Recently I attended a large piano teacher congress in Chicago: there were 800 of us gathered under one hotel roof, if you can imagine such a thing, for the biannual National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy. It was very upbeat and American, and aiming to be inspirational.Learn More Read more »

Recently I was invited to give a talk on classical music to the residents of Christie Gardens, one of Toronto’s premier seniors residences.Learn More Read more »

I just learned of the death of English countertenor James Bowman (1941-2023). He brought such refined joy to my life. I heard him perform live once in a historic Paris church, and it was breathtaking. His recordings endure for us all.Learn More Read more »

Retired piano professor Jim Lyke approached me several years ago to do an oral history on his career. In the world of piano pedagogy, as it is called, he is famous, and he created an enviable program at the University of Illinois that he directed for over three decades. Covid […] Read more »

I first encountered the American folk bard Michael Smith (1941-2020) in a sweltering little church on the south side of Chicago, one summer in the 1990s. There were not many of us in the audience. Over the course of 90 minutes, he changed my life. Learn More Read more »

I never dreamed I would consider online piano teaching, but Mother Nature has urged me to give it a try during this odd and ominous virus shutdown. To my surprise, it can work. Learn More Read more »

I’m startled and sad to note the deaths of two of my musical father figures within a week: Austrian pianist Paul Badura-Skoda, and American critic Martin Bernheimer.Learn More Read more »

I presented a salon evening recently featuring the colorful, stimulating, and wide-ranging musician Alan Gasser. Alan is a classical tenor, longtime Toronto social justice choir director…Learn More Read more »

On October 8, 2017 my wonderful mother died peacefully in her sleep at 92 in Chicago. She got me into music, always supported my music… Learn More Read more »

In July of 2017 Debi Adams, Alison Barr, and I celebrated our 12th year of the Williams Midsummer Adult Piano Retreat. It remains small, well run, and very successful… Learn More Read more »