It has been a while since my last entry, and I apologize for that. As you may have guess, I've been super-busy. One of my two classes, which is called "Graduate Studies in Music", has it's share of work to do for it. It's basically a research class, which is a kind class that is dreaded in the college world. Lots of difficult homework, lots of critical thinking, and one picky and super-analytical professor. Sounds like a college course, doesn't it? The other class, called "Advanced Woodwind & Brass Repertoire" is much more manageable, meeting only 6 times this whole semester. All we do is put together lists of music pertaining to a specific topic and present that to the class and have them listen to the examples. It's a good group of graduate students, so it's a very comfortable setting. Plus, it's taught by my horn professor, which sweetens the deal.
Also on my plate I have rehearsals, which takes up 2-4 hours of my day. And, many other little things. I'm attempting to add onto that a part-time job, which at the moment is going to be bell-ringing for the Salvation Army in front of stores. That's right, they get paid...at least in Wisconsin, they do. It's great! Instead of ringing the bell, I could play my horn! I'll play mainly Christmas tunes, but I can also interject a few melodic studies that I've worked on. I work my first shift for 7 hours on Saturday the 3rd at a grocery store in Oak Creek called Piggly Wiggly. Yes, that really is the name of a store. There's one near our house, even.
But, things are still fun. I've got good friends here, I'm learning a lot, I'm getting lots of horn playing in...and I still get to spend some good time with my family.
A couple weekends ago I had a great opportunity, one of the best musical experiences I've ever had. I played a concerto, or a feature piece, with the Mid-Columbia Symphony in Kennewick, WA. The orchestra flew me over there from Thursday, Oct. 18th to Sunday, Oct. 21st. The performance went very well, and I was quite comfortable on stage. I didn't get nervous at all, which is a real surprise to me. I think it was because I know most of the folks in that group, and have had a lot of good support from them over the years. My parents came over for the performance, too, as well as my old teacher from CWU. I also saw many of my former colleagues and friends, which was a real privilege. What a fantastic weekend it was. I'll never forget it. There, I felt like a true professional musician...someday I'll be one of those. But for now, I'm happy being a student.
Take care and value music.
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Homecoming...sort of.
This weekend is a big weekend for me...and not so much so for the other members of the Brown household. This Saturday I get the amazing opportunity to play a concerto with an orchestra Holly and I used to play with when we lived in eastern Washington. For those of you who don't know what a concerto is, it's a genre of classical music where a single player is featured in front of the orchestra, and plays a crapload of solos. This person is sort of like the lead-singer, if you will. This particular concerto that I'm playing is my personal favorite, written by a 20th century Russian composer named Reinhold Gliere. The piece is about 26 minutes long, so I get to stand up there the whole time, but luckily I don't have to play the whole time. Composers of concertos are nice enough to give the soloist a good deal of rest. So, the soloist stands there (in my case, I'll be emptying a bunch of water from my horn) while the orchestra becomes featured. So, I get to do this on Saturday with a group of musicians that I shared an orchestra with for the last 4 years...with an orchestra that I've come to love. What a great opportunity for me. How lucky am I? Heh, I've just started reading this book by Leonard Nimoy called "I Am Spock", and on the first page he talks about how lucky he is for things that have happened in his career. This time, I'm lucky.
Well, sort of. I mean, in order to get this opportunity, I didn't win any competitions or anything. All I did was ask the conductor one time how one gets to a chance to solo with this orchestra (by the way, this orchestra is called the Mid-Columbia Symphony), and then I mentioned that I'd like to do that sometime. At the end of that season, when we were holding auditions for the following season, the conductor asks me to think of a concerto to play. Wow, right? I've always worked hard on making my part sound good when I played with the orchestra, and it paid off.
So why is it going to be not such a good weekend for Holly and Luke? Well...they have to remain here in Wisconsin while I head to Washington. It really sucks to leave them behind, especially since Holly is alone caring for Luke. But, that's how it has to be. I'm going to miss them terribly.
