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…
Review: Sound Sketches, Supersonics, Soundwaves, & Soundscapes
Sound Sketches Books 1 & 3: Graham Lynch Graham writes the following about his Sound Sketches: The inspirations behind the series were in part the ordres of Couperin ...and the…
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…
PA Shorts: Wild Things
Last week, I received a new insight on romanticism in a most unlikely place. I was on my way home from Eastern Arizona and a podcast from To The Best…
PA Shorts: Sound Images
It’s that time of year again—time for the college fall recital. We always try to do something unique and different (put on a show) so that the audience is glad…
Bike Shifters and Octaves
My Townie came with a Shimano twist gearshift integrated into the right handgrip. This configuration caused my right hand to be supinated at an awkward angle (who thought that was…
PA Shorts: 42 Redux aka 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…