Elegy for a metronome, Hisaishi at the orchestra, and the joy of jumps
My metronome died last week. Or maybe it was the week before, I don’t know. (Cue the worried texts from my friends going “Sharon are you trying to be...
Some things I know
Meditations on misery and art
It's hard when things aren't hard
Or, why I'm now just confused all the time
See you next week!
Hi! Just a quick note to say there wasn't a newsletter last week and there won't be (a full) one this week because I'm in the middle of moving. (I...
On starting something too late
I'm the adult idiot at the stables and it's amazing
On answering the "What do you do?" question (and failing)
Or, why I just don't tell people what I do anymore
On time-release lessons and scenes that make me cry
This post uses embedded audio/video which doesn’t work in email, so I recommend clicking through to viewing this in your browser for the optimized newsletter...
On the cost of time
I’ve been getting back into structured, routine practicing after about a month (okay, more like a month and a half) of self-assigned No Practicing For Your...
On playing the piano and driving fast cars, and more SF Symphony mess
Without meaning to I basically went on a little hiatus from writing for the past couple of weeks; there were a couple of times I sat down and typed out a...
On fuss and awkward feelings
Last week I was back in the studio to record Chopin’s Ballade No. 1 and Florence Price’s Fantasie Nègre No. 1—the piece that turned into its own story before...
On things you only experience performing and SF Symphony drama
I’ve been performing long enough that I’ve started recognizing certain repeat sensations that only happen when I’m performing for an audience (aka these are...
On introducing yourself to other musicians
Short-ish newsletter today—I’m currently scrambling to get a bunch of stuff done before I leave town. I’ll be playing a private house concert this Saturday...
On ruining perfectly good love and doing the reading
If you love and cherish a piece of music, learning to play it is a surefire way to ruin it all. This is a lesson I keep learning, forgetting, and learning...
My public radio debut, ease, and the melodic minor challenge
Some little press updates! The story that This American Life started and then scrapped has been resuscitated in shorter, cuter form; on Tuesday evening it...
On new experiences in the concert hall, music director drama, and genres
Something happens to your brain when you move to LA—a switch is flipped, neural pathways are rewired, a previously unknown section of your amygdala is...
UPDATED: This American Life (again) and what the LA Phil gets right
UPDATE: I have just been told that right before airtime, my segment was cut for time, so the first half of today's post is now fake news out of date. I was...
On disappointment and photoshoots
When I shared with a friend my utter bewilderment that This American Life has a much bigger audience than I anticipated, she texted, patiently and with...
I won a prize and have thoughts on opportunities, bios, and writing
Some news: I have won a prize! View this post on Instagram A post shared by Turn The Spotlight (@turnspotlight) I feel like a proud, fluffy little sheep at a...
Life is edits and my latest article is live!
Today's post is short and sweet because I am in the middle of a bunch of Busy Life Things right now so I have maybe 15 minutes of downtime to provide a quick...
Return of the stress dream (First Ballade blues)
Two weeks ago my tidily ambitious plan to tackle several ongoing projects was thrown into disarray when I got a call from This American Life asking me if I...
At the Other Keyboard has a new home!
As per my last post, I've moved my newsletter, "At the Other Keyboard," from Substack to Buttondown. If you're getting this email in your inbox, there's...
Career advice, my worst audition, and leaving Substack
Sharon's Weekly Head Dump
On talking into microphones and being perceived
Sharon's Weekly Head Dump
Panic practicing
Dispatches from the Imperfection Lab
All my (stress) dreams are coming true
Sharon's Weekly Head Dump
I met a five-year-old with the most exquisite taste
Sharon's Weekly Head Dump
The consequences of pitching and the pantheon of musical breakdowns
Sharon's Weekly Head Dump
How falling in love led to the worst arts and crafts project
Sharon's Weekly Head Dump
Florence Price sneak peek
Dispatches from the Imperfection Lab
Stop posting that Leonard Bernstein quote
Sharon's Weekly Head Dump
On listening to myself, and the Geographical Fugue
Sharon's Weekly Head Dump
August and September musings
Sharon's Monthly Roundup
Talent isn't special
Sharon's Weekly Head Dump
More recording thoughts
Sharon's Weekly Head Dump
On love, death, and Joe Hisaishi (also the habanera)
Sharon's Weekly Head Dump
Very specific problems and solutions
Sharon's Weekly Head Dump
The small practicing creature, Libertango, and sexiness fails
Sharon's Weekly Head Dump
All of the dream, how does it mean
Sharon's Weekly Head Dump
June and July adventures (plus concerto footage!)
Sharon's Monthly Roundup
From Beethovenian assholery to Romeo and Juliet basicness
Sharon's Weekly Head Dump
John Williams, summer vibes, and gluttony
Sharon's Weekly Head Dump
Food, reading, and music (what else do you need)
Sharon's Weekly Head Dump
Boston trip recap and concerto performance clips
Sharon's Weekly Head Dump
The secret recording of the full concerto
Dispatches from the Imperfection Lab
Stop! Cadenza time
Dispatches from the Imperfection Lab
The countdown begins (and a gear epiphany)
Sharon's Weekly Head Dump
April and May shenanigans
Sharon's Monthly Roundup
Concerto thoughts, performance prep, and Romanticism
Sharon's Weekly Head Dump
Classical music marketing and hell (not related)
Sharon's Weekly Head Dump
Take 1
Dispatches from the Imperfection Lab