I think the reason I’m “self made” is because I’m impatient. While everything I do is long-term process oriented (developing a studio, creating a brand as a teacher, improving as a cellist, publishing, learning to work on bows) and…
I wrote AMCM to try and fill some of the gaps in the “how-to” canon. Mostly, I thought we needed a text featuring a bunch of pictures and the occasional justification/explanation for certain bits of technique. There’s another volume…
Lindy hop as metaphor: my instructor constantly has to remind me to wait for a lead and then follow it to the end of the momentum, as I’m awfully clever at guessing what I think will happen… …and even…
Perhaps it was growing up around a dad who seemed to know how everything worked (right down to the subatomic level) or maybe I’m just a junkie for the pedagogical process, but I’ve always wanted to learn how to…
Now and again I go for a jog without music. After the crunchy/clear headed/isn’t this moment grand thing passes (and it does, without fail), I return to the usual fragmented contemplation that running is supposed to help alleviate. Cresting a…
Whoa. Click to enlarge what Santa had to say in response to our letters!
Click to enlarge our letters to Santa…
Part of what makes my blog a little different from those of some other professional musicians is that I tend to expound about the sorts of things that highlight my frailties rather than serve as promotional material. It’s a…
Practice is good. Common sense tells us it’s necessary for progress and essential to maintain our skill. In my lessons, I rarely teach people how to play- it’s mostly about diagnosing what makes something difficult and then developing strategies and…
I was watching SportsCenter when the coverage turned to NASCAR, whose championship was determined last night by the narrowest margin in history. It came down to the wire with Carl Edwards and Tony Stewart, who had been in…
Veterans Day. This morning, I was scanning what people had to say in their blogs and various social media outlets. One guy, a friend of mine, said something to the effect of “Happy lip service day! Too bad…
By hook, crook, bell, book and candle, I managed to infiltrate the ranks of the jazz department when I was at CSUN. Classically trained folks are usually a liability in such settings: stuck to the page, desperate for…
Note: I sat on this post for nearly two weeks, debating whether or not to publish it. Few topics are as sensitive and reflective of one’s world view as happiness is. It’s easy to glibly opine about the stuff burbling…
As a kid, people always asked what I wanted to do when I grew up. Maybe they could already detect my ill-fated and inconvenient relationship with music and were testing the waters for a more rational direction. It was around…
Getting good at something happens in cycles. My latest learning adventure has been Lindy hop. After my first 2 lessons, I was emboldened. I dove into the deep end and got crazy serious about it. I’ve had a few rough…
Ok peeps. Here’s the flyer for the Rockville lesson preview. I’m typically more old-school: I revere word of mouth and taking the time to establish a reputation, so being enterprising about lessons is a little uncomfortable for me. Nonetheless, I…
EDIT: The date has changed for this event! I’ll have confirmation up ASAP. Thanks. As part of my expanding private studio, I’m brewing up a little sample lesson/Q&A session in Rockville on the 25th. Here’s the flyer for…
I’m going back through Slonimsky’s Lexicon of Musical Invective (a title that is as much fun to say as it is to actually delve into) and thought I’d share a few of the entries. In case you’re not familiar, it’s…
I had a pretty significant health scare back in the spring. It was to the point that they thought I may have had less than 5 years left. I remember seeing the doctor’s number on my phone about 20…
As part of my gig at AACC, I come in every other week and play with their orchestra and do stuff like run sectionals and make terrible puns from the back of the cellos. I emailed the conductor and asked…
I don’t teach many young peeps. The few that I do manage are always characters, and my two Monday kids are no exception. Yesterday, Noah and I were talking about his impending move to a full size cello, and…
When you walk any distance at all in the rain with a cello strapped to your back, the water drips down the case and soaks your butt.
I’m noticing a trend among younger students. When I ask them a question that requires critical thinking, introspection or deduction they first respond… with silence. And then I press them a little. Perhaps goad them with, “Go on-…
I was recently asked if I’d always had faith in my path as a musician. It’s a good question, and one that provoked some decidedly non-soapbox/swashbuckling answers. Folks come here for a dose of upstream boldness. And I suppose in…
I have neglected this blog lately, but for good reason. Between teaching private lessons, starting the new college gig, performing, and attending more dance events than is actually humanly possible, it’s been a crazy couple of weeks. Just…
I work really hard when I write. It’s some of the most enjoyable time I spend (tied with practicing cello, dancing, and flying). A few years ago, I hassled the folks over at Strings into letting me scribble a bit…
I’m playing with BRB at Cyclops on the 26th! Get your passes here, and stop by and say hi! It’s an absolute smorgasbord of musical goodness, with a combination of sweet local talent and out of town bands.
I’m with the band. No really. My friends and I, despite all our classical training and knowing better, have pretty much always dated guys in the rock and roll scene. There’s an occasional composer or sound editor (and one pro…
Just thought I would share the top 5 most awful and outrageous things I’ve ever gotten via the emilywright.net inbox Most are edited for obvious reasons. 5. “Everything you play sounds like a Duport étude. You suck. Stop…
I’ve never been one to stick to the beaten path. Even when I give it a shot, and feel like I’m doing what people have prescribed as the “right thing to do”, I find myself happily frolicking in…