My thoughts
Presenting at the OMEA conference in Niagara Falls this past week, I realized how great the need is for flex arrangements. School teachers rarely have full big bands so they need charts that can accommodate unique instrumentations. Luckily, I have written for booking agencies that want redundancy in their charts so that the arrangement can be played for 5 horn ensembles through to big bands. It is just cost efficient to hire someone to write a chart that fits all ensembles. I just have to let people know that my writing allows for such diversity. And, hey, the above chart, All Blues, is free. You really can not lose.
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Excited about presenting Brevity and Variety in Brass Warm-Ups and Big Band Arrangements for Reduced or Unique Instrumentations at OMEA's Resonate 16 in Niagara Falls. We are saving trees this year and just posting the handouts. Also looking forward to trying out a few trombone mouthpieces, in the hope of finding that little advantage.
It is so important to practice with a reference tone, whether that be a piano note or another instrument holding a pedal. Today I am going to record myself playing long tones so that I can play my scales against the root. In this way, I can play back the drone and tune the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc. against the root of the scale. This is much more rewarding than using a tuner and much closer to "real world" playing. The same goes for lip slurs. Use that drone as the fundamental tone as you slur upwards in the overtone series. It may even make these daily drills enjoyable as you fine tune the intervals and really hear the timbre of them. Hope this helps. Additionally, the same drone can be recreated by hitting low octaves on the piano while keeping the sustain pedal down. As a trombonist, you have to twist your body so as not to hit the piano with your slide, but it is worth it. You will know if you are really playing in tune if after you are done, there are no small reverberations in the body of the piano. Get to it!
I feel that I am in a good place. My courses this semester are at one school. I am writing music on a regular basis and my band is performing well and regularly. Looking forward to two presentations in Niagara Falls and New Orleans on arranging and jazz education, respectively. And . . . men's basketball season is about to start! I am breathing deeply and smiling broadly.Just received the call to develop and deliver an online course entitled Introduction to Jazz at Western University. Extremely excited at the challenge of creating a course that not only provides an overview of this great tradition, but provides practical skills for those who want to begin exploring the music. There will be videos on producing simple chords at the piano, playing in various jazz styles and beginning to improvise.
I think it is always good from time to time to step back and look at where you are and where you are heading. So, right now I am a part-time professor at several colleges and universities, driving to-and-fro, while I also balance life as a musician: performing, composing and conducting. A lot is on my plate, maybe too much for someone with a young family. I might take a step back, apply for less research presentations and clinics, maybe teach one less class, and focus more on my composition and arranging. Sure, I would still like to be employed full-time at a college or university, stop wearing down my tires and invest my energy in one institution. I also hate the fact that a big part of my job is applying for jobs. Before I cry a river, I must remind myself (and anyone who reads this - Hah!) that I am one of the few PhDs who is actually working in higher education - so I should be thankful. That being said, some of the ivory halls/walls are getting a little tarnished, while others are getting torn down entirely. Who is to say what will happen in a few years time. Well, as Leonard Cohen said, "At least we have the music."
I am not sure what the secret is to keeping your sole focus on the music but it is an essential skill to have as an artist. My big band can sound professional, I mean, one of the best at times. At other times, it can sound like symphonic musicians warming up . . . on jazz. Being able to focus for prolonged periods of time is a skill that is nurtured over time, I think. Part of that skill is letting go of, or forgetting about, your mistakes immediately, and keeping your mind in the present. I heard a golf coach say that you have to "bury" the last shot; it's dead, gone and in the past. Whatever the analogy or Jedi mind trick, you must be able to focus on the music at hand and block out other stimuli to play at the highest level.
I always stress to my band and my students that a musician must practice consistently. It is better to practice a little each day than twice as much every other day. When things get hectic, I must remember to heed my own advice, as there is nothing more frustrating than playing below your potential.
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Dr. Michael KearnsMusician, educator, husband, father, web designer ... my life is like a mosaic with each piece vying for my attention. Archives
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