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August 2016

Remember and celebrate

The repetition of experience re-minds us that “I”, more often than not, forget. We won’t remember unless we participate in some regular repetitive form of remembering, what is often referred to as a discipline, a practice, or a ritual. Daniel Budd

-from The Daily Stillness. (2 min read) I know this is the second post inspired by that website, and that’s ok. These few lines, combined with reading Kate Bowles post and all the comments, and getting ready for a run all made me think. Her post is completely beautifully written and the comments reflect on
reflecting (verging on metacognition, I love that) – about being left-handed. I am left handed so it is curious when people who aren’t take the time to consider it. This is not about left-handedness, but about taking the time to consider.Read More »Remember and celebrate

Learning in Public: Part 3

This is a critical post about performing. I take you inside my mind to illustrate the good and the challenges of performance. Going from the practice room to the public platform is something that all musicians do. In school, at university, or with a teacher this is something that is trained into you and facilitated. There is performance class, there are opportunities to ‘air’ the music first, but what happens when you leave that environment and are on your own? Do you keep it going? Do you still push yourself? Few graduating musicians are likely to play the same concerti they prepared for their final recitals as recital material and certainly not as regular ‘gig’ material. And what of the learning opportunities? When you leave your teacher’s studio, there are no more regular performance classes, and depending on what you do there may not be any peers to play for….unless you create the opportunities. This is the story of the opportunity I created, my thought processes, and the results. I’m learning in public. (Featured image CC-BY-NC by C Steele)Read More »Learning in Public: Part 3

When concert meets app

It is great to come together at a concert or other event with other people and spark. Oh I know ‘spark’ is not the most academic word, but it’s the right one – talk, think, laugh, experience new people, experience something that transcends people, and connect it in a way that is electrifying. SPARK! (4 min read)

I had the privilege of being invited to a concert by the Castalian String Quartet that was part of the European String Teachers Association summer school. One of my former students (a graduate who is now a teacher herself) was in attendance at the summer school and I know some of the people involved in ESTA and was fortunate enough to be invited to the concert. It was fantastic. The atmosphere reminded me of being back at Meadowmount and just breathing in that atmosphere was invigorating. Read More »When concert meets app