June 2025
It was Wednesday, 5:05 p.m.
I propped up the lid of the old 1927 Steinway in the school theater and turned to face a small group of 3rd graders, sitting in the red cloth chairs, munching on pretzel sticks, piano books resting on their laps.
It was our final studio class of the year—the one where we practice performing our recital pieces.
“Before we play today, I want to talk about three things that every musical performance needs,” I said. Hands shot up in the air without hesitation.
“I know, I know,” one student said. “You need an audience.”
“Yes, that’s true,” I said, “But I’m thinking more about things you can bring to the performance.”
“I know!” Another student said. “You need clothes.” Everyone laughed.
“Well, yes—I hope you have clothes! But let’s talk about what the music needs.”
We discussed three elements of an artistic performance—dynamics, balance, and breath. Marvin Blickenstaff outlines these in his book, Inspired Piano Teaching.
The students flipped through their music looking for dynamic markings and places where the music breathes (rests, at the ends of phrases, between repeated notes). We talked about balance and listening for a singing tone in the melody.
They took turns playing for each other while their peers listened intently for these three elements, holding up 1, 2, or 3 fingers at the end to indicate what they heard. Then, we discussed this together (I talk more about this in Ep. 084—new this week!).
I’ve been thinking about this ever since—how these three components of an artistic performance show up in life, too. How can we pay closer attention and shape them into what we want them to be?
No. 1 - Dynamics
I remember a teacher once saying that no two notes should ever be played the same way. It’s either leading to something or away from something. This is what moves the sound forward.
The same is true in life, isn’t it? No two days, lessons, rehearsals, or classes are ever exactly the same. On a larger scale, the work we’re doing today is often a reflection of the season we’re in.
Are you building up to something—a concert, a deadline, a new job? Or are you in a season of rest and recovery, coming back down after a big event or managing the end of the school year? The context matters.
➡️ Dynamics mean more than loud and quiet. How are you shaping your days?
No. 2 - Balance
Many experts have argued about what work-life balance really looks like (or if it even exists). We tend to think of balance as equal: both sides in check, one not greater than the other. But in music, balance often means unequal. It means finding and highlighting the melody and listening for a supportive accompaniment that doesn’t compete.
It’s not two sides, it’s two layers. And there’s a hierarchy.
In my studio recently, I’ve been talking about playing the accompaniment with a “quiet hand.” With one of my late intermediate students, we’ve talked about weighting the hand to one side to project the melody and even leaning the upper body toward the right to adjust balance.
One line is more important than the other. It would be unmusical to play them equally.
This can be true in work and life, as well. Something takes priority. Something is non-negotiable. Something is most important, and everything else works to support that.
➡️ Balance doesn’t always mean equal, but it does mean intentional. What does this look like for you these days?
No. 3 - Breath
In, out. Rise, fall.
Breath sustains our bodies, our voices. It calms us, it connects us. It makes us come alive. And it’s the same in music. Breath is what makes music a living, breathing thing—made in the moment.
A lift in between phrases. The space in between repeated notes. A moment of pause. Silence.
There’s a well-known quote attributed to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart or Claude Debussy (sources are unclear): “The music is not in the notes, but in the silence between them.”
It’s true in many art forms. We need:
Negative space to create depth and highlight areas of interest
White space to increase readability and reduce fatigue
Open space to create contrast with the architectural structure
➡️ Space is essential to the final output. How are you building this into your creative work this summer?
“Accuracy is not artistry.”
“An artist, young or old, examines the score carefully to discover the feeling behind the notes, to find the contrasts between sections, and to identify with the emotion that the composer has invested in the music.”
- Marvin Blickenstaff, Inspired Piano Teaching
The last thing I said to my students that day was, “Think the sound before you begin. Imagine yourself playing the first phrase—the dynamics, the balance, the breath. Then, play it out loud.”
The same is true in life. Imagine what this looks like for you:
Dynamics - Deciding when to lean in and move toward something and when to pull back
Balance - Choosing what to focus on and what stays in the background
Breath - Giving yourself time and space for rest, reflection, and preparing for what’s next
Then, play it out loud.