It really saddens me to think of the amount of emotion that people display when playing music. No, I'm not talking about one who actually expresses the emotion of the music itself as they play it. I'm not talking even about good emotions. I'm talking about how musicians can be so rude to each other. Making music involves so much of the concept of "right and wrong" that musicians get too caught up in it and get emotional about it. They let emotions get in the way of everything, especially when it comes to criticism. The thing we tend to forget is that criticism is supposed to help people, not hurt them. In music, criticism is provided by people in order to help other. But people get so emotional about criticism that things turn ugly. This isn't how it's so supposed to be. Making music together should be a privilege, and should be a team effort. But how can it be so when people won't take criticism, won't be open to changing their ways, or won't even listen to what other people say at all? If people would put aside their egos and their emotions when they're making music, and definitely stop taking things so personally...man, wouldn't that be great?
I think the biggest problem is that success in music involves so much competition that people always feel that they have to compete with each other even when the competitions are technically over. It's all about being right and not being wrong to them. But in reality, does it really matter to an audience who's right and who's wrong? Does the competition even matter to them when listening to a concert? Probably not. They come to a concert to hear good music being played the best it can be. It's our goal as musicians to work together to make it sound that way. A team that competes with each other doesn't do very well.
And yes, in case you're wondering, I do take my own advice. I hate all that negative stuff...I hate arguing, so I try my hardest not to produce it. I sometimes let it slip, shame on me. But I strive for just being...cool with everything.
Take care and value music.
Well, sort of. I mean, in order to get this opportunity, I didn't win any competitions or anything. All I did was ask the conductor one time how one gets to a chance to solo with this orchestra (by the way, this orchestra is called the Mid-Columbia Symphony), and then I mentioned that I'd like to do that sometime. At the end of that season, when we were holding auditions for the following season, the conductor asks me to think of a concerto to play. Wow, right? I've always worked hard on making my part sound good when I played with the orchestra, and it paid off.
So why is it going to be not such a good weekend for Holly and Luke? Well...they have to remain here in Wisconsin while I head to Washington. It really sucks to leave them behind, especially since Holly is alone caring for Luke. But, that's how it has to be. I'm going to miss them terribly.
It really saddens me to think of the amount of emotion that people display when playing music. No, I'm not talking about one who actually expresses the emotion of the music itself as they play it. I'm not talking even about good emotions. I'm talking about how musicians can be so rude to each other. Making music involves so much of the concept of "right and wrong" that musicians get too caught up in it and get emotional about it. They let emotions get in the way of everything, especially when it comes to criticism. The thing we tend to forget is that criticism is supposed to help people, not hurt them. In music, criticism is provided by people in order to help other. But people get so emotional about criticism that things turn ugly. This isn't how it's so supposed to be. Making music together should be a privilege, and should be a team effort. But how can it be so when people won't take criticism, won't be open to changing their ways, or won't even listen to what other people say at all? If people would put aside their egos and their emotions when they're making music, and definitely stop taking things so personally...man, wouldn't that be great?
I think the biggest problem is that success in music involves so much competition that people always feel that they have to compete with each other even when the competitions are technically over. It's all about being right and not being wrong to them. But in reality, does it really matter to an audience who's right and who's wrong? Does the competition even matter to them when listening to a concert? Probably not. They come to a concert to hear good music being played the best it can be. It's our goal as musicians to work together to make it sound that way. A team that competes with each other doesn't do very well.
And yes, in case you're wondering, I do take my own advice. I hate all that negative stuff...I hate arguing, so I try my hardest not to produce it. I sometimes let it slip, shame on me. But I strive for just being...cool with everything.
Take care and value music.
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Crazy...
I had a dream this morning that I had just bought a new iPad & Macbook, and I had a new sports car. I don't remember what kind of car it was, or how I got it. I also don't know where I was, since the settings of my dreams always take places in locations I've never been to. This one was near the ocean. But anyways, can you imagine what it would feel like to have a new iPad, Macbook and sports car all at one? It's almost as cool as having a new baby.
Our baby sure isn't new anymore, though. He just past the 5-month mark a week ago. Can you believe it? He's already had 5 months of existence. He's a pretty recent picture of him that I took on my phone:
Holly's been to a couple of rummage sales lately, and has come home with a ton of new things for Luke after spendin about $50. One big highlight is a beautiful changing table that's like new. Now we don't have to use our own bed to change him, and risk him peeing on the bed. Plus, we don't have to bend down as far to change him, which has done a number on my lower back. Other things we have gotten for him are this little chair pictured here, lots of clothes and other toys. Luke's room is filling up quick. Don't worry, there's still lots of room in there.
