Dear Friends,

First, a couple of quick updates: recently I had the pleasure of being a guest on the Beyond Measure Podcast, hosted by the warm and exuberant Christina Whitlock, where we explored the question of competition vs. community, shared more than a few laughs, and talked about ways to turn away from feelings of being “less than” and embrace the multi-faceted nature of our profession.

I enjoyed our conversation, and if you haven’t listened yet, you can find the episode here.

​​This coming week I'll be heading to Oregon to be a featured clinician at the Oregon Music Teachers Association (OMTA) state conference. I will be presenting two sessions, one on foundations of piano technique and the other on repertoire alternatives for "overplayed" piano pieces. I will also be giving a masterclass. I'm looking forward to meeting piano teachers and students there, as well as attending the sessions by the other presenters. It's always inspiring to connect with fellow pianists!

If you’re attending the OMTA state conference, make sure to come up and say hello!

Lately I've been thinking about the question of revision. I've been working on one of my conference sessions for the OMTA conference; this is a session I've given five times over the past eight years. But when I was looking through the script and the accompanying slides, I realized that I have learned so much more since writing this talk that there were many things I wanted to significantly revise.

And so, I have spent several hours re-writing an already perfectly-adequate conference session. I re-designed the slides, added new notes, and re-organized some of the material. I just couldn't help myself, because delivering it as it was would have not felt satisfying.

This leads me to think about how so much of what we do as musicians and pianists is a work in progress; even after bringing something to "performance level," we learn more. When we go back, there's the drive to make it better!

I hope all of this revision was worth it – I'll report back and let you know!

👋 Have a great week! Happy Practicing! 🎹

-Kate

🎶 Today's Practice Tip: Look for Hand Position Changes!

One of the keys to improving overall accuracy and speed is to master hand position changes. Recognizing and practicing these shifts can greatly enhance your fluidity and control.

This week’s exercise: Blocking Hand Positions

1. Choose a Passage: Select a passage in a piece you're currently working on that involves multiple hand position changes. A great example would be something that uses a lot of arpeggiated chords or scalar passages.
2. Identify Hand Positions: Break down the passage into distinct hand positions. For example, you might find that a section can be divided into three or four positions. You can often find a change in hand position by looking for places where the hand crosses over the thumb.
3. Practice Blocking: Instead of playing each note individually, play all the notes within each hand position as a block or chord. This helps you understand the geography of the keyboard under your hand.
4. Smooth Transitions: Once you’re comfortable with blocking, practice transitioning smoothly between each hand position. Focus on moving straight into position, using smooth, relaxed movements.
5. Gradual Speed Increase: As you become more comfortable with the transitions, gradually increase the speed of your passage. Ensure each transition remains smooth and controlled.

🎥 My latest videos:

​7 Tips to Improve Your Left Hand Accuracy and Speed: The left hand is a common struggle among pianists, so I made this video to help you tackle those tricky left-hand passages.

​Debussy Arabesque No. 1 Tutorial: This is my first-ever tutorial on a specific piece. I chose the Arabesque after asking my audience which piece they'd rather see a tutorial about.

🎹 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!
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