Sarah, Ben, and Jon

I'm having the time of my life right now playing music. No, I don't have any shows lined up yet and I haven't lead worship for a good number of weeks. I've just been amping up the practice time.

In January, I started making late night visits to the WWU practice rooms (midnight or later). Back then, my day started late and ended even later. I'd throw in couple of hours a week, trying to be as consistent as I could. Some nights I was so tired that I played half-asleep, eyes closed, wanting nothing more than slumber. That seems so long ago now. I was just beginning to write, which is one of those things that I've always wanted to do, but never sure I had talent for it. I'm definitely developing this skill.

Over the last six weeks, I've added more time by playing the grand at my church. My practice time is going up too. Last week I rocked out for 10 hours, which is a breakthrough in my concentration level. I've not practiced this much since my days playing classical at Skagit Valley College. I'm seeing results; my strength, endurance, and dexterity is improving by leaps and bounds. I'm writing more difficult material, incorporating more octaves and runs, developing my own style, learning challenging scales, and soloing better. It feels so good!

My listening is becoming an integral part of practicing too. I listen to Sarah Bareilles, Jon Mclaughlin, Ben Folds, The Hush Sound, Francesca Battestelli, Holly Conlan, and a couple of others. These are the artists that I really love. They're (for the most part) all piano driven. I can imitate all of them very closely, but I'm developing my own unique style, hoping to stand apart. I'm so excited for my first show and the opportunity to share my love for music with friends. Let me know if you wanna come and I'll tell you when the date is!