Author Archives: therosieword

This past 2 years has been odd on many levels, for many people. My family, like many others, have had quite the rollercoaster. There’s been a growing business, university graduation, A Level results, key workers and relearning how to live together. There has also been bereavement, distance from many family members, and the challenges ofContinue reading “The Pandemic Graduates & Glorifying Tired”

George Polgreen Bridgetower was a black virtuoso violinist, alive in the late 18th and early 19th century. This was the peak of the Classical period, and Bridgetower was a close contemporary of Haydn, Beethoven and Mozart.[1] He contributed significantly to London musical life, and even had a hand in influencing Beethoven’s ‘Kreutzer’ Sonata. Despite this,Continue reading “Playlist: The Rewriting of George Polgreen Bridgetower”

Every YouTube video, blog post or book I’ve read about language learning says that the biggest hump you need to cross over is getting confidence in speaking. I’m someone who suffers stage fright, even when performing something I know I’m good at. So, as you can imagine, beginning one-on-one Korean conversation classes with a nativeContinue reading “Language Learning Jealousy: Get Your Head in the Game.”

My family suffered a bereavement in the past year, and it has been a strange, multi-faceted eight months since. I won’t be going into the intricacies of the event. But, one thing I have found over the past year, is that grief feels insurmountably isolating sometimes. This is not a new fact or feeling. InContinue reading “Music & Grief: “I Got A List Of Songs I Can’t Listen To”.”

As a musician, excellence has often been demanded of me. From a young age, I entered exams and festivals, and was marked on how close to perfection I could play a piece. How well could I express an emotion that would make the audience laugh or cry? How fast could I play a piece withoutContinue reading “Confronting Perfectionism: The Anxieties of Language Learning”