Quick note: I am hard at work on a new scales course for pianists who already know or once knew their scales and want to level up. The waitlist is now open, and more than 350 pianists have already signed up. If you would like to be among the first to hear when it is ready, you can join the waitlist here. Clicking that link will automatically add you to the list and take you to a page where you can fill out short survey that will help me tailor the course to you and make it the best experience possible.

Dear Friends,

Greetings from snowy, cold Indianapolis! We have about eight inches of snow so far, and it's still coming down. Classes tomorrow have been canceled - I imagine the students must be very happy!

Last Saturday I was invited to a friend’s house to read some piano quartets: music for violin, viola, cello, and piano. Among other pieces, my friend told me she wanted to read Schumann’s Piano Quartet, which I last played about ten years ago.

My plan was to prepare for the reading session by looking at the music ahead of time. But I got busy with the first week of the semester, and I simply didn't get around to it.

On Friday night, I finally sat down at the piano and practiced the Schumann for about a half hour, bitterly regretting that I hadn’t taken the time to look at it sooner. I knew I would be reading it with professional colleagues, and I wanted to make a good impression.

The next morning I woke up with a sense of dread about going to my friend’s house. I wasn’t sure who would be there, and I wondered if I would make a fool of myself.

When I arrived, though, my friend had prepared a beautiful spread of pastries, jam, tea, and coffee. Her neighbor had come over to listen. The other musicians were there, too, and everyone was so friendly! We mingled and ate, laughed, and told stories. I enjoyed being there, but in the back of my mind I was still thinking, “If only I had spent more time on the Schumann! What am I going to do when we start playing?"

We broke the ice with a Mozart quartet I had performed recently. Then it was time for the Schumann.

By that point, the atmosphere had changed how I felt; playing Mozart together had already created a sense of rapport and mutual enjoyment. When we began the Schumann, I felt more relaxed. As we played, I was reminded of what an extraordinary piece it is. I felt grateful for the ability to read and play this music at all, and for the physical pleasure of having my hands on the piano keys, responding to the sound of the string players.

After the Schumann, my friend suggested we play Brahms' G Minor Piano Quartet, which is even harder than the Schumann! By then I was game for anything. We read that whole piece, and although my playing was anything but perfect, it didn't really matter. We were just reading for pleasure!

Later, as I thought about that reading session, I realized I had fallen into a classic combination of perfectionism and impostor syndrome: worrying that I hadn’t prepared enough, questioning whether I belonged in the room, and imagining that everyone else was more ready than I was.

None of that mattered.

The enjoyment came from the people, the conversation, the shared music-making, and the chance to sit in a living room and read chamber music together. The quality of the experience did not depend on everything being perfectly prepared!

Musicians have been gathering in living rooms to play chamber music for centuries. It is one of the most enjoyable ways to make music.

Somewhere in there is a lesson to be had, and I think it goes something like this: it's easy to focus on what we have not done, how much more prepared we could have been, or how we think we might appear to others.

But music is meant to be played and enjoyed.

If an opportunity arises to make music with other people, it's worth saying yes, even if you don't feel completely ready. The company, the conversation, and the act of playing together are what matter most.

👋 Happy practicing,

Kate

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