Trying something new? Proceed with caution!

My students, as well as contributors to a piano discussion forum in which I participate, often talk about the same dilemma.  When trying something new, they have physical pain!  This should not be the case. People’s first reaction, and I include myself, is that the pain will go away.  It doesn’t.  Don’t ignore pain! I [...]

How Decision Fatigue Can Affect Musicians

We are faced with so many choices every day, we are constantly making decisions. How does decision fatigue affect our practice sessions, rehearsals, and auditions?

Sometimes it’s the little things

My ancestors were Dutch.  As a people, the Dutch are known for finding joy in little things, and for their expertise in collaborating with others. They are also known to excel at water sports.  I can claim that, too! Since I often notice little things that other people don’t, necessarily, I thought that especially in this weak [...]

On Arrogance and Humility

​This post began as a rant about Novak Djokovic’s attitude.  And then I read Bill Keller’s wonderful article in the Sunday New York Times Magazine.  Keller talks about the effect reading poetry could have on members of Congress. Djokovic could use some of that, too.  Rather than seeing him as self-confident, I think he seems [...]

Mix It Up!

I’ve been watching tennis again.  The Rogers Cup just finished in Canada, and the Western & Southern Open is in Cincinnati all this week. It looks like the players who ”mix it up” the most come out winning more matches. I’ve been thinking about the value of mixing it up in music, too. We maintain life balance: [...]

When All Systems are NO: Now What?

Sometime in July, I concluded that, without a doubt, something needed to change about the way I book my own concerts.  Nothing was happening! The Problem After considering everything I could think of, including the thought that maybe people don’t like my playing, the reason became clear.  Many venues in which I’ve played are having [...]

E-book available in print, too!

Goal-oriented Practice How to Avoid Traps and Become a Confident Performer by Gretchen Saathoff Welcome! My E-book shows you how to make steady progress starting right now! Eliminate negative self-talk, overwhelming feelings, and practicing with little improvement. Written in plain English, no musical jargon. Shows step-by-step actions you can take. The print version is produced [...]

Down Time

It’s August.  At this time of year where I live, everyone who hasn’t been on vacation goes on vacation.  And most of those who are on vacation stay there until school starts. In other words, it’s so quiet, you’d think very few people live here.  Things will be crazy soon enough, with thousands of students [...]

Q&A: What is a Voice Teacher?

Readers frequently search this blog to find the difference between a vocal coach and a voice teacher. This is a very important question, and it’s crucial to know the difference. One of my previous posts talks about vocal coaching. Teachers and coaches are indeed different.  Since I am a coach but not a voice teacher, [...]

Piano Class Moments

Teaching piano classes was part of my undergraduate and graduate assistantships.  Later on, the School of Continuing Education at UMass/Amherst offered piano classes for no credit, which I was hired to teach.  Typically, 8 of 1o students in each class were from outside the U.S. Every group of students was, of course, different.  Stuff happened! [...]