the forecast
Early July calls for mostly sunny skies, some fireworks, with a chance of Emily coming up the 15, 70 and 35 through CO, NE, IA and MN! Everything is tentative, but it looks like I will be once again making…
Emily Wright
Two years!
I am in the absolute throes of book finishing right now. I hope you are patient enough (and that this blog and my site have been compelling enough) to wait and see the transformation I have planned for the whole…
Last night’s gig
I played a benefit last night. These are my driving shoes. I got to sit next to these orchids, which I thought were the most beautiful thing! This art was donated for the event. They’ll never know. Practice hours played,…
merch
Got the bumper stickers. As soon as I’ve reworked the site, I’ll put ’em up. $5 sound fair?
censorship? or a sign of maturity?
working on the book
Aah, zee cello. Look how relaxed and peaceful she is when playing zuh second finger wis good techniques. Zut alors! It is ‘orrible, zis shape! Yes, I am actually going to put that second one in the book. 🙂 photos…
this is the best I can draw.
I had quite a day on Monday. Here are the highlights! Creme de la Crepe cafe in Redondo is my favorite for light French fare. This is a cremeux espresso: double shot with fresh whipped cream. Les serveuses there are…
Ché settimana!
It’s been a crazy week. I was lucky that I could count on Lucy to fill in for me, there. I have 3 days until the book editing party, and I still have to take a bunch more pictures and…
secret cat thoughts
in lieu of 6,000 words
What my life looks like these days when I’m not teaching: exhibit A: Obscene amounts of writing, re-writing, and other syntactical manglings. exhibit B: The artist finds inspiration. exhibit C: Inspiration is fleeting. What is everyone else up to? Must…
knowing the signs
Does this sound like you or anyone you know? Calloused hands, a closet full of full skirts and/or ‘comfy’ black pants, referring to people in strange code languages (“I was just thinking about GGP” “I can’t believe how long it’s…
so not about cello
It’s about time for a cat post. Please to meet Maru, the cat who loves boxes.
Frazier/Ali
It’s interesting how much I learn from teaching. Over the past year or so, I have had four or five students rise quickly to the “uh-oh this is serious!” level of intensity with their cello practice and approach to playing.…
high maintenance
It’s funny that Cello Muser, aka @risktical asked for a post on periodic cello maintenance because until recently, I hadn’t been doing too much of that. In fact, I had been on the ignorant side of many things cello, like…
defining
click to enlarge!
great lessons
Well, as if to prove that there is some balance in the world, my lessons today were miraculous. My first student is a professional musician and an accomplished teacher with the most destructive habit of denigrating herself. She brings me…
inbox
It has been a nightmarish week (my weeks run Thurs-Mon), full of last minute cancellations, which were followed by strongly worded emails about my lesson policy, which were followed by aggressive responses or sheepish apologies, which were followed by multiple…
We have a winner!!
Woweee, was that a tough decision. Each person who entered (11 in all) had something beautiful to offer, and I say that in truth, with affection. One of my students even entered, which was kind of touching, as many of…
not that I have any experience with this, but…
tick tock
Contest ends Monday! So far, 10 entries…
Muumuu, Kickstand, Holland.
My dad once told me that being a good teacher isn’t about thinking of things, but rather thinking of things to say. Each lesson is a struggle to convey how to do this or that, but more often, I need…
frog leg syndrome and others
Like most things, all it takes to work on the pinky is a little discipline. Ok, a lot of discipline. If you have already injured yourself, there might be steps in between, like some rest, taping 3rd and 4th together…
unfair
I got a letter from your pinky the other day. I’m used to whole cellists writing to me asking for technical advice, but this was…a little awkward. What a conflict of interest! But I have decided to address the issues…
…
Tax Man
I went to the tax guy last week. After reviewing my finances, he advised me to “go to school and learn some real skills” to ameliorate the situation. My first instinct was to go home, open up my in-progress Glossary…
What do you mean, A Contest?
Yep, that’s right. I’ve teamed up with the lovely people at Strings Magazine, and I’m having a little bit of a contest. In 250 words or less, what would you say is the essence of my take on learning and…
Avoidance mode
You have étude books. And in those books are certain pages that make your guts churn and your eyes sizzle. I know because I, too have Popper’s High School of Cello Studies. But you don’t need to bust out Popper…
Dallas to Atlanta, or how PMS saved my life.
On the last leg of my drive from TX to GA, I encountered a tornado-laden lightningfest of a storm that had me alternately tailgating the semi in front of me to keep track of where I was, crying, and generally…
a reminder
I’m in my Atlanta hotel room, watching tv. This show comes on about kids playing music, and this guy still has me smiling. There were some other kids too, including an amazing brass band made of siblings. Sometimes I hear…
Arlington, part 2
What a day. Hot, windy, and full of cello stuff. Oh, and a train that slowly went back and forth in front of me for about 10 minutes. First off, I went to the Waffle House and had, well, a…