What is Proper Stage Etiquette?
There is so much to know about being a musician that sometimes the little things are not addressed. Some of those “little things” are etiquette issues. As teachers, we can only do so much in lessons and ensemble rehearsals. So I’ve have decided to start a list. I would like to start an open dialogue about etiquette issues and create a comprehensive list that can be turned into a PDF that we can all share with our students. I welcome any feedback and contributions. My previous blog post, Ten Things I Wish I Knew Going into my First Ensemble Rehearsal...
CV or Resume: Which one do you use?
What is the difference between a CV (curriculum vitae) and a resume? In this post I want to discuss the major differences between a CV and Resume and show you an example of each. As a student, I think it is very important to have an updated resume. You will need to use a resume for grad school auditions and job interviews. It also comes in handy when you apply for scholarships at your university or to PASIC. Keep all of your programs and try and update your resume at least twice a year (Summer and Winter Break). The main difference between a CV and a Resume is the length...
An Evening of Tibetan Singing Bowls II
Last year, the chair of the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music, Carolyn Bremer, began collecting a lot of Tibetan Singing Bowls. I am not sure the exact number of bowls that she owns, but it is probably around +/- 50. During the Spring 2011 semester, Carolyn decided she wanted to record the bowls and I asked if I could come to the session and bring a bunch of my mallets. An hour or so later, we had recorded many different sized bowls with many different mallets. (I will have to see if I can get some of the samples to post here). After the recording session, we talked about...
Bossa de los Changitos
Over the past couple of weeks, I have been working on a new steel drum piece called Bossa de los Changitos. The piece will be premiered while during my residency at the University of Texas at Austin on February 21, 2012. Here’s a midi realization: I hope you enjoy the recording. In the next couple of weeks, I will be refining the piece and adding percussion. ——– The photo in this post is used under the Creative Commons License: Attribution – NonCommercial – No Derivs 2.0 Generic by Trey Jones on...
IronWorks CD Review in Percussive Notes
The Percussive Arts Society is the largest professional organization for percussionists. They society publishes 6 journals yearly and supports percussion education throughout the world. In the January 2012 issue of Percussive Notes, Darin Olson gave a great review on the new IronWorks Percussion Duo CD – I. Thanks to PAS and Darin for including our CD in the recent publication. IronWorks Percussion Duo (Self-published CD) Formed in 2006, the IronWorks Percussion Duo aims to expand the repertoire written for their medium. Attempting to explore new possibilities for...
John Wooden Quote
“If you’re not making mistakes, then you’re not doing anything. I’m positive that a doer makes mistakes.” – John Wooden
“Do I really need to learn Snare D...
Originally posted on DrumChattr.com on March 29, 2011. The short answer is YES!! The 40 Standard American Drum Rudiments are a set of short patterns that are essential in building technique. Rudiments on snare drum are like scales on marimba. Over the past couple of months, I have been thinking a lot about how to incorporate rudiments into the college curriculum. It is almost assumed that by the time a percussionist gets to college, they already know their rudiments, but I have been finding that most students don’t know their rudiments as well as they should. I think...
Open your Mouth
“Music to me is like breathing—I don’t get tired of breathing, I don’t get tired of music.”- Ray Charles At the end of last semester, I had an “ah ha” moment during the final lessons with a couple of my students. You never know when you are going to have one of these moments and I want to share it with you and get your thoughts. Have you ever sat in an audience in a recital and started to feel uncomfortable about the performance on stage? Other than the occasional memory slip or stick drop, I think we have all experienced this moment (some more than others)....
