Today we’d like to introduce you to Doris Gameiro.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Doris. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
The Crafty Piano Teacher started from a dream I had as a young adult frustrated with not finding jewelry that I liked from everyday wear to fancy events. I’ve had a passion for arts and crafts since a very young age, so creating jewelry was something exciting for me and to share with others. Last year I was invited to participate in the Arts Goggle show, one of the largest arts and crafts shows in North Texas, which was a blast to be involved with some many other artists!
Meanwhile, I was completing my Bachelor of Arts in Music and Masters of Music Education at TCU (2007 and 2009) With my degrees completed and teaching in full swing, my itch for performing was still bugging me. One day while planning our first trip to Portugal (where my husband is from) I ran into a piano colleague (José Cubela) from the TCU days and before we knew it we were talking about performing together in Portugal. That evolved into the idea of a piano duo and since then, we’ve loved the results!
I was able to get into contact with the director of the Music Conservatory in Águeda, Portugal (a mountainous, picturesque town in the center of Portugal), Sérgio Brito, and he was very excited to learn about our program. We performed for them June of last year and they liked us so much, they invited us back whenever we like! So this year we are surprising them with a third pianist and cinematographer, Svetlana Martins and an even more amazing program. We will be doing one piano, six hands featuring works by Gershwin, Piazzolla, Rachmaninov, and Sousa. Hope y’all stay tuned by following us on Instagram and Youtube!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It’s definitely been a bumpy road, but it keeps getting smoother the more we ride on it. Some of the most recent challenges have been coordinating practices via Facetime around three working schedules (since were all piano teachers and performers). With one of us being in another continent, six hours ahead (depending on the time of year) definitely makes it a little harder to coordinate. We’ve been recording our separate parts to send to each other when we can’t make the schedules work so that way we can still have something to practice with. There’s also been many late nights reviewing the program, and early mornings (between 5-7am for me!) comparing notes to make sure the music is as fantastic as we can make it. Never mind the actual traveling part of figuring out logistics (flights, hotels, car rental, etc.) in the meantime so it all goes like clockwork. We all (spouses included!) use our own personal experiences to help us avoid the same mistakes from previous years, and we gain personal experience from the mistakes we didn’t expect.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with The Crafty Piano Teacher – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
The Crafty Piano Teacher started in high school, many, many moons ago but didn’t really take off until my college years in 2003. I really started to get into many types of crafting projects to help me meditate while I was dealing with the anxieties of having my own independent piano studio and performance life.
I have learned varied bead weaving techniques such as huichol, peyote, and even wire wrapping gemstones. I’ve also learned over the years how to knit and crochet. I’ve crocheted several baby blanket and other gifts for family and friends over the years that they really appreciate. I also learned how to sew from my grandmothers, one of which had her own wedding dress shop in Nicaragua. I’ve made T-shirt quits and other projects over the years with some of the techniques I’ve learned from them and even my husband who learned from his mom and grandmother. I chose the name “The Crafty Piano Teacher” since I have several different types of craftwork under my belt and somehow wanted to incorporate both of my businesses together, my piano life and my actual creative works.
The piano duo came into life after years of yearning to find a partner I could collaborate well with and who was also a close friend. You need to work well with others in order to travel the world with them, right? Even though it’s still in its infancy, it’s currently the project I am the proudest of. It’s helped keep me on my toes performance wise and learning how to collaborate with others as well as keeping up with all the new technology we have at our fingertips.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
My future plans for our piano duo…taking it to new heights and possibly expanding the concerts to not only new locations but maybe even new countries all while having fun with friends and making fantastic memories!
As for my piano teaching career, I hope to continue teaching and helping others find their way to learn how to appreciate and express themselves through music, specifically piano playing. Expressing oneself emotionally has become a lost art, so I hope to help remedy that problem in today’s society.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.etsy.com/shop/dsuyentor
- Phone: 817-763-8685
- Email: doris.gameiro@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/thecraftypianoteacher
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/thecraftypianoteacher
- Other: www.gameiro.musicteachershelper.com
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