From the 1980s through the present, the 1976 Saratoga High School graduate has released six albums of her sometimes invigorating, sometimes relaxing but always interesting piano compositions; each album's proceeds benefited one or more local charities. Some CDs were also complemented by instrumental orchestration. Although early albums were originally only available on cassette, 2002 marks the fruition of Small's goal to rerelease them all on CD.

"My intent was never to make a lot of money out of this. I wanted to take enough time to care for my children while also making ends meet," says Small, who prefers to go by her maiden name. "What makes me happy is the ability to touch people of all ages with my music."

Her newest album, Positive Persistence, is a "soundtrack" to accompany her poetry compilation, Definitive Natures, due out soon from Vantage Press. However, the CD's 11 tracks are perfectly enjoyable on their own as well. While best known for her piano prowess, that's not the only instrument she plays.

"I can play at least one musical scale on most string, woodwind, brass or percussion instruments, but brass is my weakest," she says with a humble smile. A student of classical piano since age 5, Small has also studied guitar, harp, violin and clarinet, not to mention orchestral conducting.

What she loves about playing and composing music is simple, yet profound. "It's my freedom. It's my expression of what's going on inside me or the impact of what I'm going through or the people I'm around," she explains. "I'm best if you leave me to just sit down and play something. Sometimes I don't even know what I'm feeling inside—it just comes out."

"I learned to read music before I could read books," she adds. "I think anyone can learn to play an instrument well, but I think the natural ability to compose, and to have perfect pitch, is genetic."

Since her father sings, her mother plays and teaches music and her grandmother was a concert pianist, Small might have a point, especially considering that all her children—Nathan, Megan, Caitlin, Lauren and Gwendolyn Belomy—excel at various musical instruments. The youngest two can be heard playing in the Saratoga High School Band.

"I could tell from three rooms away if a key they played was wrong. I'd yell, 'That should be an F-sharp, not an A-flat!' " she says. Her "five Belomys" were also the inspiration for her publishing company's name, Five Little Bells.

Interestingly enough, Small says, she holds a bachelor's degree in clinical psychology and Spanish literature and a master's in bilingual education. This was on advice from her parents not to actually major in music, although she did make music her post-graduate minor.

Thanks to her academic background, Small could always augment her musician's "salary" through teaching, mainly within the Saratoga Union School District, where she has taught music and physical education and given music therapy to special-needs children. For several years, she even ran her own private music school in Los Gatos, called Music Students Ahead.

The beneficiaries of Positive Persistence's proceeds are the Saratoga High School Performing Arts & Lecture Center and the fund to help the Saratoga High School band travel to Austria for a summer 2003 performance. Over the years, Small has donated money, musical instruments and time—in the form of fundraiser performances—to many Bay Area nonprofits, including the Saratoga Union School District, the Saratoga Educational Foundation, the San Jose Symphony Auxiliary, the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, the American Cancer Society and the American Heart Association.

And she has no plans to stop anytime soon.

Jennifer Small's CDs are available from www.cdbaby.com/jennifersmall or from Amazon.com. She can be contacted at P.O. Box 2567, Saratoga, 95070 or at jsmusicgirl@aol.com.