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No Shortcuts
My husband Matt and I recently hiked to Quandary Peak in Colorado. The sign at the trailhead warned us that this would be difficult, there were unknowns, to be prepared and we should stay on the path. As we hiked up the 6.2 miles to the top, I began to think about how much this sign applied to many aspects of life. I probably would have no students if I put a sign like this up in my studio. Shortcuts? Be warned – There is no easy way to learn an instrument. Be determined – Keep practicing – there are no shortcuts. Be aware – of how you spend your time. Lots of good…
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The Everlasting Song
My mom and I have a new collection of arrangements for violin and piano that was just released this summer, The Everlasting Song. I’m not sure I can describe it any better than what we wrote in the foreword for the book. We are thrilled to share another collection of violin solos with you. We have been collaborating on musical adventures together for the last thirty years as a mother-daughter team. Beginning with those early days of playing all the Twinkle Variations and then creating arrangements of “Jesus Loves Me” and other children’s songs, we have played together in church , at nursing homes, for family concerts, for recitals, and for…
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Music & an Ipad
Here are some ideas to play and perform music with an iPad. I received an iPad as a birthday gift many years ago. One of the first things I did was start researching how I could integrate it into my music life. So now 8 years later it’s almost as necessary as a music stand. Music & an iPad + Worship Services Our worship leader uploads the specific scores into Planning Center Online that we will be using. The Music Stand App is a feature that churches can subscribe to for a small fee. The app is free to download and then allows you to see the order of worship and choose…
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Learning to Learn
learn - gain or acquire knowledge of or skill in (something) by study, experience, or being taught. As the years pass it is easy for teachers to forget what it is like to learn something new for the first time. Since many of us began playing when we were young we can’t remember what it was like not to know that there are groups of two and three black notes on the piano. Or that the bow fits around the spinner when packing up. This summer I decided to practice learning. One skill I had absolutely no knowledge or experience, learning to play guitar. The other skill, swimming, I had…
