Reading: n/a this week- still waiting on books from the library! Arranging: Love Letter by Clairy Browne and the soul version of 7 Nation Army by Ben L’Oncle Soul (both for the Satellites). Practicing: Double and triple tonguing needing a review this week. Rehearsing: Metro Brass on Sunday night. We put in some serious effort on Da Pacem Domine and it is going to sound fantastic! Performing: Metro Brass: June 4th. The Satellites: June 13th. Midnight in Moscow: July 12th. Metro Brass: July 23. More information under “Upcoming” on my homepage. Listening: Janelle Monae is my queen. Teaching: Feels like everyone’s stressed out about finals and AP tests and life this week. So I’ve been teaching less instrument-specific things and more about time and stress management- and how music can help! Relaxing: MAD MAX. Tonight. Art-A-Whirl, this past weekend. Feeling like my weekends are planned out with festivals and gigs for the rest of the summer.
Weekly Roundup 5/12/15
Reading: Requested a few books on musical acoustics from the library. Thumbing through my old ear-training texts.
Arranging: In the editing stages of charts for the Satellites. We have a gig! June 27th. Details to follow. A few changes to make to Da Pacem Domine before Metro’s concert on June 4th.
Practicing: Metro Brass charts, lip trills, and a review of alto clef because I am rusty!
Rehearsing: Midnight in Moscow met last week and we had a productive rehearsal revamping some of our favorite charts. Our next gig on the books is July 12th!
Performing: Metro Brass: June 4th. The Satellites: June 27th. Midnight in Moscow: July 12th. Metro Brass: July 23. More information under “Upcoming” on my homepage.
Listening: Brandi Carlile, a little bit, but mostly silence has been nice this week.
Teaching: Two students are trying out for Minnesota Junior Winds, so I’ve been prepping them for that and helping them record. Other students are diving into learning tunes by ear, and working with the Intonation Helper.
Relaxing: Spent lots of time at Eloise Butler this weekend, volunteering. It’s so gorgeous there, you guys. Go check it out.
Weekly Roundup 5/5/15
Reading: Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain, Oliver Sacks
Arranging: Sam Smith’s I’m Not The Only One is done for The Satellites. I’m out of things to arrange- unless I finally get around to that instrumental version of David Bowie’s Fame that I’ve always wanted to do…
Practicing: Red Dragonfly, Annie Laurie, Elegy for Mippy II (to keep up with a student who will perform it for his MYS audition next month).
Rehearsing: Metro on Sunday had a long rehearsal in preparation for our June 4th concert. We dove into Da Pacem, which I arranged for the group a few weeks ago.
Performing: No gigs currently booked until end of May.
Listening: A friend invited me to see Lady Lamb the Beekeeper tonight at 7th Street Entry, so I’ve been rocking out to her smart, heavy lyrics.
Teaching: I may have finally found my metaphor for airflow- at least, it’s worked with a few students so far! I want air to ‘flow’ like water, I’ve talked about putting your foot on the gas pedal, I’ve asked students to move their air like a solid brick of sound. The other day I reversed the concept of control, and asked a student to imagine I was pulling the air/sound out of him, like a string. It worked immediately. And it worked again with another student. Teaching. Win.
Relaxing: Avengers: Age of Ultron! Minneapolis MayDay festivities. Long hikes along the Minnesota River. Bike rides. Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I love spring.
Weekly Roundup 4/28/15
Reading: Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain, Oliver Sacks
Arranging: Arranging went on halt last week as I undertook a new project: revamping my studio welcome packet. Just today though, I got back on track and finished I’ve Never Found a Man for The Satellites. Tomorrow I’ll take on Sam Smith’s I’m Not The Only One and then, unless Alan picks some new tunes, I’ll be done for a while!
Practicing: Red Dragonfly, Annie Laurie, chromatic scale patterns, lip slurs up to the 9th and 10th partials.
Rehearsing: Midnight in Moscow had a great rehearsal last Wednesday- it was much needed after a stressful day for me. We have a gig on the books and are working on more- stay tuned!
Performing: No gigs currently booked until May.
Listening: Sleater-Kinney absorbed much of my weekend, being the most excellent soundtrack to clean the house on a sunny day.
Teaching: Several of my students have asked for help with intonation issues, so I’ve prescribed lots of slow scales and tunes with the Intonation Helper. Intonation isn’t something your slide does. It’s something your ears do.
Relaxing: Biking, eating tacos, petting kitties, reading in the sunshine.
Weekly Roundup 4/21/15
Reading: Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain, Oliver Sacks
Arranging: Charts for The Satellites are almost all done! I have two more to do: I’ve Never Found A Man (Lavelle White) and I’m Not The Only One (Sam Smith). Never Found is actually done- but our previous arranger wrote a different horn soli that isn’t as hip as the one on the track. So basically I’m just going to redo that part of it.
Practicing: Red Dragonfly, Annie Laurie, chromatic scale patterns, lip slurs up to the 9th and 10th partials.
Rehearsing: Midnight in Moscow this week!
Performing: No gigs currently booked until May.
Listening: Went to see the University Opera perform Marriage of Figaro on Saturday night. My friend Sophie was singing Susanna, and she was incredible! I’m also giving the new Sufjan Stevens album a spin.
Teaching: Lots of folks prepping for auditions. And it’s time again to do some serious intonation/tone production work. Sit tight for that.
Relaxing: 21 days into #30daysofbiking! Doing great so far- averaging at least 5 miles a day, 25 at the most! Also, reading some excellent non-music related fiction and non-fiction.
