Music is a magic that can change the world
One of the toughest parts of creating anything is figuring out how to start. The biggest issue for me is that there is just so much I want to write about, say, or do in a project that I get overwhelmed and many times end up pushing it off. There’s our answer: limit the scope of …
This is a less formal post. I've been struggling to find ways to help people as much as possible with the world as it is now; it's made me feel incredibly helpless. Talking with some friends made me realize that it's impossible and maybe even not healthy to stay all super positive, ignoring what's really …
Continue reading "Persevere: Media and Resources to Cope with COVID-19"
I didn't want to get too sappy for this one, but this year has been a big one for me! I started the year working three jobs while being a part-time student, started grad school in the second half of the year, and learned how to better plan and craft blog posts that hopefully help …
Continue reading "Countdown to 2020: The Top 5 Posts of 2019"
Light the Dark: Writers on Creativity, Inspiration, and the Artistic Process is a collection of super-short, inspiring essays from acclaimed authors that comes originally from Joe Fassler's online series "By Heart" featured in The Atlantic. In this series of interviews, he asked authors which pieces of writing changed their lives as well as how these …
Continue reading "Book Recommendation: Light the Dark by Joe Fassler"
I've been procrastinating this review for most of the year because this book, Presence, influenced me so deeply that I wanted to do it justice. While I may not be able to do just that, at least I can share this resource with people who would benefit from it: musicians, creatives, and people living in …
170 years after his death, Chopin still captivates audiences with his music. His set of preludes that cover all 24 major and minor keys are a great starting place to learn how to analyze his work, as it can be dense. This post looks at the qualities that make us feel the melancholy of the …
What I love the most about teaching new adult pianists is that they have a reason why they're learning the piano. They're not doing it because their parents are making them. The desire is completely internal, and more than that, it's based in deep feelings that are strong enough to internally motivate them through the tough parts of taking up something new.
This book has been on my reading list for a while (and I think it got there from its mention in an Adam Neely video), but it was my class on Musical Expectation that pushed me to finally read it, and I'm so glad I did. Leonard B. Meyer writes from his perspectives as a …
Continue reading "Book Review: Emotion and Meaning in Music by Leonard B. Meyer"
Claude Debussy's music creates magic wherever it goes. It frequently draws new students to the piano with the desire of playing his most famous pieces like Clair de lune and Arabesque No. 1. This post looks at how Debussy composed this music and what that has to do with being a performer of his music as …
Continue reading "Creating Magic: Debussy’s Arabesque No. 1"
As musicians, we spend a lot of time by ourselves in the practice room trying to acquire skills on our own, albeit with a little guidance from our teachers. It's pretty easy to practice when we first start out on an instrument. As the honeymoon phase comes to an end, however, we frequently find ourselves …
Continue reading "5 Ways to Find Joy While Practicing an Instrument"
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