Today's post is a prescription compounded for anyone who has anxiety surrounding lessons, feels their lessons are more performance than class, or worries they are letting their teacher down by not making enough progress.
Unbound Symphony, in collaboration with the King County Sexual Assault Resource Center, is collecting survey responses to get a better sense of the actual harm caused by gender discrimination and sexual harassment. It was authored by Katie A. Berglof, and…
Imagine a ruler lives in a castle, and word has spread in the realm that there will be an invading force upon his shores in three weeks. What should he do? Stock up on arrows? Probably. Order the forges to…
I’ve started working with a paywall to get paid for some of what I write. For $10 a month, members will get access to subscription-only content on the site, which will include videos, previews of forthcoming projects, and eventually occasional…
Got 10 minutes? Settle in, watch this, and in your next lesson, start with the concept you have the most resistance to. Resistance tends to protect the habit that is most disruptive to your goals. Ask me how I know!…
As an adult learner, it’s common to develop a persistent feeling of rising pressure; the strong compulsion to make up for lost time, a desperation to catch up to some platonic ideal of where you imagine you should be. As…
As I’m juggling the myriad writing projects I’ve got simmering, the time frame on the most complex one (the follow up to the now out-of-print Modern Cellist’s Manual) stretches into the horizon. I suppose one advantage of being self-published is…
How to follow up a post like the last one? While the subject matter might have taken a few regulars off guard, one thing I am consistent about is praxis. While it’s useful to identify an issue—whether the intricacies of…
This piece originated as an assignment that sort of went rogue and proceeded to take over my life. It’s taken a long time—too long—to get it out into the world, but that’s a story for another day. Today, I want…
You may have noticed the April posts are not happening, and March was pretty sparse, too. I do have a lot written in drafts, but I’ve decided it’s probably time I stop giving my best work away for free. While…
Oof. Take care out there, tender hearts.
SERIOUSLY have you ever seen someone skate like her? Ever? I’ve been enchanted by skating ever since I was a kid, practicing taking off from different edges of my feet on the patio whenever the Olympic coverage would go to…
I’m about to do a monster day of writing and recording today so hopefully Thursday/Friday sees new YouTube and podcast stuff. In the meantime, I’d like to share a young cellist who caught my eye at last year’s Sphinx competition.…
Never mind me, I’m just listening to one of these tracks on repeat. Can you guess which one?
Hey friends! As promised, here’s the next installment of my examination of David Epstein’s Range, specifically relating it to what we’re trying to do as musicians. I’m dividing it up by chapter to keep things clear. Before I get underway,…
Attention musicians, actors, dancers, and other creatives! I am holding a salon later this year, date to be decided to best fit the participants’ schedules. Previous iterations were more like casual master classes with only string players, but this is…
Over the years, I’ve become sort of compartmentalized in the way I consume information. I no longer zone out on Insta (though I do post there with some regularity), and I only lasted about 3 months on TT. When I…
I’ve talked about this before, usually in the context of structuring your practice. Since I’ve done a ton of that, I thought devoting some time to describing the issue itself in some detail might be helpful, so that wherever you…
One of the things I love about working with advanced students (my studio is about 2/3 semi pros) is that they keep me in touch with the gnarliest parts of the repertoire. Just today, I’m getting to revisit Beethoven 6,…
I’ve been in conversation with a few of my more advanced students lately. They’ve adopted many elements of the Practice Modes I’m building a book around, and while they certainly clear the terrain in terms of not allowing gaps in…
If you’re trying to make physical changes in your playing, I highly recommend the following, with the caveat that different brains find different scenarios pleasurable. If playing with your attention split causes calamity, it’s not a problem with you. This…
I have deemed 2026 a year of distillation: to live more faithfully in line with hard earned and well-considered authenticity. And for the moments when those aspects do not inform me, I will be still, and I will listen. I…
Last year, in the dead of winter, Henri had multiple seams open up, requiring a trip to the luthier and a re-evaluation of my humidification infrastructure. You see, Henri actually sounds better and is much easier to play in low…
The end of the year always makes my fingers itch for something new, or something old to make new again. A few years ago, I was inspired by Josh Roman’s Instagram post where he was being adjusted by an Alexander…
Hello friends: just popping in to say hello and drop off a chilled out playlist for the holiday season. If you’d like something less contemporary, here’s the one from last year. I’ve just started reading Katherine May’s book Wintering, and…
The next series of playlists will highlight musicians I feel are doing interesting and important things, so each one will feature one or two artists exclusively. This month is all about Anastasia Kobekina, one of my favorite cellists ever. She…
This year is too much, my friends. I was really making strides—multiple books in progress, regular posting here, applying to doctoral programs, a few speaking engagements and workshops, and renewed inspiration to write and produce music. Starting with my mother’s…
Here’s hoping we are not in “false fall” because I am ready for sweater weather and cozy times. Lots going on here; back soon! xo, em
A little late, after some pretty dramatic travel delays. Note to self: maybe driving 16 hours straight twice in a week is…dumb?
Already know you’re interested? Go to the bottom of the post and let me know! It’s been so much fun to see interest in the cello and playing pop/contemporary styles since Netflix’s Wednesday crashed into our hearts and minds in…