"To stimulate creativity, one must develop the child-like inclination for play.”- Albert Einstein

As a piano teacher, I love teaching young beginning students. I love their enthusiasm, the questions they ask, their excitement over little successes, and most of all, their creativity.

Young children are naturally curious and inquisitive, with vivid imaginations. I love finding ways to bring that into our piano lessons and their practicing at home. I added a "Creativity Challenge" to the bottom of my assignment sheets a few years ago (available as a free printable here) and each week, I write a short prompt to encourage creative exploration, discovery, and music-making during the week.

A few years ago, I wrote a "Day in the Life" post. Lots of things have changed since then, so I thought it might be nice to share an updated version with y'all. Come see what a typical day in my life looks like! My desk, in a corner of our cozy living room

9:05 a.m. - I carry my coffee (half espresso, half hot chocolate) to my desk in the living room and turn on my laptop. I check my email to make sure there's nothing urgent, but I don't normally respond to things right away. I prefer to take a little time in the morning to read (articles and a few of my favorite blogs) and check in on social media and our websites. After this, I respond to a few quick emails, proof my newsletter one last time in MailChimp, and schedule it to send.

You know those ice-breaker games when someone asks you to share something unique about yourself? Something most people don't know? I can never come up with something. Last time I was asked this question, I said, "I eat my candy by color - and I always save the green ones for last." (Come on, I know I'm not the only one!) For today's post, I challenged myself to come up with a few other fun facts, and I thought it might be fun to share them with you! Here are 10 things you probably don't know about me (even if we've been friends for a while!). Enjoy!

I love working with five-year-olds. I love their creativity, their fearlessness, their willingness to try new things, their crazy imaginations, and the way they make everything silly and fun. Five just might be my favorite age.

Some suggest that thinking like a five-year-old is beneficial for creativity, leadership skills, and growing a business (source). After all, five-year-olds are about as creative as they come (try asking one to explain why the sky is blue). Next time you need a fresh spark of creativity or you want to see the world from a new perspective, channel your inner five-year-old. Here's how:

Ask questions. Have you been around a five-year-old lately? They ask lots of questions. Want to challenge the status quo? Ask more questions. Want to understand the heart behind that decision? Ask more questions. Want to create something unique and innovative? Ask more, well, you know.

Church musicians, in my opinion, have the dual role of making/teaching music and encouraging faith formation within a community. It can be challenging to negotiate these two roles, but I believe ministry is just that - balancing and negotiating, challenging and encouraging, building up and bringing together.

It's not just a job. It's something we pour our hearts into.

Today, I'm sharing a few books to add to your bookshelf (or share with a church musician you know!). Many of these are practical, encouraging reads written by church musicians, for church musicians. What could be better?

As a teacher, church musician, and self-employed business owner, I am always looking for ways to simplify my to-do list and be more productive. Who wants to spend their time doing tasks the hard way when there's a simpler, less time-consuming option? Today, I'm sharing a few of my favorite business tools for creatives to help you save time and hassle on some of those everyday work tasks.

TweetDeck

Schedule tweets in advance (including images!) and manage multiple columns - feed, notifications, Twitter chats, custom searches, etc., all from one central dashboard. TweetDeck does it all, and it's free!

ManageFlitter

Ever wonder how many people you follow on Twitter that are inactive? ManageFlitter makes it quick and easy to see who's active and who's not. ManageFlitter also has a sophisticated scheduling tool, including stats that show you the prime time to post each day.

How many times do you find yourself typing out a list of familiar email addresses so you can send a group email?

I do this all the time. Emails to my piano studio, our two bell choirs, students in my class, etc. 

Today, I'm excited to introduce you to MailChimp - an easy-to-use email marketing program that lets you design and send email newsletters.

MailChimp is a great way to organize email lists, create branded emails, and quickly and easily put together newsletters based on existing templates. With the free account you can send 12,000 emails a month to up to 2,000 subscribers. Whether you're a performer, a private teacher, a church musician, or a small business owner, MailChimp can help you send beautiful, professional (branded!) emails in no time.

Ever since we started directing handbell choirs, we've struggled to find music that is accessible and appropriate for worship for small groups of ringers. Sure, there are plenty of beginning pieces (Levels 1 and 2), but much of the literature calls for 15 or more bells (2+ octaves), which is hard to manage with a group that has as few as six players (especially if they're beginners). 

First, a quick word about collections: Over the past few years, we've come across a few collections that work great and pieces that are not only playable but also meaningful for all involved. Patricia Sanders Cota has written several arrangements for twelve bells (4-6 players), organized into various collections: 

Twelve Bells for Worship (Vol. I and II) 
Twelve Bells for Christmas (Vol. I, II, and III) 
Twelve Bells for Praise and Worship (Vol. I and II)

"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in." - Matthew 25:35

Last night, SD and I decided to walk down to our local coffee shop after dinner to get some work done (and take advantage of the "warmer" 20-something degree weather - ha).

We trudged through the snow drifts, reminiscing about the day. We were almost to the coffee shop when we saw a woman crouched down in the snow up ahead. "Did she fall?" SD asked. I made out her shadow against the snow in the light of the street lamps and we watched her try to stand, falter, and fall.

"She reads books as one would breathe air, to fill up and live." - Annie Dillard

I haven't always been a reader, but for the past few years, I've tried to be more intentional about reading for pleasure, fulfillment, inspiration, well-being, knowledge, and rest. I've read books about love and faith; balance, leadership, and goal-setting; living, giving, and relationships. Each one has taught me something new about myself, my priorities, and the person I want to become.

This year, I hope to read at least six new books, chosen from the list below. Are any of these on your list? Are there any books you'd recommend as must-reads? Follow along with my reading adventures at #ashleydanyewreads!