~Good music-good conductor
~Bad music~bad conductor
~Good music~bad conductor
~Bad music-good conductor
I say 1,4,3,2 but I think in 10 years when I've played a lot more good repertoire I will say 1,4,2,3.
Make sense?
Would be interested in your opinons and reasons!
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
A Moment
Today during our Brass Quintet dress rehearsal the lights turned out for a moment and we were left in complete darkness.
It just so happens that this blackout coincided perfectly with the the three beat grand pause in the second movement of Eric Ewazen's Frostfire. At the moment the silence began we were thrown into utter darkness, and light returned a millisecond before we had to play the next chord.
No way.
It just so happens that this blackout coincided perfectly with the the three beat grand pause in the second movement of Eric Ewazen's Frostfire. At the moment the silence began we were thrown into utter darkness, and light returned a millisecond before we had to play the next chord.
No way.
Saturday, November 11, 2006
Mmmm...Huesos...
Spanglish pun explanation: "huesos" in Spanish means bones. It also is the word for "gig." Therefore, the title is funny.
Some people have a taste for the freelancing lifestyle, others do not. I'm certain it's related to age, family, financial situation, etc. but I think it may also be an innate personal quality. I think I have it.
I like variety; I like having a different schedule every day; I like being busy; I like being organized and efficient with my time; I like thinking on my feet, switching gears quickly, seeing lots of different people in one day; I like being tired when I finally get to go to bed.
Before I moved here my days often looked like this.
5:30 am: get up, walk to the coffee shop to open at 6 am.
11:30 am: finish at the cafe, go to Little Big Band rehearsal at UW.
2:00 pm: grab lunch, drive to first private lesson
3:00 pm: squeeze in rehearsal with accompanist
4:30 pm: go to teach second private lesson
5:30 pm: head to Dubuque for rehearsal-make some phone calls on the way
10:00 pm: leave Dubuque, listening to recordings of pieces for next week on the drive home
11:30 pm: arrive home and catch up on email, send off some resumes
12:30 am: crash into bed to do it again the next day!
Yep, sometimes I got really tired. But in general, I found I had a lot of energy because I really liked everything I was doing. When you are excited about everything ahead of you on any given day, it's easy to find the energy, which is one of the main reasons I'm so committed to being a musician.
Now, I'm not saying I don't like having time to cook complicated things if I so choose, ample time to watch The West Wing and have a beer or four with my friends, or time to actually maintain a blog. But I miss the pace of having more than one activity you do both because you enjoy it and to earn money. I think that's part of the reason I took a job teaching English right when I got here.
Fortunately, things are picking up, little by very little. I've had one gig since I've moved here (a fluke: special request for brass quartet at a wedding) but in the past week I've gotten two more. Hopefully these things do grow exponentially rather than...wait, what's the other one?
So, next Monday looks a bit like my old life, and I kinda like it.
10:30 am: press conference for chamber music concerts
12:00 pm: read through woodwind quintet arrangements for orchestration class at ESAY (music conservatory)
3:30 pm: brass quintet dress rehearsal
7:00 pm: english class
8:00 pm: string orchestra rehearsal-playing extra for some violin concerto
That doesn't even include my actually salaried job- we have that day off. (12 pm and 8 pm are gigs #2 and 3, in case you couldn't tell)
Other things possibly in the works...Mozart Horn Concerto No. 3 with the aforementioned string orchestra, Konzertstuck with the symphony, another horn quartet concert, another brass quintet recital (???) , a recital, soloing with my old high school Wind Ensemble...
I like scheming, I like planning, I like organizing, I like hurrying, I like doing.
Lucky for me, it's all necessary for what I want to do.
Some people have a taste for the freelancing lifestyle, others do not. I'm certain it's related to age, family, financial situation, etc. but I think it may also be an innate personal quality. I think I have it.
I like variety; I like having a different schedule every day; I like being busy; I like being organized and efficient with my time; I like thinking on my feet, switching gears quickly, seeing lots of different people in one day; I like being tired when I finally get to go to bed.
Before I moved here my days often looked like this.
5:30 am: get up, walk to the coffee shop to open at 6 am.
11:30 am: finish at the cafe, go to Little Big Band rehearsal at UW.
