Family affair
Pummills spend break touring East Coast performing ClaviVoce
By Bill Morrison
Staff Reporter

After the children have graduated college and begun to move away from home, many families struggle to find the time to get together, let alone put on a concert.

This is not the case for the Pummill family, who got together during Spring Break to tour.

Janet Pummill, a resident staff accompanist and coordinator of accompanying, and her three TCU alumnae daughters, Sallie, Amy and Julie, spent the break touring the East Coast performing ClaviVoce.

ClaviVoce features all four family members singing and playing the piano. The idea began back in 1999, Janet Pummill said, when they played a four piano concerto with TCU’s Symphony Orchestra.

“That’s kind of what started it all because we had so much fun doing that,” Janet Pummill said. “We felt a real magic together.”

Julie Pummill said it was their father, Doug Pummill, who came up with the idea for them to tour. She said he went out and got someone to invest in four digital grand pianos for them to use while touring. Julie Pummill said they first began touring in September 2001.

“It was actually our dad; he had this dream and said we’re going to get four pianos,” Julie Pummill said.

Janet Pummill said since they are family, their voices blend well together.

“It’s so much more rewarding to play with someone else and especially your own family,” Janet Pummill said. “Singing together, the fact that we are all one family, our voices naturally blend very well.”

The concert begins and ends with all four playing piano, with different combinations of vocal and piano in between, Janet Pummill said.

“We do every combination with four singers and four pianists you can imagine,” Janet Pummill said.

With two of her daughters in New York and her teaching commitments at TCU, Janet Pummill said it’s a real challenge to find time for their performances. She said she tries to plan the concerts around school breaks.

“It’s a real challenge because I (work) full time here at TCU, so I have to arrange my schedule, so I’m here when I’m needed,” Janet Pummill said.

The fact that they don’t have much time to practice together isn’t a problem, Julie Pummill said. She said they each spend a lot of time on their own practicing. In addition to practicing individually, Julie Pummill said they get together a few days before a tour and practice as a group.

Performing and touring across the country is invaluable for teaching, Janet Pummill said.

She said gaining actual experience helps in teaching her practical skills class. Touring allows her to show students how they can make money as musicians, Janet Pummill said.

“Touring is absolutely an advantage for teaching,” Janet Pummill said. “You can’t really learn it from a book, you’ve got to get out on the stage night after night.”

w.c.morrison@tcu.edu