15 Feb, 2010:  Why I practice: "This kind of fine-toothed comb practising, however, is by no means simply a matter of muscle building…such repetitious treatment of short portions of repertoire also have a character of musical contemplation: an apt comparison would be a long, attentive gaze concentrating on a small detail of a masterful painting. A pianist…is indeed training and developing muscular strength and coordination in this kind of rehearsing, but there is inevitably an important element of musical contemplation involved in this activity. For a pianist to train the fingers to a mastery...is not only to discipline the muscles of the hand in a highly specific function, it is also to engage the pianist's body physically in a masterwork by a great composer. Such practising is a sensual kind of contemplation, a meditative muscle training."

— Henry Kingsbury
Music, Talent, & Performance: A Conservatory Cultural System

1 Apr, 2009:  Hey look! It's a new site design. After seven years of broken JavaScript and lame CSS attempts, we finally have a solution that Safari users can visit. The goal of the new design is to be cleaner, easier to navigate, less sarcastic, and more perfeshunal in general — which will probably last six months.