THE BLOG

My friend Geronda did something brave last night. Brave and authentic and, based on my own experiences, probably uncomfortable. Her act...

By now many of us have heard about how deep breathing helps calm the nervous system. But what does that exactly mean? Today we are going...

As a mother, I have learned beautiful truths from my children. Truths about imagination, about freedom, about learning and development....

Success We live in a culture, both broadly and in the classical music world, that values achievement. From a young age, we are taught to...

Prefer to connect via video? Check out my Office Hours over on Facebook where I unpack the same material live on camera. CLICK HERE. “It...

Prefer to connect via video? Check out my Office Hours over on Facebook where I unpack the same material live on camera. CLICK HERE. My...

As musicians we are incredibly gifted at following through, right? We practice day in and day out; we diligently strive for excellence,...

I had a dream this week. My recurring anxiety dream. Do you have one, too? There is a myriad of variations to it, but it is always at...

Doors Closed, Doors Open You’ve decided to take an audition. You’ve sent in your resume and deposit; you’ve made your audition book;...

We’ve all heard about visualizing before, right? How powerful it is to sit and imagine the audition: our pre-game ritual, the warm up...

Years ago when I was introduced to the idea of reframing I believed it to be … bologna. I had operated under the assumption that there is...

It seemed like everyone in my neighborhood was cleaning out their garages this weekend. Spring was in the air; the birds were chirping...

Little Me One thing that younger Katie never understood was that we can have a measure of control over our thought lives. When I was...

I had the privilege to be on a Zoom call last week hosted by my Alma Mater, Eastman School of Music and the incomparable Joel Luks. There...

I believe deeply in the power of creating a grounding practice in your daily rhythm. A grounding practice serves to create space for...

For as wildly creative as musicians are, we are often sorely lacking in imagination when it comes to our calling in life. At least I was....

As musicians we are in new situations often. Whether we’re taking a lesson with a player/teacher that is new to us, subbing in a chamber...

When I am preparing music, now-a-days at least, I am quite clear on what I need to achieve in my practice session. Gone are the vague...

We all have those days where we don’t want to take out our instrument, run those excerpts, work with that (d@#*) tuner. Of course we do,...

How changing the way we think of ourselves can help us with stage fright As classical musicians we are known for being extraordinarily...

Performance anxiety does not discriminate. You can be in a top tier orchestra, taking a college audition or playing your first piano...

Life as a classical musician after college One thing that an emotionally healthy musician has is a community of loved ones that supports...

How musicians can fend off stage fright with a little editing I’m going to make a loving suggestion to you. I’d like you to consider...

Being a musician is a painfully beautiful and vulnerable way to walk through this world of ours. We make a living by cracking our chests...