I grew up in a mountain town in Colorado, surrounded by beauty.  When I think of what gave me solace in that time, there are two things that come to mind: the old rickety upright piano in our living room that I would play for hours at a time and the big wheel I would ride around our deck with my brother Will.

Those things still bring me joy...writing and playing music that I hope declares beauty to my community and to other communities, and  the friends and family around the world that make my life meaningful.

After many years of writing songs behind closed doors, I finally began touring in 2002. I played all over the world for 13 years, everywhere from castles in Germany to poor villages in India. 

A few years ago, I asked myself the question,"Kate what if for the rest of your life, all you did with your music was write songs for your neighbor that was going through a divorce or a death. Would that be enough for you?" I thought for a while and said "Yes it would be enough."

In the midst of this, I started teaching music lessons, which has been a dream job for me. After each lesson I can't believe I have the priviledge of  bringing the magic of music into people's lives, young and old; a catalyst for them to know the treasures that are inside of them. 

I wrote my book, Getting Naked Later: Making Sense of the Unexpected Single Life in 2013. I am working on a new book called Prodigal Mind about being a compassionate observer of our inner landscape. 

I pray that my motivation is to love whoever is in front of me, whether that be a student I am teaching their first note to, someone listening to my music, or someone reading my words.