October Update

It has been a ridiculous amount of time since I last posted, and a lot has happened! This semester at NSU brought a very strong start to the Pro Musica Ensemble, which I'm glad to be co-directing (check out the Upcoming Events page). I got married in September, and just last week finally bought a new (to me) clarinet. The end of this week (October 10th) is also my one year anniversary at ASM, where I teach piano. Good times!

 

Lovewell Institute

I'm so glad I got to work at the Lovewell Institute this past July. This arts program for elementary through high school students has been around since 1989. These students got to write, rehearse, and perform their own complete musical. It was a great experience! I was a music intern for the Teen show, and our show ended up being about a vaudeville troupe circa 1913 struggling to deal with the introduction of silent films and the decline of live performance.

Awesome experience? Yes.

Summer Plans

Originally, I had this grand idea that after my recital I would hit the ground running and would plow through at least one more technique book plus etudes and new repertoire, but as the dust settled I realized that I want to use this "down time" to refocus my efforts as a performer and teacher. I want to approach my practice in a more holistic manner. This will help reduce muscle tension and pain. Instead of seeing how much ground I can cover this summer, I want to take this time to reevaluate how I've been achieving my goals. While I am proud of the work I've put in this academic year, and of the progress I've made, I want to make efforts to tweak my habits toward a more healthy approach.

The longer I've been teaching keyboard the better my playing has gotten, but I'd like to spend some time this summer working on really becoming a more well-equipped pianist. Part of this will require me to just squeeze in a little extra practice time here and there, but I'll also be doing a lot of reading. I've currently been working my way through two texts that a colleague at the university loaned me (A Symposium for Pianists and Teachers: Strategies to Develop the Mind and Body for Optimal Performance edited by Kris Kopff, and The Well-Tempered Keyboard Teacher by Marienne Uszler). It's great to be able to say that I've recognized some of those pedagogical approaches or encountered the same issues as I've been teaching, but it's strangely even more exciting to see how much of this field I'm just not familiar with as I keep investigating.

I'm also working on a couple side projects, including a scale book geared towards woodwind doublers and general woodwind teachers like myself (but more on that later).

Recital in Review

Yesterday I had the distinct privilege of presenting a recital at the Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale. While I haven't yet heard any recordings yet, I'm satisfied with my playing. It wasn't perfect, but I'm okay with that.

As I was preparing for this, I thought quite often about the "how" of the process. How many times should I run my entire program? How should I arrange the music on the program? How many programs should I print? I also began to think about what others thought of this process, so I asked. I created a survey and put it on my Twitter and asked you to share your perspective, and 38 people shared their opinions! Here's what I found, and I'll add my own thoughts as well. I do want to note that every question was multiple choice, so the results don't fall into neat percentages.

First, I wanted to know how repertoire is picked:

I pick music that I like.	67.57% 25
– I try to pick music that my audience will enjoy.	45.95% 17
– Anything, really.	24.32% 9
– Always new music!	13.51% 5
Total Respondents: 37

I tend to go for a mix of all of these. For this recital, I picked works that I had been wanting to perform for a long time, some of which I thought would also be audience pleasers. There were also a couple works I chose because I felt they were important for me to perform as a musician and flutist. For example, I had never performed a work with extended techniques, so I programmed two contemporary works that I felt would be good for me as a first-timer.

When asked how early rehearsals start:

9-12 months - I start before I even know I want to do the recital!	2.63% 1
– 6-9 months - Lots of time!	47.37% 18
– 3-6 months - Not too much time, not too little!	47.37% 18
– 0-3 months - I like the pressure!	15.79% 6
Total Respondents: 38

I technically started preparing around 6-9 months ago, but my real work didn't happen until about the 4 month mark. I liked that I felt I had time to not be rushed, but also felt some pressure to not slack off. One work I intentionally waited to begin preparing (Piazzolla's Tango Etude #1) and I enjoyed having the extra pressure of less time for that work, especially since there were works that I had been practicing on-and-off for over a year.

How people prefer to prepare multiple works:

A little bit of everything!	15.79% 6
– I focus on one work at a time. I have to feel comfortable before I'll move on to the next work.	5.26% 2
– Somewhere between, it depends on which pieces I feel need the most work.	81.58% 31
Total Respondents: 38

Overall I worked on a little of everything, but sometimes you have to just focus on one or two works for a while to get them up to where you want them to be.

How much do you record yourself?

