About Lynne CoxLynne Cox has enjoyed being a music educator, composer, and performer for many years. A native of South Carolina, she and her husband reside in the south and enjoy their grown children and grandchildren.
Lynne's company is Lynne Cox Publications (Sea Zoo). Her award-winning piano solos have been chosen for National, state, and local various music teachers’ organizations. This company is devoted to delivering quality music education products to supplement and enhance pedagogical methods of piano instruction or for just plain enjoyment. compositions and products include original elementary piano solos (sheet music and books). |
Lynne Cox
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As well as being self-published, Lynne Cox is also an author/composer with alfred.com (just type in her name) which carries her "Sea Creature Series" in their "Myklas Winners,Vol. 1". Check out this video of Gayle Kowalchek of Alfred performing her solo, "The Crab".
Lynne also has a nonfiction book published "The Christmas Doll Bed" which is available at "The Next Chapter" bookstore in New Bern, NC (also carries her sheet music/books). This book is on Amazon in Kindle and also paperback.
Lynne Cox's Author page on Amazon.
CREDENTIALS:
Earning her Bachelor of Music degree from East Carolina University (ECU) in Piano Performance in 1966, Lynne has enjoyed her music teaching career, teaching private piano lessons and later elementary public school music. No longer teaching, she enjoys being with her family, performing, presenting workshops, judging piano auditions, and composing music for children. She is a published composer with Alfred Publishing as well as her own small music publishing company, Lynne Cox Publications, and her compositions appear on state and national required performing lists in various music organizations.
Lynne also has a nonfiction book published "The Christmas Doll Bed" which is available at "The Next Chapter" bookstore in New Bern, NC (also carries her sheet music/books). This book is on Amazon in Kindle and also paperback.
Lynne Cox's Author page on Amazon.
CREDENTIALS:
Earning her Bachelor of Music degree from East Carolina University (ECU) in Piano Performance in 1966, Lynne has enjoyed her music teaching career, teaching private piano lessons and later elementary public school music. No longer teaching, she enjoys being with her family, performing, presenting workshops, judging piano auditions, and composing music for children. She is a published composer with Alfred Publishing as well as her own small music publishing company, Lynne Cox Publications, and her compositions appear on state and national required performing lists in various music organizations.
- Recipient of the 2005 Distinguished Alumni Award, School of Music, East Carolina Univ., Greenville, NC (ECU)
- Fulbright Scholar 2007
- Bachelor of Music Degree in Piano Performance, ECU
- Certification in Public School Music, ECU
- State Finalist for the Sarah Belk Gambrell Award 2003 for Excellence in Public School Music
- 45 yrs music teaching experience (public school music and private piano)
- Formerly State and National certification in MTNA
- Listed in Hall of Fame w/Nat. Guild of Piano Teachers 1995
- Church musician 43 years
- Teacher Scholar at NC Center for Advancement of Teaching (NCCAT)
- Published composer
- Member MTNA, NCMTA, NFMC, NCFMC, and St. Cecelia Music Club, Eastern North Carolina.
"Pteranodon": the Real Story
by Lynne Cox
Honestly, my compositions have mainly come about when I imagined something, especially an animal such as in my Sea Creature pieces (pub. by Alfred), and created character pieces based on that. The exceptions are my lullabies for my grandchildren which poured from my heart.
As did the "Pteranodon".
In the 1980s I had composed three of my dinosaur pieces: "Tyrannosaurus Rex"; "Stegosaurus"; and "Brontosaurus". These were character pieces and as I imagined the particular dinosaur it was fun and easy to compose the piece according to his personality, physical build, and characteristics. Knowing I wanted to add a lyrical piece to this collection to "round it out", needing it to balance the big pieces with something entirely different, and being stumped, I put the dinosaur pieces aside and forgot about them for a while.
One miserable, cold, rainy afternoon I was alone at home and in a very inconsolable place worrying about a family member. I attempted to find consolation with prayer and by playing Chopin or Beethoven but as I played my tears kept splashing on the piano keys. I was totally inconsolable.
My hands then began playing around in e minor and the A section, the main part of what later became ‘Pteranodon’, literally poured out of my soul onto the piano—in about 10 minutes the main part of it was complete. As I found its healing properties I just played it over and over, and was amazed that in the bass notes (well, they were in treble clef, but the lowest notes) were mimicking falling tears and low notes kept ‘falling’ down the piano in chromatic fashion.
And as I kept playing my new piece I realized that I was being consoled as it healed my mood and lifted me.
That week as I played it for my piano students they wanted to learn it and they tried to help me come up with a title—their ideas were good; ‘Dreams’, or ‘Twilight’ were some. Still not naming it I scored it so they could learn it—it fast became one of their favorites. At this time I hadn’t added a B section—couldn’t compose one to suit me.