2:00 pm: grab lunch, drive to first private lesson
3:00 pm: squeeze in rehearsal with accompanist
4:30 pm: go to teach second private lesson
5:30 pm: head to Dubuque for rehearsal-make some phone calls on the way
10:00 pm: leave Dubuque, listening to recordings of pieces for next week on the drive home
11:30 pm: arrive home and catch up on email, send off some resumes
12:30 am: crash into bed to do it again the next day!
Yep, sometimes I got really tired. But in general, I found I had a lot of energy because I really liked everything I was doing. When you are excited about everything ahead of you on any given day, it's easy to find the energy, which is one of the main reasons I'm so committed to being a musician.
Now, I'm not saying I don't like having time to cook complicated things if I so choose, ample time to watch The West Wing and have a beer or four with my friends, or time to actually maintain a blog. But I miss the pace of having more than one activity you do both because you enjoy it and to earn money. I think that's part of the reason I took a job teaching English right when I got here.
Fortunately, things are picking up, little by very little. I've had one gig since I've moved here (a fluke: special request for brass quartet at a wedding) but in the past week I've gotten two more. Hopefully these things do grow exponentially rather than...wait, what's the other one?
So, next Monday looks a bit like my old life, and I kinda like it.
10:30 am: press conference for chamber music concerts
12:00 pm: read through woodwind quintet arrangements for orchestration class at ESAY (music conservatory)
3:30 pm: brass quintet dress rehearsal
7:00 pm: english class
8:00 pm: string orchestra rehearsal-playing extra for some violin concerto
That doesn't even include my actually salaried job- we have that day off. (12 pm and 8 pm are gigs #2 and 3, in case you couldn't tell)
Other things possibly in the works...Mozart Horn Concerto No. 3 with the aforementioned string orchestra, Konzertstuck with the symphony, another horn quartet concert, another brass quintet recital (???) , a recital, soloing with my old high school Wind Ensemble...
I like scheming, I like planning, I like organizing, I like hurrying, I like doing.
Lucky for me, it's all necessary for what I want to do.
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Many things, but not feeling all that creative.
I came up with a lot of good Blog Post Titles in my head today. But I don't want to go through the effort to make the actual post live up to the standard the title sets. So, here ya go.
1)Chile: Qualms and Consejo?
La Orquesta Sinfonica de Santiago has 4 horn job openings. Or they did...huh...that was posted on musicalchairs a few hours ago, now it's not. Strange. Anyway, the reason they have so many openings is because they apparently fired most of the orchestra, or the ones that stuck with the union, or something like that. Some people are trying to get the word out not to apply for these jobs or that reason. But, it's all rumors at this point.
Question- should I send 'em my resume? I'm leaning towards no, but would like comments, please.
(BTW, consejo=advice).
2) It's Beginning to Feel a lot Like Día de los Muertos
Biking home from Brass Quintet rehearsal today was fun because I got to bike through town on the night of a very important holiday in Mexico, "The Day of the Dead." Tonight is a big part of the holiday, and tomorrow we all have vacation, from everything.
I went to a little thing at the music school I teach at, where they had made an altar and cooked a bunch of traditional food (pib=a giant tamale supposedly cooked underground, relleno negro=eggs and chicken in a black sauce, served in tortillas, pan de muerto=dead bread, sweet, slightly orange-y bread, atole=corn based, past drink- ICK). It was fun to learn a bit about the holiday and go around the circle and hear how this time of year is celebrated in Yucatán, the rest of Mexico (because it's different!), United States (that was my turn to talk), Colombia, Italy, and England. Mmmm, one of my favorite parts about my job.
3)You Need Your Knees
Some people from the orchestra organized a soccer game last Sunday. That game was definitely one of my top five favorite moments in Merida to date. It was a perfect day, about 12 people showed up (Mexicans, Brits, Americans, Bulgarians, Russians, men, women, kids, short, tall, just like soccer should be). It was great to be playing again, and great to be spending time with my co-workers without a) drinking nor b) talking about work. And I was even pretty much in shape from all the biking I do here and my exercising kick (no pun intended) I started last month. I have since set that kick aside during my mom's visit and my moving process, but I plan to pick it up again as soon as my knee heals. Oh, that was the point of this paragraph.
