Erica Sipes
@ericaannsipes.com
A musician with an addiction to helping people practice and enjoy music-making.
Co-founder of the Alma Ensemble and the Piano Music She Wrote project.
https://linktr.ee/ericaannsipes
https://www.ericaannsipes.com/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcH8S2V
Co-founder of the Alma Ensemble and the Piano Music She Wrote project.
https://linktr.ee/ericaannsipes
https://www.ericaannsipes.com/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcH8S2V
I'd love to perform my "Let them Soar!" program more featuring piano music by Marianna Martines, Anna von Schaden, Florence Price, Margaret Bonds, Mel Bonis, Lili Boulanger, Germaine Tailleferre, & Madeleine Dring.
Contact me if you're interested!
www.ericaannsipes.com/projects
Contact me if you're interested!
www.ericaannsipes.com/projects
November 17, 2025 at 5:28 PM
I'd love to perform my "Let them Soar!" program more featuring piano music by Marianna Martines, Anna von Schaden, Florence Price, Margaret Bonds, Mel Bonis, Lili Boulanger, Germaine Tailleferre, & Madeleine Dring.
Contact me if you're interested!
www.ericaannsipes.com/projects
Contact me if you're interested!
www.ericaannsipes.com/projects
Presto! I just finished writing my first cadenza ever. Phew! Kind of maddening, overwhelming, challenging, and fun all rolled into one. 🎉
November 8, 2025 at 11:33 PM
Presto! I just finished writing my first cadenza ever. Phew! Kind of maddening, overwhelming, challenging, and fun all rolled into one. 🎉
After much contemplation and 5 years of streaming, I'm going to stream my last episode of Sightreading Maverick this Sunday, November 2nd, at 1pm ET.
Thanks to all my regular viewers and composers who have asked me to play your pieces.
Hope to see some of you there on Sunday to celebrate!
Thanks to all my regular viewers and composers who have asked me to play your pieces.
Hope to see some of you there on Sunday to celebrate!
October 31, 2025 at 10:23 PM
After much contemplation and 5 years of streaming, I'm going to stream my last episode of Sightreading Maverick this Sunday, November 2nd, at 1pm ET.
Thanks to all my regular viewers and composers who have asked me to play your pieces.
Hope to see some of you there on Sunday to celebrate!
Thanks to all my regular viewers and composers who have asked me to play your pieces.
Hope to see some of you there on Sunday to celebrate!
Switching from using willpower to being stubborn can be helpful in the practice room and beyond.
Willpower opens the door to blaming oneself for not progressing. Stubbornness can shift the focus on the problem itself with you having the power to overcome it.
Willpower opens the door to blaming oneself for not progressing. Stubbornness can shift the focus on the problem itself with you having the power to overcome it.
October 30, 2025 at 1:57 PM
Switching from using willpower to being stubborn can be helpful in the practice room and beyond.
Willpower opens the door to blaming oneself for not progressing. Stubbornness can shift the focus on the problem itself with you having the power to overcome it.
Willpower opens the door to blaming oneself for not progressing. Stubbornness can shift the focus on the problem itself with you having the power to overcome it.
A custodian at the university where I work moved away this week. I missed saying goodbye to him but found this note on my desk. Meant the world to me to receive this.
Never question whether you should take a moment to leave words like this to someone. ❤️
Never question whether you should take a moment to leave words like this to someone. ❤️
October 24, 2025 at 1:09 PM
A custodian at the university where I work moved away this week. I missed saying goodbye to him but found this note on my desk. Meant the world to me to receive this.
Never question whether you should take a moment to leave words like this to someone. ❤️
Never question whether you should take a moment to leave words like this to someone. ❤️
The more we can see mistakes as stepping stones to solving problems and getting us to a better place, the easier we'll be on ourselves.
October 15, 2025 at 4:22 PM
The more we can see mistakes as stepping stones to solving problems and getting us to a better place, the easier we'll be on ourselves.
Starts in 1 minute! Join me LIVE or watch anytime after I've streamed.
October 12, 2025 at 4:59 PM
Starts in 1 minute! Join me LIVE or watch anytime after I've streamed.
Sightreading Maverick show is ON for tomorrow afternoon...same place...same time!
And as always you can watch anytime after the show has streamed live.
www.youtube.com/live/jXWiVbj...
And as always you can watch anytime after the show has streamed live.
www.youtube.com/live/jXWiVbj...
October 11, 2025 at 9:20 PM
Sightreading Maverick show is ON for tomorrow afternoon...same place...same time!
