New Year, New Music

January is all about the new!

Fresh new energy, creating new habits, and setting new goals. I’m so excited about all the music I’ll get to create with my students, with my musician friends, and on my own in 2022. Here are some of my personal goals…

*This post contains affiliate links.

1.) Record and post more.

Sometimes I look back at my website and social media and realize that I don’t utilize it the way I want to. It always makes me so happy to post videos of my music and to watch videos from my musician friends! I’m going to do more of that this year because it makes me happy.

Here are some links to the equipment I use to record and post. I love my GoPro HERO8 with the media mod mic. I use the Amazon basics tripod and it sits beautifully above my piano. I edit and compress videos on my MacBook Pro using the Final Cut Pro software. I also use Logic Pro X on my MacBook with the Blue Yeti USB mic. Just make sure you get the USB to USBC adapter! Newer MacBooks only have USBC ports and both the GoPro and Yeti mic are USB.

2.) Listen more.

I was SO into the Beatles documentary on Disney Plus and it got me listening to all those old records again. New or old, I want to make an effort to listen to more music. I tend to listen to podcasts a lot and I forgot how good music makes me feel! Kind of a weird thing for a musician to say, right?!

3.) Get back to the basics.

I have several classical pieces, both for voice and piano that I kind of know but not really. I also have some flat picking fiddle tunes I like to play on my guitar that could use a little love. I’m feeling inspired to get them polished up and ready to perform.

Here are some links to the books I’m using right now. Give them a shot!

Product Cover look inside Library of Piano Classics Piano Solo. Composed by Various. Music Sales America. Classical. Softcover. 352 pages. Music Sales #AM66895. Published by Music Sales (HL.14019046).
Product Cover look inside Fiddle Tunes for Flatpickers - Guitar Composed by Bob Grant. Music Sales America. Bluegrass, Flatpicking, Instruction. Softcover Audio Online. 40 pages. Oak Publications #OK65142. Published by Oak Publications (HL.14011275).
Product Cover look inside Scales and Finger Exercises Schirmer Library of Classic Volume 2107. Composed by Various. Piano Collection. Classical. Softcover. 64 pages. G. Schirmer #LB2107. Published by G. Schirmer (HL.50499878).
Product Cover look inside Easy Piano Classics Edited by James Bastien. Solo collection. Bastien's Older Beginner Piano Library. Baroque, Classical Period and 20th Century. Collection. With standard notation, fingerings, introductory text and black & white photos (does not include words to the songs). 159 pages. Neil A. Kjos Music Company #WP42. Published by Neil A. Kjos Music Company (KJ.WP42).

Whatever your goals are, remember that inspiration is more powerful and pleasurable than motivation. There’s nothing serious going on here, we’re just making music. Listen to your intuition and move towards the music that feels right. You’ll have so much more fun along the way!




What are your 2022 goals?

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Anna Castro