When I was really little, my sister played the violin and had her high school quartet rehearsals in the basement - she was my hero!

My parents aren't musicians, and I started the violin at school when I was 11. Violin was "my sister's thing." My first private lesson was at 13, then later at 15+ with a nice man who lived down the street (it turns out he was Mr. Irwin I Eisenberg, founding member of the Philadelphia String Quartet 🤯)

I played in school orchestras in Seattle (Wedgwood, Eckstein MS, Garfield HS) and the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestras programs, and went to the SYSO summer festival.

I didn't realize until years later that I grew up in an incredible musical community, and was more interested in sports like soccer, then sailing, then rowing.

I played a lot of sports, but loved the hard-won pleasure of rowing.

Being on the water by 5am every day and working with elite coaches taught me the value of discipline, perseverance, and teamwork. I loved doing the work, seeing progress, and winning against myself. I was constantly becoming more of myself.

In elite sports, my coaches were present 70%-80% of training time, mapped complete training cycles, and developed my mental focus, resilience, and practice for performance.

I am the first person from my region to qualify for nationals in three different events (someone else has probably done it since!)

I didn't mean to go to music school - but I was too short for a rowing scholarship at my sports med dream school, so I went through the NCAA div 1 recruiting machine.

The University of Cincinnati called and offered me a full scholarship - I asked a friend if they had a music school and she laughed at me. I felt like a stupid outsider, but immediately set up the rowing recruiting visit for the weekend of CCM auditions, and didn't tell either the rowing team or CCM what I was up to.

I took more lessons with Mr. Eisenberg in the 2 months before school auditions, and got into every conservatory I applied to (waitlisted at one school).

On the audition / recruiting visit for CCM, I met Masao Kawasaki and knew that he was someone I want to learn from and train with.

This picture is from the summer after my undergraduate degree while in an opera festival in Lucca, Italy. It was bittersweet ending because the festival was truly amazing. I was principal viola under the legendary Larry Rachleff, played chamber music with the faculty string quartet, and I finally experienced what music-making could be. However, with debilitating injuries that made my hands just stop doing what my brain was telling them to do - I couldn't make it through the last quartet concert. I was 22.

I decided that if I wanted to be around art, it needed to be on the administrative side, so I went to grad school for Arts Administration, and made it my new mission to connect people and art. 

My superpower is strategic planning, helping struggling organizations find the good and boost the rest. I loved helping with board retreats, getting the mission aligned with action, and getting the tools together so the whole organization could resonate and make a more imactful difference. But there was something missing - my musical voice.

In my own journey, there were heroes everywhere, even if I couldn't see them right away. I missed music-making, and part of me dreamed of becoming the player I felt deep inside that I could be. Whilst working in Aspen (but not for the festival), a family friend, the luthier from my hometown David Stone, the luthier from the festival Joan Balter, and teacher dynamo Heidi Curatolo conspired to get my viola back into my hands. I'm forever grateful. 

But coming back after a long break was hard. I was a beginner again, and it felt like an impossible mountain. I felt like the technical abilities and confidence I built were hiding without a path - it was sometimes discouraging, overwhelming and stressful.

I felt self-conscious about my skills compared to others who have been consistently practicing, and I felt impossibly too far behind my colleagues. (How am I going to catch up?!) I was afraid of judgment and hesitated joining ensembles or performing as I confronted past experiences, unresolved feelings, and unmet expectations from my musical journey.

Coming back as an adult, I acutely felt the loss of muscle memory, flexibility, and stamina, increasing the risk of injuries and required more time to rebuild strength and technique. I struggled to set achievable goals and manage my expectations, which often lead to frustration and disappointment in my progress.

However, I had fresh eyes on practicing for performance. My old sports training met my new musical practice and I started to map out and understand the essential elements of music, as well as the performance training cycle. I drew diagrams, and even shared a little bit of my work - but didn't believe in myself enough yet to really lean in. (I should do a blog about this!)