And as always you can watch anytime after the show has streamed live.
www.youtube.com/live/jXWiVbj...
And as always you can watch anytime after the show has streamed live.
www.youtube.com/live/jXWiVbj...
On today's sightreading show will be works by Henri-Joseph Rigel, Richard Langellotti, Lodewijk Mortelmans, and Daniel Steibelt.
Join me on my YouTube channel at 1pm ET or watch anytime afterwards.
Join me on my YouTube channel at 1pm ET or watch anytime afterwards.
October 5, 2025 at 2:54 PM
On today's sightreading show will be works by Henri-Joseph Rigel, Richard Langellotti, Lodewijk Mortelmans, and Daniel Steibelt.
Join me on my YouTube channel at 1pm ET or watch anytime afterwards.
Join me on my YouTube channel at 1pm ET or watch anytime afterwards.
My sightreading show is on for tomorrow! Same time, same place! Not sure what will be on it yet so it'll be a surprise for us all.
Makes sense. It is sightreading after all!
Makes sense. It is sightreading after all!
October 4, 2025 at 6:38 PM
My sightreading show is on for tomorrow! Same time, same place! Not sure what will be on it yet so it'll be a surprise for us all.
Makes sense. It is sightreading after all!
Makes sense. It is sightreading after all!
For what it’s worth, I find this way to notate a key change frustrating. Especially when I’m sight reading, which I do a lot to make a living, it takes too much energy to time to discern if the black is a natural, sharp, or flat.
October 2, 2025 at 1:38 PM
For what it’s worth, I find this way to notate a key change frustrating. Especially when I’m sight reading, which I do a lot to make a living, it takes too much energy to time to discern if the black is a natural, sharp, or flat.
So thankful for the beauty of where we live. ❤️
September 5, 2025 at 11:19 PM
So thankful for the beauty of where we live. ❤️
Join my tomorrow at 1pm ET to discover some music that's definitely new to me! Always fun to sightread in a livestream. 😱 But why not? It's a new sort of fun.
August 30, 2025 at 2:11 PM
Join my tomorrow at 1pm ET to discover some music that's definitely new to me! Always fun to sightread in a livestream. 😱 But why not? It's a new sort of fun.
You might be surprised by how often this is happens!
August 25, 2025 at 6:29 PM
You might be surprised by how often this is happens!
Tomorrow's sightreading show is on for the normal time!
Join me as I sightread piano music for an hour & enjoy some interesting music, listen to me blab on about my tips & strategies, & give your own 2 cents on what you like and don't like!
youtube.com/live/GQSILrQ...
Join me as I sightread piano music for an hour & enjoy some interesting music, listen to me blab on about my tips & strategies, & give your own 2 cents on what you like and don't like!
youtube.com/live/GQSILrQ...
August 24, 2025 at 1:03 AM
Tomorrow's sightreading show is on for the normal time!
Join me as I sightread piano music for an hour & enjoy some interesting music, listen to me blab on about my tips & strategies, & give your own 2 cents on what you like and don't like!
youtube.com/live/GQSILrQ...
Join me as I sightread piano music for an hour & enjoy some interesting music, listen to me blab on about my tips & strategies, & give your own 2 cents on what you like and don't like!
youtube.com/live/GQSILrQ...
Show starts in 30 minutes! Here's what's on the docket...music by Nicolas Séjan, Anatoly Lyadov, Clara Faisst, Geroges Onslow and Adolf Jensen.
August 17, 2025 at 4:27 PM
Show starts in 30 minutes! Here's what's on the docket...music by Nicolas Séjan, Anatoly Lyadov, Clara Faisst, Geroges Onslow and Adolf Jensen.
This sometimes is a very subtle issue but it's important to get good at identifying, especially in later stages of working on a piece.
🧵
🧵
August 12, 2025 at 2:44 PM
This sometimes is a very subtle issue but it's important to get good at identifying, especially in later stages of working on a piece.
🧵
🧵
Show starts in 30 minutes! For some reason today's episode ended up being full of finger twisting challenges it seems so we'll see what happens! I can assure you not all notes will be played. 😬
youtube.com/live/urbMbXd...
youtube.com/live/urbMbXd...
August 10, 2025 at 4:26 PM
Show starts in 30 minutes! For some reason today's episode ended up being full of finger twisting challenges it seems so we'll see what happens! I can assure you not all notes will be played. 😬
youtube.com/live/urbMbXd...
youtube.com/live/urbMbXd...
