Hobbies

So you want to be a writer? Well, after having written for over 20 years, I can say it is the best job in the world. There is nothing more thrilling than not only seeing your words in print, but hearing from people who have read them. It is one of the most humbling…

Browsing a bookshop not long ago, a bookseller raved about a newly released novel. She could not say enough good things about the book. So, I bought it. Well, despite her high praise and the hundreds of stellar reviews online, it was not the book for me…

As we near the end of our Sixty and Me lessons, I want you to think about maintaining a repertoire of songs and pieces to have ready to play for friends and family. (You can pronounce it as “RE-PER-TOIRE” or RE-PE-TWA”.) Trust me, people love to hear their loved ones play music….

As a long-time performer and vocal coach, I have heard these words spoken many times, especially after one of my concerts or talks. These days, during concerts, which have taken on a more conversational tone, I often mention the great pleasures that singing…

Do you doodle while you’re waiting on the phone or making lists? That’s good news because scribbling, coloring with crayons, or drawing random designs, it turns out, can boost your overall health and keep you sharper mentally. What might have seemed a luxury…

There is something about finding ourselves in our 60s that makes our heads turn to the past, in general, and more specifically – to our ancestry. Perhaps as we age, our perception of time changes…

I married a bona fide farm boy/nature lover. When I met Dave, he was a grad student in the biology department, and he was teaching Botany. He has always planted things. I love that he has planted trees anywhere we have lived and especially that he is…

I take French lessons remotely with a French teacher. Sometimes when I am practicing my French, I start to hear voices in my mind saying, “I’m never going to get this, why am I even trying?” Perhaps you have had a similar experience while learning your music…

When you have a song or piece that requires some jumping around, for example moving from the D chord to the A chord, or the B chord to E chord in Careless Love on p.91, you can practice by closing your eyes before jumping to the 2nd chord…

Scales. You’re supposed to play them, right? Maybe you feel guilty because you don’t practice them enough – or at all. Or maybe you practice them excessively as an unconscious way to avoid tougher creative challenges. But what’s an appropriate…