Piano was not something Miriam Rice loved right away.
She remembers sitting by the keyboard as a child, kicking her feet against the wall because she didn’t want to play scales again. Rice took piano lessons at Princeton from a stern piano professor who had been the number one piano accompanist in the Soviet Union.
“Piano was very strict in my household,” Rice said. “My piano lessons were an hour away at 9:00 on Saturdays so I kind of resented the practice time. I always said once I left home I would never play the piano or touch a piano again.”
It was not until high school that Rice began to enjoy the piano. Now she can’t live without it.
“As I’ve gotten older, I’ve developed this relationship with the piano and music where I don’t think of it as practicing anymore,” Rice said. “If I go a day without playing, I honestly feel like something is horribly wrong and then I’m like ‘I need to play music.’”
A junior in Cavanaugh Hall majoring in the Program of Liberal Studies and music, Rice was chosen to play the piano at the Inauguration Gala for Notre Dame’s 18th president, Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C.
Originally from the Jersey Shore but currently living in Pennsylvania, Rice was required by her parents to play the piano. Both college professors and musicians, her dad was a pianist and organist and her mom was a singer. The couple would write music together in their free time.
“I did not choose the piano,” Rice said. “My parents were like, ‘You’re playing the piano,’ and I was like, ‘OK,’ so I started playing the piano.”
Rice especially did not enjoy piano recital competitions. “I did two competitions, and they went horribly, like the worst performances in my life, and I could not even finish the pieces,” she said.
She recalled one of her recitals at Lincoln Center in New York and remembered being nervous to play a Beethoven sonata that she had to memorize.
“I remember looking at a photo of Ella Fitzgerald and being like, ‘Why can’t I just sing jazz instead?’” Rice said. “‘I wish I were doing music that I actually loved instead of this piece that I’ve been told to play.’”
It wasn’t until high school that Rice realized she could enjoy playing the piano. Her band director from high school, Harold Frazee, was instrumental in helping her develop a passion for music. He taught her jazz piano, and jazz band on the side, and his encouragement made a difference.
“He said, ‘Well, I assume you’re going to do something in music as a career,’” Rice said. “That’s the first time someone acknowledged that to me. It gave me so much confidence. I realized I want to do music as a career.”
Another pivotal point in Rice’s music career was watching her favorite artists, bass guitarists Joe Dart and Cory Wong, perform together on YouTube.
“There was a point in the song where they were just singing together and they looked so happy and joyful,” Rice said. “They were just communicating with each other at this other level. It was like music was bringing them in love with each other.”
Dart inspired Rice to play bass guitar, now her favorite instrument.
“I didn’t start playing until senior year of high school,” she said. “I’m lucky enough to be playing it here now in a jazz band.”
With a variety of instruments to play, Rice ensures that she is able to practice consistently.
“I have lessons as a part of my major and I have performances as part of my major, so I really have to practice every day,” she said. “During the fall, it’s more difficult because I am also a part of the Notre Dame Marching Band, so I don’t get to practice every day, but I practice as much as I can.
“When I come home and play the piano, I feel good and I feel like myself again. I love the sound of it and I love the feel of it.”
Rice’s big moment playing the piano for Father Dowd’s Inauguration came at the recommendation of a professor.
“One of my professors heard me playing in CoMo (Coleman-Morse Center) one day,” Rice said. “He emailed me the next day: ‘Hey, I recommended you for this gig.’ Holy smokes. I’ve never been paid to play music before.”
Rice said she hopes a future music career will allow her to continue writing music and playing music every chance she gets.
“I love playing with other people and I love writing music,” she said, “so I want to keep doing those things for as long as I can.”
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