Apple Pie

While teaching yesterday, my trumpets and woodwinds were not preparing for the forte low brass entrance.  So, I tried this out.

A crescendo is like smelling an apple pie cooling on the windowsill. Eventually you get to cut the pie and eat it.  However, the anticipation is like the crescendo.  You need to prepare for that first bit of apple pie, just like you need to prepare for the next section to enter.  You cannot just put some apple pie in your mouth.  The anticipation makes the pie taste better.  Maybe on the repeat you can think about the vanilla icecream melting before you take another bite.

Perspective: Three Ways

On Wednesday I will be interviewing for the full time band directing job at Powell Middle School.  This is a much different job than any I applied for this year.  The two big ones, the San Diego Symphony and the Milwaukee Symphony.  Many less people applied for the band directing job and I am guaranteed a half hour with the committee, instead of just a few excerpts of my playing.  At the ripe old age of 25 this will be my first "normal" job interview.

(Sight from my Hotel Room at the Yalta Hotel)

My trombone quartet is giving a recital in the middle of May; one of the pieces we will be playing is Lassus Trombone.  Can you remember the first time you played Lassus Trombone?  Back in the day on my LIYO tour, I sight read Lassus Trombone in a Ukrainian night club in Yalta.  That was four years ago, I was 21.  Let's just say four years to the other guys in the quartet is nothing.

(View driving west to work)

On my way to work this morning, I heard Rhapsody in Blue on NPR.  I have now played this piece twice.   At CCM we performed the piece with seven soloist, supposedly this was broadcast on the today show. And last summer at Aspen, I performed the big band arrangnment with Jean Ives Thibaudet to a sold out house and broadcast on NPR.  I was driving to teach middle school.

160 Turns 70

Actually this is the 71st post on the 160 Project.  As of right now 4,259 views from every continent with the top reading countries being the US, the UK, Canada, Australia, Germany, Slovenia, and the Netherlands.  January was the top viewing month, but readership has remained steady even with the limited postings on my part.

I am glad to announce I will be attending the 2011 Aspen Summer Music Festival and School.  Hopefully I will be able to find copies of Shostakovitch 7 for use in Warren Deck's low brass class.  I am envisioning a high blog rate at the festival and a high dbs rate out of my trombone bell.

In celebration of the anniversary

This is probably not 160 dbs but close

Inspiration: From a Hamburger

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of visiting Charleston, South Carolina.  I worked for the Spoleto USA Festival in 2008 and got to know the city pretty well.  This time, however, I got to experience Sullivan's Island.  I am a little sun burned from walking on the wonderful sand bar at low tide, and I am full of excitement from a very skeptical source.

I am leery of anything that calls itself the best, but this hamburger, delivered. Poe's Tavern voted best restaurant and bar on Sullivan's Island in 2010 produces one of the best burgers I have ever tasted.  Named after the first great American author, Edgar Allen, Poe's Tavern is a mixture of creepy art, slanted font, a beach weathered wooden building, khakis and boat shoes.  The atmosphere is that of any packed beach bar at lunch time, chill.

The Angus chuck is ground in house and the chef cooks each burger to order.  This is the first time I was served a medium burger that was actually medium.  My burger the Tell-Tale Heart was modeled after story where heart keeps beating through the floor boards.  This juicy burger had a fried egg and bacon with distinct flavors that added instead of mixing into a mush like normal places.  Brett Hoffecker tasted the silent killer, The Black Cat, with bacon and chili on top.  The quality of the burger was only over shadowed by one thing, the sweet tea!  To finish off our lunch and my trip to the south I ordered a tall glass of sweet tea and was rewarded with the best sweet tea I have ever had.  Thanks Poe's Tavern and Charleston, South Carolina.

Congratulations, Carman and Oscar Judd on your wedding this weekend.

Motivation: Part?

Recently, I have been struggling with my own motivation.  After a long day of being bombarded with middle school sound, intonation, and rhythm, any thought of noise is agonizing.  However, I have had to push through.  I have a decent amount of performances in the next month and Aspen starts at the end of June.  On May 12th I will be performing a Conertino with the Powell Middle School Band and Greg Harper of the Colorado Symphony will be conducting.  On May 19th the Tromboniacs Trombone Quartet will be giving a recital and I will be playing with the Too Many Trombones Choir at some point.

The end of school is just around the corner and band placement auditions are even closer.  A lot of my students are voicing opinions of indecision.  There are a lot of steps I am taking to keep students interested and motivated.  I have planned a concert series consisting of John Williams, Classic Rock, and standard classical music pops like Russian Sailors and Mars from the planets.  Most of these charts are getting my kids rather excited.  I am also having friends give masterclasses on skype for the sections I may or may not be very good with (Clarinets).  I have one day a week students can practice after school, this gives me the opportunity to give individual comments in a setting more like a private lesson.

The best way of motivating my students and myself however, listening to music.  I have had some friends compile lists of famous instrumentalists and great recordings.  This is great to inform students what is capable from there instruments.  For myself I took a play from Alex Manley.  I am learning this Concertino by playing along with a recording.  When Alex needs some motivation he would play through the de Meij T-Bone Concerto or Colors with they Alessi recording. This is a great way to keep phrasing and style on your mind without getting bogged down with technique.

Bobby Comes Through

I just found this link on my facebook.  This will take you to a visual based tone generator.  Pretty easy and entertaining for five minutes.  Although, the visuals are also a little interesting.

Pierre Monteux Needs Musicians

If you read my previous blog posts you will undoubtedly see my posting about the Pierre Monteux School for Conductors and Orchestral Musicians.  This festival is advertised largely by word of mouth and maintains a high standard among its musicians.  This year they have some openings.

Oboe

Bassoon

Trumpet

Bass Trombone

Violin

Cello


If you are interested please contact the school.

Pierre Monteux School

Michael Jinbo, Music Director
Ron Schwizer, Executive Director

207-422-3280 (office)

admin@monteuxschool.org
http://www.monteuxschool.org/