Lessons from the Slopes

Ashley Danyew | Ski Day

I checked off one of my March goals last week—we went skiing! And can I just say, it felt so good to spend the day outside after a long, very cold winter. Mind you, it was still in the 40s, but with the sun shining, we got a glimpse of the warmer days ahead. I felt more refreshed just breathing in that cool mountain air.

Ashley Danyew | Ski Day

Every time I ski, I discover a few more "life lessons". I hope these are as enlightening to you as they were for me:

1. The conditions are always changing. In this spring weather, you may find groomed snow, slick icy patches, and soft snow that grab your skis—all on the same trail. The conditions are always changing, so be prepared, responsive, and flexible.

2. You can't follow in someone else's tracks; you have to make your own. The trails show traces of those who have traveled this way before but it's impossible to make it down the mountain using the same set of tracks. Make your own decisions, use your own creativity, and make your own way.

Ashley Danyew | Ski Day

3. It's okay to fall. It's how you get back up that matters.

4. Face your fears; take the leap. You may not be able to see the end of the path, but that shouldn't keep you from exploring it. Face your fears; take a risk; try.

Ashley Danyew | Ski Day

5. Sometimes it's good to be still. SD and I had some great conversations on this chair lift—the real, honest kind of conversations that I'd been missing in the midst of a few chaotic months. My heart needed this time to be free, to be brought to a place of humility and honesty, and to find peace.

Ashley Danyew | Ski Day

6. It's better with people. It's true in skiing and it's true in life. Surround yourself with people who lift you up and challenge you to be better.

7. Enjoy the ride. Sure, there's risk involved and it might be a lot of work sometimes, but enjoy the ride. The joy is in the journey.

Read more: Snow Day

Perspectives Publication

Hi friends!

I am thrilled to announce that my article "Developing Creative Concert Experiences for Young Children in a Community Setting" has been published! This was a really big goal of mine last year and I am honored and humbled to see it come to life.

See a sneak peek of my article below:

If you're a member of the Early Childhood Music & Movement Association, you can read the latest issue of Perspectives (Vol. 9, Issue 1) and my full article on their website. Thanks so much to everyone at ECMMA/Perspectives for this opportunity!

March Goals

*Disclosure: I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

“Hope is the thing with feathers, that perches in the soul, and sings the tune without the words, and never stops at all.”

— Emily Dickinson

In a number of ways, March is a fresh start for me. Winter is fading and I am reminded again and again of God's faithfulness to us when I think about the promise of Spring. "This I call to mind and therefore, I have hope..." (Lamentations 3:21).

March Goals

Schedule 60 minutes of intentional exercise per week*
Go skiing with SD*
Give an oral defense of my paper (part of my PhD Qualifying Exam)
Write the third "Taxes for Freelancers" post (read Part I and Part II)
Start the Piano Olympics Festival(!) and find ways to document assessment
Write a note of encouragement to a friend
Send a "just because" gift to a friend
Continue reading Margin (I got a head start last month, as you can see!)
Work on Email Newsletter for April (sign up here!)

*carryover from last month

What are your goals for March? I'd love to hear them!

Taxes for Freelancers - Part II

Welcome back! 

As I mentioned in my last post, SD and I are by no means tax experts, but we've learned a thing or two about filing taxes as freelancers that I thought might be worth sharing. 

This series does not replace talking to a professional - if you're brand new to this, I highly recommend that as your first step! - but it's my hope that these resources and suggestions can serve as a broad introduction to doing your own taxes and keeping good records throughout the year.

Taxes are complicated and they can take up a lot of time, if you're doing things yourself. 

Want to know our secret for staying sane? We start the process in January. 

We work on some of the tasks below on our own and then sit down a few times over the course of February/March to go through the software together (by the way, we use H&R Block).

Here are a few things you can do to get a head start on your taxes:

1. Gather year-end statements and tax documents. 

Some of these come in the mail, others are all online.  Take a few minutes to save PDF versions to a folder on your computer and/or gather all hard copy statements into one place.  Here's a starting list:

• State tax refund(s) from last year

• W-2(s)

• 1099(s) (contracting work, interest, dividends/capital gains)

• 1098-t (if you're a student)

• Student loan statements (you can deduct any interest you paid last year)

• Your self-employment income from last year

• IRA/Roth IRA investment totals

• Health insurance premiums (deductible if you're self-employed)

2. Pull receipts and expense records and calculate totals. 

That professional conference you attended last summer?  Deductible.  That lunch you had with someone you mentor (professionally)?  Deductible.  I sort all of my business-related receipts in an accordion folder during the year; in January, I spend some time calculating totals.  Here are a few categories to help get you started:

• Business Travel (air travel, rental car, tolls, hotel, internet charges when traveling)

• Business Meals (usually, you can write off 50% of this total)

• Business-Related Purchases (books, music scores, equipment)

• Business Expenses (website hosting, office supplies, conference registration, dues)

3. Add up miles driven for business. 

Driving to and from a gig?  Keep track of your mileage!  Any time you drive to "work" (a place that doesn't send you a W-2), you can deduct that mileage using the federal mileage rate. 

It's best if you can keep something in your car that will prompt you to write down starting and ending mileage for each trip, but if that doesn't work for you, keep track of the dates and destinations and calculate the mileage later.  Also, figure out the total number of miles you drove last year (they'll ask for this number, too).

4. Make a list of any charitable donations. 

Whether you donate a bag of clothes to Salvation Army or make an annual donation to your Alma Mater, you can report all charitable giving on your taxes.

