Category Archives: Uncategorized

Write the blues instead

Posted on May 12, 2013 by

“I merely took the energy it takes to pout and wrote some blues.” ~Duke Ellington Thank you, Kathleen, for playing the blues. You sound awesome. And thank you for pointing me to San Francisco Bay Blues by Eva Cassidy. Love … Continue reading →

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They’re all sappy love songs

Posted on May 11, 2013 by

“What came first – the music or the misery? Did I listen to music because I was miserable? Or was I miserable because I listened to music? Do all those records turn you into a melancholy person?” In the wake … Continue reading →

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10,000 Hours or 22,000 Days?

Posted on May 9, 2013 by

Reblogged from Before the Downbeat: This week, I have been observing our students in a myriad of performance situations:  playing recitals; performing year-end performance juries; taking final exams.  The practice rooms and libraries are filled.  The stress level is high.  … Continue reading →

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Finally, colors dominate your sounds

Posted on May 5, 2013 by

“At a young age, when you are playing something in the early stages of your life, you are striving to be up toward the unattainable perfection, mainly based on the musical laws and regulations. Later on, you start being interested … Continue reading →

Posted in Inspirational, Performance, Quotes, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 1 Comment

The Piano

Posted on May 2, 2013 by

A touching short video. Better viewed in the freshness of a new day than at the end of a long, emotional day … You have to love it when an attempt is made to co-ordinate the fingers on the keys … Continue reading →

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30 seconds of terror

Posted on May 1, 2013 by

Time to Sight-Read on the exam. And get an easy 10 marks. Or not. You get about 30 seconds to look over the piece before starting. And once you start, you Just Don’t Stop. Forget about showing the examiner (or … Continue reading →

Posted in Piano pedagogy, Sight Reading, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Art is dangerous.

Posted on April 6, 2013 by

“Art is dangerous. It is one of the attractions: when it ceases to be dangerous you don’t want it.” ~Duke Ellington ______________________________________________________________ Image: Santango. This Tumblr blog includes an impressive playlist of tangos. Perfect Saturday music! Related post: Duke Ellington … Continue reading →

Posted in General, Inspirational, Quotes, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Protect Your Piano

Posted on April 3, 2013 by

Yesterday was glorious. A warm spring day. I sat on the front porch with a good book, soaking up the warmth and light. Today it’s snowing. Again. Calgary, Alberta (Canada) is particularly bad for temperature and humidity swings. It can … Continue reading →

Posted in Pianos, Studio News, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

Nervousness only increases …

Posted on March 26, 2013 by

We search for performance opportunities for our students. The more they play in public, the easier it is to calm those nerves, right? I do believe this. I see a remarkable difference with every group class, every festival entry (competitive … Continue reading →

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Sunday Morning: Amazing Grace

Posted on March 24, 2013 by

Reblogged from Lead.Learn.Live.: It’s an Amazing Grace feeling-kind-of-morning.  Here’s Rodney Britt and friends with 53-second clip, which I wished kept going and going. And from a simple, spiritual, soulful version – - we move to the soul stirring pipes.  Amazing … Continue reading →

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Lazy Saturdays

Posted on March 23, 2013 by

Quadro Nuevo – the European answer to the Argentine Tango – is a German acoustic quartet (bass, accordian, guitar, clarinet) that could be classified as world music or jazz, although real jazz aficianados might quibble about that one. It’s the … Continue reading →

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A light will flood the soul

Posted on March 12, 2013 by

“Even if our efforts of attention seem for years to be producing no result, one day a light that is in exact proportion to them will flood the soul.” ~Simone Weil _______________________________________________________________ Image via Tom Bradshaw 2013    

Posted in Inspirational, Quotes, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment