Hobbies

I lost 55-pounds in my early 40s and figured out how to maintain the loss for 18 years now. I call it a “forever-loss.” That said, one of my most favorite hacks is to make a deal with myself earlier in the morning that I’ll eat a tiny dinner at 6 p.m…

Welcome to lesson 35! Today I discuss simplifying your left-hand chords, and playing with increased expression, in the Barcarole on p.88 of our Upper Hands Piano, BOOK 1. I love the Barcarole on p.88, which is called Belle nuit, ô nuit d’amour…

Whether you’re just beginning to play or you’re ready to take your guitar playing to the next level, you’ll find plenty of options for learning. While it’s great to have a lot of choices, it can also be overwhelming. But with a little introspection, information…

Welcome to Lesson 34! Today I discuss the French chef’s term Mise en Place, and how, like a chef’s kitchen, musicians order their practice space to make it organized, efficient, and appealing. As you will see in my video, I am thrilled to be back in my original teaching space…

According to a study by the National Institute of Health (NIH), listening to audiobooks showed significant improvements in the mental health of older adults. The study showed benefits on mental health dimensions of aggression, depression…

One of the biggest obstacles to effective practice is distractions. Sometimes it seems like the minute we sit down to play, our family members suddenly need our attention, desperately. Or we realize that we forgot to send an important…

What a variety of books occupied me this winter in Chicago. Fortunately, I found lots of fun, quick reads. They make the darker, deeper stories possible to complete. In early March, I visited the Tucson Festival of Books. It’s informative to hear the popular…

Welcome to Lesson 32! Today we are going to work on improving our note reading skills and will learn to use chord symbols in order to play from Fake Books! Let’s do it! In your Chord Calisthenics you have been seeing chord symbols above the staff…

We’re going to look at some astonishing scientific evidence showing that complex activities such as taking music lessons “resulted in a 50% reduced risk of developing dementia” and that taking piano lessons, specifically, reduces our risk…

As a guitar player, you need to be proficient in playing both single notes and chords. Most people struggle with aspects of these skills at some time, but with the right approach, you can navigate them both with ease. Start by looking at what mastering…