Writing
In addition to playing the piano, Sharon is also known for stringing together words about playing the piano (and music in general, and art, and life, and a lot of things, actually—apparently Sharon has many thoughts about a great many things) and there are many places where you can read these words.
Patreon
The most-updated platform, with one written post a week, featuring exclusive access to projects long before they’re announced publicly, interesting books and articles, and private playlists of whatever Sharon is listening to that week. Additional membership tiers unlock weekly practice videos and monthly handwritten snail mail.
Subscriptions start at $5/month, and all proceeds go toward future creative projects.
At the Other Keyboard (Substack)
A monthly essay on Sharon’s thoughts on music/art/whatever, delivered newsletter-style to your email inbox. (Note: this is currently on temporary hiatus, as Sharon feels none of her essays “hit right” in the current crisis, but you can still sign up to get her posts when they get going again.)
Doodlyroses.com (Blog)
The original blog, updated whenever Sharon deems it (in other words, infrequently). Posts are often music-related, but not always. Sometimes there are gifs.
The Crowd-Pleasers
Some of Sharon’s writings are favorites among the music crowd and have now taken on a life of their own. Here are some of her most popular pieces.
Adventures in Fear and Discovery
A humorous, gif-laden account of the disappointments and surprises that accompany venturing into new territory. This two-part series was deemed “illuminating ” by Anne Midgette, former classical critic for the Washington Post, and is now assigned reading in some university classes.
What we’re really saying when we criticize Yuja Wang
Inspired by one of the dumbest non-controversies to hit classical music, this essay looks at the double standard applied to female musicians, as well as some of the nonsensical criticisms commonly thrown at performers. This piece was covered and quoted in an issue of the National Sawdust Log Newsletter.
The Beethoven Thread
A Twitter thread about Beethoven’s life, legacy, and erroneous myths got so popular that it has been formatted into a longer, permalinked blog post. The original thread was featured in an issue of the National Sawdust Log Newsletter and quoted in a piece written by author Olivia Giovetti.