"We forget that every good that is worth possessing must be paid for in strokes of daily effort. We postpone and postpone until those smiling possibilities are dead.... By neglecting the necessary concrete labor, by sparing ourselves the little daily tax, we are positively digging the graves of our higher possibilities."
1. From Talks to Teachers (excerpt from Ch. XIII "The Laws of Habit") by William James (yes, he is Henry's brother). You can read the whole thing here.
2. Now I have to get to work...
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Nostalgia 101. Or, "In my mind I'm going to Carolina, Can't you see the sunshine, Can't you just feel the moonshine..."
1. Is there anything better than an upright bass in a gondola over a mountain?
2. Lyrics: "We sat at Lake Junaluska, and cried over where we would wed." I went to youth camp at Lake Junaluska in middle school and high school. Sheesh. Memories.
3. The Avett Brothers are from NC. Maybe they also went to youth camp at Lake Junaluska.
4. Maybe I went to youth camp with the Avett Brothers.
5. Regardless, Go Tar Heels!
Friday, March 27, 2009
Choose your own ending Mozart...
I think I like this game:
**Copied from the NYTimes Arts Beat Blog
In a sign of the times, even Mozart is now being updated for the “American Idol” age. A coming production of his opera “Così fan tutte,” about a pair of officers and their fickle sister fiancées, and the romantic machinations of the sisters’ maid and an elderly philosopher, will ask audience members to vote at intermission for which characters should be married in the opera’s final scene. The production, called “Così fan Tutte: Defining Women,” will be performed by the Underworld Productions Opera Ensemble at Symphony Space on April 29 and 30, and it invites theatergoers to vote by sending text messages from their cell phones. Cast members will then perform the democratically chosen ending. In a news release, the opera company notes that its production has been relocated from 18th-century Italy to modern-day Massachusetts, “where nuptials between any combination of three men and three women would be legal.”**
My two cents (because I'm a musician in a recession and that's all I got, yo)...
If you woke up this morning and thought, "I need to spend some time today pondering the value of the arts in light of our current economic situation," you can do so by following these simple directions around the interweb:
Step 1). Read this sobering article from the New York Times. Step 2). Take a little trip to Boston for a hefty dose of inspiration. Step 3). Next, head to the blogosphere and read this thoughtful post by Jonathan Bellman followed by Osbert Parsley's response to Bellman's ideas.
I think J.B.'s call for new answers to old questions - or perhaps just for new questions - is worth some thought. My initial response: As I read the articles and blog postings above, I couldn't help but wonder why we (artists, musicians, humanities educators, etc.) feel such an intense need to defend our profession? It seems we have a giant chip on our collective shoulder that causes us to either over-inflate our significance (musicians are superheroes/gods who can systematically save your life, your soul, and the world) or downplay the tangible value of what we do (the classic penniless artist/musician martyr syndrome). I feel the first line of thought, while based in truth, can be taken too far (i.e. Sure Mr. Doctor, you may be able to fix a broken bone or treat someone's cancer, but can you heal a soul through the power of music??? No? That's what I thought.) The fault in the second view is that it suggests the "real world" will never appreciate art with a tangible reward (i.e. money). That's just not true. I make a living and pay my bills, and so do you.
I admit falling prey to both hackneyed arguments and to having my own personal shoulder chip, but I am tired of feeling defensive. I don't need to justify my choice of profession any more than does a veterinarian, a lawyer, a writer, or a seamstresses. Furthermore, in light of our current economic situation, I sometimes feel my profession makes just as much sense (even more?) than a job in the financial or other previously considered "stable" industries. I have a skill and I market it. It is pretty straight forward. Yes, in a bad economy, musicians and humanities professors will lose their jobs, but so will bankers and dog-walkers. I'm pretty sure that is why they call it a bad economy.
The reality is that there is no one "why" (or, as J.B. put it, "There Are No Rules"). The "why" can only be answered individually, and that is true of any professional choice a person makes. So, defensive attitude aside, the reason I do what I do is because music has been the one thing in my life that challenges me at once intellectually, physically, and emotionally. However it manifests itself professionally, I want to continue to learn and to push myself (and my students) to greater heights in these three areas through my chosen medium and make a living along the way.
Well, at least that's the plan...
Step 1). Read this sobering article from the New York Times. Step 2). Take a little trip to Boston for a hefty dose of inspiration. Step 3). Next, head to the blogosphere and read this thoughtful post by Jonathan Bellman followed by Osbert Parsley's response to Bellman's ideas.
