Quick note: A few weeks ago I mentioned that I'm creating a scales course for pianists who already know or once knew their scales and want to take scale playing to the next level. I have good news: the waitlist for this course is officially open! Click here to secure your spot and be the first to know when it's ready. You will also have the chance to answer a short survey that will help me tailor the course to you and make it the best experience possible.

Dear Friends,

Happy New Year! I hope that 2026 is off to a great start for you already.

Even though it meant skipping last week’s newsletter to you, I enjoyed the opportunity to take ten days off from email and the internet over the holidays. I was visiting family in Ft Myers, Florida, and it was wonderful to clear my head and enjoy time with family, the warmth of the sun and the interesting wildlife!

This is the time of year when I sit down and review my goals for the upcoming year and look back at the past year. Every January, I create an annual plan where I map out the next twelve months. I look at the big picture of when my concerts and conferences are scheduled, when and where I’m traveling, and what I want to accomplish.

After setting yearly goals, I break the year down into quarters (three months at a time). Thinking in terms of quarterly goals helps me to keep my planning focused and creates momentum.

This quarter, for example, I’m performing the Tchaikovsky Piano Trio here at Butler University on January 27, and I’m preparing Fanny Hensel’s Das Jahr for a March performance in Louisville, KY. I’m also planning to create some new YouTube videos and work on the new course about scales that I mentioned above. All of this will take place alongside my work as a university professor, where I will be teaching my students and supporting them through their auditions, performances, and competitions.

It’s helpful to look ahead at the full year to set big goals, and then zoom in on the next three months to identify 3-4 main priorities for that quarter. From there, I can map out my weekly goals, which in turn makes it much easier to sit down each day and know what to practice.

You can do this too. As you think about the year ahead, consider what you would love to accomplish at the piano. Which pieces are calling to you? What technical skills do you want to develop? Are there composers or works you would like to listen to and get to know more deeply, even if you are not currently playing them? Will this year have a particular focus for you, for example music theory, improvisation, or sight reading?

Once you have a list of the things you'd like to accomplish at the piano in 2026, narrow your time frame and look ahead to the end of the first quarter, March 31. What three or four things would you like to have accomplished by then? It might be finishing note-learning on one piece, bringing another to a comfortable performance level, establishing a consistent scale routine, or just practicing a certain number of days each week.

Write it down. Personally, I find that writing down my goals makes a huge difference. I do my yearly and quarterly planning in Google Docs, and my weekly and daily planning in my practice journal.

If you want to learn more about quarterly planning, the book The Twelve Week Year is a great place to start.

In my experience, setting specific goals that are constrained to a three-month period instead of vague resolutions that span the entire year, leads to faster and more concrete results. Try it and let me know how it goes!

Kate

PS Don't forget to grab your spot on the scales course waitlist!

🎹 Stay Connected:

🎹 Need help? Sign up for a session with me! I have updated my available dates through January 9, 2026.
🇭🇺 Study with me next summer at the inaugural Chroma International Music Festival in Miskolc, Hungary from July 9-19, 2026. Featuring a Young Artist Program and an Adult Piano Intensive. Learn more and sign up here.
🎧 Explore my mini-course on classical piano literature, Piano Lit.​
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📚 See my favorite books and resources on Amazon (affiliate link).
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