Dear Friends,

Commencement has come and gone, and summer is well underway. Since I am a university professor and pianist, the seasons of the academic year still define my life. Contrary to popular belief, we professors don't take the "summer off" to laze about in the grass and eat bonbons! 🍬 Instead, summer is a time to catch up on practicing, plan ahead on larger projects, and embrace a slower pace of life, accomplishing just one day's work each day, unlike the jam-packed days of the academic year.

The other week we took a vacation to central PA and Washington, DC. One highlight was the opportunity to see two friends: pianists I first met decades ago as an undergraduate student. It was incredible to pick up right where we left off and share experiences as professional pianists and educators. I always learn so much through conversations with other musicians!

Since returning, I've noticed a significant improvement in my practicing! I think this is for three reasons: breaking from my routine for a few days; interacting with new people (old friends, my family, and strangers); and immersing myself in new environments and activities - including, for example, a morning walk on the battlefield at Gettysburg and visits to museums in DC. Driving through the mountains of Pennsylvania and West Virginia after leaving the flat landscape of central Indiana was positively thrilling! 🗻

How about you? What benefits have you derived from breaking your routine and taking a break from practicing? Share your thoughts by replying to this email—I look forward to hearing from you!

Have a great week - and Happy Practicing! 🎹

-Kate

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Quote of the Week:

"Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly."

- Langston Hughes

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Today’s Practice Tip - Breathe!

This week’s practice tip is to work on your BREATHING!

Years ago, I heard the great pianist Nelita True say in a masterclass that if we don't breathe, we die (of course!), and that the same is true of music! A musical phrase will die if you stop breathing! Breathing is one of the most important things you can do when you practice!

When you sit at a keyboard (whether it's a computer keyboard or a piano), we humans have the tendency to hold our breath. Studies have actually been done to show that 4 out of 5 people hold their breath when they work at a computer. This phenomenon has been dubbed "email apnea."

Neuroscientists have found that when we concentrate intensely on something, the brain can turn off involuntary activities like breathing to direct more energy toward the cognitive task we are working on.

The result of "forgetting" to breathe while you practice can be that you feel somewhat stressed out (because breathing calms the autonomic nervous system). Also, it is virtually impossible to play musically when you are holding your breath, as Dr. True told us in that masterclass!

This week's exercise: 4-7-8 breathing:

There are many different ways to breathe intentionally, but the general rule of thumb is that if your exhale is longer than your inhale, that will be calming to your autonomic nervous system and it will also help you achieve a relaxed focus as you practice. I find the 4-7-8 method of breathing to be tremendously helpful - it was popularized by Dr. Andrew Weil. Here's how to do it:

Before you start practicing, take a moment to sit in an upright posture at the keyboard and close your eyes. Then, put a hand on your diaphragm, slightly above your belly button, and one hand on your chest. As you breathe in, try to make the hand on your belly move before the hand on your chest moves (otherwise you are breathing shallowly).

Breathe in through your nose to a count of 4. Hold your breath for a count of 7. Then, release your breath slowly on a count of 8, with your lips rounded as if you are sipping through a straw. As you exhale, feel your muscles relax and ground yourself through your sitting bones. Repeat this 3 times.

As you practice, take regular breaks to do 1 cycle of 4-7-8 breathing.

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My Favorite Recording This Week 🎧

This brand-new CD, recorded by pianist Nnenna Ogwo, was released last week, in time for the Juneteenth holiday. It features a collection of music by African Diaspora composers Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, Ulysses Kay, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and Ogwo herself, along with the Bach-Brahms Chaconne for the Left Hand.

I listened to it and really enjoyed the chance to hear Ogwo's energetic and sensitive interpretations of these pieces. I especially loved her rendition of the selections she included on this recording from Samuel Coleridge-Taylor's 24 Negro Melodies. You can preview the album here!

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A few of my latest YouTube videos:

This week's video: Understanding HAND POSITION: What EVERY PIANIST should know! This is the final video in my series on fingering at the piano, where I talk about hand position and blocking, using examples from several different pieces to illustrate.

Piano Prof Behind the Scenes: Graduation, 2023: Some viewers have asked me for some behind-the-scenes videos. On Commencement day 2023, I made a "behind the scenes" video for our Commencement ceremonies at Butler University, featuring interviews with some of my faculty colleagues.

​Piano Fingering TIPS: This video focuses on strategies for finding the right fingering for a piece you're working on.

​Piano Fingering: 3 MUST-KNOW Strategies For Improving Your Skills: In this video, I use examples from Mendelssohn, Chopin and Liszt to discuss fingering strategies involving scales, triads, and a fast tempo.

​Ask the Experts: College AUDITION Advice from 9 Piano Profs! 🎹: This is the first video in my planned series where I ask other piano professors their advice for young pianists. The question I asked everyone in this video was: "What is your best tip for preparing for college auditions?"

​Piano Fingering Tutorial: 10 STRATEGIES in 10 Minutes!: I challenged myself to demonstrate 10 fingering solutions in 10 minutes (with 1 minute per solution). It turned out to be a LOT more work than anticipated, but I covered a lot of ground.

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Upcoming Dates and Events:

June 18-23: Butler University Piano Scholars Camp. This week I'm working with middle and high school students at Butler University, together with my piano colleagues here at Butler. We have 28 students here on campus, divided between residential students and day campers. The final student recital will be on June 23 at 3:00 pm.

July 2-9: Summer Piano Institute in Xanthi, Greece. 🇬🇷 I'm very excited about my upcoming trip to the Piano Plus Festival's Summer Piano Institute in Xanthi, Greece! Six students will be coming along with me to this festival. There will be roughly 45 students participating and 6 faculty teaching. I taught at the Summer Piano Institute in 2017, when it was located in Corfu, but this will be my first time visiting Xanthi.

How to work with me: Interested in having a lesson or coaching with me? I am unable to take long-term private students, but due to popular request I have set up an online booking system for one-off Zoom lessons and consultations. I have posted my availability through the end of July. You can sign up for a time here.​

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