So you're probably wondering why it's been a while since my last blog entry...or if you aren't, you should be! :) Things have just been incredibly busy here...busier than they ever have been. It's tough to keep up with everything. School takes up most of my time on weekdays. I have 2-4 hours of rehearsals every day, a 3-hour class every Thursday evening, and a 2 hour class on Wednesday mornings. I also have at least 4 hours of commitment to my horn teacher every week, as part of my assistantship. Add 3-4 hours of practicing per day, and at least 1 hour of homework a day. Plus, on Tuesday nights I coach a youth band program at UWM. And then, Holly and I are involved with church activities for about 5 hours on Wednesday nights. That's what's going on. Where do I have free time? Pretty much on the weekends...which are full of random chores and activities. So, you can understand why I may take a while for an entry. I apologize to all you devote readers out there who are dying to know how Luke and Holly are doing (not so much me, I'd imagine). I'll try my best to keep you informed.
And for those of you who are curious about how I am doing, I'm doing well. School is a lot of fun so far. I play in the UWM symphony orchestra, wind ensemble & a brass quintet with other grad students, and I'm having so much fun playing in them. The orchestra is playing a lot of fun music, so that's exciting. The wind ensemble sounds really good, and we perform a lot with them this semester. The brass quintet is just plain fun, and pretty good, too. It's all fun, and I look forward to all the performances coming up later. I'm also enjoying working with my teacher. The classes I'm taking is a lot of work, but so far, I'm hanging in there.
Yes, as I've said before, I made a good choice coming to UWM. I love it here.
I really will try my hardest to write in here more often, if only just a paragraph or two.
Take care and value music...especially the music of Dvorak.
Our baby sure isn't new anymore, though. He just past the 5-month mark a week ago. Can you believe it? He's already had 5 months of existence. He's a pretty recent picture of him that I took on my phone:
So you're probably wondering why it's been a while since my last blog entry...or if you aren't, you should be! :) Things have just been incredibly busy here...busier than they ever have been. It's tough to keep up with everything. School takes up most of my time on weekdays. I have 2-4 hours of rehearsals every day, a 3-hour class every Thursday evening, and a 2 hour class on Wednesday mornings. I also have at least 4 hours of commitment to my horn teacher every week, as part of my assistantship. Add 3-4 hours of practicing per day, and at least 1 hour of homework a day. Plus, on Tuesday nights I coach a youth band program at UWM. And then, Holly and I are involved with church activities for about 5 hours on Wednesday nights. That's what's going on. Where do I have free time? Pretty much on the weekends...which are full of random chores and activities. So, you can understand why I may take a while for an entry. I apologize to all you devote readers out there who are dying to know how Luke and Holly are doing (not so much me, I'd imagine). I'll try my best to keep you informed.
And for those of you who are curious about how I am doing, I'm doing well. School is a lot of fun so far. I play in the UWM symphony orchestra, wind ensemble & a brass quintet with other grad students, and I'm having so much fun playing in them. The orchestra is playing a lot of fun music, so that's exciting. The wind ensemble sounds really good, and we perform a lot with them this semester. The brass quintet is just plain fun, and pretty good, too. It's all fun, and I look forward to all the performances coming up later. I'm also enjoying working with my teacher. The classes I'm taking is a lot of work, but so far, I'm hanging in there.
Yes, as I've said before, I made a good choice coming to UWM. I love it here.
I really will try my hardest to write in here more often, if only just a paragraph or two.
Take care and value music...especially the music of Dvorak.
Saturday, September 8, 2012
The streak continues
I've been principal horn (that's 1st chair) in an orchestra for the last five years. It started with the CWU Orchestra during my 3rd year. By the time I graduated, I had worked my way up to principal chair of the Mid-Columbia Symphony in the Tri-Cities in Washington, which I held up until we moved to Wisconsin. Now, here at UWM, I have successfully auditioned to the principal chair of the orchestra. It's just such a great feeling to move into a new area and make a good impression. It's also cool to continue my streak of seeing 1st horn parts on my stand with at least one large ensemble, and to see that chair sitting there waiting for my butt to occupy it every rehearsal. I make such a big deal out of this not only because I obviously love playing principal horn, but also because I never thought I'd get to be principal horn, let alone for this long in my life. It'll probably be over once I graduate from UWM, so I'm gonna enjoy it while I can.