I struggle with several chronic and autoimmune diseases (thyroid, dermatomyositis, audhd), and I can confirm that balancing the demands of a music practice and career with chronic health conditions is hard. 

I've had to balance my long-term musical goals and aspirations with adapting to life's challenges: managing my energy, being resilient and giving myself grace during flare-ups, scheduling surgeries and treatments strategically in the performing and teaching seasons, and being really intentional about managing my time.

Sometimes I have to adjust my practice routine to accommodate physical limitations. I've found ways to continue growing efficiently, with flexible frameworks that work for me when I struggle to maintain consistency and motivation. But yeah - the struggle is real.

Also, even when it would "be easier" to take a different professional path, and even though it sounds really cheesy, I find hope and deep inspiration in music. I am so grateful for the ability to learn, grow, make music, and I lean on the amazing, transformative music I get to play as a coping partner through the tough times.

After I moved to France, I decided to go back to school. I was easily 5-10 years older than most of my colleagues, hadn't had a teacher in 7 years, and was 5 years "behind" in my career - but I was determined to become the player I'd dreamed of being.

I know what it's like to strive for artistic excellence, while struggling to find a work/life balance, and paying my bills. Establishing a career while spending the energy necessary to be effective in auditions is a big challenge.

For a long time, I was in scarcity mode: always in a practice room at the lunch break, staying until the building closed long after my teaching hours were over, sneaking into practice rooms even to get in another 15 minutes of practice. I struggled with feeling rusty and less competitive than colleagues who had experienced fewer obstacles - and very much struggled to feel worthy (one of the biggest secret ingredients in winning a job!).

I didn't say no to anything, ran a concert series with 3 concerts per month, was a salaried professor in a music school, and took as many auditions as I could pay to get to. I spent a lot of time and money spinning my wheels instead of making deep intentional impact. I met a lot of people, but didn't give myself the chance to make deep connections with fellow musicians, teachers, and mentors to seek guidance, advice, and support during my transition back into the competitive scene. 

Eventually I met some imactful mentors and teachers like Laurent Verney and Olivier Grimoin, and friends who were well-established in major orchestras - and the gap between me and most of my colleagues closed. My mind settled, and I felt  the power of persistence, self-motivation, and intentional work (on the instrument and in myself). 

I loved my students in my teaching studios before I left to work on SPARK Practice. I am passionate about helping people find their spark and sharing my love for music, so I find working with different kinds of students so inspiring - setting up young musicians (and older - my oldest student was 65!) with all the encouragement, great technique, and performance strategies to support them in their own relationship to music - nurturing resilience and setting them up for success in whatever they wanted their music-making to look. (Je vous aime Ecole des 4'Zarts & les professeurs collègues de La Garenne Colombes!)

Even though sometimes I still feel old feelings of insecurity and not being good enough, I know that I have evolved and done the work to step into nervous system security and cultivate supportive mindsets that let me be the person and player I want to be.

This picture was from the day before a Philharmonia Orchestra audition where I advanced and played "the most beautiful Mahler 10 of the audition". Woohoo!

As an elite musician, you know that we constantly face high expectations from ourselves and others, which can lead to significant stress and anxiety when preparing for and participating in competitions and auditions. I closed the gap with my playing level, but had a lot of catching up to do with performance consistency and mindset. I participated in some coaching programs, continued to take lessons, and finally had some breakthroughs for myself.

I pulled out my old diagrams from rowing and elite sports training and started to apply them to audition preparation. While it wasn't totally bulletproof yet, I started winning, or at least consistently passing rounds in auditions. (I've figured it out since - and it works.)

Every single audition that I won, I knew walking in that I was going to perform well. I didn't know for sure that I was going to win, but it didn't matter: I could feel that my internal light and preparation were lined up and ready to connect with the committee. 

I had figured it out and was consistently advancing - I was in shape, performing well, and totally dedicated. It was almost "my turn".

I got attacked on the street and I broke my left thumb, requiring several surgeries and resulting in a permanent handicap. I lost a minor third in LH stretch - which is a LOT for a violist.

