Little Piano House: About Me

My name is Rubi Martinez-Bernat.
I’ve been working in the area of music for all of my adult life:
Giving piano lessons,

Directing Choirs at Church,
and most recently teaching at the COMPAS,
Center of Music and Performing Arts Southwest.

My piano studies began very early.

I was four-years-old

and my first lessons were with my mother,

who is herself an accomplished classical pianist.
(My mother once performed for the President of Mexico!)

After these initial lessons from my mother,
I began taking lessons from the woman who lived next door us,
who was also a classical pianist.
Eventually, I began studying organ with this same music instructor.
We had both a piano and an organ at home.

After these first lessons, I began studying classical piano
at Arnoldi’s Conservatory of Music located in Wyandotte, MI.
At the Conservatory,
I also spent some time studying voice.
My summer studies at Arnoldl’s Conservatory
included classes in improvisation at the piano.

As an adult I continued my studies on organ
spending some time formally studying the instrument
at Sacred Heart Major Seminary.

By this time I had become a church musician

and pipe organs are very, very different from home organs

and I found it necessary to do formal study.

I own a baby grand piano,
which was actually a gift from someone.

I am also a flutist.
I also own a pair of Gemeinhardts
( flute and piccolo), several recorders,

many percussion instruments of indefinite pitch. . .

you'll find all sorts of music-making

going on in our studio!

I am a Church Music Director

and have been directing choirs for 30 years.

I currently direct the adult choir (of 12 members)

and a children's choir (30 members)

at Detroit's St. Gabriel Parish.

The adult choirs sings primarily in Spanish

and the children sing both English and Spanish,

and occasionally in Latin.

I come from a very musical family
and have a brother and sister
who also serve in the area of music
for their respective churches.
My mother, now in her 80's,
also continues to offer her musical gifts to her church.

I am the piano/keyboard teacher

at COMPAS(Center of Music and Performing Arts Southwest).
COMPAS was recently named
to the Berklee City Music Network
(as in Berklee College of Music).
COMPAS is the only performing arts school
in the state of Michigan
to have such an honor.
And yours truly teachers there
(as well as at The Little Piano House)!

I also worked with MOSAIC Youth Theatre
in the First Stage Program,

geared for children ages 7-10.
My work with these young people
was to develop their singing voice.

I direct a Latina Women's Choir,

El Cántico de la Mujer Latina.

This group was formed several years ago

for an event for The National Association of Pastoral Musicians,

and has remained together ever since.

Cántico de la Mujer Latina is an artistic group of women.

We challenge others via creative means,

using music, poetry and the arts.

Our music and our readings are in both Spanish and English,

though primarily in Spanish.

For the most part,

we use music, poetry and art

written and created by Latin women,

including original works by some of our members.
Yours truly
is not only the pianist and director
of this artistic women's group,
but the in-house poet.

We are featured in

Latinas in the United States, A HistoricalEncyclopedia,

Indiana University Press.

A brand new center
of Music and Visual Arts
opened in Detroit last year,
Garage Cultural.

I did teach there for a stint,
but really had to stop
in order to devote more time
to The Little Piano House.

I am a wife and mother of three.

My husband and I both

are a great lover of the arts.

My husband is, himself, an artist.

He is a talented painter.

Acrylics are his medium.

And so,

we welcome you to The Little Piano House,