Dear Friends,

This past Thursday I performed a solo recital on the Rieth Recital Series at Goshen College, in northern Indiana. I was in that area to adjudicate a competition in nearby Elkhart, and so I appreciated the opportunity to perform while I was in the neighborhood - and especially on such a beautiful piano in a gorgeous hall.

My program consisted of works by Clementi, Chaminade, Fanny Mendelssohn, Chopin and Debussy. I chose a work of art to pair with each movement or piece that I performed, which was projected onto a screen onstage. Between pieces, I spoke with the audience about the link that I perceived between the music and the art. The goal was to present a concert experience that would allow the audience to contextualize each piece within its moment in history and also to give the audience visual images to ponder as they listened to the music.

I also had a wonderful surprise after the performance—a former student of mine who is now a public school teacher in Elkhart came backstage to say hi! It was wonderful to catch up. Those of you who are teachers understand how fulfilling it is to see former students thriving..

I felt good about the experience of combining music and visual art - I think I’m going to continue experimenting with combining different art forms in future performances.

My question to you this week is: have you ever attended or presented a multimedia event that particularly spoke to you? If so, what about it was the most memorable? Write back and let me know!

👋 Have a great week! Happy Practicing! 🎹

-Kate

Today's Practice Tip: Transpose Your Music! 🧩

Transposition is an often-overlooked skill that can greatly enhance your musicianship.

Most pieces modulate keys at least temporarily, often re-stating a previous motif or melody in a new key. By practicing transposition, you will find that these modulations start to become more intuitive, especially in complex forms like sonatas.

For example, after learning the exposition of a sonata, the development and recapitulation will seem easier if you’ve "pre-practiced" the most common modulations, because transposition requires an understanding of chords and key relationships.

Additionally, transposition can be a mental challenge that keeps you engaged during a practice session. This is an excellent way to revisit familiar pieces in fresh ways.

This week’s exercise:

Beginning/Intermediate: Try transposing simple pieces (like folk tunes or the melody of a piece you’re working on) into a key that is one step higher or lower, such as G major to A major or C major to D major.

Upper Intermediate/Advanced: Transpose into less familiar keys, such as up by a minor third or perfect fourth.

A few tips to keep in mind:

1. Make sure you can already play the selection well in its original key before you practice transposing it.
2. Look carefully at the selection you are working with: What key is it in? Does it follow a familiar pattern like a chord outline or a scale fragment? What are the intervals between the notes?
3. If you get stuck, try writing it down in the new key first.
4. Try taking apart the musical elements: transpose the melody alone, then the bass line, then the chord progression.
5. Start slowly and gradually increase the tempo, until you can play it as well as in the original key.

🎥 YouTube update:

The other day I was showing a new student of mine how to keep a practice journal. A practice journal is a valuable tool to use during practice, because it helps you track progress, set specific goals, and reflect on your daily practice sessions. Here is my video: How to Keep a Practice Journal.​

I've been too busy the past few weeks to put out a new video - but I have a couple in the editing pipeline that will be out soon! Stay tuned!

💜 Some of My Favorite Things

1. 🎼 Composer Posters: A beloved voice colleague of mine has decorated her teaching studio with portraits of women composers so that students can become more familiar with their names and faces. These poster sets are attractive and include many composers. You can purchase them in different sets or you can order them individually.
2. ⏰ Practice Tool: Seiko Quartz Metronome. I have a metronome on my phone, but I prefer to practice without my phone next to me so I don't get distracted. This is my favorite metronome because of its simplicity and small size. I use it almost every time I practice. Click here to see more tools I use when I practice.​
3. 🎶 Performance: L'isle joyeuse, performed by Marc-André Hamelin. L’isle joyeuse is on my current solo recital program, which means I have been practicing it a lot lately. This performance by Marc-André Hamelin never fails to inspire me.

🎹 Stay Connected:

• 🎓 Contact me to learn about applying to study with me at Butler University at the undergraduate or master's level.
• 📚 Check out my resource pages, where I share my recommended books, technical exercises, gear and more!
• 🎥 Subscribe to my YouTube channel!
• 📱Follow me on Instagram!