The following summer as I pulled the Dinosaur Collection back out and contemplated which 4th dinosaur I could write about that would sound lyrical—(know that was a s-t-r-e-t-c-h) I thought about the flying reptile, not really a dinosaur, but the "Pteradactyl". But as I said that aloud, it didn’t sound musical or lyrical—then I hit on one of the species of this animal that DID sound lyrical! "Pteranodon"!! The name flowed. I had found (excuse this) the missing link! Now the B section was born in just a few minutes as I imagined the Pteranodon flying around. Dinosaur Collection was complete!
After 9/11/01, years later, I knew that as a musician my task to do something for my country that was in agony, was to write a ballad as to what happened—on the 3rd night after the attack I stayed up all night writing the lyrics—the following days I tried composing a melody to go with it that fit the mood. "Pteranodon" came into my mind.
"Pteranodon" melody fit this ballad like a glove! Like it was meant to be—15 years later! So the song now completed is my "American Eagle" composed in 2001.
My students over the years told me how much they loved my "Pteranodon" and parents would tell me that was the piece played the most at home. But the following story really brought home to me how this piece has not only taught students how to play expressively and lyrically, but helped them express the angst and work through it teens often feel.
Fast forward to 2012 when I was playing the piano for a party and decided to play "Pteranodon". When I did a young lady in her early 20s who I didn’t know rushed over to the piano (followed by her Dad) and she said, "How do you know that piece?" Before I could answer her Dad laughingly said, "That piece cost me over $300 in piano lessons her senior year in high school because it was all she would play." The girl looked at me with tears in her eyes and said, "That piece got me THROUGH my senior year in high school".
Needless to say, this is my favorite piece of the 27 I have composed. It just is.
~ Lynne
by Lynne Cox
Honestly, my compositions have mainly come about when I imagined something, especially an animal such as in my Sea Creature pieces (pub. by Alfred), and created character pieces based on that. The exceptions are my lullabies for my grandchildren which poured from my heart.
As did the "Pteranodon".
In the 1980s I had composed three of my dinosaur pieces: "Tyrannosaurus Rex"; "Stegosaurus"; and "Brontosaurus". These were character pieces and as I imagined the particular dinosaur it was fun and easy to compose the piece according to his personality, physical build, and characteristics. Knowing I wanted to add a lyrical piece to this collection to "round it out", needing it to balance the big pieces with something entirely different, and being stumped, I put the dinosaur pieces aside and forgot about them for a while.
One miserable, cold, rainy afternoon I was alone at home and in a very inconsolable place worrying about a family member. I attempted to find consolation with prayer and by playing Chopin or Beethoven but as I played my tears kept splashing on the piano keys. I was totally inconsolable.
My hands then began playing around in e minor and the A section, the main part of what later became ‘Pteranodon’, literally poured out of my soul onto the piano—in about 10 minutes the main part of it was complete. As I found its healing properties I just played it over and over, and was amazed that in the bass notes (well, they were in treble clef, but the lowest notes) were mimicking falling tears and low notes kept ‘falling’ down the piano in chromatic fashion.
And as I kept playing my new piece I realized that I was being consoled as it healed my mood and lifted me.
That week as I played it for my piano students they wanted to learn it and they tried to help me come up with a title—their ideas were good; ‘Dreams’, or ‘Twilight’ were some. Still not naming it I scored it so they could learn it—it fast became one of their favorites. At this time I hadn’t added a B section—couldn’t compose one to suit me.
The following summer as I pulled the Dinosaur Collection back out and contemplated which 4th dinosaur I could write about that would sound lyrical—(know that was a s-t-r-e-t-c-h) I thought about the flying reptile, not really a dinosaur, but the "Pteradactyl". But as I said that aloud, it didn’t sound musical or lyrical—then I hit on one of the species of this animal that DID sound lyrical! "Pteranodon"!! The name flowed. I had found (excuse this) the missing link! Now the B section was born in just a few minutes as I imagined the Pteranodon flying around. Dinosaur Collection was complete!
After 9/11/01, years later, I knew that as a musician my task to do something for my country that was in agony, was to write a ballad as to what happened—on the 3rd night after the attack I stayed up all night writing the lyrics—the following days I tried composing a melody to go with it that fit the mood. "Pteranodon" came into my mind.
"Pteranodon" melody fit this ballad like a glove! Like it was meant to be—15 years later! So the song now completed is my "American Eagle" composed in 2001.
My students over the years told me how much they loved my "Pteranodon" and parents would tell me that was the piece played the most at home. But the following story really brought home to me how this piece has not only taught students how to play expressively and lyrically, but helped them express the angst and work through it teens often feel.
Fast forward to 2012 when I was playing the piano for a party and decided to play "Pteranodon". When I did a young lady in her early 20s who I didn’t know rushed over to the piano (followed by her Dad) and she said, "How do you know that piece?" Before I could answer her Dad laughingly said, "That piece cost me over $300 in piano lessons her senior year in high school because it was all she would play." The girl looked at me with tears in her eyes and said, "That piece got me THROUGH my senior year in high school".
Needless to say, this is my favorite piece of the 27 I have composed. It just is.
~ Lynne