things ahead

There are lots of things going on this weekend, and next week. Things I’ve talked about here on the blog (it’s audition weekend!), and things I haven’t. They are things that are scary, and exciting all at the same time. They are things that need to change, and I’m ready to make the changes, and hopefully grow while moving forward. How’s that for being vague? 🙂

For awhile now I’ve asked myself what is the next step with my teaching? are things going well? Do I need to make changes? Is there something wrong with the way I teach? And because of insecurities I even ask if there is something wrong with me? Things for music, and the arts are pretty challenging these days in Atlanta. The 4 months of rumors about contract negotiations for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra have blown up in the media. The way people live in Atlanta has changed dramatically since I was a child, and the way people parent has changed. I’ve done a lot of soul searching this summer, a lot of praying, and working as hard as I can to make each student’s lesson the highest quality I can while keeping things light, and fun. I’m not really sure what’s going to happen over the next couple of weeks, but I’m excited by the potential.

Marathon Training – week 4

Holy smokes! Whose brilliant idea was it to do orchestra auditions during marathon training? Oh right… I’m getting to know my snooze button a little too well with 3-4 hours of practicing a day on top of teaching, and training. And to think this Saturday is only the first of 3 auditions I have coming up. It’s going to be a long fall. If you don’t hear from me for a while it’s because I’m trying to pound this into my brain:

So, with that another build week done.

Tuesday’s run:

Plan: 1 hour 20 minute zone 2 run with surges to zone 3 every 20 minutes

Goal: base building

8.2 miles with average pace of 9:42 (much more humid)

Thursday’s Run:

Plan: 1 hour 20 minutes zone 2 run with surges to zone 3 every 20 minutes

Goal: base building

8.02 miles with average pace 9:40 (had to cut this one a little short)

Saturday’s Run:

Plan: 14 mile zone 2 run with surges to zone 3 every 20 minutes

Goal: base building

14 miles in 2:17 with average pace 9:48

Overall it was a really consistent week of training! Monday, Wednesday, and Friday were all strength training days, and Sunday I got in a 15+ mile bike ride for a recovery from Saturday’s long run. I have to say I feel really good so far aside from being tired from all of the stuff I have going on right now. Marathon training is a commitment, as is getting ready for an audition, which is mentally exhausting because you have to be so focused and honest all of the time. Fortunately this week’s training isn’t too much more than what I’ve been doing other than adding a little more distance:

Things were switched around a little bit on the weekend to accommodate my audition. It’s hard enough doing that without a 16 mile run the same day, so we moved that to Sunday for this week. Since next week is a recovery it shouldn’t mess anything up 🙂

@twtrsymphony – Brids of Paradise

It’s been a little bit since the first movement The Hawk Goes Hunting came out, but we’re all excited again because the second movement of Chip’s 2nd Symphony Birds of Paradise is out. It takes us a little while to get all of the individual recording sorted out, and aligned when you don’t record all together. :)You can click on over to InstantEncore to download it, and use the code TwtrParadise for a free copy.

TwtrSymphony is a new concept in the symphony orchestra –a group of musicians who create their unique sound through remote recording sessions. Each musician is given their part and a click track. They record it on their own time leaving them free to take on other music related projects.

When each musician is done with their recording they send it to our sound engineer who puts the tracks together to create a full orchestra sound, without having the expense of a hall.

The music we’re performing is also unique –limited to 140 seconds per track. Each track is the pure essence of the music, with no time for long drawn-out developments often associated with classical music. Our composer, Chip Michael has trimmed off the excess to capture the bare nugget of each piece.

Chip Michael goes a step further taking the idea of a beat into new territory. Instead of considering a beat a constant, the music shifts the meter where a beat might be five eighth notes in length, followed by a beat with only four eighth notes. The eighth notes progress by too quickly to count giving the music as sense of energy, propelling it forward, while the irregular length of beats provides the feeling of ever shifting rhythms.

Part of what makes Twitter unique is the terse conversations that take place. It isn’t a place where long, drawn out diatribes are posted. Rather, Twitter is communication boiled down to the essentials. Conversations happen, but they tend to be quick exchanges of ideas and concepts. TwtrSymphony captures that with short pieces filled with energy and intensity.