134: The Painted Pianos with Elizabeth Zajac

A single bad memory from a recital can shape how a student feels about performing for years. Today, I'm chatting with Elizabeth Zajac, a Utah piano teacher known for her elaborate recital themes and hand-painted pianos. We talk about the recital that changed her whole approach, how she restores and repairs the old pianos she paints, and the creative touches that make her recitals memorable for the right reasons. Elizabeth also shares how she helps hesitant students ease back into performing at their own pace.

Elizabeth shared how a post-COVID recital changed her whole approach to performances.How her painted piano idea started small, with solid colors, before going rainbow.The rainbow recital had students dress in color for rainbow-themed pieces.Why she buys cheap, used pianos from Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist.She keeps the paint job a surprise from the piano's original owner.The value of swapping damaged ivory keys for new plastic tops.Why she lets each recital piano settle on-site for a few days first.The importance of offering low-pressure mini recitals for hesitant students.The value of asking fun interview questions, printed in the program, for each performer.Elizabeth encouraged teachers to keep recitals fun and pressure-free.

Links Mentioned

Elizabeth's Instagram page:@summit.music.coFind out more about the Spotlight Session here.

Today’s Guest

Elizabeth Zajac is an Utah piano teacher and the director of Summit Music Company. She studied piano and orchestral directing at BYU-Idaho and has spent the past 15 years teaching music both privately and with bands and orchestras throughout Utah. She currently serves as President-Elect of the Timpanogos chapter of the Utah Music Teachers Association and is passionate about creating positive, memorable performance opportunities for her students. Her studio is especially known for its elaborate recital themes and painted pianos. Elizabeth is also a wife and mother of six children, ages 10 to 2, and shares her creative studio projects and painted pianos on Instagram at @summit.music.co.

About Rachel Ehring

Dr. Rachel Ehring is a pianist, teacher, music administrator, and lover of piano teaching gadgets. She holds a DMA in Collaborative Piano from the University of Colorado Boulder and a MM in Accompanying from the University of Kansas. She currently serves as Director at St. John’s Conservatory of the Arts in Orange County, CA. Previously, she held positions at Concordia University Irvine an