Vintage Post: A Romantic Accusation
“You’re a romantic!” said my teacher in a surprised voice, as though this explained everything he found perplexing about me. I had never been accused of being anything but a…
Galumphing With Mr. Hanon
Inspired by Steven Nachmanovich’s book, Freeplay, my friend and mentor, Dr. Lisa Zdechlik talks a lot about galumphing as we learn. (you know- the playing part of playing piano) We…
Duty or Joy?
A gonga post by John Terrauds of Musical Toronto made me sit up and take notice last week. In it, he wrote about his experiences taking on a group of…
Happy Little Trees
Last Wednesday evening, while my class piano students were working on their improvs for the midterm, I suddenly found myself saying, “You don’t need to apologize! Maybe in your world…
Finale 2012: Lessons in Peaceful Coexistance
1. While there is certainly a need to vent multiple frustrations when working with Finale, there is no need to use foul language. I have begun taking a page…
Thoughts On An Upcoming Competition
Some thoughts for my student as she prepares for a Welcome to the next step of your personal musical journey. You will meet some colleagues who are musically much more…
One Year Later: What’s Your Policy?
Saturday January 8, 2011 was a sad day in Tucson and for the country. The massacre took place at the Safeway where my family shopped for many years. One of…
Chestnuts: Becoming A Rubato Geek
OK, I admit it, I was streaming Christmas music again during my commute this week. Alright, alright—a few other times Lots of mid-century renditions of classic holiday songs were in…