Don't get me wrong - Playing section horn (2nd, 3rd & 4th chairs) is a pretty amazing experience, too. I'd be happy to have a career as one of these. But still, I love principal horn the most, and I'd want that job most of all. Plus, it the professional world, principal hornists are paid more!
So orchestra rehearsals will start up soon. I also made it into Wind Ensemble, which is the top concert band at UWM, although they haven't announced chair placements yet. I think that they do a little more rotating of parts in Wind Ensemble, while in orchestra, my section with stay the same for the whole school year. Other than those ensembles, I'm started up with classes and stuff, and I think they're going to go well. It's just two classes, and they'll have a lot of work involved, but they'll still be quite rewarding. I've also starting horn lessons with my horn professor, which are going fantastically well, and will continue to. It's cool having a desk in the horn studio office with my professor. I feel so...important there.
On top of all the great things about school, I've also made a few great friends here already. Holly and I had a few of them over last weekend, and had a really great time. They're all grad students, too. Each of the grad students I've met here have been really awesome people, and I'm getting along with everyone quite well. Now I'm eager to hear the skill level of all these musicians!
As you can tell, I'm really loving UWM. I made a good choice.
So while I'm busy with school stuff, Holly will be mostly at home with Luke. Actually, she's doing her best to get involved with activities away from the house. She's going to be involved with a women's bible study with the church we go to. She's been hanging out a lot with one of our new friends, who is a wife whose husband is also a UWM grad student. Holly's also looking to do some babysitting.
As you can see, Holly and I will be doing totally different things in our everyday lives, while still trying to get as much time as we can together. During the week, I won't be able to be home much. But so far on the weekends I have no commitments to keep me from home. Once I find a part time job, that may change, though.
And what about Luke, you ask? Yes, I made you read most of this blog entry when all you really wanted to read about was Luke. Well, Luke's doing fine, of course! He's just growin' and growin'. He's been pretty vocal, although it's all jibberish, still. Nothing else spectacular is happening as of now. You'll hear about it, don't worry.
Sorry to be out of touch to all you eager readers. I've had a busy week. I'll try to write more often.
Take care and value music.
Don't get me wrong - Playing section horn (2nd, 3rd & 4th chairs) is a pretty amazing experience, too. I'd be happy to have a career as one of these. But still, I love principal horn the most, and I'd want that job most of all. Plus, it the professional world, principal hornists are paid more!
So orchestra rehearsals will start up soon. I also made it into Wind Ensemble, which is the top concert band at UWM, although they haven't announced chair placements yet. I think that they do a little more rotating of parts in Wind Ensemble, while in orchestra, my section with stay the same for the whole school year. Other than those ensembles, I'm started up with classes and stuff, and I think they're going to go well. It's just two classes, and they'll have a lot of work involved, but they'll still be quite rewarding. I've also starting horn lessons with my horn professor, which are going fantastically well, and will continue to. It's cool having a desk in the horn studio office with my professor. I feel so...important there.
On top of all the great things about school, I've also made a few great friends here already. Holly and I had a few of them over last weekend, and had a really great time. They're all grad students, too. Each of the grad students I've met here have been really awesome people, and I'm getting along with everyone quite well. Now I'm eager to hear the skill level of all these musicians!
As you can tell, I'm really loving UWM. I made a good choice.
So while I'm busy with school stuff, Holly will be mostly at home with Luke. Actually, she's doing her best to get involved with activities away from the house. She's going to be involved with a women's bible study with the church we go to. She's been hanging out a lot with one of our new friends, who is a wife whose husband is also a UWM grad student. Holly's also looking to do some babysitting.
As you can see, Holly and I will be doing totally different things in our everyday lives, while still trying to get as much time as we can together. During the week, I won't be able to be home much. But so far on the weekends I have no commitments to keep me from home. Once I find a part time job, that may change, though.
