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Congratulations! What changed to allow you to do this this year that you couldn't do this last year? In other words, what did you do to get to this point?

Consistent piano practice? Exposure to more works? Being asked with an hours notice to accompany singers for auditions/performance/other things that forced my sight reading to get better? Being given larger amounts of music to learn in shorter periods of time? Being around musicians who are far better than me and being forced to step up to their level? Not 100% sure what it was! I assume it was just a combination of all of that! I'm just SO happy about it! Sight reading has always been my downfall because I was taught for 8+ years by ear and didn't learn to read till about 5 years ago. Hopefully in another year I won't have to be embarrassed when asked to sight read in class [of course, in a year I won't have class to be in any longer....]

Was able to play the first 3 measures of Chopin op.25 no.6 FULL SPEED perfectly, just one time though...something weird about this piece, it gives me such a rush.

A big dividend payment! Plus a really worn out old upright that over the years, I have managed to make sound almost decent.

HOLY I can play the right hand of op.25 no.6 almost full speed (minus the few spots I don't really have memorized)...Spent less than 4 hours on it so far, I'm pretty pleased with this.

After having only worked on my new rep since Friday, I can play the first two and a half pages of Chopin 25 no 1 at a near performance tempo with pretty accurate musical competence [If I take it to about 3/4 speed I can bring out everything], I can play hands separate, at tempo, for the first two pages of 10 no 4 and hands together at speed for the first 8-10 measures, and I learned to entire first movement of Beethoven 27 no 1! Quite a productive weekend, .

Listening to Kylie Minogue singing "Shocked" . . well, ya did ask . . .

Surfing on a crisp California winter morning with great friends, beautiful waves, and we were in the water before the sun broke the horizon. Always a good start to a day!

Bloody he** man, some of us can but dream . . . Rain on, harvest moon . . (asterix denote automatically altered letters! lol)

. Perks of living on the on the south west coast of the United States! Sometimes location is everything.

Also I'm getting my piano tuned today, so it'll be like having an old friend back! And the tech that came gave me more reason I should strongly consider replacing my piano with a grand, so it looks like it's about time to have another conversation with my parents about logistics of doing that. We'll see how it goes, .

My birthday!! XD

Having my advanced group class over for a holiday recital, and hearing wonderful music played on my new piano. I enjoy listening to others play it, as much as I enjoy playing it! It was a great two hours filled with beautiful music, followed by yummy food afterwards. What more could you ask for?!

Just set up appointments with several piano dealerships with recital halls and churches to schedule a miniature recital series. I also found out I made straight A's this semester today. It was a GREAT day!

. Parents agreed to get a grand piano for home!

This was yesterday, but I must share.

I was at Costco with my aunt. It's a wholesale sort of place. It's sort of like Sam's Club if you're familiar with that. Anyways, I'm pretty bored, but I was engaging in small talk with my aunt as we walked about the store lapping up whatever samples they shook in our faces when I spotted one of those keyboards that are the real deal: weighted keys, all three pedals, nothing close to a nice acoustic piano, but I was entertained for a good ten minutes or so. It's really a shame I can hardly think of something to play when I don't have my music right in front of me.

Oh, so what are they looking at? I assume you'd be the only one playing it.

My husband, youngest son and visiting middle son went out to Pike Place Market which left me completely alone for several hours with my grand. My teacher has been trying to get me to fully understand subtle changes in volume and tone and I think I'm beginning to get it!

Yay!

A wonderful "Christmas Oratorio" at St Johns Smith Square this evening, with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and the Choir of Trinity College Cambridge, and a superb set of soloists. Truly festive.

Waking up to a new day and watching swallows through
my high level gable window ... armed with a cup of tea.

Seeing the swifts dip and tumble at a huge rate of knots ... miraculously zooming hither and thither while fleetingly snapped against the backdrop of rainy white clouds.

If this is Heaven ... I’d like a piece of it.

Kind regards, btb

thanks btb,
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