PA Shorts: How Charlie Brown Helped My Career
When I was in middle school I was asked to play a solo in the winter program. It was a big honor. My teacher and I worked hard on my…
PA Shorts: Substitute… Musical Education
My husband sent me a link to an article by Ta-Nehisi Coates entitled, Learning a Foreign Language is Like Learning a Sport: The long road to not sucking at French.…
PA Shorts: Say Whaaat???
The judge's comment sheet read: "I'm sorry but the left pedal is not used for color. Good try anyway." I read it again. It still said the same thing. What…
PA Shorts: Just For Fun
Now that fall semester is really underway, we have reached that certain point (school started mid-August here) when I need a dose of silliness. So here is a dose of…
Vintage PA: The Uncertainty Principle
Remember my story wherein Teacher 42 became so uncomfortable with musical choices that she finally said, "You mean there's no right way?" I concluded that I had given that teacher…
PA Shorts: Ignition – Blast Off!
Since I have been convalescing and forbidden to do anything particularly physical, I have had a lot of time to read. Two tidbits struck my fancy this week. The first…
PA Shorts: Working the System
We musicians are creative people. We are used to pushing boundaries and thinking for ourselves. We generally object to rules and regulations on principle. So, I decided to share some…
PA Shorts: A Quarter Note Walks Into A Bar
Time for some musical humor to clear the air after all the end of year hoopla. Enjoy! Musical Terms A# and Bb (check out all the comments here too:) A quarter…