I’m so excited to share my new album, Christmas in the Air. You can listen to it on every major streaming service, including: Spotify Apple Music (and iTunes): Click Here Amazon Music: Click Here Pandora: Click Here YouTube And pretty much every other streaming service that’s out there. *Please note that I will be uploading […]
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Hello readers! I know it’s been a long (long long long) time since I’ve posted here on A Pianist’s Musings, but today I want to share with you my newest album called Stratosphere Lullabies. Stratosphere Lullabies is dear to my heart. I began composing the pieces for this album two years ago while pregnant with […]
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I’m so excited to share with you my latest composition, Luna! A lullaby of sorts, I wrote this piece for my twins while I was pregnant with them. Luna explores the beautiful combination of melody with minimalism. The alternating third interval motif heard from 0:07-0:15 drives the music forward, creating a sense of stability underneath […]
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Hello readers, it’s been a minute! I have been on maternity leave and enjoying time with my newly expanded family, but I am slowly starting to get back into the swing of all things music. For today’s post, I’d like to write about something I am currently experiencing: how to get back into music after […]
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Leoš Janáček (1854-1928), one of the most important Czech composers of the 20th century, was greatly inspired by folk music to create a unique musical voice. His piano cycle V mlhách (In the Mists) – composed in 1912 – shows off his incredibly coloristic, moody, and mature compositional style. In the Mists paints a mesmerizingly foggy […]
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To some musicians, the word improvisation can be downright scary. The idea of creating music spur-of-the-moment is intimating, especially if you don’t know how to start. But improv doesn’t have to be scary! Here are 3 secrets to successful improvisation, whether you’re new to the improv block or not. 1. Start with something you know. […]
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Playing the piano isn’t exactly a high-impact sport. And sadly we don’t get our cardio workout done for the day after a 30 minute piano practice session. (Although to be honest, sometimes it feels like it!) But playing the piano does have surprising mental health benefits. Here are 4 reasons why playing the piano is […]
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Several months ago, I had the idea to write a year cycle for the piano. Composers throughout time have done this (such as Fanny Mendelssohn and Pyotr Tchaikovsky); they wrote a short character piece for each month of the year that imitated the mood of that specific month. (Check out this post for some examples.) […]
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The Voices piano sonata is a very special composition to me. Writing this work gave me an opportunity to explore my own voice as a composer, but it goes deeper than that. Each of the three movements in the piano sonata Voices is based on a theme written by a female composer in music history. […]
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During the Romantic Era, women musicians did not generally perform in public. Especially not eleven-year-old girls. But that’s exactly what young Clara Schumann (née Wieck) did in 1830 after her father recognized her virtuosic abilities on the piano. Schumann grew up to be one of the most famous concert pianists of the time, constantly pushing […]
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