And what about Luke, you ask? Yes, I made you read most of this blog entry when all you really wanted to read about was Luke. Well, Luke's doing fine, of course! He's just growin' and growin'. He's been pretty vocal, although it's all jibberish, still. Nothing else spectacular is happening as of now. You'll hear about it, don't worry.
Sorry to be out of touch to all you eager readers. I've had a busy week. I'll try to write more often.
Take care and value music.
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Summer is ending...
Probably the most interesting summer I've had so far. It definitely was not an easy time, with have to move, travel a ton (not only across the country, but also between our parents' houses beforehand), getting adjusted to having a baby, and getting ourselves established in Shorewood, WI. We still haven't sorted every little thing out, but we're pretty much settled in our place with no more unpacking needed. Now, I'm looking for a part-time job. I am already making a few bucks extra helping out with a youth wind ensemble program here at UWM, and I have 1 student I'm teaching lessons to. But, more is better. Holly's been looking into baby sitting, since she's experienced with that and definitely responsible. So wish us luck as we search for jobs. Never a fun process, but always quite rewarding. I'm counting on it to be much easier to find a job here in the city instead of in eastern Washington...mainly because I'm not required to speak Spanish.
One thing's for sure, I love living in the city. It's actually been something I've always wanted to do, based on the fact that I've always been fascinated by big cities every time I've visited one. I enjoyed the kind of neighborhood I grew up with, and that sort of area would probably be the ideal place to buy a house in and settle down, but for now, the city works well.
School starts on Tuesday, and I'm excited for things to get going, although next week for me won't be very busy, since ensembles don't start until the following week.
Holly and I have started watching this show on Netflix called Heroes, which ran for 4 seasons from 2006 to 2010. It's like a sci-fi drama, but the sci-fi element is much more mild that normal, which means Holly can tolerate it a little easier. It's about ordinary people who find out they have some sort of superhuman powers, and how these random people somehow meet each other and work together to save the world from certain disasters. One guy finds out that he can hear the thoughts of people. A high school cheerleader finds out that she can regenerate any injuries she gets, including reviving herself from death. A Japanese dude can actually stop time, giving him the ability to teleport. Another girl has super strength. It's a really awesome show that Holly and I are drawn into. You should really check it out.
We're going to have some of my new friends from UWM over today. They're all fellow grad students in music. Should be a fun time!
Take care and value music.
One thing's for sure, I love living in the city. It's actually been something I've always wanted to do, based on the fact that I've always been fascinated by big cities every time I've visited one. I enjoyed the kind of neighborhood I grew up with, and that sort of area would probably be the ideal place to buy a house in and settle down, but for now, the city works well.
School starts on Tuesday, and I'm excited for things to get going, although next week for me won't be very busy, since ensembles don't start until the following week.
Holly and I have started watching this show on Netflix called Heroes, which ran for 4 seasons from 2006 to 2010. It's like a sci-fi drama, but the sci-fi element is much more mild that normal, which means Holly can tolerate it a little easier. It's about ordinary people who find out they have some sort of superhuman powers, and how these random people somehow meet each other and work together to save the world from certain disasters. One guy finds out that he can hear the thoughts of people. A high school cheerleader finds out that she can regenerate any injuries she gets, including reviving herself from death. A Japanese dude can actually stop time, giving him the ability to teleport. Another girl has super strength. It's a really awesome show that Holly and I are drawn into. You should really check it out.
We're going to have some of my new friends from UWM over today. They're all fellow grad students in music. Should be a fun time!
Take care and value music.
Friday, August 24, 2012
Look at Luke!
Here's the latest from Luke. These pictures was taken with the last day. Him just being cute and all that.
He seems to be getting more fun day by day! It's great hearing him vocalizing so much! The funny that we push them to talk and be vocal so much when they're babies, but when the get older we tell them to shut up.
Such a logical race, we humans.
I had a busy week of events going on at the college preparing me for the graduate student experience. I've met many other graduate students in the music department, and they're all really great people that I've been getting along with well. I haven't heard anyone play their instrument yet, but I'm guess these graduate students are all really hot stuff. I can wait to start hearing people play, and to play in ensembles with them.
