Musician Lynda Lybeck Robinson has taught piano lessons to students in Unalaska since 1996. Live performances were an important part of the program. After COVID-19 cancelled several recitals, students are back on stage this year and will also perform on Channel 8 TV. KUCB's Vic Fisher sat down with Lybeck Robinson to find out more.
This interview originally aired on KUCB on April 8, 2022. It has been edited for length and clarity.
TRANSCRIPT
Lynda Lybeck Robinson: We're really excited about this recital because it's the first time in three years that we've been able to perform live. Our last spring recital was a big recital with lots of students and our stage decorations were epic. It was an international theme with decorations, costumes and things, from all around the world. Then COVID happened and of course for the last couple of years, things have been a little bit awry. However, we are pulling ourselves together and we're not giving up. This piano program started in 1996, when I came here to work for the Grand Aleutian. I was teaching piano lessons back then and, you know, it's a tradition that I just wasn't ready to close the doors on yet. COVID was not going to stop us. We've put too much love and tears and effort and music into this program.
This is our first time gathering together to renew our tradition of performing live. The children have all been practicing very hard. They each have two pieces to perform on Sunday at two o'clock for a live audience. For the most part, we had planned on it being small because of COVID. But as we see that the restrictions are lightening up and people are relaxing quite a bit, I noticed that there were quite a few friends who have mentioned that they would really like to come and I said please feel free. We're just really honored to have people come and share in celebrating these kids and the hard work and the beautiful music they're sharing.
KUCB: Tell us a bit about the program that will be on Channel 8 TV on Monday.
Robinson: Yes, this has been such a fun project, I wanted to do something special because you know, we just had to shake it up a little bit. Since our stage decorations over the last few years became, as I mentioned before, epic. I mean piano teachers from all over the world, and some of the groups I'm in still talk about them, because we share pictures with each other. How do you top that? I just really wanted this to be simple and get together on stage. What could I do that would be special? Well televising it would be special number one. And number two, let's do a green screen recording. This enables all of the kids in their performances to use their wild imaginations. And each one of the pieces was recorded with a green screen, hung up on the wall behind my piano in my house. As I edited all of these performances, I was able to pull in either pictures and videos that students gave me, or pictures and videos that I found. For example, we've got a child who is playing a song about a shark. And as he's playing, he's literally swimming among the sharks.
KUCB: I have a question. They're not aware of what's going on behind them, right?
Robinson: No, although a couple of them looked up on the green screen, you know, like imagining what was going to be behind them once the production was all finished. So we did have to use our imaginations a little bit when performing, but they were concentrating on their music and their technique while they were playing.
I'm still editing and still putting these videos together. It takes quite a bit of time. I didn't realize how much time because of there's a learning curve as well. I'm still fairly a beginner when it comes to film production,, putting together videos that are about a minute to four minutes long depending on the student. Well the longest being the Moonlight Sonata which is a little bit over four minutes.
One of the really neat things about this is that I have a student who moved from Unalaska to Anchorage. And we've been working online and they just finished their green screen recording at home and they're sending it to me so CJ will be in our performance even though he doesn't live here anymore. Another one that I'm pretty excited about is Jude Newkirk, who is of course one of our local treasures who grew up here and has become a world class photographer and he takes his drone all over the world. Jude gave us one of his videos for the background of one of the green screen performances as well. We are pulling the whole community in.
KUCB: I have to say I just saw a quick little snippet that Lynda showed me and it is of the Iceland volcanic eruption and that is pretty spectacular.
Robinson: Yeah, it's pretty cool.
The students of Lynda Lybeck Robinson performed on Channel 8 TV on Monday, April 11, at 6 and 8 p.m. If you missed it, you can watch on demand below:
