Every January, I sense the familiar siren song of reinvent yourself ! New year, new me: new systems, new promises, and a new list of challenging piano pieces I want to master. Now that I'm well into middle age, I'm finally learning that the grand declarations and the twelve-month master plans don't lead to my best work. I think I need to focus on smaller, well-chosen containers. So instead of plotting all of 2026, I’ve decided to focus only on the first six months. The Guiding Question My guiding question over the past few months, and for this year, is simple: What kind of musician am I becoming? The answer is not “a virtuoso” or “a concert pianist.” It's not even "a performer." No, I am first a songwriter, an arranger, and maybe even a composer--someone whose greatest joy is creating, shaping, and finally sharing music. I want to play engaging, expressive, rhythmic piano music for myself and others. I'd like to be someone who can sit down at a piano in an...
learning piano, piece by piece