Never.	13.16% 5
– Occasionally (1-3 times a month)	39.47% 15
– Fairly regularly (1-2 times a week)	39.47% 15
– Often (3-4 time a week)	5.26% 2
– Always. The recorder is constantly on!	5.26% 2
Total Respondents: 38

I put myself in the "fairly regularly" category. I found that recording often was really helpful, but sometimes I just didn't have the time to listen between practice sessions. Whenever that happens, those recordings become old news really quickly.

What tools do you use in practice?

Metronome	94.59% 35
– Pitch Drone	27.03% 10
– Audio Recorder	59.46% 22
– Video Recorder	21.62% 8
Total Respondents: 37

Several people added Tuner and Mirror in the comment section (I forgot to include those two!) I never made a video recording of myself but I think I really need to do that next time around. Here's a comment that I really liked:

"Skype for playing for people; email accountability group to share daily practice times; Music Journal app ; or chart. Lift app for tracking practice times, slow play times and motivating me."

I love the resourceful integration of technology, plus the tracking and sharing of daily practice times. 

Do you run the entire program in advance of the recital?

Yes	94.74% 36
– No	5.26% 2
Total

I hadn't given a recital since 2010, so I was very worried about stamina and nerves. I ran the entire program every weekday the week before the recital, and it was probably the best thing I could have done. It assured me that I wouldn't wear out before the second half even started, and gave me a chance to remember what it was like to walk "on stage" and simply have to deliver no matter what happens.

How often do you run through the entire program?

Never.	0.00% 0
– One week before the program	27.03% 10
– 2-3 weeks in advance	59.46% 22
– 4-6 weeks in advance	18.92% 7
– 7+ weeks in advance	2.70% 1
Total Respondents: 37

While I think that the way ran the program multiple times in the week preceding was extremely helpful, the people who voted for 2-3 weeks in advance hit the nail on the head. Starting run-throughs a little earlier would allow extra time to go back and re-hone some spots that I could never hit right on during a mock performance. By waiting until the last week, there were some unexpected rough spots that came up that I just couldn't give the time they needed.

What is your main instrument?

Woodwinds	57.89% 22
– Brass	7.89% 3
– Strings	18.42% 7
– Piano	5.26% 2
– Percussion	0.00% 0
– Voice	10.53% 4
Total Respondents: 38

Here are some of my favorite tips that people gave:

- "Always be able to play through the recital twice, then it will be no problem to play through it once."

Amen! I'm adding this one to my plans for next time as well!

- "I think it's a good idea to have a balance between pieces that represent the style periods of art music (or genres, for those who play a wider repertoire)."

- "Practice in the shoes and or clothing you plan to perform in before hand in case you are not comfortable or have wardrobe malfunctions."

- "Run the full show three times prior to performance, including stage entrances and exits, cleaning the instrument, taking drinks, bowing, acknowledging composers, speaking to the audience, etc. while wearing any difficult components of performance attire (ie: shoes, jewelry)."

- This: "One can never be too prepared." And conversely: "Take it easy and do not over prepare pieces. Give yourself enough time to take breaks."

Both are very valid points. There are some things I wish I had prepared in a more efficient manner, but if I had worked on some that lit for another week I might have lost it.

- "I always practice slowly and isolate trouble spots. Also I listen to several recordings of each piece and score study them."

- "Imaging with the score, no instrument, in program order = most powerful tool the day before and day of, at the very least."

I sort of implemented some of both of these ideas. The night before I spot-checked each piece, but didn't do a run-through. The morning of the recital I listened to each work in concert order with the score, which was really great.

- "Slow practice is so important. Learn a piece slowly and correctly - speed will come much more organically."

- "Practice scales, technical exercises, études all the time to help you learn repertoire more quickly. Being in good shape cuts down on recital prep time."

- "Think about the order the pieces will go in, try them in different orders. That's why I go through the program in order a couple times before the recital. Sometimes a piece that requires more stamina needs to be closer to the beginning, etc."

Special thank you to everyone who took the time to contribute to my survey!

Looking Back

During the month of October I tried to challenge myself by making a few key changes, namely moving to a strictly vegan diet.
I started the month strong, with lots of fresh produce, homemade shakes and smoothies. It was very exciting, and I learned a few new kitchen tricks. As the month wore on, I lost some of that enthusiasm and relied on premade meals. I stuck to it though, and made it through the month eating only vegan foods.
I still want to change some other habits, and I'll be working to make adjustments to my fitness habits and practice routines.
The month of October brought many changes, namely a significant change in my employment situation. I'm now working entirely in music, which is very exciting. I'm still adjusting to the new job, but it's been fun to be working with a group of great kids.
As we move forward to the end of the year, I'll be trying to get back to a higher level of focus and drive in my professional life.

