ToneGym Hero: Terri Winters

A passionate musician who rediscovered her love for music in retirement, leading to a vibrant involvement in multiple bands at the Portsmouth Music & Arts Center, Terri Winters balances her musical pursuits with hobbies like running, skiing, and gardening. This month's ToneGym Hero is an inspiration to all.

How did you first find your way into making music?

I studied music in college, but did not pursue a career in music.

When I retired in 2021, I discovered a wonderful music/arts community in Portsmouth, New Hampshire – the Portsmouth Music & Arts Center (PMAC). It was all via serendipity having met an old colleague of my husband’s at a retirement party. When I asked her what she’d been up to, she shared that she was taking piano lessons and playing in a band at PMAC.

That meeting prompted me to connect with PMAC where I began to take lessons. All of the faculty at PMAC are professional musicians, so I quickly learned a lot about a musician’s life of creating and performing.

Another moment of serendipity came later when I ran into my husband’s colleague again. She told me that the PMAC band she was in had just lost their singer. In a very impulsive moment I said, “I can sing!” That began my adventure as the lead singer in an Alt Rock band – the B-Dogs. I had absolutely no experience singing in a rock band, but was totally energized by the experience and threw myself into it.

The band director (another professional musician from PMAC) helped me to make the transition from classical singing to rock singing. Our first performance was at 3S Artspace in Portsmouth, NH (https://www.3sarts.org/). That first performance was such a heady experience that I was completely hooked. I then joined a jazz band and a classic rock band at PMAC. I found that I love to perform. 

Aside from music, what hobbies or activities do you enjoy

Most of my other hobbies are around being active. I’m a runner, a hiker, an avid downhill skier, and a very bad golfer. I also love to cook, bake bread, and garden.

What’s something you're surprisingly good at that has nothing to do with music?

I’m a very good downhill skier. I didn’t start skiing until I was 52, but I fell in love with it.  I was even on a racing team. My team never won, but it was a great experience, and I met lots of fun, interesting people. Having skiing as a hobby also affords many opportunities to travel to wonderful places.

If you could play or create with any artist, who would it be and why?

I think it would be Prince because he was so amazing and created such memorable, compelling music and lots of it. He was also very generous writing songs for others. I really admired his showmanship.

His Super Bowl XLI Half Time show is out of this world. Not only a great performance, but under such challenging weather conditions. One of my favorite performances of all time.

I have to give a shout out to Chopin, too. His body of work – especially the groundbreaking harmonies – is truly wonderful. He was such an innovator. He is my absolute favorite composer of classical music. I return to his preludes and mazurkas again and again.

What musical instrument do you love the most, and what makes it irreplaceable for you?

I love the piano the best because it is such a versatile instrument whether playing solo or with others.
My favorite part of playing piano is its rhythmic, percussive qualities. Since I retired, I have been trying to learn to play jazz. I had no idea what I was getting into.

Jazz is so immense, which is one of the things I love about it, but also one of the things that makes it overwhelming at times. But I have a wonderful teacher who is a working musician and composer, so I count myself very fortunate to have such a profound resource to help me with my journey. I still have so much to learn, but that is part of what motivates me to keep going.

What daily or weekly habits do you have in place to keep you creating?

I’m actually pretty disciplined about my piano practice. I have a daily routine that is divided among technique, theory, and tunes. I play keys in 2 bands which rehearse every week, so that gives me a focus.

Playing with other people is really something that everyone should do. Of course it’s loads of fun, but it also is very rewarding because you learn so much about your style, strengths, and areas for improvement. You learn so much from your fellow musicians and it’s so stimulating that it will keep you coming back for more.

What keeps you motivated to continue making music?

I love to perform, so I’m always looking for opportunities. That’s the main reason why I formed a band.

I also find everything about music so interesting – theory, practice, recording, sound, history. So I’m constantly researching, reading, and listening. I’ve developed a network of amateur musicians who, like me, have a passion for music. Music has really enriched my life.

What song would you choose as the soundtrack of your life?

That’s a hard question because I’m a singer, and I love so many songs across so many genres. If forced to choose, though, I would have to say the song would be Carole King’s You’ve Got a Friend.

I’m a big James Taylor fan and saw him perform that song in 1973. It was the first concert I ever attended, so it’s a special memory. It’s also just a wonderful, soulful song with poetic lyrics that touch on very human experiences. The idea that one has a friend through good times and bad is such a fundamental part of what humans long for. So for all those reasons You’ve Got a Friend makes a great soundtrack for my life. 

What's your favorite feature on ToneGym, and how has it helped you in your musical journey?

Seeing that I have Chordelius, Departure, or Lander for one of my daily games always makes me smile. Inversionist and Route VI not so much! The fact that ToneGym is built around gaming does inspire me to do my daily workout everyday. It’s fun and satisfying (except for the aforementioned Inversionist and Route VI…).

The ToneGym community is another feature that keeps me engaged. I have found the comment section enormously helpful in learning the nuances of the games. Community members are very generous sharing their knowledge about ToneGym as well as other resources that support our musical journeys.

There have been several important resources that were highlighted in comments that I have explored and adopted, for example, Chord Crush. I also appreciate the humor and folks sharing frustrations that community members post. And some members are super rock stars yet they frequently comment to help others. I find that very inspiring.

The interval and rhythm games have helped me to improve my ability to transcribe music. This is still a tedious process for me – not at all easy – but I hear the elements of harmony, melody, and rhythm much better since committing to daily workouts with ToneGym. I have been very pleased with the progress that I have made improving my music listening skills.

What’s something exciting you're working on or looking forward to?

In February, I started a band with my husband’s colleague. We call ourselves Third Floor. We had our first performance at The Stone Church in Newmarket, NH for my husband’s retirement party.
 

My dream is that Third Floor or some version of it will become a professional band and that we will play gigs in the Seacoast area of New Hampshire. I love working toward goals, so I’m all in trying to get that first gig. Making music is just so much fun!

You can follow Terri on Youtube, Twitter, or check out her band's website.