PA Shorts: Finding Waldo
“You need to find Waldo,” I said. It was true. Maggie was working on polishing the Bartok Sonatina and it needed character, action, detail, and nuance to truly come to…
Great Finds: Rhythm Cups, On Staff, & Jelly Note
Rhythm Cup Explorations: Wendy Stevens There’s a cup craze going around and Wendy Stevens is, as usual, using a craze to her advantage—this time to reinforce rhythms. Expect a great…
Those Awkward Disappointments
Zack Rosenblatt / Arizona Daily Star Last Saturday night, after our Wildcats lost to San Diego by a single point in overtime, there was a scuffle between students and police.…
Remix: Earthquakes, Bright and Shiny Objects, One Speed Ponies, & Time Travel
Pieces have been chosen. Dates have been set. Arrangements have been made. Yep, we are working toward spring masterclasses, recitals, and end of the year piano exams all right. In…
Letting Distraction Go
There are times when all of us are easily distracted by bright and shiny objects—diamonds, texts, emails, the slip of a finger, the person sitting in the front row, your…
Artist Portrait: Ola Gjeilo
Say hello to composer and pianist Ola Gjeilo. Ola's concert works are performed all over the world and he recently finished a residency with the Phoenix Chorale. Both of his…
Taking My Own Medicine
Last Wednesday evening I played a recital with Soprano Cynthia Sanner. It was a privilege to play the repertoire she had chosen—some works were new to me and others I…
PA Shorts: On Forging A Personal Musical Connection
I'm always encouraging students to find something personal in their music—something from their own lives and experience. Often, they look at me like I have lobsters crawling out of my…