I learn many things from observing ballet class behind the comfort of my piano. I learn some  french words . I learn how to play a "square" combination. And I learn what  not  to do, to get little girls to behave. The instructor told the girls in the  beginner's class  to pay attention. "Calm down!" She said. "Stop wiggling!"  A spark of amusement rippled through the line of young girls. "Wiggle!" They laughed. What a silly word. What a silly, fun movement it implied. They of course had to demonstrate a wiggle. They squirmed their shoulders, bobbed their heads, and rocked their knees, all in an effort to create the perfect "wiggle."  The instructor immediately realized her mistake. She rolled her eyes in defeat. It was hopeless now.  Later, after the instructor successfully got them half way through bar exercises, she noticed they were bunched up in one corner. She attempted to space them out evenly. "Girls, slide down."

I recently played the piano for an event. The man who hired me asked me to learn a particular song and he searched through an enormous box of sheet music trying to find a copy for me. He pulled it out and glanced at the title.  "Hmmm, I can't remember if this is the right one," he said uncertainly. He handed it to me and asked, "Could you just hum that for me so I can tell if this is it?" I took the sheet of music and focused on the first line, a confusing mixture of 16th notes, scales, and crazy rhythms that would take me an hour to figure out on the piano. "No." I said, bluntly. He looked a little surprised by my answer, but I only shrugged.  I've been thinking about limits lately. Everyone has them. I've always been one to preach that you should stretch your limits, go outside your comfort zone, do things you never thought you would ever try. I still believe those things, now more than ever, but there is a difference between those kinds of

If you’ve been here a while, then you know all about Joy , Ethan ,  Zachary , Jack , Evie , Gabby , Zoey , and Trace .  You know that Taylor is a bear and Kevin was a hero. You’ve read about triumphs and heartaches and you’ve gone gaga for Erica . You’ve run across all manner of creatures and critters like jellyfish , sparrows , texas chicks , frogs and owls , and even a Goose . You’ve seen photographs that have caught your breath and read poetry that just makes you smile, despite the world. At times you could literally smell the lilacs . Oh, and the music ! Such lovely music there’s been. Through a blizzard in Virginia , the heat of the Summertime , and even in the rain , a new song has never been far away. But it has rained a lot. In fact, it’s poured . Just the same, though, with a little help and a lot of friends , the Sun’s always come back out, bursting with new life and new inspiration. No goodbye is ever forever and each goodnight proceeds a unique sunrise . The buil

On the Hudson Parkway on the west side of Manhattan, I saw this beautiful sunset. Immediately, I wished I could share it with you all. The way the golden light shimmered across the Hudson river, the black silhouette of the New Jersey shoreline, the dark planks of an old dock rising from the water, and giant wispy clouds that surrounded the the powerful rays of sunshine.  I realized all I could do, was my best to capture it in a photo and maybe you could imagine how beautiful it was in person.  And then I thought, maybe after you read this post, you could pop outside for a second or look out your window. Because although it may be a slightly different setting, it's the same sun. ~

This video was taken at the Little Red Square in lower Manhattan. I watched this video for the first time in several months and couldn't stop smiling when I saw the women on the bench singing and tapping along.  Enjoy the video! Witchcraft To see more videos from the Play Me, I'm Yours project, click here . A couple of my favorites: Bye Bye Blackbird, Hello Baby Peacocks! My Student Cold Cold Heart in Brooklyn

I count myself fortunate every single day that I'm able to do what I love, make music. Playing for ballet rehearsals has made me a more professional, well-rounded pianist. Performing my original music at local venues has made me a better, more confident entertainer. But what I LOVE doing the most, is playing for a small, intimate audiences at nursing homes, retirement homes, or hospitals. I began playing in local nursing homes in college and discovered that I felt the most comfortable and inspired in this setting. My taste and style in music seemed to be a perfect fit for the crowd and I never felt more fulfilled at the end of a performance than when I played in these places.  Since becoming involved with a charity organization called  Sing For Hope , I've been fortunate enough to contribute my music in bedside performances in New York City hospitals. With my voice, guitar, and an audience of one, I have the opportunity to uplift a sick patient, and the magic never fails to d

My mother is a smart, capable woman in all areas of life, but technology. Her feelings won't even be hurt when she reads this, because she is a self proclaimed technology-illiterate. I know you probably hear a lot of people make that joke about themselves. I've even said it on occasion when I can't figure out why the HTML code messes up the spacing on my blog. But truly. My mom doesn't know what "cut and paste" means. To this day, she doesn't have a cell phone. It took her 3 months to learn how to change her profile picture on her facebook page. It took her 6 months to figure out how to transfer photos from her digital camera onto her computer. She has no idea what a thumb drive is. My 2 grandmothers are facebook masters, while my mother has 10 friends and called me to ask how to "like" someone's status. (It's the button that says "like," mom.) Learning to use a computer is one of those things my mother has procrastinated sinc