Weekly Roundup 4/14/15
Reading: Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain, Oliver Sacks
Arranging: Da Pacem Domine, by Arvo Pärt. Originally for choir, I am transcribing it for Metro Brass’s 11-piece lineup. We will be performing it on June 4th. Concert Details.
Practicing: Red Dragonfly, Annie Laurie, chromatic scale patterns, sight-reading
Rehearsing: Metro Brass had a great rehearsal Sunday night.
Performing: No gigs currently booked until May.
Listening: Have had a little break from consuming anything new, musically. Taking in the sounds of spring as it develops instead.
Teaching: Preparing folks for contest performances as well as upcoming auditions.
Relaxing: The Garden is open again! For those who don’t know, I volunteer at Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden in Theo Wirth Park. It’s my favorite place on the PLANET (besides my bed) and you should defintely come visit if you haven’t ever been, or if it’s been a while. Right now, the spring ephemerals are coming up- don’t blink or you’ll miss them!
Weekly Roundup 4/7/15
April’s first round-up! I took a little break last week for R&R, so here’s what’s been on my radar the last two weeks:
Reading: The Etymologicon, by Mark Forseth: A circular journey through the hidden meanings of the English language. Highly recommend! Funny and smart.
Practicing: Red Dragonfly, Annie Laurie
Rehearsing: Easter has come and gone, and Metro gets back to work this weekend.
Performing: Two Easter services at St John’s in New Brighton.
Listening: Over my holiday I saw several amazing live shows: The Decemberists, OK GO, and the Vijay Iyer trio. Two were remarkably fun and one was inspirational and challenging.
Teaching: Recently someone shared a TED Talk with me by Amy Cuddy (I’ll embed it below) about the use of body language to help change your behavior and performance. Her key slogan? “Fake it until you become it”- the idea that even two minutes of practicing a power posture can lead to better performance in an interview, audition, whatever. I have several students going into contest competitions next week and we will be trying some of these ideas.
Relaxing: What a great week! I spent four days in Chicago visiting friends, seeing music and comedy and art, catching up with some of the special folks in my life. Upon returning to Minneapolis I continued the fun, hanging out with local friends, seeing more live music, watching college basketball (You’ll always be my number one, Wisconsin!). This week it’s back to business as usual, but I feel relaxed and happy to be back at it.
Weekly Roundup 3/24/15
Reading: Still on a break from studying so I can focus on some arranging projects.
(Arranging: Songs for The Satellites; Da Pacem Domine by Arvo Part for Metro Brass)
Practicing: Red Dragonfly, and Arthur Pryor’s Annie Laurie which I may perform with Metro Brass in the future.
Rehearsing: Metro met on Sunday night for some quality rehearsal time. We are preparing a June 4th concert at Grace Lutheran in St Paul. More details soon! Lots of showcase pieces for members of this talented group.
Performing: Nothing on the calendar until Easter weekend.
Listening: Black Messiah by D’Angelo spinning nearly constantly. How is possible for human beings to lay back on a beat so hard? It’s mind-boggling.
Teaching: Blending and intonation. Using an exercise I learned from Tom Ashworth at the U, tuning unisons and various intervals with a partner.
Relaxing: Thursday evening I’m leaving for a long weekend in Chicago! I will see good friends Gabe, Matt, Becka, Candace, and Owen. I have tickets to see the Decembrists and the Vijay Iyer Trio!
No weekly roundup next week! Enjoy your spring break! (TAKE YOUR HORN HOME)
Weekly Roundup 3/17/15
Reading: It’s been a busy week! I haven’t had a chance to start any music-related books.
Practicing: Red Dragonfly, and Arthur Pryor’s Annie Laurie which I may perform with Metro Brass in the future.
Rehearsing: Exultate recorded the Requiem on Thursday and Friday. There will be an album released in May! In the meantime you can watch our performance from St Mark’s online (see link in previous post).
We read Scheherazade (Rimsky-Korsakov), Lemminkainen’s Return (Sibelius), and Oberon Overture (Weber) in Minnehaha Repertory on Saturday.
Performing: After a busy week of performances and recordings, it’s nice to have a little break! Metro is gearing up for a showcase concert in June. More info soon.
Listening: Abigail Washburn hit my radar yesterday and I can’t get enough of her. She’s a banjo player and vocalist who creates some truly sublime music.
Teaching: Musicality involves lots of moving pieces, but in many situations if you can hear the whole picture, it makes it easier to pull it all off. This week I’m helping students play musically by incorporating the micro into the macro.
Relaxing: My friend David is moving to Seattle, and he stopped in Minneapolis this weekend to catch a breather from the road. We spent an afternoon walking around Minnehaha Falls Park and eating good food.
Weekly Roundup 3/10/15
Reading: Creole Trombone: Kid Ory and the Early Years of Jazz by John McCusker. An engaging look at an early jazz trombone hero and how his style influenced the development of a genre.
Practicing: Red Dragonfly, Pryor’s Annie Laurie, Kopprasch Book II.
Rehearsing: Midnight in Moscow meets tomorrow night and I’ll be sharing some of my insight from the Kid Ory book.
Performing: Exultate performed Mozart this past weekend and it went very well! Sunday was my best performance, but they were all great. Kudos to my colleagues Keith and David for their stellar performances (in particular David nailed the Tuba Mirum solo every time). We are recording Thursday and Friday, so soon you can purchase a recording of our brilliance!
Listening: The new Brandi Carlile album (The Firewatcher’s Daughter) is fantastic. I can’t get enough of Sleater-Kinney’s No Cities To Love.
Teaching: Relaxation in the higher register, and how to use our ears to our advantage and avoid strain.
Relaxing: BIKING ALL THE PLACES.
Lauren Husting, trombone 