Climbing out of the Valley of Disappointment

The Valley of Disappointment Graph by James Clear

Have you ever felt like learning something new is taking longer than you expected? That’s me with the organ. It’s not new anymore, and after years of modest effort, I’m still struggling along. There have …

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The Benefits of Weekly Piano Lessons

The Benefits of Weekly Piano Lessons

I will share some of the benefits of weekly piano lessons. First, I will give some background on how I got to this point. When Michael let me know last summer that he could no …

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April 2016 Lesson: Still Struggling

April 2016 Lesson- Still Struggling

I am still struggling with syncopation. On April 30, I met Michael for another organ lesson. I haven’t played the organ since then. Tomorrow, I will get back on the bench. My expectations going into …

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Is my fixed mindset hindering my progress?

Mindsets

I recently read the book Mindset by Carol Dweck. My coach, Camilla, who is helping me Get Things Done, suggested I read it after I mentioned my fear that no one will read my book …

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How does that piece go again?

Kilala cat on the organ bench

At the end of last year, I discovered that I am not able to easily play most of the pieces I have learned. The revelation My brother’s family came for about 4 and a half …

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October 2015 Lesson – Gaining Confidence

My cat Kilala standing on the keys while I was practicing.

On Halloween I met with Michael for another lesson. I left the lesson feeling more confident than ever before as 4 of my 6 assigned pieces received a passing mark! The Lesson I began the …

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August 2015 Lesson – When it feels like you are never going to get it

Going into my lesson last Saturday I felt confident that I would receive a passing mark on 4 of my 6 assigned pieces. I didn’t obtain approval on any piece! My performance at this lesson …

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How I survived a gas leak

This post will be different from the usual as it is a story from the non-organist part of my life. It’s the story of the gas leak. In early January Winter Storm Hercules provided ample …

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