Fine Tuned with Sigrun

01/14/2025

I was a freshman in college, and visiting my friend. He had a friend there from high school who was a conservatory student 2 years ahead of us. We played piano duets for a while. He put his hand on my knee and said he was impressed with my sight reading. Nobody had ever cared about my sight reading before, and the next year we started dating. I had so much fun playing piano duets with my friends in undergrad in practice rooms.

I make all the kids do duets every year. They started their 3 weeks of practicing together today. I'm truly relaxed and happy these 3 weeks in a way I'm not the rest of the year. I love duets. The kids have fun too. They always ask when we are doing it again. I always say 'next year'.

If you are struggling to help your child learn their notes, here's my current system for teaching clefs and note recall.

Two strategies for teaching note reading: a way to concept a clef, and a way to pin rote note learning to something every child knows better than their own n...

11/24/2024

Students leaving notes to each other asynchronously in the Hobbit Room. I would I could be a lamp..

11/08/2024

The Red Shoes: the most beautiful posture I have seen in a movie actress or actor ever. Moira Shearer.

10/12/2024

Join Dr. Vera Baziuk and I for a Gokhale Method posture retreat at the stunning Prana Del Mar retreat center in Baja California Sur! Details in the link! Limit 16.

Sigrun & Dr. Vera teach the Gokhale Method in Mexico. Luxury accommodations, delicious meals, beach, pool, hot tub, and spa!

10/10/2024

Student: I did that ok. huh. Are you surprised?
Me: No. You are resourceful.
Student: You haven't considered whether I'm a god.
Me: That's right, I haven't.
Student: I am the god of doing things at the last minute. I learned 124 Shakespeare lines in a month.
Me: That is a very specific thing to be a god of. Like the Greek gods.
Student: I am an atheist now. But I used to believe in the Greek gods.
Me: You did?
Student: yes. I went through a phase. I thought, there must be something else out there. The Greek gods made sense. I believed in them.
Me: Wow. That is amazing.
Student: Yeah. But I'm an atheist now.
Me: I have never even considered believing in the Greek gods but it sounds way more fun.

10/04/2024

New website! finetunedwithsigrun.com

09/21/2024

Walking!

I am using glutes to control my landing, maintain a 'J spine' (slightly anteverted pelvis = angle at L5S1, where the disc is biologically shaped like a wedge), and propel myself self forward.

1. Front bent knee
2. Back heel down for most of the step
3. Back leg straight but not locked
4. Back leg glute firing for stability and propulsion

Torso stays in line with back leg.

Walking backwards you can really see how I am able to settle into my hip safely.

Check :09-my right glute doesn't fire and I fall into the next landing as a result! Also I think my ribcage is popped a bit while going backwards, especially at the end.

09/18/2024

'I'm not great at happiness, but I'm quite good at relief' -Bill Nighy

09/07/2024

Week 1 back to the piano year almost done. This year in the Holy Binder I put the student edition of my mentor Mary Moran's Taubman Approach technique book, staff paper, and Create First, the wonderful improvisation series for children by Forrest Kinney.

This year I have a record sheet for note recognition timed tests, sticker chart for dropping on each finger in each hand and in/out patterns, and the homework sheet is better designed for clarity and ease of practice.

Next hurdle is finishing the duet schedule and having all the teams pick out their duet or trio!

It didn't take long for binders to feel indispensable.

08/29/2024

Secret Room! Just need a piece of trim on the ceiling in the back, and to replace sliding doors to separate actual coat closet from SR. :)

08/14/2024

Secret room: 3 levels to climb on, shelf for art supplies and books/games, next up cedar boards back and trim.