So I finished up my residency last Friday.  The past two weeks were long, hard, wet, cold, and very productive!  I wrote 30 new fiddle tunes and put together 15 medleys for the new recording.  The recording will likely be about 12 tracks long, but I always like having a few extras when I go […]

Did you know that there are several stages to learning something new? This can be with driving a car, starting a new job, or learning an instrument. The process of learning is a constant work in progress and that progress has quite a few steps before you get to where you want to be, feeling […]

I just got off the road with Symphony NB and thought you might be curious about how I practice leading up to our concerts. Symphony NB is a part-time orchestra, so we all have other work that we do in between concerts.  Usually, we get our music a few weeks before our first rehearsal.  Our […]

I use my timer for everything…  I use it to steep my tea, I use it when I am reading, I use it when I am practicing the violin, I use it when I nap…  It really is my constant companion! So, why do I use my timer so much?  I use it because it […]

I think that all of us feel stuck at times.  You’ve been working on a piece, and it just doesn’t seem to be getting better even though you have been putting in the time and working on it.  It is so frustrating!   So, what next?  Well, here is what I do and you can try […]

So often people wonder why they are not progressing. I have been thinking about what it is that leads to success, and here are three key items: Patience – I can’t tell you how many times I have had students come to me and say “I am still struggling with ____” after only a week […]

I can’t tell you how many of my students through the years have come to me to ask if their progress is “normal”.  “How far along should I be by now?”  “Should my child already be finished this book?”  Many of my students have also said to me “I should be able to play faster […]

What an interesting time this has been as a self-employed musician!  This COVID-19 pandemic has given me time and space to explore other possibilities, work with a new mentor, and meet up with a new group of musicians!  Sometimes as a self-employed musician, it can feel a bit lonely.  As supportive as friends and family […]