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.

 


VAN Magazine

The editors at VAN Magazine either made a very good or a very bad decision when they asked Sharon to write for their publication. (Her first piece, a satire of most classical music profiles, ended up being VAN’s most-read article of 2021.) 

Read Here

 

 


At the Other Keyboard (Substack)

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.

Subscribe Here

 


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.

Read Here

 

 

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.


The “Key Playerson” Article

A satirical profile that fooled quite a few people, this piece written for VAN Magazine takes aim at all the classical music tropes in the book. 

Read here

 


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.

Read here


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.

Read here