PRINCETON A bruise to the musical spirit may not be as visible as a physical bruise, but it hurts just as bad. Princeton resident Jane Buttars has seen numerous examples of the walking wounded, creatively speaking.
For example, consider the father character in the movie Shine, who demanded such a level of perfection that he drove his pianist son to a nervous breakdown.
Ms. Buttars can talk about countless instances of musical bruising. Fortunately, her class "Music From the Inside" helps heal these inner wounds. The course is offered the third Sunday of the month, with the next class Feb. 18 at the Arts Council of Princeton. The sessions runs through May.
Seated in her studio between a grand piano and a beautiful custom-made harpsichord, surrounded by a dozen or more percussion instruments, Ms. Buttars reflects on the psychological benefits of her classes.
She talks about people convinced they are not musical, who won’t even attempt to play an instrument because they’ve been listening to Luciano Pavarotti or Isaac Stern. Comparing themselves to these musical gods intimidates the average person to just not bother, and Ms. Buttars thinks that’s a shame.
"When you learn that so much of what makes Pavarotti great is his experience of playing and practicing, it changes your perspective," she says. "They have this mastery because of their experience and dedication and love for music. It’s not some mysterious gift from God. It’s not something that Pavarotti has but ‘you’ don’t."
"When people realize that they can make music, too even if it doesn’t sounds like Pavarotti that seed can become something they can enjoy," she says. "The mind kind of does a little ‘flip.’ And when that flip happens, miracles happen. People leave the class and go off and take music lessons, or join a choir. Music is something they can do every day. It’s not inaccessible."
Her classes are available to adults and older teens, musicians or non-musicians. She welcomes anyone who wants to access a deeper level of creativity and spontaneity.
"I know it’s a cliché, but we’re trying to find the inner child," Ms. Buttars says. "We’re trying to access and reward our most playful impulses."
The rules to her teaching technique are not hard and fast. Ms. Buttars employs movement, voice, jamming on percussion instruments and ear training. Or she might lead the class through a very basic sing-along. It’s an intriguing combination of structure and improvisation.
"I’ll make an ‘ooooo’ (noise)," she says, sounding a little like a mourning dove. "And then we’ll ask each person to make their own ‘ooooo’ sound. Or I’ll do an arm movement, and we’ll have people imitate that movement."
Instruments, especially drums and percussion, are provided. Students often bring their own instruments as well, either conventional and non-conventional. One of Ms. Buttars’ favorite "found" instruments is an old metal Bundt cake pan, which she holds upside down and strikes with a mallet. The tarnished cake pan resonates like a prayer gong at a Buddhist temple.
"Sometimes when we goof around, we end up making really fabulous music," she says. "The best part is, it’s music created by us, not written by some other composer that we’re trying to reproduce."
Ms. Buttars earned a doctorate in classical piano and harpsichord from Indiana University. She taught at Indiana, the University of Colorado and Northwest Missouri State University, then came to Princeton and opened up a studio. About a decade ago, she found herself creatively burned out, and stopped playing keyboards for three years.
"I didn’t want to touch the piano," she says. "I picked up the cello instead."
In Litchfield, Conn., she discovered a non-profit organization called Music for People. The group promotes self-expression through music and improvisation workshops, and offers training and certification to facilitators who want to share these techniques.
Music for People was a godsend. Ms. Buttars says it breathed new life into her playing and teaching, and pointed her toward Music From the Inside, which welcomes anyone from curious beginners to advanced musicians.
"For those who are experienced in music, I use the same principles, but on a little higher level because their musical language is more advanced," Ms. Buttars says. "Sometimes an advanced performer can get stuck. Say they’ve been playing a Brahms sonata, and they say it just won’t open up for them. These techniques of music improvisation can really free them up. They can take that Brahms piece and find ways to fiddle around with it, so that it’s not so confining, not so rigid. It’s not about trying to find the right note all the time, which can be a tremendous pressure."
Whether she’s dealing with an advanced musician or beginner, artist, homemaker or computer programmer, Ms. Buttars believes the most rewarding part of her class comes when people develop the desire to access and find their creative impulses. They hear music in everything, live creatively and stop sleepwalking through life.
"Even if people aren’t there for the music, it’s the intuition that we tap into," she says. "It enhances our lives, our sensitivity, our dreams."
Jane Buttars teaches Music From the Inside at the First Floor Dance Studio of the Princeton Arts Council, 102 Witherspoon St., Princeton, Feb. 18, 2-4 p.m. Classes meet the third Sunday of the month through May and cost $15 per session. For information, call (609) 683-1269.
For directions to the Princeton Arts Council, click here.