Piano Press (www.pianopress.com) is based in Del Mar, CA, producing fun and interesting materials for music teachers and students. We also offer lessons, songwriting workshops, and license songs for projects.
ABOUT:
Elizabeth C. Axford (Liz), owner of Piano Press, has been a full-time studio piano instructor since 1984, on both coasts of the U.S., first in Miami, FL (1984-1992), then in San Diego, CA (1992-Present). In Miami she conducted keyboard clinics for Yamaha and Roland using digital piano labs in both Suniland Music Shoppe and Miami Music Works.
She earned her MA in Musicology from San Diego State University, and BA in Music from the University of Illinois. A published author, songwriter, arranger, poet, and producer, her products created for Piano Press are used by music teachers and students worldwide. She is an active member of NSAI, ASCAP, TAXI, MTAC, MTNA, and a voting member of NARAS.
One of the original seven NSAI Regional Workshop coordinators, she started the Miami, FL NSAI Workshop in 1990, and the San Diego NSAI Workshop in 1992, after Hurricane Andrew devastated the area of Miami in which she taught and lived. During this time, she has produced or attended over 150 songwriting/music business seminars in LA, Nashville, San Diego, Miami, Dallas, Orlando, and Daytona Beach, as well as conducted monthly regional NSAI songwriting workshops. She has studied songwriting privately with Marc-Alan Barnette, Rick Beresford, Jason Blume, and Harriet Schock.
She participated in Jai Josefs' songwriting classes at The Musician's Institute in LA, as well as his Monday Night Group with peers Alex Del Zoppo (Sweetwater), Neil Devor (David Foster), and Glenn Rumbaoa (Universal Music Group), among others. Many of her songs have won awards in international songwriting contests, including those sponsored by Billboard and Unisong, as well as other regional songwriting contests. Her songs have been heard on the radio, in TV commercials, on CNN and PBS, as sound chips in greeting cards, and on the Internet.
Both her critically acclaimed music reference books written for Scarecrow Press, Inc., "Song Sheets to Software - A Guide to Print Music, Software, and Web Sites for Musicians" and "Traditional World Music Influences in Contemporary Solo Piano Literature" can be found in university and public libraries throughout the world, including those of Julliard, Oberlin, Eastman, Yale, Harvard, UCLA, Stanford, Vanderbilt, Belmont, Princeton, MIT, University of Oxford, University of Sydney, and many, many others. Her "Keyboard Chops" articles appear online at www.indie-music.com. Her column "Songwriting and the Web" appeared in the NSAI Newswire.
Discography:
Ratángo - Producer, English lyricist; tango/rap/hip-hop CD project and video www.ratango.com Marina Dorell www.marinadorell.com (Argentine artist); Matthew Dela Pola www.mattdp.com (producer) (2007)
Survivor’s Song – Background vocalist on title track of Jamie Reno’s Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Benefit CD with Peter Frampton on lead guitar (10,000 distributed) www.jamiereno.com (2005)
Who's Been Playing With The Jukebox? (Elizabeth Axford) - Translated into Swedish by Bo Söderholm; recorded and performed by Susanne Holm (Finland); aired daily on Finnish Radio Vega from 5/15/04 - 7/15/04 as part of the Stjärnbandet 2004 Festival www.susanneholm.com/sb.htm; Susanne took 2nd place in the radio votes (2004)
It's Not Like We Never Drove Through Texas (Elizabeth Axford) - Album cut on Country Songs 1 CD by Susanne Holm (Finland); recorded in English (2004)
Kidtunes – Compilation CD Executive Producer - 30 tracks, Piano Press www.pianopress.com/kidtunes.htm (2002)
Too Deep (Sam Hogin, Elizabeth Axford, Ernie Harkins) - Album cut on Snapshot CD by Ernie Wylie, Adama Music www.adamamusic.com (2002)
Personal Touch (Elizabeth Axford) - Song licensed for boy band project, MDVD Network; song selected by producer Matthew Dela Pola (David Foster, William Ross) (2001)
Merry Christmas Happy Hanukkah – A Multilingual Songbook and CD www.pianopress.com/multilingualsongbook.htm; Producer, Arranger, Performer - 32 tracks; Songwriter (A Hanukkah Tale and Hanukkah! Hanukkah!) - 2 tracks; Piano Press (1999)
Additional Song Placements (TV, Internet, Sound Chips) and Single-Song Publishing Contracts:
A Hanukkah Tale - Keyboard instrumental (original song) arranged and performed by Elizabeth C. Axford; licensed by PBS for the Sit and Be Fit TV Exercise Program; to air nationally on PBS in October (2008)
S’Vivon - Keyboard instrumental (PD) arranged and performed by Elizabeth C. Axford; licensed by PBS for the Sit and Be Fit TV Exercise Program; to air nationally on PBS in October (2008)
Big Screen TV - Licensed for Dr. Tabor's Diet Program TV Infomercial (2008)
Hatikva - Keyboard instrumental (PD) arranged and performed by Elizabeth C. Axford; licensed by The Center for the Advancement of Jewish Education, Miami, FL for the portion of their web site celebrating Israel’s 60th birthday; http://www.israel60miami.org (2007-2008)
Hava Nagila - Licensed by Marshall-Grant Ministries for short film (2008)
We Wish You a Merry Christmas - Keyboard instrumental (PD) arranged and performed by Elizabeth C. Axford; licensed for use in Obama TV ad on CNN for holiday season (2007)
Jolly Old St. Nicholas - Keyboard instrumental (PD) arranged and performed by Elizabeth C. Axford; licensed by Wunderman, New York, NY for holiday card (2007)
Jolly Old St. Nicholas - Keyboard instrumental (PD) arranged and performed by Elizabeth C. Axford; licensed by The Lang Companies for sound chip in greeting card (2008)
Oh, How Lovely Is the Evening - Keyboard instrumental (PD) arranged and performed by Elizabeth C. Axford; licensed by Konitek, Johannesburg, South Africa for their corporate holiday card (2007)
It’s a Guy Thing - Single-Song Contract signed with Muy Bambinos Music (ASCAP), Nashville, TN (2007-2008)
It’s Not Like We Never Drove Through Texas - Single-Song Contract signed with Spectrum Music, Maël-Carhaix, France (2008-2009)
Other songs and/or arrangements and tracks licensed for business or professional use (massage, therapy, dance studio, or similar) include Christmas In Florida, Chanukah, Hanerot Halalu, Hava Nagila, I Have a Little Dreydl, Maoz Tsur, We Wish You a Merry Christmas, and You’re the Only True Love.
CONTACT:
Elizabeth C. Axford (ASCAP)
Piano Press (ASCAP)
PO Box 85
Del Mar, CA 92014-0085
www.pianopress.com
Cell: (619) 884-1401
