Practicing, Thinking, and Unwinding (May 6, 2025)

Today I did a final check on all of the pieces I will be playing for the concert Friday on Mr. Cosmo’s piano.  I found that I was so engrossed in playing that I honestly don’t remember much about the practice session at all.  It seems to me that I play better at these times, as opposed to when I am trying to study every note and to thinking about everything I am doing. It feels a little frustrating not to remember, so I wrote to Mr. Alexander to see if he could give me an answer as to why this happens, and I will wait to hear what he says.

There have also been times in a performance when the music made people in the audience react very strongly to what I was playing even though I don’t remember what I did. For example, I have been playing and people were actually crying when I finished. Another time there was a man who was very feeble, and could barely walk, but he stood up to applaud after my performance.

This is something about my study and personality I want to explore, so I will be writing more posts about it later.

I’m convinced that one of the best ways for me to unwind, especially after a practice session like the one I had today, is to go shopping.  There is an outlet for Saks Fifth Avene on 57th Street called Saks Off Fifth, so I went there on my way home.  I didn’t buy anything, but when I came out there was a thick fog all over Manhattan that made it seem even more mystical and wonderful than it usually is for me. New York is truly a magical city!