Some of the most important points I like to get across to musicians wanting to improve their practicing are:
* effective practicing involves your brain every step of the way - it's not just about repetitions
* there are usually several ways to approach anything in the practice room
1/2 posts
* effective practicing involves your brain every step of the way - it's not just about repetitions
* there are usually several ways to approach anything in the practice room
1/2 posts
August 5, 2025 at 12:55 PM
Some of the most important points I like to get across to musicians wanting to improve their practicing are:
* effective practicing involves your brain every step of the way - it's not just about repetitions
* there are usually several ways to approach anything in the practice room
1/2 posts
* effective practicing involves your brain every step of the way - it's not just about repetitions
* there are usually several ways to approach anything in the practice room
1/2 posts
Tomorrow's sightreading show is on!
I'll be reading music by D. Yzelen, Julius Röntgen (one of my new favorite composers!), his wife, Amanda Röntgen-Meier, Manuel de Falla, and good ol' J.S. Bach.
Join me and people around the world as I live life on the edge for an hour and have fun doing it!
I'll be reading music by D. Yzelen, Julius Röntgen (one of my new favorite composers!), his wife, Amanda Röntgen-Meier, Manuel de Falla, and good ol' J.S. Bach.
Join me and people around the world as I live life on the edge for an hour and have fun doing it!
August 2, 2025 at 12:56 PM
Tomorrow's sightreading show is on!
I'll be reading music by D. Yzelen, Julius Röntgen (one of my new favorite composers!), his wife, Amanda Röntgen-Meier, Manuel de Falla, and good ol' J.S. Bach.
Join me and people around the world as I live life on the edge for an hour and have fun doing it!
I'll be reading music by D. Yzelen, Julius Röntgen (one of my new favorite composers!), his wife, Amanda Röntgen-Meier, Manuel de Falla, and good ol' J.S. Bach.
Join me and people around the world as I live life on the edge for an hour and have fun doing it!
Yep. That's another interesting notational device. Another one is putting a whole note in the middle of the bar rather that at the beginning. And with half notes, sometimes they're lined up with the notes they're played with, sometimes not.
July 31, 2025 at 6:33 PM
Yep. That's another interesting notational device. Another one is putting a whole note in the middle of the bar rather that at the beginning. And with half notes, sometimes they're lined up with the notes they're played with, sometimes not.
Oh boy. Here we go again! Another thing that is common in these early editions is for long notes like half notes and whole notes appearing in the center or the measure or in the center of beats they cover.
July 31, 2025 at 5:47 PM
Oh boy. Here we go again! Another thing that is common in these early editions is for long notes like half notes and whole notes appearing in the center or the measure or in the center of beats they cover.
Well this is fun. 😜 Gotta love early scores. I was so incredibly confused and it was getting me all cross-eyed.
Slow movement. 3/4. But in typical early score fashion, nothing was lined up & things were beamed obscuring beats.
Had to do the math and rewrite it so that I can play it.
Slow movement. 3/4. But in typical early score fashion, nothing was lined up & things were beamed obscuring beats.
Had to do the math and rewrite it so that I can play it.
July 31, 2025 at 2:17 AM
Well this is fun. 😜 Gotta love early scores. I was so incredibly confused and it was getting me all cross-eyed.
Slow movement. 3/4. But in typical early score fashion, nothing was lined up & things were beamed obscuring beats.
Had to do the math and rewrite it so that I can play it.
Slow movement. 3/4. But in typical early score fashion, nothing was lined up & things were beamed obscuring beats.
Had to do the math and rewrite it so that I can play it.
Since it's summertime and we're spending a lot of time pulling weeds these days I was reminded of my analogy to analyzing trouble spots when practicing.
Make sure you get those roots when you go to pull a weed, whether it's in a garden or in your practicing. It pays off!
Make sure you get those roots when you go to pull a weed, whether it's in a garden or in your practicing. It pays off!
July 30, 2025 at 11:57 AM
Since it's summertime and we're spending a lot of time pulling weeds these days I was reminded of my analogy to analyzing trouble spots when practicing.
Make sure you get those roots when you go to pull a weed, whether it's in a garden or in your practicing. It pays off!
Make sure you get those roots when you go to pull a weed, whether it's in a garden or in your practicing. It pays off!
As I'm working on a book I imagine I'll be dropping all sorts of thoughts/tips here about music-making, learning, and performing.
July 28, 2025 at 3:20 PM
As I'm working on a book I imagine I'll be dropping all sorts of thoughts/tips here about music-making, learning, and performing.