I think J.B.'s call for new answers to old questions - or perhaps just for new questions - is worth some thought. My initial response: As I read the articles and blog postings above, I couldn't help but wonder why we (artists, musicians, humanities educators, etc.) feel such an intense need to defend our profession? It seems we have a giant chip on our collective shoulder that causes us to either over-inflate our significance (musicians are superheroes/gods who can systematically save your life, your soul, and the world) or downplay the tangible value of what we do (the classic penniless artist/musician martyr syndrome). I feel the first line of thought, while based in truth, can be taken too far (i.e. Sure Mr. Doctor, you may be able to fix a broken bone or treat someone's cancer, but can you heal a soul through the power of music??? No? That's what I thought.) The fault in the second view is that it suggests the "real world" will never appreciate art with a tangible reward (i.e. money). That's just not true. I make a living and pay my bills, and so do you.
I admit falling prey to both hackneyed arguments and to having my own personal shoulder chip, but I am tired of feeling defensive. I don't need to justify my choice of profession any more than does a veterinarian, a lawyer, a writer, or a seamstresses. Furthermore, in light of our current economic situation, I sometimes feel my profession makes just as much sense (even more?) than a job in the financial or other previously considered "stable" industries. I have a skill and I market it. It is pretty straight forward. Yes, in a bad economy, musicians and humanities professors will lose their jobs, but so will bankers and dog-walkers. I'm pretty sure that is why they call it a bad economy.
The reality is that there is no one "why" (or, as J.B. put it, "There Are No Rules"). The "why" can only be answered individually, and that is true of any professional choice a person makes. So, defensive attitude aside, the reason I do what I do is because music has been the one thing in my life that challenges me at once intellectually, physically, and emotionally. However it manifests itself professionally, I want to continue to learn and to push myself (and my students) to greater heights in these three areas through my chosen medium and make a living along the way.
Well, at least that's the plan...
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
Notes from spring break. Or, a few more pretty true things...
Alas, spring has sprung and I have breaked (broken? breaken?). I thought I'd be ready to get back to work after a week off. Au contraire...
Regardless, I learned (or was reminded) of these facts on my week off:
1. This place has exceptionally delicious cuisine.
2. It is really, really fun to eat donuts for breakfast at noon on a Tuesday.
3. Taxes suck.
4. Grading papers inevitably always takes longer than I think it will. Always.
5. Chairlift is great live. Don't be deterred because you think you are too cool for school and/or the machine that is iMarketing. Just go see them, if for no other reason than the fact that the most evident utensil really is none other than a pencil...
Regardless, I learned (or was reminded) of these facts on my week off:
1. This place has exceptionally delicious cuisine.
2. It is really, really fun to eat donuts for breakfast at noon on a Tuesday.
3. Taxes suck.
4. Grading papers inevitably always takes longer than I think it will. Always.
5. Chairlift is great live. Don't be deterred because you think you are too cool for school and/or the machine that is iMarketing. Just go see them, if for no other reason than the fact that the most evident utensil really is none other than a pencil...
Saturday, March 14, 2009
"Gweetings music lovers..."
Here's a saturday morning cartoon for you. Brought to you (on a sunday morning) by Elmer Fudd, Johann Stwauss and youtube.
Wasn't that wovely?
Wasn't that wovely?
Friday, March 13, 2009
Happiness is...
...my very own copy of Robert Orledge's Satie the Composer...
It finally arrived today, all the way from the good ol' UK. I should have bought this book 6 months ago, but alas, it is très cher and I've been Madame le pauvre. I've had SMU's copy checked out consistently for the last two years (and have accrued an embarrassing amount of late fees in the process). Now I have my own copy and I CAN WRITE IN IT!! Not that I didn't write (in pencil of course) very lightly in the library copy...but now I can do it guilt free...
It's the simple things in life, really.
Happy weekend and a very merry spring break!
It finally arrived today, all the way from the good ol' UK. I should have bought this book 6 months ago, but alas, it is très cher and I've been Madame le pauvre. I've had SMU's copy checked out consistently for the last two years (and have accrued an embarrassing amount of late fees in the process). Now I have my own copy and I CAN WRITE IN IT!! Not that I didn't write (in pencil of course) very lightly in the library copy...but now I can do it guilt free...
It's the simple things in life, really.
Happy weekend and a very merry spring break!
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Heading into a predator-infested jungle? You'd better take me along...
We music-y people just love it when science-y people give us attention (three cheers for validation!!!). Sure, we are artists (which makes us cool), but we are also oh-so-much-more-than-that (read: smart), a fact that makes us better than other artsy people like dancers and actors (read: dumb) and visual artists (read: flaky). We musicians are basically just cooler versions of doctors and scientists (see this and this and this for confirmation).
But this is old news.
