Today

    Veterans Day. This morning, I was scanning what people had to say in their blogs and various social media outlets. One guy, a friend of mine, said something to the effect of “Happy lip service day! Too bad we keep making cuts to the VA budget…” While I agree that few budgets should […]

Quantico

As a kid, people always asked what I wanted to do when I grew up. Maybe they could already detect my ill-fated and inconvenient relationship with music and were testing the waters for a more rational direction. It was around the age of 12 that I could say with eye-rolling certainty that I was going […]

on regrets, dancing, and being alive

  I had a pretty significant health scare back in the spring. It was to the point that they thought I may have had less than 5 years left. I remember seeing the doctor’s number on my phone about 20 minutes before I had to give a huge group presentation at Hopkins. I picked up […]

on writing.

I work really hard when I write. It’s some of the most enjoyable time I spend (tied with practicing cello, dancing, and flying). A few years ago, I hassled the folks over at Strings into letting me scribble a bit for them. I am still astonished that they keep calling me back for more, given […]

Cheers, Socrates! A commentary on YouTube haters.

I’m used to being misunderstood. Heck, I’m used to being understood and then despised for what I genuinely mean. Anyone who has ever posted or commented on YouTube knows that it is a haven, a sanctuary….a sucktuary, if you will, for the worst the internet has to offer. In the past year, I have had […]

From the mailbag.

Today, I got two emails. One, from someone I have known for a long time. Another, from someone I have never met before. Email #1: Hi again, I’m no avid reader of your blog but I do admit to checking it out from time to time. You’re  a clever girl, no question, so why do […]

Choosing Happiness

There has been much tragedy in my life. At least half of it actually happened. -Mark Twain I get a lot of stick from some of my most beloved blog/Twitter pals for being largely upbeat most of the time. I distinctly remember an exchange a few months ago where two people I follow egged each […]

The real me.

Life Balance

Ask anyone who has ventured into the deep end of music teaching about how they balance performance and pedagogy, and you are bound to get all kinds of answers. In my own experience, I can candidly offer the following: There is absolutely no balance, at all. I got into teaching to make some extra money, […]

Thanks, Jackie.

If you had any questions about it, now you have an answer. You should play some cello. You just should.

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