5. If you paid estimated tax last year, look up these payment amounts (federal and state). 

If you make more than a few hundred dollars a year in your freelance work, it's a good idea to make estimated tax payments (federal and state) each quarter (April 15, June 15, September 15, and January 15), since no one is withholding money from your paycheck.  You can do this online pretty easily. 

A good rule of thumb is to pay 5% of your quarterly earnings to your state and 20% to federal. 

When you file your taxes, they'll ask how much you paid each quarter, so have these amounts ready.  If you underpaid during the year, you have to pay a fine; if you overpaid during the year, you get a refund (yay!).

Hope this little glimpse into our process is helpful!  More ideas, strategies, and helpful hints coming soon in Part III!

Previously:
Taxes for Freelancers - Part I

Winter Newsletter

It's been a busy first month of 2014, but it's already full of so many good things.  I am excited for the year ahead!  If you're on my email list, you'll be getting a fun email from me later today, but in the meantime, here are a few highlights:

I am presenting a session called, "Meet the Community: Presenting Music in Meaningful Ways" at the College Music Society Southern/Mid-Atlantic Joint Regional conference in Knoxville, TN later this week (I know, I know - right in the middle of Winter Storm Pax!). I've already had one flight cancelled and re-booked - hoping that's the extent of the travel adventure! Anyway, Southern friends, let me know if you'll be there!

I will be teaching a similar workshop at Music and Worship Arts Week at Lake Junaluska (NC) in June and am looking forward to doing some accompanying, as well!  Read more about Music and Worship Arts Week here and here.

I am thrilled to announce that my article, "Developing Creative Concert Experiences for Young Children in a Community Setting" is in press with Perspectives, the journal of theEarly Childhood Music and Movement Association!

I know I posted about this last Fall, but for those of you who may have missed it: I was honored to have my writing featured on the Clavier Companion website!  Read my essay, "Exploring Ideas for Effective Teaching" here.

Most of you probably know by now that SD and I started a handbell choir in November.  I'm pleased to say that we've been invited to continue our work with the bells this Spring!  Read more about our Fall adventures here, here, and here.

Wishing you a wonderful winter and a glorious spring!

February Goals

Happy February!

I don't know about y'all, but January was a l-o-n-g month. Though a little busy at times, it was full of some really good things - I met a few really big goals, pressed "send" on a big fear, and challenged myself to step out of my comfort zone a few times. However, I had multiple projects on my plate all the time and between the early working mornings and late working nights, I got a little burnt out. This is my final semester of PhD coursework (hooray!) and I want to enjoy it instead of letting it consume me. This month, I want to set better boundaries. I want to be better at separating work from my personal life. I want to take more deep breaths. Here's to a great month!

FEBRUARY GOALS

Present my first workshop in Knoxville! Set more work boundaries Plan the first-ever "Piano Olympics" for my studio! Begin planning year-end recital (book venue, communicate with parents) Start organizing tax materials and write the next "Taxes for Freelancers" post Plan studio goals for March Schedule 60 minutes of intentional exercise per week Volunteer with RAIHN (a hospitality organization for homeless families) Start a new 7-week handbell choir session Go skiing with SD

What are your February goals?

Taxes for Freelancers - Part I

I'm excited to share this post with you today, the first in a mini series on taxes for freelancers.

I know, taxes are super fun and exciting, but as a freelancer, it's part of managing your own small business.

SD and I have been doing our own taxes for more than five years now, and, while we don't consider ourselves experts by any means, there are a few things we've learned along the way. I'll be sharing a little bit of our process in upcoming posts.

To get us started, I pulled together five helpful resources on where to begin and getting organized (always a good refresher, even if you've been doing your own taxes for a few years now!):

1. How to Do Your Taxes if You're a Freelancer
2. Tax Filing Tips for Freelancers and Bloggers
3. Tax Tips for Self-Employed Professionals, Freelancers and Contractors
4. Freelance Taxes #1: The Basics of Getting Started and Preparing Your Taxes
5. Tax Advice for Freelancers in 2014

Do you do your own taxes? What are some of the things you've learned as a freelancer?

Piano Assignment Sheets

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*Disclosure: I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

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I started using weekly assignment sheets in my studio last year.

I know from experience that written assignment sheets do not work for every student, but for most of my current students, they make a big difference in organizing home practice and keeping open communication with parents.

Keeping a written record of projects, goals, and repertoire keeps all of us on the same page, even though we're only together for 30 minutes a week.

I thought it might be helpful to those of you considering using assignment sheets in your studio to have a roundup of some of the templates out there. For me, some of the key features of a weekly assignment sheet are:

• name and date (a way to personalize them for each student)

• blocks for warm-ups or technic, a few repertoire pieces, and musicianship activities

• a way to track practice time during the week

PianoPedagogy.org has a great post on using assignment sheets with several templates. In addition, Faber & Faber and Alfred have assignment books (I'm sure others do, as well). Some of these models include staff lines (for composition starters or warm-ups), the circle of fifths, keyboard legends (great for marking hand positions), and space to write messages to parents (and for parents to write messages to you!).

I used many of these models as inspiration for creating my own Studio Assignment Sheet last year. This is what I use with my students on a weekly basis.

Enjoy!

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Practice, practice, practice.

Free Resource

A printable assignment sheet for beginning and elementary-age students. Includes: practice log, technic, new and review pieces, musicianship (rhythmic review, aural skills, theory, sight reading, etc.), and creativity (e.g. make a piece that is ___ measures long and uses ___)

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