This week, my reading life took a different turn. I found myself needing to think a bit more academically since a due date was leering that required submission of syllabi for upcoming courses. Since I was thinking about music more than I have for the past few months, it seemed appropriate to do some reading in the field. My intention was to slowly read through the music book while I focused my attention on a new novel. My interest took a different approach and I have been reading A Soprano on Her Head by Eloise Ristad monogamously this week.
I became aware of A Soprano on Her Head in graduate school in a pedagogy course devoted to group piano instruction. I have long intended to read the book, but never took the plunge. When I found a copy in a secondhand bookstore earlier this year, I purchased the book and knew that I would read it soon. I expected to find something very similar to the more familiar The Inner Game of Music. While there are certainly similarities, I find Ristad’s work much more witty and applicable as a performer and teacher. I would have liked to have read more this week, but I found myself pausing frequently as I read to consider concepts and reflect on the implications Ristad’s words could have on my own playing as well as that of my students. It has also influenced an upcoming lecture that I am preparing for piano teachers.
I am just nearing the mid-point of the book. I hope to finish my reading of A Soprano on Her Head this week before moving to a contemporary novel that should be arriving in the mail in the coming days.
Reading for Me 
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