Piano Fail
I was thumbing through a magazine while waiting for an appointment and came across some wisdom on reversing painful assumptions from Martha Beck. She had asked her client, who was…
Looking in the Mirror
Last week, I was given the gift of seeing myself and my teaching from without on two different occasions. Firstly, Matthew Odell was at the college to do a workshop…
Becoming A Pianist: A Worthwhile Journey, Gloria Fast
Do you remember the instant you knew you were a pianist? Perhaps for you it was a gradual realization? The father of a former student of mine sent me this…
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.…
Jack of all Trades
When you teach in an outlying area, you have to keep quite a few irons in the fire. This semester I have renewed my relationship with the harpsichord. Ours is…
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…
Vintage PA: What’s On The Inside
“Wow !” I said, “You are like a different pianist!” And she was. Before, there had been surges and awkward accents in the opening to her Intermezzo, impossible to remove…