As for new news, yet another study confirms our superiority. This time, not only are we smarter, we are also more emotionally in tuned. According to the author of the study, musicians are able to more “quickly and accurately identify emotion in sound" than non-musicians. "A skill," the author continues, "that translates across all arenas, whether in the predator-infested jungle or in the classroom, boardroom or bedroom..."
I took piano lessons for 18 years and have two music degrees. I'm just sayin'...
But this is old news.
As for new news, yet another study confirms our superiority. This time, not only are we smarter, we are also more emotionally in tuned. According to the author of the study, musicians are able to more “quickly and accurately identify emotion in sound" than non-musicians. "A skill," the author continues, "that translates across all arenas, whether in the predator-infested jungle or in the classroom, boardroom or bedroom..."
I took piano lessons for 18 years and have two music degrees. I'm just sayin'...
Sunday, March 8, 2009
"We're gonna make it, that's for sure..."
With one week left before spring break, I'm feeling a tad stressed. Just normal stuff...grading, writing midterm exams, preparing piano students for spring competitions, my own thesis deadlines, getting tax stuff together (argh!), blah, blah, blah, and the list goes on...
Shit just seems to always pile up by mid-March and I'm definitely ready for the break. So, until this Friday afternoon when my spring break officially begins, I'm going to keep reminding myself I'm not alone; Q-Tip, Phife, and Ali were also totally stressed out in the mid-90s, and (thank god), they wrote a song to remind me and you that they "really know how it feels to be stressed out, stressed out..."
Stressed Out - A Tribe Called Quest featuring Faith Evans & Raphael Saadiq
Shit just seems to always pile up by mid-March and I'm definitely ready for the break. So, until this Friday afternoon when my spring break officially begins, I'm going to keep reminding myself I'm not alone; Q-Tip, Phife, and Ali were also totally stressed out in the mid-90s, and (thank god), they wrote a song to remind me and you that they "really know how it feels to be stressed out, stressed out..."
Stressed Out - A Tribe Called Quest featuring Faith Evans & Raphael Saadiq
Friday, March 6, 2009
Oh dear, I think I just vomited on my diploma...
Dear alma mater/employer,
Thanks for the good times and the pay checks and stuff, but you kinda suck. The music on this video is what got me this time. Seriously? As if giving him a library isn't enough, you have to pull out the ol' fife and drum routine?
Oh, and speaking of libraries, is there any way you could drop those late fees for me? Mucho thanks.
All my love,
k
Thanks for the good times and the pay checks and stuff, but you kinda suck. The music on this video is what got me this time. Seriously? As if giving him a library isn't enough, you have to pull out the ol' fife and drum routine?
Oh, and speaking of libraries, is there any way you could drop those late fees for me? Mucho thanks.
All my love,
k
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
What we really need is a rapid accelerando out of this largo economy...
According to this article, the Czech piano making company, Petrof, is cutting back, laying off, and switching from piano making to a more lucrative and recession friendly kitchen cabinetry business. Sad. Sadder still are the number of musical terms used as cheap puns in the article (i.e. "piano maker Petrof to hit the soft pedal" or "orders...have gone decrescendo").
Also, (I can't help myself...) if you're going to insist on using puns involving musical terminology in your article, please use the terms correctly. For example, it would have been more accurate to mention that orders are in the midst of a ritardando (which indicates a gradual slowing down) than to use the term decrescendo (which indicates a gradual decrease in volume). That is (the snarky graduate student/music professor in me continues), unless you meant to indicate that people are ordering pianos in increasingly hushed tones...
Good god, I need a break from grading papers and thesis writing!
Also, (I can't help myself...) if you're going to insist on using puns involving musical terminology in your article, please use the terms correctly. For example, it would have been more accurate to mention that orders are in the midst of a ritardando (which indicates a gradual slowing down) than to use the term decrescendo (which indicates a gradual decrease in volume). That is (the snarky graduate student/music professor in me continues), unless you meant to indicate that people are ordering pianos in increasingly hushed tones...
Good god, I need a break from grading papers and thesis writing!
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Upload a video to YouTube...
A quick update on the YouTube orchestra...
Performers have been chosen (from 13 U.S. states and 30 countries) from their online video submissions (read: auditions) and will perform live at Carnegie Hall on April 15.
Performers have been chosen (from 13 U.S. states and 30 countries) from their online video submissions (read: auditions) and will perform live at Carnegie Hall on April 15.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
R.I.P.
The recession is merciless. It seems it is stamping out what was left of the already badly beaten record store industry. Here's to the end of the end of an era.
John Updike says (quote of the day)...
"The things humans do! The little creatures in the UFOs must have figured out the sex by now, and our cars, but the dreaming, and the praying, and the singing . . . How to explain music to them?"
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