Hectic Week

Well folks, after monday, my practicing went down hill.  Not in terms of quality, but in terms of quantity.  This week has been so hectic that I have hardly had time to put the horn to my face.  I have played at school when I can, but my school duties have been intense enough that I haven't been able to get away to even get in a good warm-up.  So this week was kind of a wash.  Hopefully I can start fresh this weekend and get back on track.
Being a band director is not conducive to moonlighting as a performer...or at least preparing to be one.
I am reminded of a Bible verse.  I am pretty sure it was meant to be used as a synonym for choosing between wanting God and wanting material comfort, but it can just as easily be applied to my situation.
"No servant can serve two masters.  Either he will hate the one and like the other; or he will honor one and despise the other." Luke 16:13, Lamsa translation.

The moral and obvious thing to do is to follow through with my contract and perform my teaching duties.  Not just because I am legally obligated to do this, but because by not doing it, my students would not be able to have the best musical education that I can offer.  It would be difficult living with myself if I didn't try and give my kids a good musical experience.  But at the same time, the excerpts won't practice themselves.  So if I really want this job, I am going to have to work smarter AND harder to keep up with everything.

And probably stay off the internet (with the exception of my blog, of course).  What is it they say?  Oh yeah!!!!

Ain't it the truth, Ain't it the truth!





Oh well:-) Commencement is June 5th.  After that, it's smooth sailing.

YES!  Except it's not compensating...boo:-(

My own auditorium

One of the biggest benefits of being a band director at a small school is that the auditorium is only used occasionally and therefore is open whenever I would like to use it.  It was recently remodeled (2006-2007 school year) and has wonderful acoustics.  For such a small school, it is absolutely incredible.

If you look closer, you can see that the chairs don't have seats on them.  Don't worry, they do now.

But throughout the day, I spent a LOT of time on my flexibility and am loving how I sound.  It almost doesn't matter what I play simply because I enjoy playing so much.  And the auditorium just makes it that much better.  My sound bounces back to me and I can hear what other people would hear so I can fix mistakes that I don't like.

When I was at IU, I liked sneaking in to Auer Hall when no one was around and play in there.  I always got kicked out, but the time I spent in there was worth it.

Do you have a favorite place to play or practice?

A Day Off and EUPHONASIA

This past week has been very productive.  I feel like I have made a lot of progress in just my overall playing ability.  However, I had to take friday off.  For various reasons, life was just too hectic that day to play.  I did get to buzz on my mouthpiece for a bit.  But I always feel like I take a couple steps back when I don't play everyday.  But after my practice session yesterday, I feel like I made up some of my lost time and am on the right track again.  It felt really good to play yesterday.  I keep finding little gems in Dr. Brian Bowman's book "Practical Hints on Playing the Baritone (Euphonium).

There are exercises in the book that I play and think, "Why did I not know about this exercise until now?  This is great!"  I am having a GREAT time just getting better.  Even if I don't get the job, it's a great feeling living up to your potential.  I love taking my time on exercises and REALLY working through them so they sound perfect.  At the end of the practice session, if I can play an excerpt/exercise exactly the way I think it should sound, then I feel like I've made really decent progress.

On another note, I came across another side-project of Ryan McGeorge (one of the Euphonium players in the "President's Own").  It's called EUPHONASIA.  I like the name of the group:-)  It sounds like the physician assisted death to the modern euphonium. 

Anyway, they are a jazz/rock/fusion group with Euphonium being the lead voice...but if you listen to recordings of the group, you won't hear what is normally thought of as euphonium.  They have sent his acoustic sound through myriad effects and have achieved a strange yet highly intriguing sound.  They have a group on Facebook that will allow you to listen to some of their songs if you "Like" their group.  I recommend "Release the Crackin'" and the cover of Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance."

Happy listening!