When I need to channel courage, I think of my grandparents. In 1955, my grandmother defied her mother, who had forbade her from marrying my grandfather. She took a train to South Carolina, where he was stationed, and they eloped on the army base. They moved back to...

Raise your hand if you've ever felt like you HAVE to practice. We've all been there, right? This obligatory feeling still haunts me sometimes. Lately it's crept up again. And certainly frustration doesn't help. Expectation leads to suffering, right? When sharing my...

A recent conversation with an adult student got me thinking about being kinder to ourselves. I was sharing the pre-performance shift I typically experience. Emerging out of the details. Leaning away from perfectionism. Embracing the excitement of sharing music with my...

The first time I meditated, my mind felt like it was on fire. There were so many thoughts. Am I doing this right? What am I doing? Will this help me? My toe itches. And on and on. How was I supposed to stop all these thoughts? I wasn't. To my great relief, I learned...