Vintage PA: A Personal Lesson in Promise
The following is a portion of a speech I gave several years ago at the local kick off for the National Veterans Creative Arts Competition. I was asked to speak, to those…
PA Shorts: Give Yourself Permission
Ruth Reichl had a mouthful to say on the difference between an amateur and a professional on a recent episode of The Splendid Table. The difference between you and me…
Vintage PA: Touch & Go
Megan sighed, “I’ve never been able to play louder with one hand and softer with the other. I just can’t do it.” We had been working on balance of layers…
Vintage PA: SuiteQuotes
Beethoven I take twice a week, Haydn four times, and Mozart everyday. Gioachino Rossini You can't possibly hear the last movement of Beethoven's Seventh and go slow. Oscar Levant (talking his way…
Vintage PA: Parents, Parents, Parents, Parents
The issue of parents and teachers working together is central to effectively working with our students. Any breakdown in communication or mutual goal setting in the chain of student -…
Vintage PA: Great Expectations
Last weekend I ended up in the ER and subsequently the hospital with serious anemia. With plenty of time to do nothing, I tried to brainstorm ideas for blog posts…
Vintage PA: Learning In Style
While updating Piano Addict one morning in July of 2010, I ran across an article on why intelligent people fail. Many of the characteristics for failure rang a bell for me. That…
Vintage PA: Middle Parts & Orphans
“I’ve played piano for over 30 years and nobody has ever told me to start in the middle of a measure,” said one of my adult students one week. She…