This completely interrupted my audition trajectory, and for several months wasn't sure that I'd ever be able to play again. (Cue existential crisis!)

I had to completely re-evaluate my playing, performing, and practice - starting from zero yet again - and learn to play for the third time. (The first was as teenager, the second was after my 5-year pause, and the hand was the third!)

However, I knew that I needed to play again. I had already struggled with the emotional blocks to come back to music - so I was internally motivated to reconnect with the music I had overcome so much to find. However, it was a long process, and I feel like I have a different left hand. I had to completely relearn my LH technique.

While I've recovered to a completely professional level, navigating the challenges and opportunities presented by injury is constantly present, requiring incredible adaptability and being able to evolve in the face of setbacks. I consistently advance again in auditions when I prepare them, but this injury was a huge blow to my ambitions and trajectory. 

In the past couple years, I've been more attracted to play chamber music, and in inspiring, dynamic ensembles and amazing orchestras - and enjoy traveling to share SPARK Practice. I'm not sure if I really want an orchestra job - but I enjoy the challenge of preparing auditions, and started Audition Club for players to do regular online mocks for eachother to prepare for upcoming auditons and performances.

Overall, I've learned to embrace the journey and imposed transformation through serious injury: and have gained the resilience and determination required to return to performance physically ready, learning neuroscience for lightning-efficiency in practice, and mentally stronger than ever.

Through my experience in elite sports, top conservatory training, and applied neuroscience - with numerous professional success and some major setbacks - I knew how to be an elite performer. But I was still cycling unhelpful self-talk and was generally pretty mean to myself. The missing piece was mindfulness.

Also suffering from deep anxiety, my former teacher Laurent Verney planted the seeds of mindfulness in our work together. I saw how he applied mindfulness techniques for mental strength and powerful performance mindsets - and started my own path to mindful self-acceptance. 

Through these practices, I discovered a new source of calm, connection, and inner strength, in several areas: 

Practice: finding peace and joy in the process, using neuroplasticity and mindfulness to build and cultivate supportive, helpful mindsets through Intentional Practice.

Mindset: this is mindfulness in action! Starting with curiosity, through growth, intentionally making decisions and building in nervous system safety to support your actions and system even under pressure.

Performance: improving focus, concentration, and emotional regulation through the integration of performance mindsets and general mental resilience and strength - to support me in stressful situations so I can still authentically and freely share my music.

Mindfulness practices like journaling, self-reflection, breathing exercises, and putting it into my practice, mindset, and performance has transformed my potential into possibility.

I've been teaching, mentoring, and coaching (sports too!) for over 20 years, with students in every phase of their career.

When I started applying the tools I discovered, my teaching and performing transformed and I honed my approach into flexible, adaptable frameworks that work.

I've also continued to research stress, anxiety, and nervous system regulation, and you can find this work and courses through Nervous System Neutral (SPARK Practice for Everyone!).

Through SPARK Practice, I support motivated musicians, passionate teachers, and invested parents to facilitate a neurologically-aligned converstaion between the muscian, their instrument, their teachers, and their audience.

I want to communicate my love for music with my unique, proven frameworks for Practice, Mindset, and Performance. I believe that every musician can get out of your own way and that you can become the player you want to be.

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Most of the time now, I love my life, and I've found that takes practice. I'm sometimes not great at managing it all, but I'm learning to ask for help, which helps me connect more and also show up better for the people I love -  that's why we practice the practice (omg who talks like that 😅)

I try to embrace my own authenticity and purpose: letting myself love what I love, celebrate my quirkiness, prioritizing my well-being and happiness while pursuing my musical aspirations. Woot woot wiggle wiggle!

Performing is a huge part of my career, and here's my performing CV if you're interested: www.sarahniblack.com

I want to foster a better way to learn and teach music on every level. ⚡️SPARK Practice is here to revolutionize musical practice for performance, cultivate supportive mindsets, and neuroscience-driven accelerated healthy peak performance.

I can't wait to support you and learn more about you. Let's connect!