Dear Friends,

I hope you had a good weekend. Here in Indianapolis we are experiencing beautiful fall weather, and I've just come in from a gardening session to write this email. I'm about a month and a half into my sabbatical, and oh my goodness, it has been quite an adventure already, just not in the way I'd planned!

If you missed it when I announced it in the spring, I'm on sabbatical from Butler University for this entire academic year, and I won't return to teaching until August 2027.

I had planned a full fall of performing, including being a guest artist at a festival in Wisconsin, giving a performance at the American Liszt Society Festival in Nebraska, and having a recording session next month, among other things.

But unfortunately, on August 20th, I had surgery to remove a cyst from a knuckle on the third finger of my left hand. The surgery couldn't be postponed, and so the performances had to be cancelled and my recording was moved to January.

I have learned a lot about patience, rest, and recovery in the intervening weeks.

Which brings me to today, when I practiced longer than I have at any point since the surgery: thirty minutes, in three ten-minute intervals.

Old me would have thought, thirty minutes? That's not enough time to get anything done.

But guess what?

I got a lot done.

Did I memorize an entire piece? No!

Did I practice an entire concerto? No!

But does it matter? Also no.

Having only ten minutes at a time meant I had to decide exactly what I was going to work on before I sat down, and then give it my complete attention.

For the first ten minutes, I practiced scales using a variation I heard about at a recent conference. It's surprisingly simple, yet also challenging: you start on any note of the scale, except the first one. It's a great way to reinforce your fingering.

For the second ten minutes, I worked on memorizing "June" from Das Jahr by Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel, which I've been preparing to record.

For the final ten minutes, I practiced Bach, partly because playing Bach brings me a lot of pleasure, and also because practicing Bach helps with improving my facility in both hands, which is especially important to me as I return to practice after time away from the piano.

Here's what made my practice so effective: when time is short, every segment needs a single, specific purpose.

So for the first ten-minute segment, I practiced scales using the variant I mentioned above, working through the circle of fifths. When my timer went off, I moved on.

For the memorization, I started with the final phrase and worked backward, one phrase at a time, reviewing systematically until I ran out of time. Tomorrow, I'll review and continue working backward from where I stopped.

And for the Bach, I played the segment through and then focused on the place where I felt the least coordinated.

To my great surprise and delight, the session felt focused and productive, even though it was my first time practicing longer than five minutes since my surgery on August 20th.

Less is more.

Of course, thirty minutes a day won't be enough indefinitely. I have plenty to accomplish, and as my finger heals, thirty minutes will become forty, forty minutes will become an hour, and so on.

But I hope I can continue with this kind of focus as I build back up, because it has a lot to teach me about how to approach practice when time feels more abundant.

So, if you're struggling with your practice, simplify. One goal, ten minutes, full attention. Fewer pieces, less time, more focus. When in doubt, set a timer!

👋 Happy practicing,

Kate

P.S. If you liked learning about the scale variation from today's essay, my online course The Art of Piano Scales goes much deeper. It's closed for now, but you can join the waitlist here and I'll let you know as soon as it reopens.

💜 Picks of the Week:

🎹 Recording: "June" from Das Jahr, performed by Lauma Skride. Since I was talking about today's ten-minute practice session on this movement, I thought I'd share a recording of this beautiful piece. The accompanying text is from Goethe's Faust and translated as: "Do I hear rustling, do I hear singing/ Do I hear sweet laments of love?" [Listen here.]

🎼 Sheet music: J.S. Bach: Inventions and Sinfonias, Alfred Masterworks edition. This teaching edition of the Inventions and Sinfonias has an extensive introductory section about Baroque style, and the editorial markings include suggested dynamics, fingerings, and articulations. I reach for it when I am working with students who have less familiarity with Bach, and I recommend it as a good annotated edition that can help with understanding Baroque style. [Buy it here.]

💕 Article: "Is It Time for This 95-Year-Old Pianist to Quit?" Interestingly, this article was in the business section of the New York Times. Pianist Lily Friedman continues to practice, teach, and perform at age 95. I was inspired by the way she radiates the fulfillment of a life in music and in service to other people. [Read it here.] (Gift article expires after 30 days. You will need to log in or create a free New York Times account to access the article.)