Hobbies

When I was young, I couldn’t draw so I didn’t consider myself “artistic.” Now that I’m over 60, I know there are many ways one can express oneself creatively. Yet overcoming the idea that I was a no-talent presented a high hurdle – especially since…

It is not unusual for folks of retirement age to complete a bucket list visit to one’s ancestral home. My husband initiated this practice even before he knew me. In those days before the internet, on a trip to Scotland, he relied on the common phonebook…

We read a book, the news or our partner’s mind. What if we started reading our home’s story, the message between the lines and pages of its history, between the nooks and crannies of walls, furniture and other „stuff“ that surrounds us every day…

As I started making my Lesson 26 video, I realized that it has been a year since my first Sixty and Me post on January 4, 2023! Happy Piano-versary to us! We have stuck with it, you and I, even though it has sometimes felt very difficult…

Did you make any resolutions for the new year? It’s a natural time to initiate new activities or revitalize old ones. Unfortunately, resolutions can be slippery, but I’ve discovered a few simple tools that make them stick…

Many, perhaps most of us, are moved to sing. I know this from my numerous years of giving concerts. Often, I hear from audience members that they had “always wanted to sing.” “I don’t have a good voice, but I really…

As you move beyond the “beginner” stage, one of the ways to make your piano playing more expressive and “musical” is by adding more dynamics. Dynamics have to do with how loudly or softly you play your music. If you listen to these performances…

I’m often asked for tips on how to practice most effectively. Cognitive Science has much to offer people of all ages about the best ways to practice for optimal memory retention. But where older adults differ from children is in the time of day…

Do you feel like you’re sabotaged by the clock every time you try to start a new practice or invigorate an old one? As a lifelong guitar instructor, I’ve seen a lot of people struggle to make time for what they want to do. In fact, time management is the largest hurdle most of my […]

It’s Lesson 23 and this week we are skipping ahead to p.71 in your Upper Hands Piano, Book 1 to learn a new note and Swing rhythm, and we’re also learning some holiday songs, because there is no better way to celebrate than with music!