The entire game ended with me in goal. Running out to block a shot, slapping the ball to the ground, diving a bit to get it before the oncoming forward could, and my knee giving out. Crunch, "Owww...." and I was on the ground and not walking normally since. The last time my knee gave out was the day I got offered and accepted my job here. (No, I did not get offered another job on Sunday, for those of you that believe in those things.) I've had knee problems for the past 5 years. I've also had a car for the past 5 years. This time it seems a bit more problematic, as I walk and bike everywhere. Luckily I just moved WAY closer to downtown, and I can actually bike in a somewhat one-legged manner. Buses and a new roommate with a car are also contributing. But, I think it is healing more slowly as a result, and I am realizing that I really need to deal with this situation. I think I should take on some real physical therapy and fix this thing. I don't want to be afraid of this happening every time I play soccer, especially if the orchestra games become a regular Sunday thing, like we are hoping.
Well, those titles seemed a lot better before I wrote them down. Oh well. I think I had some more too, but I can't remember them. Basically, life is great. Like my roommates and the house, my moving in is complete now that I finally got my bed moved back into the house, finally playing real music in orchestra again, feeling ready with the brass quintet and no work tomorrow!
1)Chile: Qualms and Consejo?
La Orquesta Sinfonica de Santiago has 4 horn job openings. Or they did...huh...that was posted on musicalchairs a few hours ago, now it's not. Strange. Anyway, the reason they have so many openings is because they apparently fired most of the orchestra, or the ones that stuck with the union, or something like that. Some people are trying to get the word out not to apply for these jobs or that reason. But, it's all rumors at this point.
Question- should I send 'em my resume? I'm leaning towards no, but would like comments, please.
(BTW, consejo=advice).
2) It's Beginning to Feel a lot Like Día de los Muertos
Biking home from Brass Quintet rehearsal today was fun because I got to bike through town on the night of a very important holiday in Mexico, "The Day of the Dead." Tonight is a big part of the holiday, and tomorrow we all have vacation, from everything.
I went to a little thing at the music school I teach at, where they had made an altar and cooked a bunch of traditional food (pib=a giant tamale supposedly cooked underground, relleno negro=eggs and chicken in a black sauce, served in tortillas, pan de muerto=dead bread, sweet, slightly orange-y bread, atole=corn based, past drink- ICK). It was fun to learn a bit about the holiday and go around the circle and hear how this time of year is celebrated in Yucatán, the rest of Mexico (because it's different!), United States (that was my turn to talk), Colombia, Italy, and England. Mmmm, one of my favorite parts about my job.
3)You Need Your Knees
Some people from the orchestra organized a soccer game last Sunday. That game was definitely one of my top five favorite moments in Merida to date. It was a perfect day, about 12 people showed up (Mexicans, Brits, Americans, Bulgarians, Russians, men, women, kids, short, tall, just like soccer should be). It was great to be playing again, and great to be spending time with my co-workers without a) drinking nor b) talking about work. And I was even pretty much in shape from all the biking I do here and my exercising kick (no pun intended) I started last month. I have since set that kick aside during my mom's visit and my moving process, but I plan to pick it up again as soon as my knee heals. Oh, that was the point of this paragraph.
The entire game ended with me in goal. Running out to block a shot, slapping the ball to the ground, diving a bit to get it before the oncoming forward could, and my knee giving out. Crunch, "Owww...." and I was on the ground and not walking normally since. The last time my knee gave out was the day I got offered and accepted my job here. (No, I did not get offered another job on Sunday, for those of you that believe in those things.) I've had knee problems for the past 5 years. I've also had a car for the past 5 years. This time it seems a bit more problematic, as I walk and bike everywhere. Luckily I just moved WAY closer to downtown, and I can actually bike in a somewhat one-legged manner. Buses and a new roommate with a car are also contributing. But, I think it is healing more slowly as a result, and I am realizing that I really need to deal with this situation. I think I should take on some real physical therapy and fix this thing. I don't want to be afraid of this happening every time I play soccer, especially if the orchestra games become a regular Sunday thing, like we are hoping.
Well, those titles seemed a lot better before I wrote them down. Oh well. I think I had some more too, but I can't remember them. Basically, life is great. Like my roommates and the house, my moving in is complete now that I finally got my bed moved back into the house, finally playing real music in orchestra again, feeling ready with the brass quintet and no work tomorrow!
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