I've also been working to prepare my stuff for the ensemble auditions which are during the first week of school. It's been a struggle because of the lack of playing I've done this month due to various things like the move, unpacking, and other settling-in sort of things. Lemme tell ya, for those of you who aren't brass players, missing more than a day of practice really puts you out of shape. So, I'm working on getting back into shape. Then, I've got to keep in shape.
It's cool watching Holly interact with Luke. He is like her whole life now, and it seems to make her quite happy. It is quite a lot of work she has to do, which is something that I think the male gender will never really understand. I admit, I don't really understand how much work it is, but I do observe the fact that her attention is always on Luke. She does mention every now and then about going back to work, or at least doing a little substitute teaching. Actually, she's been talking about start graduate studies of her own next year, since we're here. It'll be interesting trying to figure out what to do with Luke. But, in the meantime, for this year at least, she's a full-blown stay-at-home mom, and I'm very thankful she is that. So while she does that, I'll work towards getting closer to my life goals, in addition to providing for the family and proving to the world that I'm not a loser. I say that because the last couple years of really going nowhere in my career, thus not providing very much has really discouraged me. Time for that to end!
Take care and value music.
Such a logical race, we humans.
I had a busy week of events going on at the college preparing me for the graduate student experience. I've met many other graduate students in the music department, and they're all really great people that I've been getting along with well. I haven't heard anyone play their instrument yet, but I'm guess these graduate students are all really hot stuff. I can wait to start hearing people play, and to play in ensembles with them.
I've also been working to prepare my stuff for the ensemble auditions which are during the first week of school. It's been a struggle because of the lack of playing I've done this month due to various things like the move, unpacking, and other settling-in sort of things. Lemme tell ya, for those of you who aren't brass players, missing more than a day of practice really puts you out of shape. So, I'm working on getting back into shape. Then, I've got to keep in shape.
It's cool watching Holly interact with Luke. He is like her whole life now, and it seems to make her quite happy. It is quite a lot of work she has to do, which is something that I think the male gender will never really understand. I admit, I don't really understand how much work it is, but I do observe the fact that her attention is always on Luke. She does mention every now and then about going back to work, or at least doing a little substitute teaching. Actually, she's been talking about start graduate studies of her own next year, since we're here. It'll be interesting trying to figure out what to do with Luke. But, in the meantime, for this year at least, she's a full-blown stay-at-home mom, and I'm very thankful she is that. So while she does that, I'll work towards getting closer to my life goals, in addition to providing for the family and proving to the world that I'm not a loser. I say that because the last couple years of really going nowhere in my career, thus not providing very much has really discouraged me. Time for that to end!
Take care and value music.
Sunday, August 19, 2012
School starts soon!
I can't wait! This is what I've been looking forward to since March: going back to school. I really enjoyed my time at Central Washington University when I got my Bachelor's, and I was sad when it ended. So you can see my excitement. It's even better because I'm a grad student now, and I have special privileges and responsibilities. And my assistantship package is pretty cool, too. Did I tell you about it? Yeah, sure, maybe. But here it is again. First of all, this is what I have to do. In addition to taking classes, taking lessons and giving a recital, I'm required to play in both the Orchestra and Wind Ensemble (which is awesome), playing in a brass or woodwind quintet (also awesome), teach a horn fundamentals class to Music Education majors (just as awesome), and assist with anything that the horn professor needs me to. Now, what I get for doing all of this for them is my tuition completely paid for, health benefits, and an about $7600 a year stipend. Plus, I got a $2000 scholarship. So, this is a really great opportunity for me, and I get to play my horn a lot.
This week is when the university prepares graduate students for their two-year time here. I'm talking about orientations. Several of them. I heard that they're hell. We'll see, though. I also have my diagnostic exams, which are what the music department has to figure out where you will be placed for graduate level classes. I should do pretty well in them, since I got good grades in undergrad, but I'll still study.
Take care and value music.
This week is when the university prepares graduate students for their two-year time here. I'm talking about orientations. Several of them. I heard that they're hell. We'll see, though. I also have my diagnostic exams, which are what the music department has to figure out where you will be placed for graduate level classes. I should do pretty well in them, since I got good grades in undergrad, but I'll still study.
Take care and value music.
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