Eeek!
Contract Negotiations Between Symphony, Musicians Heat Up - Honolulu News Story - KITV Honolulu
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Cute?
This is a YOUTH orchestra in Taiwan. It is pretty amazing. While the slow opening challenges this kiddos quite a bit, the Allegro is pretty darn good!!!!!
Summer
It has been a little while since my last post!
Summer is in full force, and it is HOT! This week we are in the 120's here in the Las Vegas area and as you can imagine-- the word "miserable" is putting it nicely.
The last few weeks have been busy as we prepare to move into our HOUSE! It is very exciting! I have had a blast getting a chance to play quite a few PHANTOMS and finally getting to teach my students out of a set location instead of driving all over the city-- it is great!
I am beginning prep for an audition, trying to get back into my reed routine, though it is seeming pretty difficult right now! With so much going on, it is hard to really tie myself down to the chair to practice, let alone make reeds-ugh. I need to start the (slow) process of normalizing my routine again though because before long I will be back to the school year schedule of teaching and along with that comes the flow of gigs once more.
Excited about the chance to play a set of PHANTOMS this week, I can't really think of a more fun gig. Not only is it just great music, the atmosphere of a Broadway show is just so much FUN--everyone is very happy to be at work- that is for sure! That, and I get to wear my sassy concert black-- not my usual puritan wear. My Mom was sweet and suited me up with some cute sleeveless tops and even a pair of jeweled sandals at Ann Taylor when she visited at the end of June. Only in Vegas does concert black include lots of sparkle... maybe this really IS the place for me!
Summer is in full force, and it is HOT! This week we are in the 120's here in the Las Vegas area and as you can imagine-- the word "miserable" is putting it nicely.
The last few weeks have been busy as we prepare to move into our HOUSE! It is very exciting! I have had a blast getting a chance to play quite a few PHANTOMS and finally getting to teach my students out of a set location instead of driving all over the city-- it is great!
I am beginning prep for an audition, trying to get back into my reed routine, though it is seeming pretty difficult right now! With so much going on, it is hard to really tie myself down to the chair to practice, let alone make reeds-ugh. I need to start the (slow) process of normalizing my routine again though because before long I will be back to the school year schedule of teaching and along with that comes the flow of gigs once more.
Excited about the chance to play a set of PHANTOMS this week, I can't really think of a more fun gig. Not only is it just great music, the atmosphere of a Broadway show is just so much FUN--everyone is very happy to be at work- that is for sure! That, and I get to wear my sassy concert black-- not my usual puritan wear. My Mom was sweet and suited me up with some cute sleeveless tops and even a pair of jeweled sandals at Ann Taylor when she visited at the end of June. Only in Vegas does concert black include lots of sparkle... maybe this really IS the place for me!
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Ebay of the Day!
This is one that I actually own! It is framed and hangs in the music room with all of the other serious stuff like diplomas ;)
My Mom got it for me one Christmas long ago, and I think I was still in total denial of just how far gone with the oboe I really was. I finally pulled it out of hiding and put it up as a reminder that while there are a lot of serious aspects of being a professional musician, it doesn't have to be serious ALL the time!
Insomnioboe
I very, very rarely suffer from insomnia. Tonight is one of those nights -I just cannot fall asleep and of course, it is one of the nights this week that I need to sleep. Tomorrow is Teaching Tuesday and I am not only adding a new student, but I am moving my home studio student that lives in town to an earlier AM time! Yikes!
It would be like someone granting me a magical wish to be able to stay at home or any set location and teach my students (I really like the idea of being at home though!!!) My teaching is probably the job affected most by my commute. It is easy to come in and out of town for gigs; they have ONE set location and time-- very simple. My students however, really cover the map of the city and while I hate to sound like a wimp about it- it is very difficult to drive from place to place in Las Vegas traffic often times in a hurry.
I HAVE to find a place to settle down and teach in Las Vegas. I am getting annoyed that the major music store in town has not responded to the resume and request that I put in for a room and time slot... I guess I will just have to be a pain in their side ;)
I just have this dream vision of my nice little oboe room with all of my alphabetized music, my reed desk, my oboe sitting on it's peg, and me sipping some tea waiting for the next student to waltz in. Well... I suppose I will just have to keep dreaming until I can start some more kids on oboe this fall here in Mesquite. While I know that I will never have a studio here at home like the one I have in Vegas- I really hope to at least begin to create some turnover into the High School here which hasn't a single oboe kiddo.
(I know that I have talked a little bit about the town we live in before, but to put it in perspective- there are two elementary schools, one middle school (where my husband is the band director) and one high school. In Las Vegas there are about 50 middle schools and 30 high schools that I visit as the district oboe specialist.
Well now, writing all of this has made me a little bit sleepy. I had better try and go get some rest or I will not be a very fun oboe teacher tomorrow!
It would be like someone granting me a magical wish to be able to stay at home or any set location and teach my students (I really like the idea of being at home though!!!) My teaching is probably the job affected most by my commute. It is easy to come in and out of town for gigs; they have ONE set location and time-- very simple. My students however, really cover the map of the city and while I hate to sound like a wimp about it- it is very difficult to drive from place to place in Las Vegas traffic often times in a hurry.
I HAVE to find a place to settle down and teach in Las Vegas. I am getting annoyed that the major music store in town has not responded to the resume and request that I put in for a room and time slot... I guess I will just have to be a pain in their side ;)
I just have this dream vision of my nice little oboe room with all of my alphabetized music, my reed desk, my oboe sitting on it's peg, and me sipping some tea waiting for the next student to waltz in. Well... I suppose I will just have to keep dreaming until I can start some more kids on oboe this fall here in Mesquite. While I know that I will never have a studio here at home like the one I have in Vegas- I really hope to at least begin to create some turnover into the High School here which hasn't a single oboe kiddo.
(I know that I have talked a little bit about the town we live in before, but to put it in perspective- there are two elementary schools, one middle school (where my husband is the band director) and one high school. In Las Vegas there are about 50 middle schools and 30 high schools that I visit as the district oboe specialist.
Well now, writing all of this has made me a little bit sleepy. I had better try and go get some rest or I will not be a very fun oboe teacher tomorrow!
Monday, June 14, 2010
Better Homes and...oboes
Kind of want these for the music room. Cool idea, but I shouldn't get ahead of myself... we still haven't heard back about the house! Ahhh the waiting game continues...
Friday, June 11, 2010
Bach - Brandenburg Concertos No.2 - ii: Andante
Something familiar, but perhaps with a twist. Many of us are used to playing some of these arrangements with creative instrumentations, and usually on modern instruments.
I always love listening something I have performed or am going to perform, performed in its most original format. Oboe players have an interesting challenge of presenting our repertoire which is rooted deeply in the baroque and classical style periods. Though I do not play a period instrument (I have tried, and it was pretty hairy ;)) I think there is something extremely valuable in applying baroque performance practice to a modern performance on a modern oboe.
Plus... its just lovely to listen to a great baroque group like this. Everything suddenly seems so much less complex, and the "air" of the movement really comes through- that is to say, it gives the audience a strong feeling or impression. Just beautiful.
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