New Job

I haven't talked about it much here, but I've been working part-time at a restaurant since we moved down to Florida. It's worked out pretty well, because it allowed me to make a liveable wage and still gave me flexibility to pursue gigs and other opportunities as they became available to me. Over the past few weeks though, my schedule kept getting cut back further and further, so I had to start looking for a new job. After looking for about a week and finding that there were no music jobs that didn't require me to have a childcare license I was starting to give up on finding a music job. Then I found a listing for a keyboard instructor. I called on a Tuesday, had my interview on Wednesday, and started training on Thursday!
My first official day was Saturday, and I am loving this job. It's an after school program, and they only offer piano/keyboard, guitar, and drum lessons. I only teach private lessons, and while most of my students are under 10, I have a couple who are 15-18. So far they're all good kids and we're having a great time! My coworkers are all very friendly and helpful, and I don't have to deal with any of the scheduling, they have a two people on staff who handle all of that for the teachers.
All students use the same book system for their basics - the Alfred Basic Piano Library. There are around eight levels I think, and each one has a theory book, technic book, lesson book, and recital book. I'm really glad that these kids are getting exposed to good basics, especially in the realm of theory. Maybe my perception is a little screwy because I didn't start taking lessons until my senior year of high school and no music theory until college for me. If a student starts getting bored with their books, we can bring in outside music like their favorite song from the radio to keep them engaged and learning.
I've never taught piano before, and I haven't taught students this young before. It's very humbling to think that for some of these kids I am at the beginning of their exposure to music as an engaging activity. While it's easy to get lost in their antsy-ness and all the stickers we hand out, it's quite a responsibility to think that what I do and say might have a major influence on whether a child might continue on with music for a lifetime.
Over the last few days I've been cleaning/reorganizing my little room. Hopefully today I'll remember to post some pictures, be sure to check my twitter to see them: @balancedflutist
I'm so incredibly thankful for this job, and I can certainly say that having this job relieves so much stress. Happy Wednesday, everyone!

One Week Vegan

I'm so glad to say that I survived this first week of eating entirely vegan! 

*One thing that I do want to clarify from my last post is that I absolutely do not regret watching documentaries on veganism. I'm so very glad that I did. It's really helped to give me the push to change my diet in a way that I've been wanting to for a long time, and that's something that I'm very grateful for!*

There were a couple factors that played into my ability to follow through with this goal. First of all, I watched a lot of relevant YouTube videos. I watched mostly presentations or discussions about why the vegan diet is more effective and healthier, plus some videos by vegan YouTubers about what they eat, some of their favorite recipes, and tips on how to successfully transition. The biggest tip that I saw was that if you switch to lots of whole fruits and veggies, then yes you will consume a much higher volume of food. Knowing that helped me to know that it's okay to load up on food at meals, and getting hungry between meals doesn't necessarily mean I'm doing it incorrectly.
Another helpful thing, which was sort of incidental, was that I found good, filling breakfast ideas that weren't fruit smoothies. It's a veggie smoothie! I've had fruit smoothies, and I like them, but I just wasn't able to get nearly as much variation as I wanted, plus they turn brown and start tasting funny very quickly, so making them in advance wasn't really an option. The veggie smoothie recipe that I tried was this:

1 medium carrot
2 celery stalks
one big handful of spinach
1 pear (or apple)
coconut milk (or other vegan milk)

It's very tasty! The pear/apple adds a little sweetness without going overboard. I've also been adding two kale leaves and half an avocado to mine which makes it more filling and creamier. Another thing I tried which worked well was I put in about a quarter or less of bell pepper. That spiced it up and changed the flavor profile in a very positive way. I'm going to add/subtract ingredients so that I can slowly increase my options and increase variety further. Usually I would drink half of the smoothie, saving the other half for the next day/later that same day, and eat a bowl of corn flakes to get some carbs too.

While I did everything I wanted to with my diet, I still didn't get as much exercise or as much practice time in as I wanted to. Now that I have feel like I have my diet in a good place that I can maintain, I'm really going to focus on the other two.
To that end, I'm going to go switch the laundry over and then hit the stack of recital music that is currently staring me down. November 24th, here I come!